6
forward). The light on the rear of the locomotive is only used when switching and cannot
be turned on using a DC controller.
If you are new to the hobby (or just like to occasionally “play trains”) and you have a
DC-powered train set, please contact us before operating your F40PH-2D as it may not
be safe (for your engine and/or your wallet) for you to use your controller.
Some train set throttles put out a very high maximum voltage that is not suitable for scale
model trains. The maximum recommended voltage is 16 volts DC. Similarly, controllers
designed for large scale trains put out a much higher voltage than your F40PH-2D can
handle.
If you use a train set throttle or a throttle designed for large scale trains, your locomo-
tive’s circuitry may end up looking like those “your brain on drugs” commercials. In
such situations, we’ll try our best to fix it for you. But we may have to charge you for
the replacement parts and/or the labour involved. That’s because you didn’t read this
bit of the manual. Seeing as we didn’t change this section of the manual from the last
VIA F40PH-2D model we made, and seeing as you probably own that too, there really
is no excuse.
INSTALLING A DCC DECODER
The F40PH-2D contains an ESU-designed motherboard which is connected to the track,
motor and lighting outputs. A blind plug is attached to the motherboard using a 21-pin
connector. To install a decoder, remove the blind plug and install a 21-pin decoder.
We used to tell you it was OK to use an ancient and outdated 8- or 9-pin decoder. But
realistically you are so limited with those that we don’t recommend them any more. They
will just cause you grief. Your chosen 21-pin decoder should have eight function outputs.
At the time of writing, we recommend the following 21-pin decoder:
• ESU #54615 - LokPilot V4.0 DCC with 21MTC
We feel the 21-pin connectors are superior because there are enough pins to ensure that
all your lighting functions are connected. The necessary resistors are included on our
ESU-designed motherboard so you don’t have to futz around with resistors. Just plug in
the recommended decoder and you have DCC.
ESU has made an F40PH-2D function mapping which can be downloaded into their
non-sound decoder (54615) so that the function buttons and motor control are exactly
the same as our factory-released sound versions. Provided we ever get around to it, this
will be available for download on the F40PH-2D page in the Support section of our web
site. You will need an ESU LokProgrammer to write the function mapping to the 54615
decoder. If you don’t have a LokProgrammer, you can adjust CVs in the usual way.
