LCS Sensor system. . Is it a solution in search of a problem?
Vitamin E what is it? When it first came out is was the quiescent cure in search of a disease! While vitamin E supplementation was initially hoped to have a positive effect on health, research has not supported this hope. Vitamin E does not decrease mortality in adults, even at large doses and high-dosage supplementation may slightly increase it. (Wikipedia)
LCS sensor tracks, SER2 and Wifi Modules, etc. are a neat way to have the layout know where an engine is positioned and then do something as the engine passes by like fire off an accessory like a crossing signal or 249 other actions. Seemingly limitless possibilities or is it just a solution in search of a problem. Because at each crossing signal location you will need another sensor track. If you have four tracks at a crossing that’s 4x sensor tracks for each crossing. Costly as opposed to using instead isolated rails?
Anyway, after reading the OGRR posts, I decided to take the plunge only to find that Charlie Ro was out of stock on the basics like the W/DB9 power supply. So there was no point to a purchase now. But that gave me the opportunity to re-think the LCS- sensor system.
How would I use it? I have maybe three (3) IR equipped engines. The rest of my Lionel and MTH fleet are not usable with the sensor system as they have no IR reader. So my options to actually use the system are frankly quite limited. I guess I could limit one line to LCS only traffic but again that sounds too limited.
I feel like a purchaser of Proto-1. I see how they must have felt like after the introduction of DCS Proto 2.
I am not giving up hope on LCS just looking to see how Lionel’s LCS system is used by others. Maybe I’ll wait for the LCS Book of Ultimate Ideas to come out.
