Wall wart power requirements to connect MTH WIU interface unit and wall wart power requirement for TIU.?

TIU will accept 12-22 vac or vdc, at least 1.5 amps. Not sure about the WIU.

The WIU takes 5V at 1A, it's connector is a USB Mini Connector.

So any of those 5 vdc, 2 amp, usb chargers would work with the correct mini adapter. I wasn't sure if the WIU could get power from the TIU.

The WIU can not get power from the TIU.  It has it's own 5V 1A adapter with the mini-USB connector.  Any regulated 5VDC supply of at least 1 amp will power the WIU.

The TIU docs actually tell you exactly what goes where for power for at least 1 power input, on page 8 of the DCS operators manual. There, it says:

aux input is z500 or z750 brick if you do not connect a transformer through fixed channel 1.

Variable voltage 1 for conventional or command mode via dcs handheld.

Fixed 1 is fixed one direct connect to the brick.

Aux power can use the nice barrel jack and I think was definitely meant as a how-to-start with DCS. For fixed1 (+variable 1), on a 500,750, or 1000, you need a stupid hard to find adapter that turns the transformer barrel jack into a banana plug adapter. It took me a loooooong time to find and get 1. I got 2 eventually from a nice vendor in Canada, after 3 weeks of searching.

Running it with a z1000 I found it worked well with my premier diesel. Since I plan on plugging an AIU in as well, that will work for switches and scenic lighting and things. I have a 4k on the way to be able to do more things.

Personally, I would only run MTH power, just because that stuff is all mated up together. I am sure you can run other types, but my paranoia and noob-ness says to myself, z1000 or z4k.

All, thanks for your input.. I have several power adapters (wall warts) of various voltages, i should be able to find ones that fit the TIU and WIU..

Thanks,.

My TIU gets power from the connection from the WIU; no need to power the TIU separately.  I don't know if that is according to hoyle, but it has been working fine.

Brendan

@Brendan posted:

My TIU gets power from the connection from the WIU; no need to power the TIU separately.  I don't know if that is according to hoyle, but it has been working fine.

I'd be real interested in exactly how you do that.  I have a Rev. L TIU with the WIU connected to it via the USB cable.  I also have the WIU power brick connected to the WIU power connection.  If I turn everything on, then pull power connector from the WIU, it goes dark and obviously loses connection.  If it were being powered through the USB from the TIU, it would keep running.  I've repaired a number of the WIU power jacks, and I can tell you for certain that the version I see has only one source of power, the power connection.  If it doesn't get power from there, it's not getting power at all!

I double checked and that is how I've been running it for over a year.  Rev L TIU.

In my poorly taken photo, you can see the power LED on and only the WIU USB cable connected.  Fixed DCS out goes to my track.  I don't run power through the TIU; the track is powered from Lionel 180W bricks.

EDIT:  On a related note, I got an email that Charles Ro that my DCS remote shipped.

Brendan

It’s the other way around.  The WIU can power the CPU in the TIU through the USB.  This was discussed in one of the TIU threads with Adrian a while back.

@Erik the Newbie posted:

...For fixed1 (+variable 1), on a 500,750, or 1000, you need a stupid hard to find adapter that turns the transformer barrel jack into a banana plug adapter. It took me a loooooong time to find and get 1. I got 2 eventually from a nice vendor in Canada, after 3 weeks of searching…

Or just cut the barrel connector off with a 6” pigtail, and then solder or otherwise affix some banana connectors on each…

https://www.parts-express.com/...Qr0utTRoC5CgQAvD_BwE

Brendan, you didn't show me anything.  I can take a picture of a TIU with a USB cord, that says nothing.  We're talking about powering the WIU from the TIU, and I don't see any picture of the WIU at all.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Brendan, you didn't show me anything.  I can take a picture of a TIU with a USB cord, that says nothing.  We're talking about powering the WIU from the TIU, and I don't see any picture of the WIU at all.

I was saying the opposite - power TIU from WIU.  You can see the power light on with no other connections.

Brendan

@Brendan posted:

I was saying the opposite - power TIU from WIU.  You can see the power light on with no other connections.

A horse of a different color, as long as the WIU power supply is sufficient, that will work.

Makes sense that MTH would come up with a way to reduce the need for one power supply when the TIU/WIU first showed up.

@rplst8 posted:

It’s the other way around.  The WIU can power the CPU in the TIU through the USB.  This was discussed in one of the TIU threads with Adrian a while back.

I'm just curious about the 12vdc 1.5+ amps vs 5vdc 1amp. I tried searching for this thread but got lost in all of the hits. Does powering the TIU with the 5vdc usb from the WIU result in a subset of TIU functionality? Obviously 5v will power the cpu but this doesn't seem to be enough power for much else.

@turkey_hollow_rr posted:

Makes sense that MTH would come up with a way to reduce the need for one power supply when the TIU/WIU first showed up.

I'm just curious about the 12vdc 1.5+ amps vs 5vdc 1amp. I tried searching for this thread but got lost in all of the hits. Does powering the TIU with the 5vdc usb from the WIU result in a subset of TIU functionality? Obviously 5v will power the cpu but this doesn't seem to be enough power for much else.

That's a good question, and I don't know the answer.  IIRC, there was some discussion that this was done only in the versions that have the USB connector (obviously) to allow them to be upgraded while attached to a computer without the need for a transformer to be connected to Fixed 1 Input nor an auxiliary power supply to be used.  I haven't looked closely enough at the DCS Consumer Loader and/or TIU instructions to see if they were updated to cover this situation.  I could also check Barry's DCS WiFi companion book I guess.  Until I do, I'd be wary upgrading it when powered only by the USB port.

One thing to remember is that the 12+ VDC 1.5+ A power requirement was established from the first revision of the TIU which used (I think) a more power hungry electronics package.  I think it was a 5V architecture that was then changed to 3.3V around the Rev. I timeframe (not positive on that).  Therefore, that original power requirement may be overkill for the later TIUs.  That said, I think only Rev. L has the USB port.

I'll check Barry's book on the TIU update instructions to see if it mentions anything about powering it solely from the USB port while doing so and report back my findings.

Thanks, I don't see any mention of powering via usb in my non-WIU version of the Companion. It only mentions the usb connector use for software upgrades. I seem to remember some of the TIU power requirements were to support TIU daisy chains.

@turkey_hollow_rr posted:

Thanks, I don't see any mention of powering via usb in my non-WIU version of the Companion. It only mentions the usb connector use for software upgrades. I seem to remember some of the TIU power requirements were to support TIU daisy chains.

According to the DCS WiFi companion book, powering the TIU via the USB port should only be done when updating the TIU or DCS Remote software.

Engine sound programming, remote backup/recovery, operations of DCS engines, or use of an AIU requires either the auxiliary power port or Fixed 1 Input to be energized.

@rplst8 posted:

According to the DCS WiFi companion book, powering the TIU via the USB port should only be done when updating the TIU or DCS Remote software.

Engine sound programming, remote backup/recovery, operations of DCS engines, or use of an AIU requires either the auxiliary power port or Fixed 1 Input to be energized.

Yes, that reads like MTH wording.   Their attempt to keep things simple for the end user. So the reduced set with this arrangement is a single TIU, and maybe an AIU if one has a regulated 5vdc 2amp wall wart. That would cover my needs should my remote croak. Perish the though!

@turkey_hollow_rr posted:

Thanks, I don't see any mention of powering via usb in my non-WIU version of the Companion. It only mentions the usb connector use for software upgrades. I seem to remember some of the TIU power requirements were to support TIU daisy chains.

That would be AIU daisy chains.  Correct, the AIU chain is powered from the internal supply of the TIU, so if you have three or four AIU's connected, you need quite a bit of power.  It's also been discussed how to add a power boost if you have multiple AIU boxes as they can overload the 12V supply of the TIU.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

That would be AIU daisy chains.  Correct, the AIU chain is powered from the internal supply of the TIU, so if you have three or four AIU's connected, you need quite a bit of power.  It's also been discussed how to add a power boost if you have multiple AIU boxes as they can overload the 12V supply of the TIU.

Thanks for clarifying, John.

@turkey_hollow_rr posted:

Yes, that reads like MTH wording.   Their attempt to keep things simple for the end user. So the reduced set with this arrangement is a single TIU, and maybe an AIU if one has a regulated 5vdc 2amp wall wart. That would cover my needs should my remote croak. Perish the though!

I don't think it would be a good idea to pull 2A through the USB connection even if you had one that stout.  I'm not sure how thick the traces are in the WIU and those older USB 1.1/2.0 ports are technically limited to 500 mA.  Even USB 3.0 can only do 1.5A on the top end.

It won't force 2 amps through, the devices will draw what they need.   I'm not sure how regulated all of them are but I seem to come across 5vdc 2 amp supplies.