[Captain Grumps]

I've come across the following when browsing the Walthers website:

http://www.lenz.com/products/xpressnet/lc100.htm

"LC100 XpressNet Components -- Converter, Allows Non XpressNet Based DCC Systems to be Used w/Digital Plus"

According to the Lenz site "The LC100 "listens" to the track output of the other digital system. All commands that would be send over the track to your engines and turnouts are read by the LC100. The LC100 looks for changes in the data received, and sends those to the command station LZ100, using the XpressNet"

Has anyone tried one of these out? In theory it sounds like it could work with any system. It mentions the standard Lenz track signal. I had always thought that the track signal from DCC systems were pretty well the same, otherwise they wouldn't be able to work with each others decoders.

Rich

 

[Doug]

An interesting item.

Here is a PDF that has some diagrams missing from that linked page:

http://www.lenz.com/manuals/xpressnet/lc100.pdf

My system was developed with the help of Lenz - so say some people - so it has a BUS that is compatible with XpressNet, although it is called the X-BUS.

 

[Makemineadouble]

It won't work with Digitrax (Loconet), NCE, MRC, because they have a different cab bus system. Apparently according to Lenz 2 wires of Express Net are used to power devices such as handhelds I think most the answers lay in Lenz FAQ on express net:
Lenz express net FAQ.

The function of the LC100:

The LC100 "listens" to the track output of the other digital system. All commands that would be send over the track to your engines and turnouts are read by the LC100. The LC100 looks for changes in the data received, and sends those to the command station LZ100, using the XpressNet . The communication is strictly one way, no information can be send back from the LZ100 to the 'foreign' digital system.

The advantage of this set up is that you can use any input device as long as it uses the standardized Lenz-track signal.

For example, you will be able to use a dispatchers panel built from switchboards to set your turnouts, or you could set complex routings through the interface.
------------ 00000 ------------
The world of DCC is polarised into two main camps:
Digitrax
Lenz
the major seperation being the cab bus system.

 

[Captain Grumps]

From my (limited) understanding, the LC100 doesn't read from the cab bus, instead so it can work with NON XpressNET systems it reads from the track bus. The information on lenz.com states clearly that communication is one way only, and also that it is to make non XPressNET systems usable with a lenz system. The cab bus doesn't come into the matter.

It's odd that the lenz site mentions it working with Roco Lokmaus, as they use XpressNET as a cab bus. Why on earth would anyone want to buy an extra component to do something they can do already, and lose two way communication as well?

Perhaps they just didn't want to mention their main competitors on their site!

Rich

 

[LisaP4]

Well if you want to use a LocoNET throttle (or any other LocoNET component) on a Lenz/XpressNET system you can do it with an LA-1 LocoNET adaptor from Digitrax, so I guess this is just Lenz trying to offer something similar in their usual style.