Proto sounds Compatability

I run PS1 engines with 180 bricks (chopped sine wave) through a DCS variable channel all the time and they run fine. 

Trainlover9943 posted:

I run PS1 engines with 180 bricks (chopped sine wave) through a DCS variable channel all the time and they run fine. 

I'm not certain about this but the TIU might convert the sine wave back plus it was designed to run PS1 locomotives. Personally I am trying to do this with a Lionel system and was curious is a TPC would work. I already know the answers to the Powermasters and modern Zw's. I was just curious about the TPC set up and it's Compatability.

I do not run conventional any more, but I do remember that some of my very early PS1's would not run using a modern transformer - even an MTH one - regardless of the throttle. No go.

Other PS1's ran just fine on a Powermaster, but the sounds were in El Bizarro Land ("why is it still chuffing? The loco is stopped...").

My TPC400/TMCC CAB-1 solved all the issues - except the first-mentioned PS1's that required a PW transformer, no matter what - good response, good sounds.

This stuff evolved over the years, and there is no silver bullet or Universal Donor, so far as I know - except conversion to ERR Cruise Commander/RS/TMCC. If you only have a few locos, do it and never look back.

I too like the PS1's.  Three arrangements have worked well for me:

1.) An old-fashioned postwar transformer of sufficient capacity (80w or higher) -- My PS1's like the smooth sine-wave output.   Whistle button works great.  Obviously there's no bell button on these though.  Loco's come out of reset correctly and start to roll every time, as long as the PS1's battery is good and is charged.

2.) TIA channel configured as Variable fed by a PH180 -- This functions very well, i.e. whistle, bell, PFA's, etc., but I'm certain that the output is still a chopped sine wave.  I know this because the motors growl terribly, especially as the throttle is advanced from zero through about 40% of full range.  Above 60% or so the growl goes away and they smooth out.  In my experience this configuration also always gets loco's out of reset correctly.  In each case they start to roll every time, as long as the PS1's battery is good and is charged.

3.) TPC300, later model only -- Of all three this, fed by a PH180, works best in my opinion.  It MUST be the later model (6-14189) because this model has specific software features designed to run PS1's.  Some people have told me that an earlier one will work just as well but only IF its software has been updated to match what's in the the 6-14189.  I couldn't find one of those to test so I can't confirm.  I have four 6-14189's and they all work fine.  Additionally this configuration does not induce the growling like the TIA arrangement.  If there's a downside to this one it's that my loco's only come out of reset correctly about 90% of the time, i.e. 1 out of 10 attempts to get underway fails to clear reset with the result that the loco just sits there.  I can live with 9 out of 10.  Also be ware that the TPC MUST be fed by a PH180, I've tried several PH135's with these same 6-14189's and this combination fails to clear reset more often than not.

Take your choice.

Mike

I am puzzled by the statement that ZW-C and, particularly, ZW-Ls do not have enough power to operate PS1 locomotives.  They are among the most powerful transformers available and they have firmware programming that is supposed to be identical to TPCs and modern Powermasters.  They should operate PS1 locos well, although PS1 with scrambled electronics isn't going to work with anything.

Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

I too like the PS1's.  Three arrangements have worked well for me:

1.) An old-fashioned postwar transformer of sufficient capacity (80w or higher) -- My PS1's like the smooth sine-wave output.   Whistle button works great.  Obviously there's no bell button on these though.  Loco's come out of reset correctly and start to roll every time, as long as the PS1's battery is good and is charged.

2.) TIA channel configured as Variable fed by a PH180 -- This functions very well, i.e. whistle, bell, PFA's, etc., but I'm certain that the output is still a chopped sine wave.  I know this because the motors growl terribly, especially as the throttle is advanced from zero through about 40% of full range.  Above 60% or so the growl goes away and they smooth out.  In my experience this configuration also always gets loco's out of reset correctly.  In each case they start to roll every time, as long as the PS1's battery is good and is charged.

3.) TPC300, later model only -- Of all three this, fed by a PH180, works best in my opinion.  It MUST be the later model (6-14189) because this model has specific software features designed to run PS1's.  Some people have told me that an earlier one will work just as well but only IF its software has been updated to match what's in the the 6-14189.  I couldn't find one of those to test so I can't confirm.  I have four 6-14189's and they all work fine.  Additionally this configuration does not induce the growling like the TIA arrangement.  If there's a downside to this one it's that my loco's only come out of reset correctly about 90% of the time, i.e. 1 out of 10 attempts to get underway fails to clear reset with the result that the loco just sits there.  I can live with 9 out of 10.  Also be ware that the TPC MUST be fed by a PH180, I've tried several PH135's with these same 6-14189's and this combination fails to clear reset more often than not.

Take your choice.

Mike

 

Do you think the TPC being fed by a Right of Way Transformer work?

Landsteiner posted:

I am puzzled by the statement that ZW-C and, particularly, ZW-Ls do not have enough power to operate PS1 locomotives.  They are among the most powerful transformers available and they have firmware programming that is supposed to be identical to TPCs and modern Powermasters.  They should operate PS1 locos well, although PS1 with scrambled electronics isn't going to work with anything.

I run long passenger trains and they draw a lot of amps. I am slowly converting to LED lighting to reduce amp draw, but still. Even at full throttle they don't do much for me. That's why I have ditched the Zw's and am using two right of way Industries transformers. 200 watts per channel and 30v max power.

Theoretically a ROW Transformer should work well enough as a feed for a TPC.  In fact the way I see it any sine wave source should definitely work, and any chopped-wave source should work as long as it's throttle is set to 100% (i.e. producing full output, meaning no chop).  Unfortunately my experiences with the PH135's seem to refute this.  They don't assure me that these statements are always true.  Try it and see.

Mike