Lenz - power district question

[martinray]

I'm splitting my layout into two power districts - adding an LV102 connected to the LZV100.

 

I use a Lenz based occupancy detection system using LR101s.

 

Question 1:

I am connecting the track power supply for each district via LR101 occupancy detectors that are dedicated to that power district. Is this correct?

 

Question 2:

I now need to connect the occuancy sensors (connections R and S). Am I right in thinking that for BOTH power districts these go to the LZV100?

 

Thanks for your help (in anticipation)

 

Martin

[RFS]

Q1: Yes, an occupancy detector is connected to one power district.  I use LDT RS8s which cover 8 sections, however the unit is configured in two halves each with its own track supply. Thus each set of 4 detectors can be connected to a different power district if required. I understand LB101s do the occupancy detection for two blocks and report to LR101s. The LB101s are connected to the LR101 but the LR101 connects only to the R/S on the LZV100 and to a power supply. Therefore the LR101 should be able to handle inputs from LB101s in different power districts, but each LB101 connects to a single district.

 

Q2: Right again.  All detection is sent to the LZV100 (there's no R+S socket on the LV102!).

 

I recently went down this route with LZV100 and LV102, but have since reversed it.  Some issues I encountered:

 

1. You need to connect the earth terminals (in UVJK socket) between the LZV100 and LV102.  This ensures locos with, for example, pickups on one side of the engine and the other side of the tender cross the boundary OK.  I don't have any of these but I found the lights on the Hornby Pullmans (which have this method of pickup on the two bogies) went out as they crossed between power districts.

 

2. Do you want one district to stay powered up (and trains running) if the other shuts due to a short? On my layout the answer was no, as I'm operating alone (mostly) and a shutdown on one side requires my full attention. If you just have LZV100 and LV102 and no circuit breakers (eg PSX) then you connect the E terminals together. This ensures a stop on one box stops the other.  However, if both units have a PSX circuit breaker I'm not sure how you would achieve that.

 

3. I did buy a second PSX for the LV102. But the firmware has been changed to the extent that it was constantly tripping and caused mayhem trying to run automated schedules with RR&Co automation. I subsequently ran it without the PSX and returned the PSX for a refund.

 

4. If you run consists you can have problems if one district trips and you've set up to let the other to continue. The problem arises if powered units in the consist are straddling the boundary at the time. For example, I have a number of SR EMUs. One train is an 8-BIL (ie 4 x 2-BIL) and on one occasion one tripped when the train was halfway over the boundary. The rear 2 units stopped so abruptly that two of the units derailed. Similarly with a pair of 4-CEPs although this time no derailment, just one unit furiously trying to drag its dead partner over the join!

 

I thought I didn't have enough power with just one LZV100, as there are also 70 Tortoises taking over 1 amp in stall mode. But now I've reconfigured so that the LZV100 (with 5-amp TR150+PSX circuit breaker) handles all track power, and the LV102 (with 3-amp TR100) does the Tortoises. Seems to work very well. 

 

You can actually combine the LZV100 with one LV102 to give 10-amps of track power to a single district, but I would think the DCC wiring would need to be beefed up for that!