Here is what I found: the headlight and warning light LEDs (on the locos that have warning lights) are surface mount LEDs directly attached to the nose PC board. Without really major micro PC board surgery, it isn't possible to separate these headlight LED circuits to control them separately. They are reached via the green and blue wires from the end of the PC board. The number board LEDs are on a separate circuit reached via a yellow and red wire coming from the side of the main PC board. You can control these separately via either the green or violet wire from a multi function decoder. However, you will need to connect the wire from the LEDs that you use for this via a resistor -- I used 560 ohm. Works via F2 now. Wish you could set up the warning light separately, and if someone figures this out, I'd like to hear it!

So you're a little better off with an E7 with just the upper headlight.

OK, yes, I'm aware of that. However, the problem I'm referring to is that the wire colors on the Bachmann E7 don't follow the NMRA standard.

My question is whether anyone knows what the colors on the E7 correspond to on Digitrax -- i.e., what does the yellow wire, which seems to go to the headlight area, control, since there is no rear headlight (which yellow controls in NMRA0 in the E7?

I have a new DCC ready E7 loco. I would like to install a Digitrax DH166 to be able to control the various light functions -- headlight, Mars light, and numberboards -- separately. Testing it on DC, I see that the default is for all LEDs to be lit. It looks like I will need to identify the wires going to the LEDs, cut them, and splice them into the corresonding wires coming out of the DH166. However, the wires on the loco are colored blue, green, and yellow, and I'm not sure how they correspond to the white, violet, and green wires coming out of the DH166. Has anyone worked this out? I can experiment, cut the wires on the loco, and see what happens, but if someone already has this figured out, I'd like to learn it.  Thanks!

Sorry, I've already removed the board and replaced it. I do notice, though, that the doc on the 8-pin version says "On delivery, the decoder is programmed for operating with
the basic address 03, 28 speed steps and an internal
speedline."

The speedline, as far as I can see, can't be reprogrammed on either version, which is an issue. But the fact that you have to hard wire a replacement on the new version is an issue too.

OK, that doc refers to the 8-pin 4-function decoder used with the older DCC on board locos. As I said in the OP, I am referring to the new integral motherboard, which clearly has different features. The doc you point to says the 8-pin 4-function decoder can be reprogrammed with an advanced command station. I am unable to reprogram accel-decl, start voltage, etc on the integral board using an NCE PowerCab on a programming track. I have been able to reprogram the 8-pin decoder, but not the new integral.

These are two different products. As far as I can tell, there is no doc for the new version.

I hope someone from Bachmann can help with this.

I've worked with several of the newer HO locos with DCC on board (not sound value), which don't have an 8-pin socket but have the decoder mounted on a motherboard. These apparently include newer GP9s and GP40s.

I find that these seem to have some sort of acceleration variable built in , but they don't seem to allow for programming more than a few CVs. The accel-decel variables in particular don't seem to be reprogrammable. So far, the only solution I've found has been to remove the motherboard and replace it with a hardwired decoder from another manufacturer.

A contributing factor is that the new motherboards don't seem to be well documented, or documented at all, unless I'm missing something. Can someone clarify what CVs are programmable on this board?

I see Bachmann ES44s listed at a major online retailer as "GE ES44AC With Ditch Lights", typical number 65407. Is this a change, and do these now have working ditch lights?

I'm using an NCE Power Cab, and I did the reprogramming with the Program on Main feature. I'm able to change the Sound Value address (on Programming Track) to four digit from 003 default, but haven't tried to change it back. Maybe I need to try changing the speed curve on the Programming Track with the Sound Value loco.

OK, here's a start. I decided to speed match a Sound Value NYC F7A with a Bachmann NYC GP30 equipped with a Digitrax DN136PS decoder.

I've noticed that the several Sound Value locos I've worked with all have very low starting voltages and very high speed curves. They start more quickly and run faster than decoder equipped Atlas Kato units, as well as ordinary Bachmann units without sound. As a result, due to the very low starting voltage of Sound Value, it looks like I will need to raise the starting voltages of other locos I need to speed match. I also need to slow down VMid and VMax on the Sound Value locos.

Following Hunt's recommendation in this thread http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,28310.0.html I reset CV 25 = 0 and CV 29 = 2 on the F7A. Then I took the Dgitrax recommended values for CV02 =002, CV06=038, CV05=064, which is the slowest speed curve they recommend. This didn't seem to have any effect -- not sure if I did this right or not. Hunt, can you confirm this?

Then I tried to speed up the GP30. I wound up setting CV02=30 and CV06=200, didn't touch CV05 on this loco. This wound up with a barely acceptable match.

Has anyone else played around with this?

In the thread on Sound Value FA2s, it was suggested that I start a thread on speed matching Sound Value HO locos with other makes on DCC. In particular, I think these are potentially good mates for Atlas/Kato or Classic GP7s and RS-3s with DCC decoders installed, but out of the box, they don't match well in speed. The recent Sound Value locos are especially comparable in detail to the older Atlas yellowbox locos -- the GP7s in particular seem to have been retired from the Atlas line, so the Sound Value GP7s fill an important gap here.

Has anyone had experience with this?

Hunt, I'm not sure if I understand your post -- to enable CVs 5 and 6, what do I have to change CVs 25 and 29 to? Also, CV 2, vstart -- is there the same issue here?

I have a couple of sound value GP9s whose start speed is much faster than the Atlas/Kato-Classic GP7s I'd like to run them with. Any advice or insights would be very helpful.

I think the question is whether it's worthwhile to post a question about a simple technical issue on a forum where a Bachmann rep is theoretically available to answer questions about simple technical issues. There's a sub-question about why some guys seem to feel that questions about simple technical issues are out of line on a forum where they should be answered.

This is disappointing: first, I'm not getting an answer, and second, that several guys seem to think I'm out of line to want to make a simple DCC install simple.

Well, yes, but if the product description is accurate, I don't need to do all those work-arounds. That was my point. But if you think about it, aren't my questions about this entirely on topic and appropriate? So how hard can it be just to answer whether the Amtrak GP40 has an 8-pin plug?

I appreciate the clarification, although it still leaves me up in the air a little bit: if I go to the Bachmann store and read the description for the GM&O GP30 I have and know it has an 8-pin socket, I read "Features include: all-wheel drive DCC-ready with connection points for installation of a 6- or 8-wire harness decoder super-quiet,..." So this isn't completely accurate -- and in fact, based on that description, I ordered a hardwire DCC decoder, not one with an 8-pin plug. This is a little inconvenient, and it could have been fixed with somewhat more conscientious copywriting. It makes a difference, bottom line.

So now I'm thinking of ordering an Amtrak GP40. Can anyone clarify if this has an 8-pin plug or contact points? Again, this will make a difference in what I order for a decoder, and is something Bachmann should be making easier for its customers.

OK, I happened to have another DP2X on hand, and I swapped it out. F0 turns the lights on and off. Lights are bright forward, dim reverse and the other way around in reverse. Will need to play with CVs, but the loco itself clearly is working properly and the 8-pin is correctly wired. Joe, thanks for the suggestion.

Great loco for the price, I'm very pleased. Not as pleased with the error rate I get on decoders.

Bachmann, many, many thanks for these upgraded locos at reasonable prices!