Re: agenda item: DCS purchase

["Randall Howell" <rhowell@austin.rr.com>]

Ok,  I guess I'm going to put my 2-cents in.  I have not been 
jumping into the discussions of how to "configure/ modify/ operate" 
the clubs layouts or gear, much to date.   It's not that I did not feel 
welcome, quite the opposite as this group is very open, I just felt it 
was not my place to spout off my opinion about things you all have 
been working on & with for quite some time.  As I'm coming up on 
my 1 year anniversary of joining the club, I want to thank everyone 
for their excepting me & Ryan into the club... so Here goes.

I also think we should purchase one TIU configured to control 2 
tracks as conventional & command mode.  I would also purchase a 
second controller, thus allowing 2 operators the chance to control 
their trains via the MTH controllers.  I would purchase one "TIU to 
TMCC cable but I don't think we in our current configuration would 
need it.  I agree that the only apparent limitation powering the track 
with the TIU via MTH Controller would be that running a 
conventional train could not be done with the fimilure feeling CAB-1. 
 The CAB-1 could most likely be used on the track to control a 
Lionel command train.  This is because the lionel command signal  
is an Radio Frequency signal riding on the out side rail of the track. 
 It is not actually a part of the power in the track like the Smaller 
scale DCC systems are.  For example we could run a separate 
wire on the bottom of the layout table, parallelling the track & the 
command trains would receive the signal given this wire was not 
placed too far from the track.  Where am I going with this....?  With 
our layout's power/command signal setup all tracks receive all the 
signals for it's track as well as for the other 3 tracks.  The adjacent 
tracks outer rail is only inches from the next track.  this means 
that as long as the proposed tracks, 2 & 3 get the full power from 
the TIU the CAB-1 signals on tracks 1 & 4 should radiate 
sufficiently to control engines on the adjacent tracks 2 & 3.  As our 
layout has all tracks staying in parallel rows with any going off by 
themselves, this should work.  A few tests with a single track 
powered by a TIU should yeld any problems.  The only possible 
problem is if the antenna pickup wire of an engine is on the 
opposite side of the engine than a "TMCC" track, the engine might 
shield this signal for reaching the engine.  In this case one solution 
would be to just run it pointing the opposite way, putting the 
antenna near the TMCC track. If we make our layouts to have 
separate TIU tracks branch off by them selves then the TMCC 
signals may not work with method on the branch sections... This 
shielding or signal loss may not even be a problem.  If I remember 
correctly the "Jones plug" under the modules linking the tracks 
together already tie all the outer rails together,  Problem already 
solved. Having not worked with the MTH command product I'm 
assuming that it's signal method (RF or Power Modulation) does 
not interfear with TMCC's RF carrier.  A simple test of Powering a 
track with a TIU and a Command base hooked to the outer rail 
running both a MTH engine controlled by a MTH Commander and a 
Lionel engine controlled by a CAB-1 at the same time.  Has 
anyone done this yet?

Sorry for getting long winded... Guess It's good I don't chime in too 
often.

Randall



On 7 Sep 02, at 14:38, Ira Schneider wrote:

> We could put the TIU on track 1.  However, since most (if not all) of
> the long engines requiring O-72 curves are either conventional or
> TMCC, I would suggest puting the TIU on track 2 or 3.  It shouldn't be
> much more difficult to 1) remove the PowerMaster from track 1,  2)
> reconnect the IC Control from track 2 to track 1, 3) connect the TIU
> to track 2 and power from the track 2 transformer.
> 
> Again, assuming it actually works, we could buy the MTH TIU-TMCC
> Command Base cable and control both the track power and the TMCC
> engines from the MTH remote controller.  If this lash-up doesn't work
> (or needs refining by MTH to get it to work correctly), we could still
> use the CAB-1 to control TMCC engines.  In fact, we could use the
> CAB-1 controller whether or not we connect the TIU to the Command
> Base, so we do have some flexibility to experiment with the setup.
> 
> 
> Ira
> 
> 
> ------
> TTAT members reflector.