Lionel CW-80 + TIU = OK ?

I'm not sure how the TIU-CW80 combo might work, but I wouldn't do it.  MTH doesn't list the CW80 among its recommended transformers, and I would stick with something that I would have more confidence in, such as a Z1000 or a Z4000 (although you may not need all the capabilities of that latter one).

Bob,

 

FWIW, I'm with Allan on this.

Thanks gentlemen.  What prompted me to ask was the inability to program a RailKing trolley that I was always able to program using one of my Z-1000s or Z-4000s.  I'll demote the CW to bump-'n-go trolley use under the tree.

 

See you next month .........

Bob, the reason you cannot use a CW80 to program an MTH engine in conventional is due to the way the bell & whistle buttons on the CW80 produce the + & - DC offset. An MTH engine requires a fast on/off of the offset voltage-- as the manuals state  "half second button presses separated by half seconds" The CW80 DC offset voltage ramps up & down slower than 1/2 second, so an MTH engine will not regcognize the offset produced by a CW80.

 

Hope this helps---

Makes sense Fec.  Thanks.  Hadn't considered the impact the CW-80's ramp-up feature would have on programming.

FWIW, my personal experience is that I have had no problems running a CW80 with a TIU for many months now. The circuit breaker in the CW80 acts instantaneously and have had no problems with damage to the TIU. IT runs DCS engines just fine. I could see where it would cause programming issues, though.

Chuck Sartor,

   You might want to invest in a different transformer to allow full use of your programming and TIU, the CW-80 limits you severely. I would invest in an old

KW Transformer at the very least.  I am with Barry & Allen on this one, in fact the only thing we use the CW-80 for is our bumper car set up, if we run out of control space on all our other transformers.

PCRR/Dave

 

No I run my track at 18 volts and I use a cw-80 and I have 4 loops of track and I've had no problems whatsoever