@Lionel8 posted:For instance, I watched a YouTuber, and he had a line-up of the various LionChief handheld controllers next to his layout. And I thought that he said he was able to pair the separate controllers into one—my mistake. Bummer, I cannot use the CAB1.
You can use the orange LC Universal Controller for all the LC, LC+, and LC+ 2.0 locomotives, probably what he was talking about.
@Lionel8 posted:Secondly, in referencing the power to track piece, I was at a local Lionel Hobby Store, and the clerk said a ZW would be an overload for today's trains. So I need to purchase a new transformer because the new starter sets can not sustain the strength of a ZW's power supply, resulting in engine failure. Is that true?
That's a total crock! Tons of people use the PW-ZW on their modern layouts all the time. The only thing you should do is add a modern circuit breaker or fuse in the output power connection for any postwar transformer.
@Lionel8 posted:Moreover, one Lionel YouTube covering electrical work by Lionel's Mike Reagan said that the new Lionel transformers produce a Chopped Sine Wave. How come?And is Lionel using transformers with a Chopped Sine Wave to prevent damage? (I'm only familiar with Sine Wave.) But this particular set does not have a transformer. And should I be cautioned that integrating any transformer, old or new, will damage the train and voice chip? Because the train makes unique station stop announcements and that's the attraction that has me hooked.
Correct, it's much cheaper to modulate power with electronic control to use a chopped waveform than to try to synthesize a pure sine wave. It all comes down to cost. The only modern electronic transformer that actually does synthesize a pure sine wave is the MTH Z4000, and it's priced to match.
In general, you'll have less operational issues with pure sine waves, but most modern trains will run fine on a chopped waveform.
