Do any of you Digitrax users know where I can find info on Universal consisting? I’ve spent the past 18 months installing decoders in my loco fleet, now I’m ready to go ‘live’ with it - but the manuals don’t talk about anything but Basic consisting. All they say is that universal is “the Digitrax preferred method”, nothing more. They keep telling me to go to their website, but the search engine doesn’t say squat about universal consisting - only advanced.[?]
Can anybody tell me how to change my DCS-100 from basic to universal consisting?
Universal is automatic with Super Chief systems. I believe it is also for Zephyr systems. You don’t need to do anything special other than add and remove units from the consist. With basic you set all decoders in the consist to the same address. With advanced consisting you set the consist address on the decoders. Advanced consisting is good if you are moving consiste between DCC systems and layouts. The downside is that they limit you to 2 digit consist addresses.
Digitrax Universal Consisting is nothing more than the Command station sending the motor commands to every locomotive in the Universal Consist. Note that this consisting can be used with ANY decoder.
This is different than advanced consisting. Advanced consisting writes the consist address to CV19 in all decoder in the consist. It then sends out motor commands to the address in CV19. Note that this type of consisting can only be used with decoders that support a CV 19.
Basic consisting is nothing more than programming the same address to every engine (decoder) in the consist. Select that address and all will run.
Universal consisting allows one adress to be the “top” address. Other addresses are mu’d to the top address. Speed and direction commands sent to the top address are also sent to the mu’d address’.
You didn’t mention which Digitrax system but they all default to Universal Consisting. Those are the instructions included in the manuals.