Dale,

   Set one aside for me, I will pay you for it on the 9th, if that is ok by you.

Dale my mistake, I will not need the signal enhancer, I misunderstood it's actual usage.

PCRR/Dave

Hey Dale,  I would like one.  I can pay via Paypal.

Thanks,

Dale,

I have your original signal booster and it worked great until I tried to add Lionel's Layout Control System (LCS) components. I haven't been able to get the signal booster to work right off the SER2.  Would the new external terminal for direct connection to Pin 5 of the serial port make a difference?  If so, I would like to buy a new one.

When they added a 6th TPC, they started to have failures.  I have thought that 5 was borderline, and their data is consistent with that.

Ron, I would think that the Booster should be the first thing after the Base, feeding the serial devices.  The LCS stuff can be connected to the Booster's "Computer" feed-through, which is just an extension of the Base's 9-pin.  BUT I don't have any LCS working on my layout to actually offer first-hand experience.

The new Pin 5 terminal is for track signal enhancement wires, not anything to do with the serial bus.

I haven't tested the maximum output of a SER2, but since it uses a discrete output transistor, I would think that it should be in the same ballpark as the MANCO booster.

Dale,

Thanks.  I'll try adding your serial booster first.

Trainman9, can you please send me an email with an address to which I can respond to your comments.  Twice when you sent me something, my replies have bounced.

CAPPilot.. I have a ser-2 and am using the dz2001A data driver. make sure the wye cable is connected legacy plug to legacy base.

and the tmcc base to base plug on the Y plug.

the Y cable serial plug gets connected to the ser-2 db-9 plug

the other PDI cable end goes to ser-2's input.

unless I'm incorrect you no longer need to use the manco booster as this is what the ser-2 is for so all you need do is connect your db-9 going to other daisy changed lionel devices into the ser-2 db-9 output connector or you can iuse the 3 wire screw connectors for Dat/Com connections.

after legacy base 3 light sequence ends the yellow light will blink once every second.

hope that helps you as this is how mine is setup and works flawlessly.

a side note I had an issue with the ser-2 and a dz 2500 switch machine that was in a jammed mode showing red light and in attempts to fix it the dz 2500 was energized constantly end result it took out my dz 2001A data driver!

to all if you hear the ser-2 chattering and its a loud chatter run to your power switch or ? and kill power to entire layout as this is what I heard when my switch motor would not kill power at end of throw to curved route.

Dale M.   my mind is saying if CAPPilot has a ser-2 then he really no longer needs to plug in your Manco booster am I thinking correctly?

as the ser-2 replicates what your unit does.

Hey StPaul,  I have found that the SER2 could not drive my DZ2001, 4 TPCS and 4 ASCs.  I still needed a serial booster.

I discussed my results with the SER2 in the LCS thread a while back:

https://ogrforum.com/t...80#35076993059372780

FWIW from last fall's Legacy Users Group Meeting...

 

[JZ]  The SER2 (and Base1L) use the same transistor output driver for the “RS232” serial data on the 9-pin connector.  We did not use an RS-232 Line driver IC (like in the Legacy 990 base) as the drive current is limited to one load.  The SER2 drive level is capable of higher current, and will support many unit loads.  Since each of the devices listed above have different drive level requirements, I won’t comment to the particular configuration listed.  I recently installed a SER2 with 24 ASCs, see the below picture.  I did have to add a load resistor to the wiring to facilitate the logic low, it seems the ASC has some issues with logic low voltages.  Basically I added a 510 ohm resistor across the serial data to common wires.

I do not have a Manco booster, but my belief is that it won’t cause any issues to place it after the SER2 if it helps the configuration operate properly.

this is in jest but ..... remember when we ran all conventional all we needed were transformers and on/off or momentary switches the latter costing a few dollars to run our layouts.

amazing how technology results in costing more to do same as before!

swise, I wonder if your willing to try an experiment??

if so try removing one asc at a time to see where the booster is no longer needed so we all know the ser-2's true capability.

MartyE

I remember seeing that posted nice info but I have to ask this.

I will assume the asc's you used are the older ones?

and is it safe to assume that the newer asc's will be built so one doesn't have to add the resistor to help this issue?

maybe a good question to ask at next legacy meeting at York?? what do you think marty?

That is JonZ's picture...

Put this in a form of a question and submit it on the LUG User's Group thread.

 MartyE,

I posted the question on your legacy meeting thread

ASC's and other small-format accessory controllers do not present much of a load to the driver since they are not optocoupled.  Marty, they each use a pullup resistor on the input, and that is probably why you needed to add a pulldown when you had a bunch of pullups in parallel.

It is only the DZ, TPC and AVC in the TPC-style case that are the problem with heavy loading.

Hello Dale,

I would like to purchase one of the legacy serial signal boosters.

I sent an email to the address in your profile.

Thank You

I built one extra and now have 2 boosters still available.

As a complement to the Booster, I am adding a new product to the MANCO product line for those of you who want simple access to "Pin 5".  If I can get the darned computer to cooperate, I will be posting details on my trainfacts.com website soon.

By the way, I am reserving the Boosters for people who really have a problem with overloading of the serial bus.  The new Earth-Ground Breakout is for folks who wanted the Pin 5 terminal of the Booster, but didn't need the boost.

Just sold one of the two remaining to someone who has multiple TPCs and a Data Wire Driver.  Worked fine on the TMCC Base, but the Legacy Base couldn't supply enough current.