How many TIU's does a layout need?
How many TIU's does your layout have?
If you have more the one TIU, why?
If you have more the one TIU what kind of issues do you have if any?
could your layout run with one TIU?
please no smart aleck answers, just trying to gather some information.
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I have two because I have more than four loops. I did one TIU output per loop. I have no problems, I run them in super mode. I could not use only one and have control of my six individual loops.
A good investment is Barry’s book. It is a download and answers a lot. I also have legacy, they work fine together.
Tony,
A good investment is Barry’s book.
I completely agree!! 
 | Everything that you need to know about DCS is all in MTH’s “The DCS Companion 3rd Edition!" This book is available from many fine OGR advertisers and forum sponsors, or as an eBook or a printed book at MTH's web store! |
 | Everything that you need to know about DCS WiFi is all in MTH’s “The DCS WiFi Companion 2nd Edition!" |
the book does not specifically answer the questions above!
I HAVE 3 TIUs because I wanted to break the layout up into at least 12 blocks so that if I have electrical shorting problems, I can more easily isolate the short. But Barry's book suggests an alternative. You can run "power districts" and have your TIU outs each run several non-adjacent blocks. That would let me have my 12 blocks on just 1 TIU. Now we're getting down into planning questions like how to divide up the layout track plan into electrical blocks and what kind of trains you like to run (passenger trains have lights and need more power). My primary interest is passenger trains. So my decision was to let each block have its own dedicated TIU out, running the variable outs as fixed outs and not running any conventional trains so that I have no need to vary the track voltage.
As you can see, there is no cookie-cutter answer here. The answer is the classic "It depends..."
Don
The book does not specifically answer the questions above!
Of course not, because they are not DCS questions that seek definitive answers. Rather, they are questions soliciting personal experiences and opinions.
Further, I never said that they answered those specific questions. I stated, correctly, that everything you need to know about DCS is in these books, and I stand by that answer.
I have 2 tiu's, use 6 channels, have 76 toggled blocks
Logic/least expensive, try one in passive mode. See what happens. Added to a TMCC layout.
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