Power source with DB9?

Nobody knows what this is??

I would suspect that this is a power supply for the WiFi interface.

The Legacy base does not send out as strong a data signal as the TMCC base did, and some folks have been having problems driving multiple TPCs from the Legacy base.  Dale Manquin was selling a Legacy Base Signal Booster to fix this but stopped and stated Lionel was going to make their own.

I believe this new item in the catalog is the needed signal booster.

Ron

It's the power supply for LCS Wifi as well as LCS SensorTrack and provides communication between the Lionel Command Base and the first LCS device in your chain. You need only one per LCS installation.

Rudy

Rudy,

It's the power supply for LCS Wifi as well as LCS SensorTrack and provides communication between the Lionel Command Base and the first LCS device in your chain. You need only one per LCS installation.

How does this device supply power to an LCS WiFi and also one or more SensorTracks if they are in widely separate locations?

Barry, I would imagine that power is transferred along the connecting cables between each device in the chain. 

Thanks, Nicole. You're exactly right. Power and bi-direction data communication for LCS devices is carried over the same cable. So an LCS installation requires one of the DB9 power cables:

6-81499 - LCS Power Supply with DB9 Cable

Then, if you have additional SensorTracks or other LCS devices as part of your layout, these will be daisy-chained off the first device using LCS cables in a variety of pre-made lengths: 

6-81500 - LCS 1ft Cable

6-81501 - LCS 3ft Cable

6-81502 - LCS 10ft Cable

6-81503 - LCS 20ft Cable

Yes.

There are many possible combinations of LCS components, depending on your needs and operating preferences. One combination would be a Legacy Base,  1 SensorTrack and the LCS Power Supply with DB9 cable. This would give you all the features of SensorTrack, including the reading of engine info. An LCS WiFi is not required unless you want to use the iPad.

There is no clear information as to whether this is the power booster and no one from Lionel has chimed in.

Jon from Lionel has stated they intend to produce a booster for the serial data.

I have chimed in on several threads about the "SER2" LCS module.  Unfortunately this module did not make it into the catalog, but will be available, fairly inexpensively.

The SER2 module links into the LCS bus and provides a DB9 output.  Multiple SER2 modules may be present in the system, providing multiple DB9 connections.  The DB9 on the SER2 has higher drive current levels.  Additionally the Legacy protocol my be input to the system, not possible in the past with the Legacy base DB9.

So is the LCS power supply needed for the Sensor track, or the Wifi module, or both?  Optional?

Good to know the SER2 module is still forthcoming, but still curious on the need for the power supply item.

Jim

Jim,

If my understanding is correct, you will need one LCS power supply in order to power the LCS bus. This will power all devices on the bus, and also provides the connection to the Legacy base station via the DB9 plug.

That's correct, Nicole.

Will the device be compatible with the Z-Stuff data wire driver which is connected to the LCS base?

Should be compatible with Z-stuff