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Berko/Eckon Signal Set Up With Train-Tech Colour Light Signal Control

Berko/Eckon Signal Set Up With Train-Tech Colour Light Signal Control

This article is aimed at DCC users for wiring up a Berko/Eckon colour light signal to a Train-Tech Signal controller However, in a follow-up article, we’ll also look at how to wire up a berko/Eckon colour light signal for those who use traditional DC analogue control.

The signal we’re using today is the Berko B551L Three Aspect (Red/Yellow/Green) Standard Left Offset Square Head. This signal uses LED’s & it comes prewired with the resistor already fitted. The resistor is fitted on the – Negative wire, which is the white wire on this signal. To control the signal we will be using a Train-Tech SC2 One-Touch DCC 3 or 4 Aspect Signal controller. As the name implies, this signal controller will operate either a four aspect signal or a three aspect signal. If using a three aspect signal, then you have the option of using a route feather signal as well.  As well as the three aspect signal, we’ll be using a calling on signal head instead of a feather signal head.

The Train-Tech SC2 signal controller will work with & compatible with all or most DCC control systems. The SC2 signal controller works with Train-Techs own brand signals & any or most other colour light signal brands. The SC2 signal controller has a built-in resistor so no additional resistors are needed unless you want to dim down the brightness of the signal lights further. Please check beforehand though check that you can remove or bypass resistors that are already fitted on the signals.

Train-Tech states that if white LEDs are used in signals like route indicators, please check that they can be connected independently because white LEDʼs require a higher voltage than other colours, and if prewired in series may not light or work correctly.

We’ll now look at installing the signal & SC2 signal controller.

Tools Needed

  • Drill & suitable sized drill bit to make a hole big enough for the signal wires
  • Glue to secure the signal base such as PVA, Super Phatic, UHU, Superglue etc
  • Wire cutters
  • Wire strippers
  • Screwdriver
  • Glue for assembly of the calling on signal & to fix the 3 aspect signal in place

 

 

 

 

 

Decide where you want to site your signal alongside the track making sure it’s positioned so that it doesn’t foul any passing trains. Have a look at the real railways for ideas & reference as to where to site the signals on your layout.

Drill a suitably sized hole big enough to take the signal wires. Next, if already fitted on the signal wires, cut & remove the resistor off the wire on the signal. Then strip the end of the wire that the resistor has been cut off.

Then feed the signal wires through the hole, but don’t glue down the signal base just yet, until the signal has been connected up to the signal contoller & tested first.

 

 

 

 

The SC2 signal controller has two mounting holes as highlighted in the photo opposite right. Use two suitable sized screws to fit through the mounting holes, & screw the SC2 controller to the underside of the baseboard as near to the location of the signal as possible. Don’t over-tighten the screws as this could damage the SC2 Signal Controller.

 

 

 

 

The SC2 Signal Controller needs a power supply connecting to its power supply inlet connector. The power supply can either be from the DCC power bus or from DCC track power supply on the DCC command station/controller.

On the side of the controller with the push button is the inlet connector for two wires, the two wires that go into this outlet need to have the ends stripped to remove a short section of the wire insulation first. The + Positive wire  (the red wire in the photo opposite right) & the – Negative wire (the black wire in the photo opposite right), are then inserted into the inlet connectors. It doesn’t matter which way round the + Positive – Negative wire goes into the power inlet connector.

Once the wires are inserted, tighten the grip screws in the inlet connector, a shown in the photo opposite right. Then connect the two wires to either the DCC Power Bus or the DCC track power supply outlet.

 

 

 

 

For wiring up to Berko/Eckon colour light signals, the diagram opposite shows which wires from the LED’s on the signal go to which outlet on the SC2 signal controller. The common wire on the signals is the white wire which is common negative. This white goes to the common – negative outlet connector on the signal controller. The signal controller has both common negative & common positive outlet connectors, so the signal controllers should work with most brands of colour light signal.

The LED’s are numbered accordingly and are connected up to the signal controller via the numbered outlet connector as shown in the wiring diagram. We are using the three aspect Red/Yellow/Green signal.

 

 

 

 

The photo opposite right shows how the three aspect signal is connected up to the signal controller. Remember that the common negative white wire (the one in the black insulation sleeve on the left of the photo with the big orange arrow) goes into the common negative connector outlet.

Make sure the connector screws are firmly gripping the signal wires.

 

 

 

 

 

Now turn on the power & power up the layout. The red power indicator LED on the SC2 signal controller should now be lit up. Press the Learn Button once to put the signal into learn/programming mode. The colour light signal will do a random flashing sequence, this is to show that the signal controller is now in programming/learn new DCC accessory address mode. 

In programming mode/learn mode, the signal controller will be allocated a DCC address of your choosing. The SC2 signal controller has two DCC addresses, so what or whichever you set the DCC address to, the second DCC address will be the next one in the number sequence. So in our case, we are going to give it the DCC address 70 & the second DCC address will automatically be given the next address number up which for us is 71.

 

 

 

 

 

With the SC2 Signal Controller now in learning mode/Program mode, we now have to set the DCC accessory address for the SC2 Signal Controller. On your DCC controller, press Accessory button, then type in the accessory address you wish to allocate the signal. Call up the accessory address you want to operate the signal on, & press the button on your DCC controller to operate the DCC accessory address. The lights on the signal will then stop flashing & one colour light on the signal will be on constantly. The signal SC2 is now programmed with the same DCC address as the points. (For operating DCC accessory addresses on DCC controller, please see your DCC controller handbook for further details).

You can allocate the same accessory address that you use to operate point motors.

So for example, if you have a set of points that you want the signal to operate in sync with, call up the DCC address of the points on the DCC controller. Press the learn button on the SC” signal controller to put it into the programming mode/learn mode. Then operate the points on DCC controller. The lights on the signal will then stop flashing & one colour light on the signal will be on constantly. The signal SC2 is now programmed with the same DCC address as the points.

The DCC Address can be reprogrammed (change DCC address) at any time by simply pressing the learn button on the SC2 Signal Controller, & select & call up the accessory address you wish to assign the signal & operate that DCC address on your DCC controller. The SC2 signal controller is then reprogramed.

Controlling the signal

With the SC2 Signal Controller now programmed, the colour light signal can now be operated. Control the signal, by calling up & selecting the Colour signal’s  DCC address using your DCC controller. To change the colour light signal aspect, so say change from red to green, on the DCC accessory address press the left or right ʻdirectionʼ (Or throw or closed points) command on your controller to change the signal colour. As Train-Tech states – Actual terms used for accessory control vary between controllers so please refer to your DCC controller instructions manual.

In our example on the three aspect signal we’re using, we have given it the address number 70 (with it’s second address automatically being allocated 71).

Address (70) Left direction button or T for thrown or right direction button or C for closed = Red signal or Green signal
Address (71) Left direction button or T for thrown or right direction button or C for closed  = Yellow or Double Yellow

If using a four colour light aspect signal, then the second DCC address (71 in our case) will then operate yellow double yellow on the signal. If wanting to put the signal back to showing say a red or green aspect, then select the first address on the signal (70 in our case). The yellow light(s) will then go out & the red or green aspect will then show.

As mentioned already, each signal can be controlled independently by its own unique address or can it can be easily synchronised to other DCC signals or points etc by giving them the same address as each other.

 

 

 

 

Adding A Feather / Calling On Signal

The SC2 Signal controller can also as well as operating 2, 3 or 4 aspect colour light signal, can also operate a feather signal, route signal or calling on signal. The SC2 signal controller can operate feather signal, route signal or calling on signal with a two-aspect colour light signal, as shown in both the photo & wiring diagram opposite right.

Please note the SC2 signal controller will work with a two-aspect coloured light signal. If using a three aspect or four aspect colour light signal & you wish to use a feather signal, route signal or calling on signal, then you’ll need to use an additional Train-Tech SC2 or SC1 Signal, controllers.

Train-Tech, Berkon/Eckon, CR Signals etc produce feather signals and route signals. The image on the right shows a two-aspect colour light signal with the top angled signal head with the white lights being the feather signal. The feather signal shows the driver how the route ahead is set, so in the case of the photo right, it’s showing the route ahead is set for a route ahead diverging off to the right.

The feather signal, route signal or calling on signal, can be set up so that it lights up in sync for when the points ahead are set for a particular route, or operated independently on its own via the second DCC address on the signal controller or as mentioned above, on another separate signal controller.

 

 

I wanted to add a calling-on signal, to the newly installed three aspect signal. So a trawl of the internet found a non-working calling on signal kit & as well as two suitable sized S.M.D / L.E.D’s. The S.M.D. / L.E.D’s. was kindly provided by Chris Bower. The calling on signal is a 3D printed kit, which needed a little bit of filing down of the internal lip on the rear section of the signal in order to give enough space for the S.M.D/L.E.D.

Once happy that the two S.M.D/L.E.D’s fitted okay inside the signal, the signal was primed & then painted black. The S.M.D/L.E.D’s were then glued into place on the inside of the front section behind the two light lenses openings.  This was then followed by the gluing of the rear section of the signal onto the front section of the signal. The wires from the two S.M.D/L.E.D’s were then fed through the hole on the signal base section, then the signal was then duly glued to the base section.

Next, the pre-fitted resistor on both the + Positive wires on the S.M.D/L.E.D’s needed to be cut & removed from the pre-wired S.M.D/L.E.D. This was to allow the four wires from the calling on signal to be fed down through the colour light signal. But also as the SC2 & SC1 signal controllers have resistors built into them, the LED’s that came pre-wired with resistors,  the resistors aren’t needed unless you want to reduce the brightness of the white lights on the calling on signal. Which in that case, solder the resistor back onto the red + positive wire for each S.M.D/L.E.D. In our case, the brightness needed to be reduced down some more, so the refitting of the resistors back onto the red + Positive wires was carried out.

The feeding of the four wires down through the signal mast tube is quite a tight fit, so a bit of patience was needed….or a few choice words of encouragement!! Don’t glue the calling on the signal onto the signal mast just yet, in case of any issues.

 

 

 

 

Here a second Train-Tech SC2 signal controller has been used alongside the other SC2 Signal controller that is controlling the 3 aspect signal. This time the common wire is the red + positive wire ( the two with the resistors on them in the photo opposite right). These two wires are inserted into the + common positive outlet on the connectors.

The two black – negative wires go into outlet number two on the connectors as shown in the photo opposite right.

Connect as before the two wires from either the DCC power bus or the DCC controller track power outlet, to the SC2 signal controller.

The power to the layout was turned on & the layout powered up. As before the red LED on the SC2 signal controller will light up.

Press the learn mode /programming mode button on the SC2 Signal controller. The lights on the calling on signal will flash. 

Call up the accessory DCC address you wish to operate the calling on signal & press the direction button or the throw / closed button on your DCC controller. (As before, if you are not sure about how to operate DCC accessories See your DCC controller handbook for further details). The calling on signal will now be programmed to the DCC accessory address that you’ve chosen. In our case, we’ve given the calling on signal DCC accessory address number 69. 

 

 

 

 

Test operate the calling on signal, & if all working okay, glue the calling on signal into place on the signal to permanently fix it in place. And that’s it, the 3 aspects Berko/Eckon Signal & calling on signal installation is now completed.

 

Happy modelling.

 

 

 

 

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