If you use a serial cable or USB to serial why do you need the Lionel Y connector?
Ken M
The Lionel Y connector cable is for having a serial to go to the computer and a connection to go to the Powermaster Bridge. That's the only use for it. The end that goes to the Powermaster Bridge is a totally different set of pin connections than the normal serial pin out.
cjack, the "Y" supplied with the Legacy system is more commonly used to hook a TMCC Base to the Legacy Base, hence the label "Command Base" on the male 9-pin connector. The connections at the 9-pin "Command Base" connector are still pins 2, 3 and 5. Those pins just feed into different pins at the male Legacy Base - pins 4, 1 and 5.
Perhaps you are referring to a different "Y" cable?
No, same one. I was confused that the only use for it was the Powermaster Bridge being connected to the "Command Base" end of the Y. I see now that it allows use of the Cab 1 if plugged into a TMCC base too.
But still, to connect to the computer, you have to use the Serial Comm end of the Y cable and not use the Command Base Y cable end?
What I was thinking is that the Command Base output is pin 2, that is, serial data comes out of the command base into pin 2 of the cable to send data into pin 4 of the Legacy base. So pin 2 of that cable end is an input...not an output which would be needed to go to a serial input of the computer. And that the only end of the Y cable that should be connected to the computer serial port is the one labled "Serial Comm".
