BlueRail has just added consisting and speed matching to their iOS app:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4qJFlNt95Y
The video goes through how to speed match within the interface. It’s interesting that this is one of the first interfaces I’ve ever seen for speed matching multiple locos as you run them in consist.
While that is a slick way of consisting and speedmatching, I do think it’s a bit misleading to say that it’s “tedious” and “can take hours” to speedmatch locomotives in DCC using CV2, 6, and 5. And you don’t need a programming track to do that either.
Tom
RailPro has had speed matching while running for some time now. Years? One engine is selected as lead, and the others follow. It’s automatic. The operator does nothing but run the train. It’s one of the main reason I have started to convert my consisted sets to RailPro.
As Tom mentioned, you do not need a programming track to speed match in DCC, in fact, I would never use one for speed matching because you would have to go back and forth between programming and running to test it. I always use ops mode speed matching.
I’ve been doing that for years with Digitrax DT series throttles. Bring up the “master” loco (the one to which you want to match) on the right throttle. Bring up the other loco on the left throttle. Consists them(on the throttle, but separated on the track). Run the consist at low, medium, and high speeds using the right throttle and program CV2, 5, and 6 of the other loco in Ops mode with the left throttle.
I have an NCE Power Cab. Can someone please link me to info on how to do this on an NCE Power Cab?
Do you still have your manual? It’s in the Power Cab manual. If you don’t have your manual you can always download it from the NCE website.
Tom
I’m looking through the manual. The “Programming on the Main” is in a different section from the CV 2,5,6 topics, but am I to assume I: Create a consist on the main (uncoupled), run the consist at lowest speed step. As I am running it, I plug in addresses for the individual locos (one at a time) and edit the start voltage for each loco iteratively till I get them running at the same speed, then change the consist to the mid speed (repeat editing process for CV 5) and do it again for high speed (CV6)? And the process of hopping back and forth and making edits as the trains roll should be pretty straight forward? I thought I had read things about turning off Back-EMF and accel(?) as I do this. I’m not sure I see detail at this level in the NCE manual. Is there maybe a tutorial or video available online where I can see this? Thanks.
I have never found a need to turn off BEMF to get decoders to consist nicely. But be aware that if you happen to have any Digitrax decoders and did NOT modify the BEMF settings, the default settings automatically turn off BEMF when in consist (CV19 consisting like NCE does, not command station consisting that Digitrax defaults to) so the loco’s performance may (will) change radically when added to a consist if you don’t fix that. AFAIK only Digitrax has independent BEMF settings for consist or single running.
–Randy
I don’t think so if you are using CV19 consisting. The locos will only answer to the CV 19, consist address.
I think it would be much better if you have some sort of speedometer. Lacking that, what I would do is individually set CV 2 on each loco to just start moving on speed step one (assuming NCE). Then set CV 5 on the first loco so that that loco gets moving at some reasonable top speed (speed step 28).
Get the first loco moving around your track loop. Get the second loco moving around the loop at top speed. Whichever of these locos is faster will need to have CV 5 adjusted downward to match the speed of the other engine (you can use CV 5 to bring the speed of the faster loco down, but you can’t make the slower loco run faster.
Once you get that straightened out, then you can attack CV 6.
All of this will be done while programming on the main. And you really need some sort of track loop. You won’t accomplish very much if the run is only a couple feet.
Locos wll respond to ops mode programming commands to their normal address when they are in an advanced consist.
Yes, thank you, I just tried it and you are correct. What happens is that if you select either loco in a two unit set it will show as a consist on the NCE handset. However, if you select program on the main it will ask you for the loco you want to program so at point you can pick either of the set individually. It was the initial selecting and showing the consist that threw me off track.