Some of you experienced DCC people help me out here. I am just getting into the depth of possibilities with my first DCC system. I am using Prodigy Advance on an N scale layout with Atlas and Kato locomotives equipped with Digitrax decoders. My issue is when I consist with advanced consisting it seems that the consist run significantly slower than the locomotives do individually. This is so much so that the two Kato locos I’m working don’t even get up to a prototypical full speed at full throttle. The fastest I seem to be able to make the consist run is about 35-40 scale MPH. Am I doing something wrong here, or is this the result of the power shoring of the consist (???). Somebody help me out here.
Thanks,
Ron
Is it possible you really don’t have a consist, and one loco is pulling or pushing a dead one?
I have the Prodigy Advance and have only tried consist a couple of times; however, it worked fine and everything ran great. It sounds like you do not really have a consist set up.
I definately do have a consist set up. I am testing both locos on the consist # (differend from either loco #) about 12" apart (not coupled together) to test performance of the two locos together (match speed, acc, dec, etc.). There must be some other explanation.
Ron
What happens if you take them out of the consist and then run them independently but simultaneouly? Do they go at full speed then?
Another thing to try is, while they’re both running (in the disconnected consist), reach in and just take one off the track – see what the other one does.
Is your track nice and clean? Ditto the loco wheels?
If you were in HO (the only scale I’m familiar with), running lots of sound decoders and/or lighted passenger cars, and especially on a section of track at some distance from your DCC system, I’d suspect a voltage drop problem.
Do you have big-enough power busses and enough drops (feeders)? In HO, the rule of thumb is busses can be 16 gauge up to about 10 feet; 14 up to about 30 feet, and 12 over that. And there should be feeders about every 6 feet (some of us use more), of 22-24 gauge if a foot or so, otherwise 20 gauge. (Some will quibble about the details). As I think N uses somewhat less voltage (?), then somewhat smaller wire would probably do.
Be sure to let us know what you find.
Do you have speed tables set or even 3-step speed tables using start, mid, and max? Also, the Digitrax decoders have individual settings for the Back-emf when running alone or in consist. By default the BEMF is off in consisting, although this wouldn’t normally make things run slower.
–Randy
Well I solved the problem. I had played with the CV’s on both locos–mid and max voltage specefically. I finally went back and used CV8 to reset the factory settings and started from scratch. Now they seem to be working great. Thanks for your ideas everyone.
Ron