Lenz Power 1 Module: August 2, 2005
By fisker76
he power storage module - Power 1 from Lenz - is finally coming. Here is their news release:
Lenz is pleased to announce the release of our Power 1 module, which is the first in our series of power storage devices for our USP technology.
USP stands for Uninterruptable Signal Processing. This patented technology allows the decoder to receive the DCC signal even on dirty track or when the locomotive is operating over plastic frogs. This continuous reception of the DCC signal significantly increases the overall performance of the locomotive especially for locomotives with poor pickup or on layouts that are not operated frequently. The DCC signal will continue to be received for as long as the decoder receives power. To provide power to both the decoder and to the locomotive while it is on dirty track we have developed a module which attaches to the decoder for this purpose.
Providing on board power can have unintended consequences such as a high inrush current on power up that trips the short protection in some power stations or too high a current for low current programming tracks. We avoid these problems by having a built-in power management scheme which manages both the charging and discharging of energy stored in the module.
The Power 1 storage module measures approximately 0.9" x 0.55" x 0.39" (22 x 13.3 x 9.4 mm).
The power storage in Power 1 equates to the following run times with no track power for various locomotives. This is significant because dirty track or poor pickup while frequent is intermittent.
The MSRP for the Power 1 Module is $49.95. We will be shipping this to our North American dealers the first week of August.
Power 1 is compatible with all our Gold Series decoders. Installation requires careful soldering three small wires which go between the storage module and the Gold Series decoders.