A question about conventional and Legacy operation

To run TMCC/Legacy, your going to need to read about Lionels latest 180 watt, and or 360 watt Powermasters. You need a Legacy Command 990 set, and then your going to be in for Fun. Read about the ASC’S, and the BPC’S, go to the Lionel Legacy and TMCC section on the OGR Forum. The Powermasters let you choose between Conventional control, and Command Control.  Your transformers are fine, that’s a great beginning. Have fun on your way to Command. There’s lots of fellows that will chime in to assist you in this new adventure. Happy Railroading.

Both ZW's will see the Legacy signal, so I'm assuming you have #2 set to conventional only(controller is programmed as Track 0).

Your switching the power on the primary side is really quixotic, it would just be easier to use simple cab-control DPST switches to choose Cab1(ZW 1) or Cab 2(ZW 2) for each loop and leave all PH's powered up at all times.

I have all of the Legacy equipment and have been running command control for years.  I am just looking at a different way of configuring it, for simplicity sake.  The ZW-C has its own Powermasters, so I do not need any of that additional equipment.

Rob, I was considering the toggle switch approach also.  I thought this might be easier and cleaner.  If ZW-C #2 (conventional) is not hooked to the command base and is programed for conventional control, will it still see the Legacy signal?

My thought was that the Pyle power strip, with it's individual on/off switches, would function as a series of "toggle" switches, without having the wiring involved with traditional toggle switches.  Previously, switch one turned on the Legacy base, switch two turned on a powerstrip that had ZW-C #1 and all it's PH's plugged in, switch three had ZW-C #2 and all it's PH's plugged in.  Both operated in command mode, but conventional control was simply using the remote to dial up power to individual tracks.  I want to return to using the levers for that operation.

Thanks for your input.

Dennis

The legacy signal is a radio wave with the track being an antenna. Once the command base is on, locomotives  and command zws will see the signal even though the loop of track is not connected to the command base or The command base is not connected to the zw.

The zw-c can be programmed to ignore the command signal. Simply program the zw-c as track 0. This will allow you to use the handles like a post-war zw. Now you can power up the base and zws without any additional switching or wires. Simple straight forward. If you ever want to change, you simply reprogram the zw-c back to track 1 or higher.

As for the track, if the conventional loops are for conventional locomotives then you are good. If you want to run command locomotives on the conventional loops, that will not work. They will see the signal from the other tracks and start up in command mode. No amount of switching and wires will fix that.

@dennish posted:

If ZW-C #2 (conventional) is not hooked to the command base and is programed for conventional control, will it still see the Legacy signal?

It will, but that is why as Joe reiterates #2 should be programmed to TR 0.  Joe brings up the other half of this - all of your TMCC & Legacy equipment will see the signal even when not directly connected.  To get around this, power up the trains before the command signal, but as soon as you power down a conventional track with the base transmitting, command equipped engines will see the signal & power up in command(like when changing direction using track power interruption on the transformer).  I thought you wanted the option of running conventional equipment... that will work fine with ZW#2 programmed to Track 0.

Be patient with me, I am trying get a complete understanding of electronics of this scenario .

So, for example, assume that all 4 loops are wired separately - no common ground, but separate ground wire for each loop.

I turn the Legacy base on first, then switches 1, 2, and 4 turn their respective powerhouses on and are recognized by ZW-C #1, programmed for command operation.  Switch 3 is left off.  Then, I turn on switch 7 (and its respective ZW-C, programmed for conventional operation), which is connected to the same loop as switch 3 (which is off).  You are saying that a conventional locomotive on loop 3 will respond to the ZW-C #1, with no connectivity to it?

I see a response just came up while I am typing this but I will post this anyway.

@dennish posted:

You are saying that a conventional locomotive on loop 3 will respond to the ZW-C #1, with no connectivity to it?

No, a command locomotive on loop 3 will respond to the Legacy/TMCC signal, with no physical connectivity to it. The command signal is a radio signal, the track assists in propagation of the signal.

A conventional locomotive on loop 3 will be on manual throttle control... lever "C" for the C-U PH & output on ZW#2.  You will also be be back-feeding PH brick 3 on ZW#1 with your variable inputs for conventional control, and back-feeding PH bricks 1,2, & 4 on ZW#2 with the full output of PH bricks 1,2, & 4 on ZW#1.

Keep in mind too that a powered PH must be connected to the first position of each ZW to power the transformer controller itself.

Rob,

I got it !  Thanks for clearing up some of those details.  I appreciate it.  I think I may just dedicate one loop to conventional control with a separate transformer, completely isolated from the others.

Truth be told, this high school math teacher had to look up what quixotic means .

Dennis