Lenz LH101, LZV200, SET101 and trade-in offer.

[WIMorrison]

As you state it can only connect via USB which is NOT Wi-Fi or ethernet, therefore you are incorrect in stating that it can connect via Wi-Fi or ethernet - it cannot.9 years 

 

And until somebody actually has one no-one knows what will it will actually do...

[melmerby]

I'm sorry Anders but I don't think you have grasped what's going on

You cannot hook up a USB cable to a PC Lan. They are totally different interfaces.

The LAN on the 23151 (which I use) uses a Cat5 Ethernet cable.

 

The LZV200 should only need a VCOM port driver to interface to a computer (any computer) by USB.

(You will not be able to use the supplied Lenz software, which is Windows only, but I don't use it anyway and haven't installed it on a Windows PC.)

The 23151 did not need any Lenz software installed as the VCOM port driver, being an industry standard, is installed automativcally by the Operating System.

The LZV200 also should cause a VCOM port driver to be installed by the OS

 

You should then be able to use a computer program that is not Windows such as iTrain or JMRI on Mac or Linux.

See here:

http://www.aberdeenmrc.co.uk/Guides/Computer/

[Jub45565]

I haven't looked at one - but I think what Anders is implying is that it can be hooked up to the USB-B printer port many wifi hubs have (or used to have, they are becoming less frequent) and so then available to other devices via wifi. But I agree this still wouldn't constitute wifi capability in itself.

 

The new handset looks useful (if 10 years late). I prefer a dial/knob for speed control so stuck with the LH90 over LH100. As I personally don't buy into sound (therefore don't need loads of functions), nor route setting via a handset, I see no reason to upgrade.

Edited April 18, 2019 by Jub45565

[WIMorrison]

If you want a rotary knob that is easy to use and simply plugs into Xpressnet then go for a Roco Multimuas. Iused to use one with my Lenz kit (changed to Z21 now :)) and it worked extremely well and much easier to use than the Lenz offerings.

[Guest]

Sorry...my fault!

I was thinking USB-B to Lan which is wrong.

The correct term are USB-B to USB.

 

[Guest]

By the way...i did ordered a Märklin CS3.

I decides to leave Lenz stone-age digital system.

[RFS]

Lenz have now announced a trade-in offer for the LZ100 (€249) and the LZV100 (€188) plus a return postage charge of €10. With the deal to swap the LH100 handset for LH101 at €79 + €10 return postage that would make a total cost of €277 plus the cost of sending in your old SET100. This is not a very attractive deal: Modellbahnshop Lippe have the SET101 (LZV200+LH101) on offer at €299 plus €4 postage after which you still have your LZV100+LH100 to dispose of as you see fit. 

 

Beware also the problems with the LZV200 that I have already documented.  See LZV200 Problems

[WIMorrison]

and as eBay isn't awash with LZV or LZ100 sets it doesn't look like many people are taking them up on the offer

 

Not exactly flooded with LH100 either which suggests to me that people aren't rushing out for the new handset either.

[RFS]

54 minutes ago, WIMorrison said:

and as eBay isn't awash with LZV or LZ100 sets it doesn't look like many people are taking them up on the offer

 

Not exactly flooded with LH100 either which suggests to me that people aren't rushing out for the new handset either.

 

Many LH100 users have taken up the Lenz offer to swap it for the LH101 - over 3000 at the last count according to Lenz. 

[Ron Ron Ron]

1 hour ago, WIMorrison said:

and as eBay isn't awash with LZV or LZ100 sets it doesn't look like many people are taking them up on the offer  ......

 

????

I don't understand how you make that link?

If people were taking up the  trade-in offer, then surely the traded-in LZV & LV 100 's would be going back to Lenz, not being placed on eBay?

 

 

.

[Ron Ron Ron]

On 22/03/2019 at 23:23, Ron Ron Ron said:

The trade-in offer is just for the handsets, not for the LZV100 Command/Power Station, or the full SET100........

 

Now superceded  by Lenz extending the offer.....

 

On 01/05/2019 at 09:04, RFS said:

Lenz have now announced a trade-in offer for the LZ100 (€249) and the LZV100 (€188) plus a return postage charge of €10. ........

 

Thanks for posting that update Robert.

 

 

From the Lenz website (still no English language version after almost 2 years !!!!).....

 

Quote

Trade in LZV200 now!

 

Your intact LZ100 or LZV100 can now be exchanged for a preferential price for a new LZV200, here you can find out how easy it is ...

 

Now exchange LZ100 or LZV100, that's how it works:

Submit your working and intact LZ100 or LZV100 to us in advance.

 

In exchange (that is, the sent headquarters remains at Lenz) we send you the new LZV200 at a preferential price:

Central LZV200 in exchange for LZ100, preferential price 249,00  €211.00 (incl. VAT)  - amended price

Central LZV200 in exchange for LZV100, preferential price 188,00 €150  (incl. VAT). - amended price

plus shipping Domestic 7 € against invoice.

Shipping abroad for prepayment plus 10 € shipping costs.

 

Of course you can also "swap" more than one control center. An offer that you can hardly refuse ...

 
 

 

 

.

Edited May 2, 2019 by Ron Ron Ron

[brenn]

9 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

Now superceded  by Lenz extending the offer.....

 

 

Thanks for posting that update Robert.

 

 

From the Lenz website (still no English language version after almost 2 years !!!!).....

 

 

 

 

 

.

Hi Ron,

 

So let me get this right.........I send back my LZV 100....only ( which i bought as part of set 100 for £249).......just my LZV100...not together with LH100....and in return i pay 250 euro and get the LZV200?

 

1....what so good with LZV200 that i would pay another £250 for it........whithout a new handset.

 

I can't see this being a good deal at all at all.....i'm i missing something here?

 

BW

 

Brenn 

[RFS]

1 hour ago, brenn said:

Hi Ron,

 

So let me get this right.........I send back my LZV 100....only ( which i bought as part of set 100 for £249).......just my LZV100...not together with LH100....and in return i pay 250 euro and get the LZV200?

 

1....what so good with LZV200 that i would pay another £250 for it........whithout a new handset.

 

I can't see this being a good deal at all at all.....i'm i missing something here?

 

BW

 

Brenn 

 

No you're not missing anything - it really is not a very good deal. SET101 (LZV200 + LH101) can be bought from several German sites for €299 after which you still have your LZV100+LH100 to dispose of (eg sell on Ebay). That was my plan when I bought SET101 as it was also replacing my 23151 LAN/USB interface with the built-in PC USB connection. Glad I did it that way, as when the LZV200 was found wanting in several respects I was able to send the SET101 back to the shop for a refund. Couldn't have done that with a direct swap like this offer. 

[Ron Ron Ron]

21 hours ago, brenn said:

Hi Ron,

 

So let me get this right.........I send back my LZV 100....only ( which i bought as part of set 100 for £249).......just my LZV100...not together with LH100....and in return i pay 250 euro and get the LZV200?

 

1....what so good with LZV200 that i would pay another £250 for it........whithout a new handset.

 

I can't see this being a good deal at all at all.....i'm i missing something here?

 

BW

 

Brenn 

 

As RFS says, it's not such a good deal.

However, your calculations are off anyway.

The trade-in price to exchange a LZV100 for a LZV200 was originally given as €188 (approx. £162) inc. VAT ..... not £250 !

 

Lenz have now revised the trade-in prices.

The cost of trading in a LZV100 for a LZV200 has now been reduced to €150 (approx. £129) inc. VAT

 

For the older LV100 Command Station, the price has dropped from €249 to €211 inc. VAT

 

 

 

Ron

[brenn]

1 hour ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

As RFS says, it's not such a good deal.

However, your calculations are off anyway.

The trade-in price to exchange a LZV100 for a LZV200 was originally given as €188 (approx. £162) inc. VAT ..... not £250 !

 

Lenz have now revised the trade-in prices.

The cost of trading in a LZV100 for a LZV200 has now been reduced to €150 (approx. £129) inc. VAT

 

For the older LV100 Command Station, the price has dropped from €249 to €211 inc. VAT

 

 

 

Ron

Thanks Ron,

 

but what why should I keep the Lenz after this upgrade rather than spend the money on say a prodigy wireless for £350...It a serious question...what make Lenz worth keeping?

 

B

[Nigelcliffe]

1 hour ago, brenn said:

Thanks Ron,

 

but what why should I keep the Lenz after this upgrade rather than spend the money on say a prodigy wireless for £350...It a serious question...what make Lenz worth keeping?

 

B

 

Depends what else you own, or might want to own in future, and how it connects with either manufacturer's system.   If all you have is a command station and some throttles, then the major differences are preference over throttle button and key layout.   Once you want to add anything else, then things get more complex. 

 

Some DCC system makers have a large range of devices (either their own, or third party) which work with their command station's interfaces.  Others have nothing.  Some system makers play very well with computer interfaces (for anything from mimic diagrams of track, through monitoring movements, to full automation), others are extremely bad at doing this sort of thing.  And so on. 

 

There are other makers of systems which talk the Lenz protocols for throttles and devices, so one is not stuck with Lenz.  (eg. Roco Z21, Digikeijs, probably others)

 

 

 

- Nigel

 

 

[melmerby]

2 hours ago, Nigelcliffe said:

 

There are other makers of systems which talk the Lenz protocols for throttles and devices, so one is not stuck with Lenz.  (eg. Roco Z21, Digikeijs, probably others)

 

- Nigel

 

 

You can't use RS bus devices with a Z21

[Guest]

On 19/04/2019 at 16:23, Anders63 said:

By the way...i did ordered a Märklin CS3.

I decides to leave Lenz stone-age digital system.

I have still Lenz system but i did bought Märklin CS3.

Strange but i feel Lenz are more easier by use it and it feels comfort with the LH101.

Märklins CS3 are complicated system and there is some bugs in the software program.

Hopefully Lenz did solved the problem with the new system.

Digital system gives both pro and cons for us customer.

[R1ch1ew]

I've looked on the Lenz website to try and find details on the trade in program but unfortunately I cannot find a link.  Would anyone know if the offer is still active?  I have an LZV100 unit I'd like to swap.

 

Thanks

[RFS]

50 minutes ago, R1ch1ew said:

I've looked on the Lenz website to try and find details on the trade in program but unfortunately I cannot find a link.  Would anyone know if the offer is still active?  I have an LZV100 unit I'd like to swap.

 

Thanks

 

The link is here but in German. Basically you send them your working LZV100 and they will bill you €150 + €10 postage before sending it to you. Alternatively you can buy the new SET101 directly and then subsequently sell the LZV100 and LH100 on Ebay which is likely to be a better deal as you also get the new LH101 throttle. Several German box-shifters have this on offer, for example Modellbahnshop-lippe at €329. Model Railways Direct have this for £292 but it's out of stock. Buying the LZV200 direct is the route I took although I've retained the LZV100 for the time being.

[R1ch1ew]

Hi, thanks for the links.  I've already purchased an LH101 controller, which is a great piece engineering, so the trade in is the better option for me.

 

Thanks again, R

[RFS]

Lenz have announced version 2.0 of the firmware for the LH101. The new features are documented here (in German) - https://www.lenz-elektronik.de/digitalplus-handregler-lh101.php

 

However if you download the update package (zip file here - https://www.lenz-elektronik.de/pdf/LH101-Version2-0.zip ) you will get the firmware, a manual listing the new features (German/English/French), and the procedure for updating the firmware (German only, but you might be able to follow the pictures!). 

 

The updates consist of 5 items:

 

. Fast clock
. PoM read of CV values using the Global Railcom Detector
. Service variables in LZV200
. Switching points and signals
. Register mode

 

The first 3 require an LZV200, with the other two needing only the LZV100 or later. 

 

[Simaz]

Hello, my first post. I have sent my LH90 and LV102 to up grade to the LH101 and LV103 respectively. Has anyone taken advantage of the trade in with Lenz,  what was their experience and the time frame? I have worked out with postage and insurance I will pay about £200 which I thought was reasonable considering the new price would be £300+ and I would be lucky to get £100 on ebay for the older items, plus hassle and paying fees to Ebay. I sent my stuff in December but still heard nothing from Lenz. My track and Trace says it arrived on the 4th of January. I am being a bit anxious as my layout needs the LV booster to run. Any comments/advice would be appreciated.

[Nigelcliffe]

Where did you send it ?  The UK agents (A&H in Northants) or Lenz in Germany ?    If A&H, you could email or ring them.  
If Lenz in Germany, I hope you've worked out the arrangements which surround Brexit; do it wrongly and there are taxes to pay when it comes back to the UK. 

[WIMorrison]

If it was Germany then my experience of sending stuff to Lenz a few years ago would suggest that you may have a bit of a wait on your hands