I want to be able to run conventional lionel engines with a handheld remote using the commander and remote commander control system Does the handheld remote with its commander base connect together ?
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
NO
50-1033 is ONLY for controlling an MTH DCS PS2 or PS3 engine. It does NOT control power and CANNOT vary the power in conventional.
Key details-
Receiver is black plastic and has red and black binding post output terminals
Remote has more buttons including blue function butons
The MTH 50-1012 looks somewhat similar, but has less buttons and the lockon device is specifically meant to connect to MTH Realtrax track system
Again KEY telltale details:
Receiver/lockon is grey not black and has the output connections sticking out as meant to connect and lock into Realtrax
The remote has less buttons and none are blue.
Even though the 50-1012 can vary track voltage and provide Bell and Whistle/Horn DC offsets, this is not a very powerful system and meant to be used with MTH power brick systems like the Z500 or maybe Z750. Further, the TRIACs are not heatsinked to anything inside the housing and cannot withstand inductive voltage spike often generated by postwar equipment sparking away with lots of inductance. If the TRIACs fail- they fail shorted leaving full voltage on the track with no control.
I cannot recommend this system in general to run typical Lionel Postwar trains in conventional and again, due to power limitations- even some modern stuff- unless it's just a very small starter set, this is just not a good replacement. It is no powermaster.
Attachments
Images (2)
I also cannot recommend using 50-1028 the old and now very outdated DCS commander base- primarily meant for HO and maybe S or G scale DC trains that MTH made.
This device when in it's "conventional" mode can only output variable DC track power that is unsuitable for a lot of older Lionel products that explicitly require AC. Further, this control circuit will NOT take inductive voltage spikes and there are discussions of people who damaged this circuit and tried to repair it. The firmware for the commander is very old, cannot do lashups, cannot connect over serial to a TMCC command base, no way to program or control a TMCC engine- the firmware flat out does not support it.
One previous topic https://ogrforum.com/topic/mth-dcs-commander-50-1028
Again, basically another NO on a couple of reasons or points.
