I am looking into the MRC Prodigy Advance system. I was wondering about the power supply. How many feet of track can you have before you need a booster? I was looking at the online manual and I did not see it listed any where.
Thanks
Baker
James,
- How big is your layout/will you layout be?
- How many feet of track do you expect to have?
Tom
The way to size is the number of engines you will run at one time. As far as length if you put the control in the middle you can go 30 ft each way with your Bus Wire (#12 awg stranded) then you have feeder drops every 3 to 6 feet of #22 awg solid wire. This is how you wire the layout. you have less than a 50/50 chance of the rail joiners handling the power.
This is based on a 5 amp system that can run about 10 units (realy it does 5 or 6 sound units).
I should not have no more then 5-6 locos running at once, at least until I start adding on to it (long time away)!
All 5-6 untits will have sound.
I have feeders every 6-7 Ft.
The MRC Prodigy Advance comes with a 120/220V 3.5Amp power supply and the additional boosters have 3.5Amp’s.
Length of track is not the issue; number (and type) of engines is. I have the PA and have run fine engines at once, just to see if it could handle it (it did with flying colors). I have regularly run three engines (two with sound and one old power hog) with no problems. I have done everything that I can, as a single operator, and can not even tax the system enough to get the fan (thermostat controlled) to even come on in the main unit.
While I was laying track, I continually tested with several engines to make sure that everything was OK. At one point I was running complete trains up a 2% grade with the nearest feeder 70 feet of track away from the train. I could detect a very sight change in train speed (if I was watching closely) when the train crossed the zone boundary into a properly wired zone.
Unless you have a layout, with the ability to run several trains at once, I don’t believe that a single operator really needs more than 3.5 amps (personal opinion based on a layout that lets me run three trains at once, and still stay in control of all of them).
I was looking for a simple, easy to use DCC system. It came down to a toss-up between the Bachmann EZ command and the MRC Prodigy. Right now I only have one DCC locomotive and about 16 analog locomotives. I needed something that could run both, and I was told by many poeple that the MRC unit WOULD NOT run the analog locos. So I went with the Bachmann system, and am happy with it, for now. I got my system based on my needs at the time. That’s the same thing you have to do. If you’re running all DCC, then the MRC is for you.
I will be running no more then 5 large Engines at one time and a small switcher. I am not sure on the switcher because I have not bought one yet. Here are the the names of the large engines that I will be running. Remember as with alot of other folks on here, my engine selection will grow much larger later. I am building a newer time line layout so steamers are out of this one I thought. Then I thought of how I could get a couple on there. When I add on I am going to build a Engine museum, and in there will be a small steamer and a “Big Boy”. But you know every once and a while they will be offering rides to the locals around the layout in older passenger cars!!
(2) Athearn John Deere GP38-2’s
(2) Athearn C44-9W’s
(2) Athearn AC4400’s
(1) small switcher loco
Thanks for all the Help
Baker
Jeffery,
You were told correctly. MRC does not support DC.
I have a PA and the salesman was all too happy to describe what the system could do. He never breathed a word about what it couldn’t do. So, I had to scramble in order to come up with enough decoders to run four locomotives, after reading the owners manual, and finding this out [B)]for myself.
May I please suggest Digitrax systems, they are 100% better and do work with anything. I have a FREE (given to me) Prodigy DCC sitting on the shelf. I tried it and now have (1) DCS100 with Radio and (6) DB150 boosters and could not be happier. I run 30 year old AHM along with the new Big Boy with no problems. We have had 22 locos running at one time and still no power problems.
More money YES worth it YES it grows with you. I was told many years ago by my father that you never have a problem buying the best even if it takes longer to get it.
James,
I wouldn’t think you would even need a booster until you expand your layout. I run multiple sound units in consists with my PA and have several sound equiped engines running or idling as well without any overload problems. As far as track length, just use a bus and have feeders at regular intervals and there should be plenty of juice for the trains.
Tilden
Are you really going to operate all 6 engines at one time? How many operators do you normally have? Unless you have multiple independent loops of track, operating more than 3 trains at once is a pretty tough trick, and not much fun beyond saying, “I tried it.”
If you have more than 2 operators most of the time, then you need to think about and plan for the end state with multiple throttle set ups from the beginning. Radio, corded hand-held throttles, fixed power pack throttles, running a throttle bus, all become decision points.
Even if you normally have just 2 operators, you will have to think about how you are going to expand your DCC system for the 2nd operator.
Others have commented on the power issue for a one operator setup, so I’ll leave it alone.
The 3 drawbacks I know of to the Prodigy Advance are (for a less than club size layout):
- doesn’t do pulse stretching so you can run DC locomotives with your DCC controller. Note that many who have tried this (Digitrax Zephyr and Bachmann have this feature) have commented