I'm going to the dark side.

When it comes to MTH stuff, DCS or otherwise, I am always leery of a CW80 being involved in any way.  It is not among the transformers on the MTH recommend list of some 25 different transformers.  I prefer to be safe rather than sorry, even though others may have had perfectly fine experiences using the CW80/MTH combo.

But I don't think you're going to the "dark side" by using DCS.  I use it all the time and have found it to be easy and fun.  That system has added immeasurably to my overall operating experience.

Bruce,

1) can I keep the commons wired together ?

Not only can, but must for non-derailing operation to work.

I also don't like the CW-80 for track power, however, for switch track power I expect it will be fine.

2) If I can tie them together, would I do it before or after the TIU ?

It really doesn't matter unless you also operate TMCC or Legacy. In that case, before the TIU (transformer side) is much preferred.

please come ovet to the "DARK SIDE"

2 rail is very nice...

Thanks for the help gentlemen. I knew I came to the right place.

I called it the dark side because this still seems to be Lionel country

here in SE Michigan. Both O gauge clubs are TMCC/Legacy ( I will add

the CAB1-L to my system when it comes out.) but some of my friends

worked for Lionel during the MTH Lionel lawsuit. When they see MTH or hear

the name I get a dirty look.

On a side note:

Allen, I was at the open house at Lionel working the LOTS table.

Spent most of the day giving Ed a hard time. Then I saw you eating lunch.

I was going to come over and ask you about track cleaning but figured

the sandwich was bad enough and didn't want to totally ruin your lunch.

Just watch out next year. I might change my mind.

Thanks again for all the help guy's

 Bruce..

You are really going to enjoy it. It's a whole new experience running Command. Be prepared...you won't be able to stop running trains for awhile.  

The Z-1000 should have an aux-power for accessories on the power brick. Not sure about the com being shared between both outputs.

 Not sure about the com being shared between both outputs.

It is.

Just bought your book on Amazon Barry. I currently have an MTH Z1000 and can toggle between that and a CW80 with a switch. When one is providing power the other is not although grounds are common. I wouldn't have the CW80 at all except the Z1000 voltage cuts out below 3 volts so I switch over to the CW to run my Williams engines and non Proto MTH Switcher which prefer 2 to 4 volts. I will be connecting up the DCS Commander I got a little while back and hopefully can do away with the CW80 altogether except for accessories.

Scott,

As long as you're only running conventional engines with the CW-80, I expect that it will work OK.

Thanks for purchasing my book!  

Bruce;

I too was on the fence for a long while regarding command control systems. Once you get DCS up and running you will likely kick yourself for waiting so long. And in no time at all you will wonder how you lived without it, and your conventional engines will likely get parked permanently.

Good luck!

Rod

Purchased DCS this past Spring and have never looked back.  Really enjoy MTH PS2/3 Engines and command control.  System is very well integrated and works as advertised.

I'm puzzled: You say your Williams & non-proto MTH locos like 2-4 volts.  I've never seen locos that would run on such low voltages, absent something other than a sine wave AC input.  What power supply are you using? Have you ever applied a voltmeter to the track? 

RJR, let me clarify a little. First, 2 volts is wrong but I do have an MTH conventional and 4 Williams diesels that will run nicely on what the volt meter indicates as 3.5 to 4.5 volts. It's a cheap meter I got at the electronics store so there's that. Also, my layout is very small so I'm only pulling 5 or 6 cars at a time. The cars are heavily ballasted. Still my Williams BL2 cooks along pretty quick at 3.5V (indicated).

Scott

Scott, you've really got my curiousity aroused.  Can you describe how power is set up?  Something isn't normal.  You're not feeding DC to the track, are you?  Or AC through a controller?

RJR,

A while ago I started getting a drop out at the throttle settings needed to run my Williams engines. Also a conventional MTH I have. My other engines are all MTH with speed control so they run smoothly at higher throttle than the Williams. The electronics store voltmeter I have indicates 6.5-7.5 volts typical for the speed control MTH engines and 3.5-4.5 volts typical for the Williams. Because my MTH Z1000 would quit (drop out) at about 3 volts I got clever and put in a toggle switch so I could select either the Z1000 for speed control engines or the CW80 for conventional because the CW80 provided steady power all the way down to zero. It's all AC. The only controller is the throttle that came with the Z1000.

After reading your comments and other threads it's pretty clear that the CW80 is a chopped sine power supply which of course means that my electronics store analog volt meter is not accurate! So you're probably right. The true volts are higher than 3.5 to 4.5 for the Williams coming from the CW80. I have another thread running (Williams Engine Resonance) with a lot of great responses. Bottom line is I may have some power signal control issues to sort out before I go to the DCS Commander I bought.

Scott

Well the DCS unit arrived today...

I had already bought the banana plugs and adapters,

So I was ready to plug and play.

Didn't really install it. put it on the table next to the layout

and strung out the wires.

Installed the batteries and pushed the button.

got a screen, ok, Hit "track", rolled the wheel and off went the beep.

TOO COOL, Maybe I was just lucky.

Bring it around and put on my MTH 10 wheeler.

Track, voltage to 18. Add engine, roll the wheel.

Off she went. played with the sounds smoke ect.

Then the thunder storm came followed by the dog

licking my face. Oh well

Now it looks like I better get my chores done

before the weekend. Looks like I am going to be busy...

Bruce..

I just switched to DCS and love it.  My wife made me set up a fan to help clear some of the smoke from the train room.  I've been running a diesel and two steamers on medium smoke.  Nothing better.

She may not be wrong.  It can't be helpful to inhale that stuff, regardless of who made it.  I leave smoke off.

Robert,

 It can't be helpful to inhale that stuff, regardless of who made it.  I leave smoke off.

You are such a worrier!  

Funny.......'Dark Side' is a common term in plastic models.....but refers to modeling subjects before 1972 only......IE low tech cars! When I saw the topic title I figured you were dumping command control! 

Barry, "Cautious" would be a better term.  Smoke of any kind is composed of tiny particles, and I'd rather keep them out of my lungs.

Matt, dropping a remote can do more than that.  I have a box of parts from when a grandson dropped one on the concrete floor.  Except for the tiniest layouts, I recommend 14-gauge wire.  Voltage drop under load on a low voltage circuit is insidious, and to me always appears to exceed what Ohm's Law says it should.  Does the BD20 work with DCS using AC?

 Dave you are showing your age.

 What makes all this DCS, TMCC stuff work ?  The force.

 We are lucky to have obe-one (Barry) to guide and get us through

 the dark side.  I can't wait until I tell Darth Vader ( the wife ) I need

 an Ipad for Christmas to run my trains.

 Dr. Freedman from M.A.S.H. was right.

 "Sometimes you have to pull down your pants and slide on the ice"

I can't wait until I tell Darth Vader ( the wife ) I need

 an Ipad for Christmas to run my trains.

 

Better to wait and see what apps become widely available.  Might be that Android app will be better, or maybe not.  Also, unlike a tablet, a DCS remote only needs one hand.  Sometimes, I've had one in each hand when I have a half-dozen trains running at once and am switching them from route to route.