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2 LIONEL SC-2 SWITCH CONTROLLER

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2 LIONEL SC-2 SWITCH CONTROLLER
Posted by SD-40T-2 on Friday, March 23, 2007 11:44 AM
HOW DO I WIRE 2 LIONEL SC-2  SWITCH CONTROLLER TOGETHER SO I CAN  USE  8 SWITCHES Sign - Welcome [#welcome]
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Posted by ADCX Rob on Friday, March 23, 2007 11:54 AM

 SD-40T-2 wrote:
HOW DO I WIRE 2 LIONEL SC-2  SWITCH CONTROLLER TOGETHER SO I CAN  USE  8 SWITCHES Sign - Welcome [#welcome]

SC-2 Instructions

Rob 

Rob

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Posted by Dick76 on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 4:06 PM

All you do is hook your switches up on the second unit and use consecutive numbers such as if the first unit ends in 6 the first on the next unit will be 7. Page # 13 of the instruction manual explains it I believe.

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Posted by Buckeye Riveter on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 9:10 PM

I have three SC-2 controllers and when you get them from the factory they are preset for X number of switches and Y number of accessories.  You can program the SC-2 to handle all switches or all accessories.   Since I have two SC-2s running 10 switches, the one controller was programmed tor switches 1-6 and the other 7-13.  The manual explains how to program.

A hint on using the SC-2:  You might need to experiment with location and orientation of the SC-2 for it to pick up a good signal from your track and wiring.  There is an antenna inside. 

Tags: SC-2

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Posted by ADCX Rob on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 9:23 PM

As long as the SC-2's are near the Command Base, there should be no signal issue.  They get their commands from the Command Base.

Rob

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Posted by Buckeye Riveter on Thursday, February 10, 2011 5:39 PM

Two of my three SC-2 are over 43" away from the command base.  In fact the one is about 48"   I wonder why they work so well switching those switches and turning on the lights, sounds and animated accessories on the layout.  Question  I must of wired them wrong. 

As a wild and crazy guy, I'm going to put my next SC-2 over ten feet away form the command base, bricks and TPC 300.Wow

Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum. Smile, Wink & Grin

Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..

Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR

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Posted by ADCX Rob on Thursday, February 10, 2011 7:26 PM

Buckeye Riveter
Two of my three SC-2 are over 43" away from the command base.  In fact the one is about 48"   I wonder why they work so well switching those switches and turning on the lights, sounds and animated accessories on the layout.  Question  I must of wired them wrong. 

As a wild and crazy guy, I'm going to put my next SC-2 over ten feet away form the command base, bricks and TPC 300.Wow

You missed the point.  Your SC-2's are fine - I would consider them all near the CB, even the radical(not) 10' separation.

They get their commands from the Command Base, not the track and wiring.   They could be ten miles from the bricks, wiring, and TPC and still work fine.

Rob

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Posted by Buckeye Riveter on Thursday, February 10, 2011 8:15 PM

ADCX Rob

 Buckeye Riveter:
Two of my three SC-2 are over 43" away from the command base.  In fact the one is about 48"   I wonder why they work so well switching those switches and turning on the lights, sounds and animated accessories on the layout.  Question  I must of wired them wrong. 

As a wild and crazy guy, I'm going to put my next SC-2 over ten feet away form the command base, bricks and TPC 300.Wow

You missed the point.  Your SC-2's are fine - I would consider them all near the CB, even the radical(not) 10' separation.

They get their commands from the Command Base, not the track and wiring.   They could be ten miles from the bricks, wiring, and TPC and still work fine.

I disconnected the CB from the track but still connected to the power,  and my SC-2 didn't work.  The SC-2 was less than ten miles away from the bricks, wiring and TPC.   Must have done something wrong since the CB should have still made them work without being connected to the track. Oops  Connected the CB back to the track and miracles of miracles, my SC-2 works again.  Must be magic. Yeah

Those fools at Lionel even got it wrong in their manual:Whistling

The SC-2 has a built-in antenna to receive signals from the TrainMaster Command Base. Place the SC-2 anywhere near track connected to a Command Base, and it will receive its commands.

 

 

http://www.lionel.com/media/servicedocuments/72-2980-250.pdf

After discussing this situation several years ago with my good buddy Roy who does wiring for the Lionel layouts you see at York,  the SC-2 receives it signal the same way a TMCC equipped locomotive gets it signal.  The track is a transmitting antenna and the antenna in the locomotive is the receiving antenna.   This way the locomotive can be 100's of feet away from the CB.  The same is true for the SC-2.   My layout has ove 200 feet of track and even at the farthest point from the CB, the locomotives work perfectly. 

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Posted by ChiefEagles on Thursday, February 10, 2011 8:28 PM

Buckeye, I've seen your layout and run trains on it with the SC-2's.  Seems to work great.  I guess you and Roy M don't know what you are talking about. Wink  BTW: it does get its signal from the track [as antenna] like TMCC. Whistling

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Posted by ADCX Rob on Thursday, February 10, 2011 9:05 PM

ChiefEagles
Buckeye, I've seen your layout and run trains on it with the SC-2's.  Seems to work great...

No reason it shouldn't.  It seems he's following all the rules.  I wouldn't expect SC-2's, SC-1's, ASC's, OTC's, or any TMCC equipment to work at all without the CB being connected to the layout.

Rob

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