DCS Signal degrades with Serial cable attached to Legacy Base

Are you using the special MTH cable?

Yes I am using the MTH cable. 

It would be very helpful if you could post a diagram showing all the connections between the TIU and the Legacy base, including LCS and SER2 modules connected to the Legacy base.

This is my setup direct from TIU to Legacy

These two photos show my connection to the SER2 and the TIU end is connected to TIU. Using the DB9 connection from Legacy to WiFi. 

These two setups are not done at the same time of course. Thsee are both ways I tested and got a bad signal. 

White wire is Legacy. 

Black and red to fix TIU out. 

To where do you connect the single wire from the Legacy base?

To the 12 port MTH block on the black side.  You can see the white wire on the Legacey base and on the block In the pictures posted above. 

Plug the base into a different AC wall outlet

I'll give it a try.  Both the TIU and Legacy Base are in the same power strip.

Miken,

   Do as Barry advises and plug your 990 Base directly into a well grounded house electrical outlet, and see what happens. 

PCRR/Dave

Dave is right.  Never use a power strip.

Barry, Dave,and Marty,

Sorry it took so long to get back, but I had kid duty and didn't have time to troubleshoot. 

I isolated the Legacy Base to its own power outlet with no power strip.  It helped a bit with the signal in the 5-7 range with nothing below 5. I then also moved my ZWL to the same outlet and signal improved again.  Now getting 7-8 with PS2 and 9-10 with PS3.  These signal values are without any other engines or lighted cars.  

Thank you for the help.  

Miken,

   One of the things IMO Lionel needs to due in their instructions and in their Legacy instructional videos is teach how important the proper grounding of the 990 Legacy base really is to proper running.  Although the Multi plug bar is a decent Ground for DCS, most multi plug bars Legacy has problems with, grounding wise.  Glad you are running with 9-10's now.  Because I have all Command Control FT switches now, I use both remote controls instead of mostly the DCS hand held.  You just can not beat the low voltage Command Control FT Switches being controlled from the Legacy Cab2, having 10 sets of CC FT switches on different levels all controlled by the Legacy Cab2 is way cool running.  Clean track and proper grounding make for great running on a multi level layout.

PCRR/Dave

From page 6 of the manual. It would be a nice addition to mention the AC strips. 

Ensure the Command Base cord is connected to a properly grounded three-prong socket.

 

The interesting part is the degrading of the DCS signal in this case, not the Legacy track signal. 

Marty,

   Yes and they show in the video the Legacy 990 base being plugged right into power the house main power plug outlet.  However most people believe a multi plug bar is a well grounded extension of the main house power, and IMO Lionel needs to caution about most multi plug sets, I know I made this mistake when I 1st brought the Legacy 990 on board my DCS layout.  I now use a remote control set up right from the main house outlet to activate and properly ground my Legacy Base.

PCRR/Dave

I have not had any issues with my Legacy or Base 1L. My Legacy and TMCC engines have just worked since day one. It has always been my DCS signal and I am working to improve it.

my next step will look at adding a choke to the FT switches as sugested by others on this forum. 

Miken,

   I misunderstood your initial post, I thought your Legacy signal was having problems,

not your DCS signal.  If you are having problems with your DCS signal after you connect your Legacy to your DCS TIU the very 1st thing I would do is get my hands on a MTH cable, that you know for sure, has no problems and connect that cable to the Legacy base & DCS TIU, then test your layout.  Sometimes the cables are the problem.

I would not mess with my switches unless it was absolutely necessary.  I have 2 levels of DCS/Legacy that runs 9-10 all the time, with 8 pair of FT CC switches, that all run off track power, and I have no problems.  Now I understand why MartyE ask you the question he did, look at the numbers on your cable, and make sure you have the correct MTH cable, if you do something maybe wrong with that particular cable, frankly this sounds to me, like you have the wrong cable.

PCRR/Dave