[York Puffer]

About to buy a Lenz set 100, which includes base station and handheld?
What else do i need in terms of DCC equipment?

An LV102 power station?

Do I need an additional power supply (if so, any reccomendations) to manually control points(not dcc) or can the set 100 and LV102 provide that.

Who can offer the best deal, need to buy some new dcc sound Locos as well.

and just one more thing

Is it worth re-chipping my Hornby Zero 1 Class 37 and Duchess or Sutherland (late 70's I think), both worked fine in their day

Ta guys.

Tim

 

[Edwin]

The Set 100 doesn't need a separate power station however it does need a mains power supply. Lenz produce one or suitable items are available from other suppliers probably a bit cheaper. It does have to be a fairly hefty supply though, a mobile phone charger won't cut it! Suggest you ask around a few retailers and include whatever they recommend in your price comparison. I bought mine from M G Sharp, who were a bit cheaper than most others, but this was over three years ago so may no longer be the case.

A word of warning - unless you really know your electrics then buy a fully enclosed power supply not an open-frame transformer, as these are not safe for use unless properly boxed in.

 

[RFS]

Lenz provide transformers - TR100 (3 amps) for around £35 and TR150 (4.6 amps) for about £48 (at M G Sharp model shop). I bought the TR100 as that was described as more than adequate for an average OO gauge layout. No problems whatsoever - I decided to get Lenz's own to make sure of compatibility etc.

http://www.kato-unitrack.co.uk/lenz-tr100-...mer-3899-0.html

I have also gone for DCC point control and have quite a few LS150 decoders. All of these are also powered by a second TR100. You can't use the same transformer for both functions but you can power all the LS150s from one TR100 provided you don't try and change two points simultaneously. Again I wanted guaranteed reliability and compatibility.

 

[SPROGman]

A switch mode power supply from somewhere like Rapid Electronics will be cheaper than any manufacturers branded "transformer" and will work just as well.

A laptop charger is also ideal, but the voltages can be a bit higher than you really need/want.

If, by points, you mean solenoid point motors, I would use a seperate power supply. they take a hefty current surge when they switch. Also depends on the size of the layout and whether you switch more than one point at a time, e.g. with a diode matrix for route setting.

Andrew

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (Edwin @ 20 Jan 2009, 13:28) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>A word of warning - unless you really know your electrics then buy a fully enclosed power supply not an open-frame transformer, as these are not safe for use unless properly boxed in.

Excellent advice - I cannot endorse this enough.

 

[York Puffer]

Thanks, safe electrics only guys, precisely what would a "hefty current surge" be for point solenoids.

Would 18v dc, 3.6amp do the trick, £13.50 for the points.

Ta

 

[SPROGman]

QUOTE (York Puffer @ 21 Jan 2009, 12:08) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thanks, safe electrics only guys, precisely what would a "hefty current surge" be for point solenoids.

Would 18v dc, 3.6amp do the trick, £13.50 for the points.
Maybe, but I would go a bit higher in voltage. Actually, I would use a CDU (Capacitor Discharge Unit) as well [1]. Then you can get away with a lower current for recharging, but I would still keep it seperate from the DCC supply. The energy stored in a CDU varies with the square of the voltage, so a modest increase in voltage gives a much bigger bang, so to speak.

Andrew

[1] Actually I would use some form of slow motion point motor.

 

[zmil]

Hi York Puffer

I run my Lenz LZV100 (same as the Set 100) on a Laptop power supply 15v DC 4 Amp very smooth never has a hiccup
and have my output voltage set at 14.5v , good for the decoders and good for the internal lighting on the older coaches.

Regards

Zmil