Legacy System - adding MTH DCS - HELP

Thanks for your response! You are exactly right on what i meant by the red post cover.

I saw exactly this post and am confused what the TVS, PSX, and the 34a choke are exactly. Can someone link me to what i should be looking for? Or explain what they do? Would be much appreciated!

TVS, PSX, fast blow fuses, etc. are all devices to protect your trains and electronic equipment from damage in the event of a short or other electrical malfunction. They work in different ways and may be designed to protect different equipment in different ways.

I would get the system up and running properly first and then think about where and what to add for protective devices. A properly set-up system should not require those devices, except possibly the choke, to get up and running correctly. And, certainly, a TIU post should not melt with a properly wired system (even w/o any protection) unless, as Joe said, it was caused by arcing from a loose post connection.

So, are you asking for information about how to get the system up and running or where in the wiring diagram and what protective devices to add, or both ?

I understand about the post. Just to be clear, the cap melted. The plastic portion. Prob due to user error having loose wire or something.

First off, if you're pushing 20 amps through a TIU channel, you are going to have a lot more problems than a terminal melting on the TIU!  The channels are designed for 10 amps MAXIMUM.

My personal opinion is I never put more than 10 amps on a given power district.  For O-scale stuff, this should be more than sufficient.  Are you running conventional engines?  If not, why the PowerMaster?

I do occasionally run conventional. I have about 10 conventional engines, 5 lionel legacy and 4 MTH dcs, totaling 19 or 20 engines.

How would I reduce my amperage to 10Amps going in? Just learning all of this.

To be clear, the plastic cap is what melts when the post overheats. The usual problem is from it being loose. To tighten it, you have to tighten the nut inside. One great work around in the future after making sure they're tight, is to use banana plugs.

You can reduce available amperage per TIU channel, by placing a 10amp auto blade fuse inline before each TIU channel. They'll pop before the channel gets overpowered. If you are drawing more than ten amps per channel, you want to use the TIU passively. Some people use other protection that resets without having to change the fuse. 

You can rewire so that you spread the draw thru more TIU channels. That requires more thought on keeping the amps lower per channel. You divide the loops into blocks that each have separate power districts.

when running passively, do i power the TIU separately through the accessory power input on the TIU using a DZ500 or something? Or does it get power when the out is connected?

@greg_08 posted:

when running passively, do i power the TIU separately through the accessory power input on the TIU using a DZ500 or something? Or does it get power when the out is connected?

The TIU is powered by either Fixed 1 input or through the barrel jack.

@greg_08 posted:

I understand about the post. Just to be clear, the cap melted. The plastic portion. Prob due to user error having loose wire or something.

I believe it could be loose internally with the jam nut. 

After tightening them, many use the banana plug so they don't touch red or black plastic nut any more.