Re: TTAT Power Cart

[Steve Wise <swise@aoot.com>]

Ira Schneider wrote:
> When I bypassed the surge protector, everything worked normally.  My conclusion
> is that the surge protector shorted out internally and then died.  I will investigate
> further.
>
>   


Do you think the surge protector died saving us from a giant surge?  If 
this device dies as part of its function, we might have to have an extra 
one around.  Or I guess we can have the cart wired such that you can 
bypass this if it fails during an event?


> On a positve note, I checked out the wiring of the various cables we have (i.e. the
> Y-cable that comes with the Legacy system, the TIU to TMCC/Legacy cable,
> the cable for the Track Power Controllers (TPCs), and the adapter cable I built to interconnect
> the TMCC command base, the TIU, and the TPCs).  I came to the conclusion that we
> could interconnect all of the units.  I tested this and it works.  In fact, it works even better
> than with the TMCC command base.  When someone presses the E-STOP button
> on the MTH handheld controller, the Legacy command base sends a halt signal to
> the TPCs, shutting down the entire layout, just like when someone presses the HALT
> button on the Lionel handheld controller.  (Using the TMCC command base, the E-STOP
> button only sent a HALT command to TMCC command controlled engines - it didn't
> shut down the TPCs.)
>
>   


Good work!  Having E-STOP kill power on the TPCs is a good feature.


> I haven't opened up the TIU yet to find out if it blew a fuse.  If you remember, sometime during
> the show, track two could no longer be powered up when I routed power through the TIU.
> I will investigate this problem soon.
>
> I also haven't tested the PowerMaster Bridge yet.  This component is supposed to allow us
> to control a Lionel PowerMaster (i.e. the controller for the track five transformer in the
> siding power box or the controller for the track six transformer in Steve's transfer table
> module).  The only thing I know for sure is that we cannot use both the TMCC command base
> and the PowerMaster Bridge at the same time.  Lionel specifies that you can connect one or
> the other to the Legacy command base, not both.  If we have four CAB-2 controllers at a show,
> we can connect the PowerMaster Bridge and use the CAB-2 controllers to control tracks
> one through six.  If we only have our two CAB-2 controllers, we can connect the TMCC command
> base and use the CAB-1 controllers to control tracks one through six and the CAB-2 controllers
> to control our mainline tracks (one through four).
>
>   


Its unfortunate that you can't utilize both. 

Cheers!

Steve