Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 1
14-05-2017 I have just converted another 3615 locomotive with a LokSound decoder for my friend
Adrian, for details see appendix pages 14-19.
Hi All,
I started out just wanting to put LED lighting in to this 3615 locomotive but I soon found I got a little
carried away with the upgrade. The locomotive had been converted with a 6090 decoder by the previous
owner and as there are no extra functions to switch the smoke on/off I decided to use a LokPilot 4 as a
replacement.
F1 will control the smoke unit. With extra functions available I decided to put a Telex coupler on the rear
of the locomotive. The locomotive does an un-coupling shuffle only for the rear Telex using the F2
function key. The challenge was to put warm white LED lighting in the tender to replace the lower two
dummy lights. I have chosen to use fibre optic light pipes and one warm white LED for the rear lights and
change the front bulb to a warm white LED, using “Rule 17” to dim both lights when the locomotive is
stationary. The other features are an added cabin light that only comes on when the locomotive is
stationary controlled by F5. I also decided to add a Firebox flickering light controlled by F6. The last
feature is flashing head or tail lights only at the end of the locomotive where the Telex coupler is
operating and the duration is controlled by the uncoupling shuffle feature.
F3 is the shunting mode and F4 controls the inertia function on/off.
In the photo above the cabin light is on. The glass inserts for the windows are tinted which reduces the
cabin light output, but in a darkened room the light level looks great. A reflection of the firebox light can
just be seen on the front of the tender also.
Warning: - You undertake the following modifications at your own risk as drilling and filing are required
to complete the project.
Internal View Right Hand Side
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 2
Internal View Left Hand Side
Internal View of the Tender
The above view shows the decoder held in place with hot melt glue on a small wood support using the
existing features of the tender to hold it in place. The wood on the left side required two pieces and is just
a firm fit in the tender to support the decoder. I mounted four resistors on a small Vero board held in
place on the MTC 21 adaptor board with hot melt glue. The foils were drilled away under each resistor
and wired in the following order, rear light (yellow arrow), firebox light (grey arrow), cabin light (brown
arrow) and front light (white arrow).
At the rear of the tender you can see the fibre optic light pipes held in place by hot melt glue.
Fibre Optic Rear Lamps
Making the fibre optic rear lamps proved to be very easy. I used 1mm
diameter optic fibre and cut two lengths 55mm.
Using a flat tip on my soldering iron I melted the end of each optic
fibre. I then sanded the ends flat using 1200 grit sandpaper. The effect
created a lens for the rear lamps on the tender.
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 3
Fibre Optic Rear Lamps continued
Drilling the holes for the fibre optic light pipes must be done
with care to get the holes centred in the lower lamps on the
tender. I found by using a 2.5mm drill in a manual pin vice it
centred in the existing indent that the lamps already had. I just
drilled down enough to get a centre mark then using a 1mm
drill I drilled all the way through.
I then tried the fibre optic and noted that I needed to use the
2.5mm drill to counter sink/chamfer until the fibre optic light
pipe sat flush with the lamp moulding.
With the fitting now correct I used silver paint to touch up the
drill holes and once the paint was dry I inserted the light pipes
and glued inside with hot melt glue. The photo at the right
shows the lamps without being switched on.
To join the fibre optic light pipes I used a 6.5mm diameter acrylic rod and cut it to 10mm in length. At
one end I drilled a 3mm hole just deep enough to fit the 3mm warm white LED and at the other end I drill
two 1mm holes close together to a depth of 2-3mm to take the fibre optic light pipes.
I then positioned the light pipe transition piece as shown and glued it down with hot melt glue. The next
step is to insert each light pipe into the transition piece, trimming to length to get the arrangement as
shown above.
The LED is inserted in the transition piece and held with some ‘Blue Tac’ to allow for easy servicing.
Telex Coupler Wiring
The Telex wires are long enough to be soldered directly to the 21 MTC Adapter and are inserted into an
existing slot at the rear of the tender (red arrow above).
The black wire is soldered to the U+ solder pad (black arrow above) and the grey wire is soldered to the
Aux2 solder pad (grey arrow above)
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 4
Telex Coupler Mounting
In my box of bits I found a 288390 coupler pocket which I
modified by enlarging the mounting hole to have a neat fit over the
mounting spigot. I used a crinkled/wavy washer just to exert the
correct pressure to allow movement and self centre the coupling, all
held using the original screw.
The wires for the Telex coupler fit through the existing spring slot
as shown.
Once I refitted the bogie I noticed that the Telex coupler sat too
high above the track to allow wagons to couple correctly.
The cure was to file one end of the bogie
support arm to a thickness of 0.8mm (see blue
arrows)
21 MTC PCB Adaptor Board
The three blue arrows point to solder
pads “U+” that can be used for all
+pole connections
Wiring Colours
Note
The violet wire was removed from the Aux2 connection and the grey wire from
the Telex was soldered directly to the Aux2 connection.
ESU doesn’t specify wire colours for AUX3 and AUX4 so I chose the
following. You will have to solder wires direct to the “21 MTC adapter” on the
pads provided.
Description Colour
Motor R Grey
Motor L Orange
Ground Black
Centre Rail Red
+ Pole Blue
Head Light White
Rear Light Yellow
Aux 1 Green
Aux 2 Violet
Aux 3 Brown
Aux 4 Grey
Rear Light
Rear Telex
Front, Cabin and Firebox lights
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 5
Cabin and Firebox Lights
The cabin light is a PLCC2 warm white LED. A
blue wire is soldered to the anode connection and a
brown wire is soldered to the cathode connection. It
is glued with hot melt glue to the cabin roof.
The firebox LEDs are yellow and red 0603 LEDs that are
connected in series. First I glued the LEDs to a small clear
plastic sheet with super glue, the left LED anode points up
and is the connection point for the blue wire (+pole) and the
right LED cathode points up and is the connection point for
the grey wire. The cathode of the left LED was bridged
across to the anode of the right LED (yellow arrow)
I drilled a 1.5mm hole for the firebox LEDs at the bottom
side of the firebox. This hole was then painted black.
The other 1.5mm hole was drilled at the location shown
(red arrow) to allow the cabin light wires to be threaded
through. Be careful to drill at an angle as shown by the
arrow and stop when you are through the metal before
drilling into the roof.
The wires are all trimmed to a suitable length and soldered
to 3 rolled pins with the blue wires connected to the
middle pin. The wires were held place by hot melt glue to
act as a stress relief. I plugged in the wire harness,
switched on the firebox light and with a little super glue
on the LED assembly positioned the firebox LEDs by
sighting through the firebox hole for the best location.
I have since done another firebox on another locomotive and the best location is to have the LEDs
mounted horizontally with the yellow LED on the bottom and the red LED above it. The view of the
firebox from either side is more consistent in colour mix and looking from above you will see a more
yellow/orange light with a touch of red reflected on the tender. See page 17.
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 6
Cabin and Firebox Lights Socket Connections
3 rolled pin sockets are glued with hot melt glue as shown.
The brown wire is connected via a resistor
on the Vero board in the tender then from
the other end of the resistor to the Aux3
connection.
The blue socket has two blue wires
soldered to it, one wire is connected to the
+U solder pad on the 21 MTC adaptor in
the tender (see page 4) The other blue wire
runs up to the front of the locomotive for
the front LED anode connection.
The grey wire is connected via a resistor on the Vero board in the tender then from the other end of the
resistor to the Aux4 connection.
All wires are protected by heat shrink.
To assemble the body shell lay it on its side, plug in the wire harness and carefully position the body shell
ensuring no wires are pinched.
I made a small spacer 2.25mm in length from 1/8’’copper tube to ensure the motor shield remained flat so
the mounting screw cannot be over tightened (red arrow).
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 7
Motor and Chassis Connections
The orange motor wire is connected to the left
brush connection.
The grey motor wire is connected to the right
brush connection.
The black wire from the 21 MTC adapter is
soldered to a solder lug held by the left bottom
motor shield screw. Another black wire runs to
the front pony truck to improve the ground
connection of the locomotive.
Front LED and Smoke Unit Connections
The front PLCC2 warm white
LED has some resistor lead
cut offs soldered to it and
plugs into the existing light
bulb socket.
Careful attention should be
made to connect the blue
wire to the anode side of the
LED and the white wire
connects to the cathode side.
The green wire is soldered to
the smoke unit connection
tab.
In this locomotive the light pipe for the front lights has gone a milky opaque colour and the light
transmission is poor. I tried to improve the light transmission by wrapping tin foil around the light pipe. It
has improved it to an acceptable level but I will replace it on my next spare parts order.
Please see page 18 for improvements for the top front light intensity
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 8
Light Results
Front lights Rear Lights
Cabin Lights with Firebox lights
I really liked the orange and red combination for the firebox
light and will be doing it for some of my other conversions.
The use of fibre optic light pipes will be used in other locomotives which don’t have any rear working
lights provided there is room to fit them.
CV Values for the LokPilot V4 next page
Warning: Make sure you read the ESU decoder instructions before programming any CV’s
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 9
Motor Settings [Index:0 (CV31=0, CV32=0)]
CV# Name Range Value Default
1 Primary Address 1-255 98 3
2 Start Voltage 1-255 *3 3
3 Acceleration 0-255 16 32
4 Deceleration 0-255 8 24
5 Maximum Speed 0-255 80 255
6 Medium Speed 0-255 25 88
13 Analogue Mode F1-F8 (F5 Cabin light) 0-255 16 1
51 Load Control Parameter “I slow speed” 0-255 *0 0
52 Load Control Parameter “K slow speed” 0-255 32 48
53 Control Reference Voltage 0-255 120 140
54 Load Control Parameter “K” 0-255 55 48
55 Load Control Parameter “I” 0-255 40 32
66 Forward Trim (1 x Voltage) 0-255 126 128
95 Reverse Trim (1 x Voltage) 0-255 127 128
246 Automatic Uncoupling Speed 0-255 20 0
247 Automatic Uncoupling Move Time (2 sec.) 0-255 122 0
248 Automatic Uncoupling Push Time (1 sec.) 0-255 61 0
Timing Functions [Index:4096 (CV31=16, CV32=0)]
285 Aux2[1] Turn Off After Timeout (3.28 sec.) 1-255 8 0
292 Aux3 Time Delay Turn On (1.64 sec.) 0-16 4 0
Mapping Functions and Conditions to Outputs [Index:4098 (CV31=16, CV32=2)]
362 F1f (forward) mapped to Aux1[1] *4 4
378 F1r (reverse) mapped to Aux1[1] *4 4
395 F2f (forward) Rear Light[2], Aux2[1] mapped together 32 0
410 F2r (reverse) set to zero value so engine won’t shuffle 0 8
411 F2r (reverse) Front Light[2] only mapped 16 0
481 F5 Stop, Forward Condition on Aux3 6 4
490 F5f (forward) mapped to Aux3 16 0
497 F5 Stop, Reverse Condition on Aux3 10 8
506 F5r (reverse) mapped to Aux3 16 0
Mapping Functions and Conditions to Outputs [Index:4099 (CV31=16, CV32=3)]
266 F6f (forward) mapped to Aux4 32 0
268 F6f (forward) Logical Functions Firebox 32 0
282 F6r (reverse) mapped to Aux4 32 0
284 F6r (reverse) Logical Functions Firebox 32 0
299 F7 forward condition mapped to Rear Light [2] 32 0
315 F7 reverse condition mapped to Front Light [2] 16 0
Function Control Settings [Index:4096 (CV31=16, CV32=0)]
Function
Output
Mode Select Brightness 0-31 Special Function
CV# Value CV# Value CV# Value CV# Value
Head Light[1] 259 2 262 *31 263 132
Rear Light[1] 267 2 270 *31 271 136
Aux1 Smoke 275 24 278 24 stat 279 28 min d 280 31 max d
Aux2 Telex 283 28 286 15 287 *0
Aux3 Cabin Light 291 2 294 20 295 144
Aux4 Firebox 299 4 302 *31 303 128
Head Light[2] Flash 355 12 358 *31 359 128
Rear Light[2] Flash 363 12 366 *31 367 128
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 10
CV Values for the LokPilot V4 continued Please note any Value = *xx means the default value wasn’t changed.
The Index settings CV31 and CV32 must be changed when doing direct CV programming.
CV13 has been changed so F1 Telex function won’t turn on but F5 cabin light will operate when running
in Analogue Mode.
For the Aux1 Function Output “Seuthe smoke unit” CV278=24 Heat while locomotive stands, CV279=28
is for Minimum heat while locomotive is driving and CV280=31 is for Maximum heat while locomotive
is driving.
For the first time I had to adjust the CV55 Load Control Parameter from the default motor setting to
overcome the locomotive jerking just as it stopped.
For people that don’t have the LokProgrammer or the ECoS and have to rely on direct CV programming
you may find my article “Using LokProgrammer to Find Undocumented CV’s” really useful.
Please note some CV values have changed now that I have tried running the locomotive in a schedule
with TrainController to test the Uncoupling function in shunting operations. I had to reduce the
Acceleration (CV3) and Deceleration (CV4) and I also reduced the medium speed (CV6) which gave me
lower speed steps in the low range to provide smooth coupling and uncoupling.
Bonus Time I have supplied my latest LokProgrammer project file 3615_proj (84Kb) for people to use as a starting
point for a locomotive conversion similar to this. It can only be used with LokProgrammer 4.4.11 and
above.
Speed profile for TrainController with the maximum speed set at 80km/h
Left is the speed
profile showing all
decoder speed
settings.
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 11
Locomotive Control
Above is the ECoS command station window showing F0 lights on, F1 smoke on, F2 telex function off,
F3 slow mode off, F4 Inertia on, F5 cabin light on, F6 Firebox light on and F7 Telex warning light which
isn’t used via the control window except for debugging on initial setup. To the right is the TrainController
Train window showing the same functions.
The icon has an embedded macro (indicated by the blue background which is a convention I have
started to use for all locomotives). This icon is used to manually jog and uncouple the locomotive and is
dependent on the direction of the locomotive.
This means that if the locomotive is running in the forward direction, the train will stop first then the
locomotive pushes the train backward just enough to release the tension on the couplings, the rear telex
operates and then the locomotive moves forward separating from the train and stops a small distance in
front of the uncoupled train.
The icon is used only with schedules that require shunting operations to uncouple trains. It is used
to account for train position in the block, what direction the locomotive faces in relation to the train and
also notes if the locomotive is pulling or pushing the train. The use of this icon will be covered in another
topic.
Intermittent Smoke On and Off icons. See Intermittent_Smoke for use.
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 12
Small Problem with F2 Automatic Uncoupling
Using the F2 automatic uncoupling function on the ECoS controller works well for the first time but if
you forget to turn it off once the locomotive has done its uncoupling shuffle, then reverse the locomotive
the uncoupling function will start in the opposite direction which you may not have intended. There isn’t
an option to have a time delay before turning off the function button. The rear lights will remain flashing
until the F2 Telex function is turned off.
Small Problem with F2 Automatic Uncoupling Solved
Using a Train window in TrainController I have solved this problem by having a list associated with the
locomotive functions that ensures the train has stopped, performs the uncoupling function then turns the
F2 function off.
In the Engine functions window you will notice the
first Coupler “Uncouple Auto Timer” associated
with F1 is Hidden and the second Coupler
“Uncoupler Telex(N) Jog” I have defined the actions
in a List... – On/Off Switch.
It is important that the graphics for the coupler
symbols are different when triggering the actions
from a schedule.
Under the Operations Tab for the List commands I
send a message to indentify the loco then execute
the ‘Uncouple Telex(N) Jog’ macro. See left.
Under the Macro Operations Tab, I Stop the
locomotive, delay for 2 seconds, Play a Sound file
“train uncoupling” then the hidden F1 “Uncouple
Auto Timer” is turned “On”, then after a delay of 4
seconds the “Uncouple Auto Timer” is turned “Off”.
I am now using this macro for several locomotives
as shown in the ‘Used in Operations of’ shown in
the Inspector Window.
This works well and is much safer than operating the locomotive with the ECoS.
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 13
Parts Required
Part Number Supplier Description Quantity
54614 ESU ESU LokPilot V4.0 Decoder 1
51968 ESU 21 MTC Adaptor 1
51940 ESU White cable, 0.5mm diameter, AWG36, 10m 1
51942 ESU Black cable, 0.5mm diameter, AWG36, 10m 1
51943 ESU Red cable, 0.5mm diameter, AWG36, 10m 1
51944 ESU Orange cable, 0.5mm diameter, AWG36, 10m 1
51945 ESU Green cable, 0.5mm diameter, AWG36, 10m 1
51946 ESU Grey cable, 0.5mm diameter, AWG36, 10m 1
51947 ESU Yellow cable, 0.5mm diameter, AWG36, 10m 1
51948 ESU Brown cable, 0.5mm diameter, AWG36, 10m 1
51949 ESU Blue cable, 0.5mm diameter, AWG36, 10m 1
E117 993 Märklin Telex Coupler (pkt of 2) 1
288390 Märklin Coupler Pocket 1
60941 Märklin Motor Conversion Kit for 3615 1
934-1102 Element14 1K MF25 Resistor 0.25W, 1% 4
120-1478 Element14 Protoboard 100x220 or similar 1
102-3035 Element14 Harwin SIL Socket 32Way D01-9973242 1
PLCC2LW3CT Ledz.com PLCC2 warm white LED 1
330PWO4C Ledz.com 3mm warm white LED 2
0603KYCT Ledz.com 0603 Yellow LED 1
0603RYCT Ledz.com 0603 Red LED 1
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 14
14-05-2017 Appendix for Sound
Märklin 3615 Locomotive with LokSound V4.0 decoder
Adrian supplied a Märklin 60941 Motor Conversion Kit, ESU 51968 Adaptor PCB and an ESU
LokSound V4.0 decoder with M4/mfx capability and standard 4Ω 1.5 watt round speaker. The decoder
was pre loaded with a Br50 sound project ESU 64499.
I wanted to keep the sound project file intact as ESU had just released a 4.2.0 update for the ECoS which
would allow M4/mfx functions above 15+ for a total of 31 functions. The V4.0 sounder decoder was
manufactured in March 2017 and I used the latest release of the LokProgrammer 4.5.2. Sadly when
running the locomotive in M4/mfx mode the extra functions where not available so if Adrian wants to
have all possible functions he will have to disable M4/mfx protocol in the decoder (CV47.1) which can be
found in LokProgrammer Decoder Special options and run the locomotive in DCC protocol.
The information below will only focus on what I did to install the sound decoder, define function
assignment and fitting the speaker.
Function Outputs (determined by the existing sound project file)
F0 I have used fibre optic light pipes and one warm white LED for the rear lights and change the front
bulb to a warm white LED, using “Rule 17” to dim both lights when the locomotive is stationary.
F4 (AUX1) will switch the Firebox flickering light and play the shovelling coal sound.
F8 (AUX2) will switch the added cabin light that only comes on when the locomotive is stationary
F15 (AUX3 will switch the smoke.
Fxx (AUX4) will be available to put a Telex coupler on the rear of the locomotive at a future date.
Tender Requirements
The standard ESU round
speaker is too large to fit in
the tub tender so I decided to
fit a cube speaker which is
13mm x18mm x 4.5mm
number GVM C1318
I had to cut down the rear supporting rib to fit the speaker
across the back of the tender. To avoid cutting too much of the
rib to maintain rigidity of the tender top I mounted the speaker
on wooden feet to straddle the rear rib.
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 15
For better protection of the wires not being pinched by the ribs I had to remove the plug from the speaker
wires and thread them through a 1.5mm hole in the rib and resolder the plug as shown. The speaker is
held in place with hot melt glue. Where the brass weights are located I also glued some black card over
the area to act as an insulator in case the decoder came in contact with the metal weights.
PCB Adaptor Requirements
On the adaptor I soldered
brown wires to the speaker
solder pads and soldered a
socket to the other end of
the wires.
For the front FL and rear
RL lights I used 1k 1206
resistors on the provided
solder pads which
required moving the white
and yellow wires to the
location shown.
For AUX1 and AUX2 I
used 1k 1206 resistors on
the provided solder pads
which required moving
the green and violet wires
to the location shown.
The rear warm white LED was soldered to wires as shown which would fit into the optic fibre
arrangement in the bottom of the tender.
For the motor chokes I mounted them on Vero board and wired them to the PCB adaptor MOT1 and
MOT2. The wood spacer is hot melt glued to the PCB adaptor to fit in the tender. I also used a 4mm
length of heat shrink tube glued to the wood spacer to support all wires going to the locomotive.
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 16
Bottom Arrangement of the Tender
The red arrows show the location of 3mm holes I drilled to help the sound exit the tender. I used the
natural features of the tender to mount the PCB Adaptor by gluing a wooden spacer across the tender as
shown. The optic fibre arrangement is the same method I detailed on pages 2-3.
The final Arrangement of the Tender
The original speaker wires were removed from the decoder. The provided plug and socket for the new
speaker is shown connected and will lie down beside the decoder as shown. The motor chokes on the
Vero board are held in place with hot melt glue. All wires that exit the tender are well clear of the
mounting hole and the weight (not shown above, see page 2) is put in place before the final assembly of
the tender.
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 17
Cabin and Firebox Lights Socket Connections
3 rolled pin sockets are glued with hot melt glue as shown.
The brown wire is connected via a resistor
on the PCB adaptor board in the tender
then from the other end of the resistor to
the Aux3 smoke connection.
The blue socket has two blue wires
soldered to it, one wire is connected to the
+U solder pad on the 21 MTC adaptor in
the tender (see page 4) The other blue wire
runs up to the front of the locomotive for
the front LED anode connection.
The green wire is connected via a resistor on the PCB adaptor board in the tender then from the other end
of the resistor to the Aux2 Firebox flicker light connection.
All wires are protected by heat shrink.
Firebox LED Mounting Arrangement
The Red and Yellow 0603 LEDs are mounted
horizontally as shown across the 1.5 mm drilled hole
see yellow circle.
The view of the firebox from either side is more
consistent in colour mix and looking from above you
will see a more yellow/orange light with a touch of red
reflected on the tender.
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 18
Cabin Light The cabin light is a PLCC2 warm white LED. A blue wire
is soldered to the anode connection and a brown wire is
soldered to the cathode connection. It is glued with hot
melt glue to the cabin roof.
Improve Top Front Light Intensity
By having the PLCC2 warm white LED half
above the light pipe for the lower lights more
light will reach the light pipe for the top light
which is mounted in the front of the body shell.
If a smoke unit is used it won’t diminish the light
output to the top centre light.
Speed Requirements
I used a speed curve type Exponential 1 preset to obtain the speed profile shown below.
The maximum speed is 80 km/h
Adrian wanted better slow speed
running using TrainController for
entry onto the turntable bridge.
He will now have 5 speed steps
available which will be 5 km/h to
16 km/h which should provide
smooth entry onto his turntable
bridge.
Tip: LokPilot Conversion of Märklin 3615 Locomotive with Rear Telex
Coupler, Cabin Light, Firebox Light, Telex Warning Light and Sound Date: 16-04-2012, Corrections 22-07-2012, Changes 21-08-2014 Sound Version 14-05-2017, 27-03-2021
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/marklin.html 19
Bonus Time I have supplied my latest LokProgrammer project file 3615 Br503143 (149Kb) for people to use as a
starting point for a locomotive conversion similar to this. It can only be used with LokProgrammer 4.5.2
and above.
I have also provided file
503143.yrl for a look at
the engine information
required by
TrainController.
Adrian provided a small video (0:49) of the Br 50 operating in the turntable area on his layout.
As always enjoy your model trains.