How the Universal Lighting Board works
Warm white LEDs with a wide viewing angle illuminate the coach interior evenly. A special circuit with a supercapacitor ensures consistently bright, flicker-free light even on dirty track and over short sections without power. You adjust the brightness steplessly with a potentiometer.
Installation is easy: the current collection from the axle pickups is soldered to the solder pads ‘Gl. links’ (left rail) and ‘Gl. rechts’ (right rail), then the board is glued into the coach roof. In the 2-rail system, the left and right wheels each go to one pad; in the 3-rail system, all wheels go to ‘Gl. links’ and the centre pickup to ‘Gl. rechts’. The capacitor can sit in three positions to avoid roof rails or walls. At both ends there are buffered, separately dimmable connections for red tail light LEDs.
The board fits, among others, n-coaches (‘Silberlinge’), yl coaches (centre-entrance coaches), Am/Bm coaches (express train/InterCity/Interregio) and Eurofima coaches. Please select the matching length when ordering.
What else you need
- for coaches without their own current pickup: our Axle Pickups
- for tail lighting: red 0603 SMD LEDs or red 2 mm tower LEDs
- for compartment coaches with separate corridor and compartment lighting: the Lighting Board for Compartment Coaches
Frequently asked questions
Does the lighting also work on analogue layouts?
Yes. The board works with direct voltage (DC), alternating voltage (AC) and digital – from 6 V, briefly also with the Märklin reversing voltage of 28 V AC.
Which length do I need?
30.3 cm for coaches at 1:87, 28.2 cm for 1:93.5 and 26.4 cm for 1:100.
How do I connect tail lights?
To the ‘Schluss +’ (tail +) and ‘Schluss −’ (tail −) terminals at both ends. Tower LEDs are connected in series, 0603 LEDs in parallel. The series resistor and brightness control are on the board.
