LIONEL Sensor device

The IR device has a NO (normally open),NC (normally closed), and ground (common) that the bridge requires so I would say yes.

I would agree that it would work.

There are also a couple of other suggestions here: https://ogrforum.com/t...pennsy-signal-bridge

Just my two cents this morning....but I (personally) would go the Z Stuff route.  I much, much prefer them to the 153IR....FWIW.

Now, one man's coffee may be another man's tea......but my personal experience with the Z Stuff products has been very, very favorable.

Good morning Nick. Just to help out some, I tried using this Lionel 153IR on the same signal bridge your using. The problem I had is, when I hooked it up to the signal bridge using the 153, it did not work for me. The reason I cam up with is, MTH Signals & Signal Bridge are suppost to go with MTH's Scaletrax I.T.A.D. Product  Number   45-1028      Now also to try and help here's the manual for the MTH itad    http://mthtrains.com/sites/def...ction/45as19220i.pdf      and the manual for Lionel's 153IR    https://www.lionelsupport.com/...ents/71-4111-250.pdf       The biggest difference I seen between the 2 is the MTH Itad  has  (in order from left to right)   NO - Normally Open,  NC - Normally Closed,  COM - Common,  and the -  &  +  signs for power. As for the Lionel 153IR,  from right to left is    A & U for transformer power, ACC PWR - Accessory Power,  ACC GND - Accessory Ground,  NO - Normally Open,  &  NC - Normally Closed. 

I have the MTH Itad and Lionel 153IR I use on my layout and I use the MTH Itad for my MTH Signals & Signal Bridges.  And I use the Lionel 153IR. The MTH Signals could not work for me on the 153IR but works on the Itad and a Lionel Signal or Signal bridge would not work for me on the 153IR. Something Lionel did I could get it figured out. So from my opinion, I would use the 153IR for Lionel Signals & Signal Bridges and the Itad on MTH Signals and Signal Bridges. 

Also the list price on the Lionel 153IR is  $45.99  &  the MTH Itad's list price is   $34.95     

So Nick, thought I would help.

As long as the size and look of the Lionel 153IR doesn't put you off, my experience with them has been they're very reliable.  Obviously, there are other solutions that are cosmetically different.  Another option would be to go with an insulated rail and have a totally hidden trigger relay, here's the circuit I use for that option.  I just attach the relay and terminal strip to a small wood base and wire in the other components. 

I assume your question was answered with previous suggestions.  Replace references to "ITAD" with your Lionel 153IR.

There are 2 different versions of the 153IR out there.  The order of the connections are different, so read the manual that comes with the version you buy.

The newer versions (2015/03), the timer adjusts how long after the train leaves the sensor path to engage normally closed.  If the train stops in front of the sensor, normally open will remain engaged, and the signal will stay on as long as the train is in the path of the sensor.

The older versions (pre 2015/03), the timer adjusts how long from the time the train enters the sensor to engage normally closed.  Even if the train stays in the path of the sensor, the signal will turn off after the length of time set by the timer adjustment.

Gary

Gary, that's something that I didn't know, interesting information.

Took some pictures tonight when I got home from work to show the different versions.

In all the pictures, the left is the older version, except for the closeups.  You can see the olde one with the tubular track connection, and the new one with Fastrack connectors, should you want to use track power.

in the video I say that both timers are set to the slowest, I mean the shortest setting.

Kinda nasty of them to change the operation and not change the product number!

I have 3 older ones, and 3 of the newer ones.  Took a while to figure out that their behaviour was different when trying to set them up.  Both versions of the manual state that the timer only starts after the train passes.  It would be interesting to hear how others behave.

Gunrunnerjohn, you mention you have some 153ir's, how do yours behave?

Old one

New one

2 of my 3 older ones behave as I described.  The 3rd one is back at my LHS because out of the box, NO wouldn't open.  If they replace the board, maybe that one will behave like a new one, and I will have two matching pairs. 

Gary

MrMoe50 posted:

... The 3rd one is back at my LHS because out of the box, NO wouldn't open

If it did that out-of-the-box is it a covered/warranty repair?  If so I'd think the LHS should also fix the delay-timing to perform as stated in the manual!  As you've noted, old and new should behave the same.  The wording changed a bit but not the meaning:

Is it possible that your old units pre-date the old manual...in other words there's yet another version?  In another thread I was trying to help troubleshoot the guts of a 153IR.  It was not a delay timing issue but I was surprised by the difference in board design between two units...for what I consider a fairly basic electronic circuit. 

The markings on the control board say CR-244E and CR-245A.  I don't know which came first but assuming CR-244E is the older one, that "E" suffix suggests there might have been an earlier D, C, B, A.  That's why I'm wondering if there were yet other versions floating around.

All of mine are the older ones.  I didn't realize they changed the operation with the new shipments.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

All of mine are the older ones.  I didn't realize they changed the operation with the new shipments.

Are you saying your delay starts on initial triggering (and contrary to the posted manual) and can time-out while a train is still blocking the detector?  I'm thinking he may have an older-yet version that was "designed" to behave as demonstrated in his video. 

Stan, you may be right about an even earlier version, at least the reference number on the manual might indicate such.  71-4111-250 1/01.  However, as with the other two manuals I had referenced earlier, the wording is not indentical but is similar, and also indicates that the adjustable timer is for the length of time after the train passes, not the behavior mine exhibit.

Yes, my LHS is covering my out of the box Normally open problem.  I had not yet discovered the different behaviors when I sent it back, but he is aware.