The LV200 is a 10 amp power station (booster) developed especially for the increased
electric power requirements of model railways the larger scales (S, O, Large Scale).
Due to the smaller pickups which can be damaged by high current supplies, the LV200 is not
suitable for operation with HO or smaller scales.
The power station LV200 can be compared to the amplifier (output transformer) of stereo equipment: the audio signal produced by the CD player has to be amplified, otherwise you could not hear anything coming from the loudspeakers.
The track-signal produced by the LZ100 or LH200 command stations contains the information used by the locomotive decoder and the switch decoder. From this information the decoders learn whether the motor of the locomotive is to rotate fast or slowly, whether the lights are to be switched on or off, and whether the turnout points should be set on "straight ahead" or "branch off". This track signal alone, however, is not enough to enable operation. It must first be amplified in such a way that, in addition to the information, the required current- supply can also flow. This amplification is the task of the LV200.
Design Considerations
A new feature in the LV200 is a fault detection LED located on the front of the unit. When the power station is in use, the LED on the front is lit green. In case of an overload of the power station, the LED will turn red. In addition, the LED will also flash green if no information is being transmitted over the Control Bus (connections C and D), or one of the wires in not connected.
The LV200 Power Station was designed to meet all NMRA Standards and RPs including the new the NMRA Control Bus draft RP. This allows maximum interchangeability for use with other conforming NMRA DCC systems. It has been submitted to the NMRA for full conformance testing.
measurements : 120 x 55 x 120 mm
Please select from the following
Connecting the LV200
Determining the power requirements of your model
railway
Dividing the model railway into power districts
Advice on the wiring of the model railway
Common Rail Wiring
When you optionally connect terminal E of the LV200 with terminal E of the LZ100 command station, the command station is informed of the overloading of the power station. The command station will then transfer this information to all input equipment (manual control etc.) and turn off the DCC track signal to all other power stations. The display of the LH100 will then inform you regarding the switching-off of power or resuming operation.
If you do not connect terminal E of the LV200 with the LZ100 command station, then when an overload occurs, the LV200 only shuts down the track area it is connected and the LZ100 will not shut down any other power station on the layout. After a certain time (when the LV200 power station has cooled down) the LV200 power station will switch on the current supply TO ITS TRACK SECTION automatically. If the overloading still exists, THE LV200 will switch off again after a short period of time.
| green, constant: | Everything is ok, there is operating voltage and the DCC signal is being sent to the track. |
| green, flashing: | The LV200 is not receiving a digital signal via the terminals
C, D. There is operating voltage, and the voltage on the tracks is switched off. Causes:
|
| red: | Fault due to:
|
Six-Pin I/O - Port
The new six-pin phone type jack located on the rear of the LV101 is provided for use with the LH200 when used as a command station. The wire connections for this I/O port are shown in below.CAUTION:
DO not plug in another manufacturers 6 pin wire into this jack as each manufacturer
defines the use of these wires differently. Plugging in a different manufacturers
equipment into the IO port could destroy one or both pieces of equipment and this is not
covered by our warranty.
Wire connections for the LV200 6 pin -I/O port
Pin # |
Color |
Description |
Pin 1 |
White |
"C" Control Bus Connection |
Pin 2 |
Black |
Ground |
Pin 3 |
Red |
- RS-485 |
Pin 4 |
Green |
+ RS-485 |
Pin 5 |
Yellow |
+12 volts |
Pin 6 |
Blue |
"D" Control Bus Connection |
Connecting the LV200 to Other DCC Systems
The LV200 has been designed to be used with a broad range of NMRA DCC systems. Following are diagrams to assist you in connecting the LV200 to other systems.
Electrical values
Operating voltage (input voltage)
The LV200 is designed for the following input voltages:
AC (TR200): 26V peak-voltage corresponds to 18V AC effective output
DC (Aristo Craft ART-5460) 19V DC
DC (LGB - Jumbo): 16-24V DC
Generic Transformer: O and S scales 16V AC
Large Scale 18V AC or 22V DC
Voltage on the track (output voltage)
In general, the starting voltage is a little less than the input voltage. When the supply is
AC (TR200): connected to 18V terminal:
25.5V without load, 20.0V at 8A.
connected to 15V terminal:
21.2V without load, 16.5V at 8AAristo Craft ART-5460: 18.5 V without load
DC (LGB - Jumbo) the output voltage is approx. 1.5V less than the input voltage.
Output current available to the railroad
The maximum output current of LV200 depends on the kind of input voltage and the performance of the supplying transformer. The following are the respective maximum output currents:
Determining the power requirements of your model railway As with conventionally operated systems and layouts, a sufficient supply of electricity to the system is a precondition for the sure and safe functioning of the Digital plus by Lenz ® systems. Locomotives, coach lights, points, signals etc. receive their power and control information from the power station.AC (TR200): 8 Amp
Aristo Craft ART-5460: 9 Amp
DC (LGB-Jumbo): 10 Amp
Generic 12 Amp Transformer: 10 Amp
The power consumption of your model railway system consists of:
Running locomotives |
Depending on size and attached load, the power consumption varies extremely. A small, single LGB-locomotive with one motor can make do with approx. 1.5A of current; a large one with two motors (e.g. Crocodile) reaches peak currents of 4-5A. The maximum current consumption of the motors of locomotives is decisive in the selection of the right decoders! Therefore it is necessary that you measure the current-consumption or that you ask the producer of the locomotive for information. |
Standing locomotives |
approx. 2.5 mA, this is the idle current consumption of the decoder. |
illuminated locomotives |
each bulb approx. 50 mA. |
illuminated coaches |
each bulb approx. 50 mA. |
In the area supplied by a LV200, the current consumption of all locomotives running in this area at the same time (plus the current consumption of the lights of the coaches) must not exceed the maximum current that can be delivered by the LV200.
If the total current consumption of all the locomotives, coaches, signals etc connected to the LV200 exceeds the current that can be delivered by the LV200, the protective system will be activated: the voltage on the tracks will be switched off and the LED will shine red.
If the performance of one LV200 is not sufficient for the system then divide the layout into several supply areas. Further LV200s can then be used to supply these areas with current.
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Dividing the
model railway into power districts
The additional LV200s receive the control signals
from the terminals C and D of the first LV200. Each LV200 has to be connected to its own
transformer. The number of power station-transformer-units needed depends on the overall
power consumption of your model railway.
It is absolutely necessary that the electric circuits of all the LV200's are the same polarity. Thus, terminal J of one and terminal J of the next LV200 must be connected to same side of the track in question. Otherwise short-circuits will occur when operating a locomotive over gaps that divide the power districts.
Advice on the wiring of the model railway
Use only cables with a minimum cross section of 16 AGW when connecting the tracks and twist these cables. Moreover, the power station should always be placed as close as possible to the first point of power supply.For extended routes you need additional track power connections at regular intervals. Rule of thumb: every 3m.
No capacitor for interference suppression may be installed into the track system. Such a capacitor is necessary for the interference suppression only in conventional operation. When used with the Digital plus by Lenz ® system it would, however, distort the data format and interfere with the fault-free transmission of data.
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Common Rail Wiring Normally both rails are gapped between power stations. This provides complete isolation. However, in some scales there exist locomotives that have pickups that are offset from each other. For example many steam locomotives have power pickup from one rail in the locomotive and the other rail in the tender. When such a locomotive bridges the gap between isolated power stations, the locomotive will stall. The solution to this problem is to provide a common wire between all power stations. All systems of command control need to have a such a common provided, if offset pickup locomotives are to be operated.Lenz has chosen to leave the option of the location of the common up to the individual operator. The LV200 is completely opto-isolated. This allows you to use one of the rails (called common rail) for your common. Common rail wiring is also compatible with many existing signaling systems. While common rail is the preferred place for a common, you may instead connect all the power station U or V wires together. This is called common power supply wiring.
Caution: If you decide to install a common, it is important that you only have a single common. Multiple commons (such as common rail and common transformer) should be avoided.
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This page was designed by Debbie Ames, owner tttrains