Using a Decoder Buddy


Smudge617

Smudge617

Well-Known Member
I'm thinking of using a Decoder Buddy, but I'm confused (not unusual) about which one I would need, the Decoder Buddy5 seems about right, but I'm not adding sound but I would like lighting, the one I've found has track, stay-alive motor and speaker pads but nothing for lights, so any help would be appreciated.
 
I'm looking at an uninstalled V5. At the ends it has pads for pickups and speakers and along the side pads for motor and KeepAlive. It has a plug opposite the 21 decoder pins with another 24 pads for the functions. I think the idea is the speaker and motor are usually mounted to the frame and the lights in the shell so the lights are attached to a removable plug allowing the frame and shell to be separated.
 
The Decoder Buddy is a great circuit board for using the 21 pin decoder and allowing far more lighting functions than factory boards. I actually know and am friends with Nick, the inventor and producer of the Decoder Buddy product.

I have several models with the original first run Decoder Buddy's installed in them and they work great, with the added advantage of being able to separate the lighting plug from the board when separating the shell from the chassis.

The electric pick up wires, motor wires, speaker wires and keep alive are all soldered to the solder tabs on the Decoder Buddy board itself and all lighting and other function wires are soldered to the lighting plug on top of the board.
 
Moeline said:
The Decoder Buddy is a great circuit board for using the 21 pin decoder and allowing far more lighting functions than factory boards. I actually know and am friends with Nick, the inventor and producer of the Decoder Buddy product.

I have several models with the original first run Decoder Buddy's installed in them and they work great, with the added advantage of being able to separate the lighting plug from the board when separating the shell from the chassis.

The electric pick up wires, motor wires, speaker wires and keep alive are all soldered to the solder tabs on the Decoder Buddy board itself and all lighting and other function wires are soldered to the lighting plug on top of the board.
Click to expand...
I originally stuffed up the lights and soldered them onto the board itself before I realised my mistake.
 
I have been using the buddies since I found them. makes the instal so much nicer. if the board needs changing then I am not messing twith all the wires just unplu. Allows for checking for shorts in everything else before installing the decoder itself.
 
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