LGB 36600 Amtrak Passenger Cars - Lights Decoder

[LGB333]

Does anyone have any experience using the LGB 36600 Passenger Car and other Amtrak cars and the lighting function? The LGB 36600 User Guide states:

Operation
• On the bottom of the car, there is an On/Off switch
for the interior lights (see page 8/9).
• The built-in interior lighting can be controlled
digitally with the built-in decoder.
• The lighting switch has no more function when a
decoder is installed.

Is there a factory installed DCC/DC decoder? Are the light bulbs incandescent or LED and what's their voltage?

Apparently the installed factory bulbs do not get very bright when operating in DC Analog current. I was asked how to make the bulbs brighter, and I'm thinking perhaps switch them out with LED bulbs.

 

[Diesel2000]

The easiest and least expensive approach that will work for both DCC and analogue to convert these coaches to LEDs is to install a step-down buck converter with bridge rectifier and super capacitor for power storage on the lead out of the circuit board. Should cost about $3-5 in parts.

 

[LGB333]

The easiest and least expensive approach that will work for both DCC and analogue to convert these coaches to LEDs is to install a step-down buck converter with bridge rectifier and super capacitor for power storage on the lead out of the circuit board. Should cost about $3-5 in parts.

Thanks, Tim. I'm not doing a conversion on these cars. A customer is asking me some questions about the existing lights in his Amtrak cars that are not very brightly lighted.

 

[LGB333]

Does anyone have any experience using the LGB 36600 Passenger Car and other Amtrak cars and the lighting function? The LGB 36600 User Guide states:

Operation
• On the bottom of the car, there is an On/Off switch
for the interior lights (see page 8/9).
• The built-in interior lighting can be controlled
digitally with the built-in decoder.
• The lighting switch has no more function when a
decoder is installed.

Is there a factory installed DCC/DC decoder? Are the light bulbs incandescent or LED and what's their voltage?

Apparently the installed factory bulbs do not get very bright when operating in DC Analog current. I was asked how to make the bulbs brighter, and I'm thinking perhaps switch them out with LED bulbs.
View attachment 314211

Here's the response from Marklin Germany about the DCC function decoder that can be used with the LGB lighted passenger cars:

"if you like you can use fpor this model as a decoder the Märklin decoder 60972. It will need then o be progrmmed as a function decoder. But as an alternative it is also possible to build in the decoder 60976 and put also a special decoder project on it with sound."

 

[Greg Elmassian]

That response does not seem to address your question, how to get brighter on DC. Is your thought to use LEDs via a decoder, and perhaps run them from a constant voltage available from the decider?

I guess I would start by asking at what DC track voltage does the customer want them "full brightness"?