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Our lay out is 20 feet wide and 50 feet long We have a z4000 controls 1 track and a 2nd Z4000 controls lights and track switches. There are 3 Lionel 180 watt bricks and 3 TPC 2 control other tracks with legacy and tmcc cab1 the 3rd is use for freight yard operations.

 

Thought this was simple enough but if I feed the 2 TPC outputs (other tracks) to the inputs of the TIU variable inputs set as fixed. The z4000 fixed one is for the one MTH track. Thought the TIU would allow operation of the 2 TPC specific Lionel tracks.

 

Weird thing Happen, if both tpc are ON, one of them slowly dies to zero voltage we have aux power from 14v from one of the Z4000 Read tonight that’s not a good idea, don’t think that’s the problem.

Why won’t the 2 TPC play nice with the TIU output?

 

Prior to this we used Passive mode on the outputs of the TIU

Oddly enough we can never get the Track signal out the one side with the TIU the other 3 portions are always out of range we recently added 5 blocks to try and improve signal transition.  The one loop on the one side has signal to 10 nearest the TIU did find and correct many ground issues but same signal and stuck in passive mode until figure out if this is feasible to power with TPC’s

Suggestions are welcome

Thank you for your time 

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Our layout has 3 tracks one track is dedicated to MTH with a z4000 output to the TIU fixed input

Other two are Lionel tracks, The Bricks provide the power the TPC which have assigned track Numbers 

There is also a 2nd z4000 used to power the track switched and lights

 

Brief (explanation of our operation) certain everyone is aware

MTH track run PS1 and PS2 with limited track signal

 (been trying to fix this to no avail) trying Block sections now) that’s another topic :>

 

For conventional Lionel operation you use the cab1 or legacy remote to apply power to the Lionel tracks via Track # 

For command you use track # then engine Number 

 

To run a Lionel command engine on the MTH track, you set power at 18 volts then assign the engine number. 

 

The output var1 and Var2 are set as passive on the Outputs of the TIU.

which gives us very poor signal strength on any of the tracks and the other 2 Lionel tracks have minimal success with running MTH trains

.

Had a thought maybe not a good one but why not run the Lionel TPC (track and Power) through the TIU may resolve our signal issue by attaching the new block to the TIU via the TPC to the TIU. Then we can run DCS or Lionel legacy on any track as I found out this does not seem to work.

Just realized I forgot to mention one of the challenges:

This was our traveling layout for a while so the 50x20 is made up of 29 modules including a Bridge section.

 

 

Then we built a smaller traveling layout so each module is 48” long and 30" wide each has a TB and wiring pigtails with Molex connector’s one wire to each track power and one wire to each track tied common also a light wire and an accessory wire.

 

Removed some TB and Connectors to add the (5) new Block sections into the existing wiring removed the pigtails into the block and wired direct from one each tb at the power connections.

 

Now Each of the 6 TB has a tinned and crimped wire with a set of 6 wires, to each TB to a (block) of (6) sections of modules.

Now Each block isolating each section from the next or previous block, each wire to a block is less than 50 feet most are 20-35 feet (circular) blocks

 

 Certain we have photos on our website. Let me see if I can find a few and post a link (of the layout not the wiring)

 

Each module has 3 sections of track outside, middle, inside did not have the MTH while traveling, and after it was stationary we added a Bridge and a freight yard MTH was dedicated to the outside Track.

 

Why not make over or build new, may have to move it (near future) out and cost is very high to replace track and rewire.

 

Decision was made to change it to block sections to add more reliability as can be imagined we found a few wiring issues.

Fixed But still can’t use MTH DCS reliably, will try to figure out a diagram

Why not run the Lionel TPC (track and Power) through the TIU

Because it serves absolutely no purpose and can only make things worse, not better.

 

Run the TIU in Passive TIU mode, power the TIU through the Aux. Power port, connect the TPCs directly to their respective tracks, and put power and TMCC or Legacy signals directly to the tracks.

Last edited by Barry Broskowitz

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