A couple of months ago I posted a question to the LCS thread about my TPC in conventional mode not changing voltage when used with the iCab (or LCS) App. I did not get much of a response so I sent my question to Lionel on their "TalktoUs@lionel.com" customer service email. First I must say that Lionel did a great job of answering my questions and although I did not necessarily like the answer, I appreciate the time and effort put into the responses. So here is a summary of what I found out.
First the TPC is not fully compatible with Legacy Commands and there are no plans make it compatible. However, they are considering putting a "boost" button in a future release of the iCab App. This would allow powering up the TPC in command mode. (I hope they do follow through on this). It has been my experience that in conventional mode, using the iCab App you can make the TPC do everything except adjust the voltage.
Since I like to run my older trains at times, conventional mode of operation is important to me. So, I asked Lionel if the Legacy Power Master (LPM) is compatible with the iCab App. They responded that it was fully compatible. I purchased a Legacy Power Master and installed it today. Yes indeed it (LPM) does work with the iCab App as well as the LCS App. Over time I will probably replace two of my four TPCs with LPMs the other two I will change to command mode. I could just stay with the CAB 2, but changing to new technology is a fun part of the hobby for me.
Am I happy about having to replace my TPCs? Not particularly, but then I checked and my TPCs are 12 years old. As I look at the PCs in my home business not one of them is 12 years old. Also, in that 12 years, I have probably changed out my wireless router three times, they just seem to die every 3 - 4 years. In light of the norm for consumer electronics, perhaps 12 years of usefulness is not that bad after all.
