MRC Sound decoders and consisting? (WiThrottle vs Engine Driver)

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

A week or so ago I was inquiring about sound decoders for my GP9 fleet. I stumbled across a deal on MRC’s 1716 Universal 567 decoder. At $45, I couldn’t pass them up. I was able to put sound in all 4 geeps for roughly the price it would have cost me to do two with Tsunamis. Yeah, the horn sounds… off. But whatever, I now have sound in 4 more locomotives.

So the problem I’m running into is this:

Currently, I have an Android phone and use Engine Driver to run my trains. I click the acquire button, type in an address, and it’s good to go. To build a consist, I tap on the address again, grab another loco, set it’s direction, and off we go. The problem is, I can’t stand Android and am going back to an iPhone this fall.

So I tried WiThrottle on my iPad again after not using it for a while. I was able to consist my (two decoders each) BLI SD9s with no problem. But when I try to add my MRC geeps… nothing. They don’t move. The respond to the light function, but that’s it.

To me, it seems that either WiThrottle and Engine Driver approach consisting differently (with WT able to keep a consist after I shut my PC down), or the MRC decoders don’t handle the consisting method that WT uses.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Tim

2

Do the MRC decoders support advanced consisting? Do they still feel like a bargain? There is a reason Athearn and Rapido dropped them as their decoder supplier. David B

3

That’s what I’m asking, if they actually do support advanced consisting. Tim

4

Tim,

It sounds like Engine Driver may handle consisting within the app, while WiThrottle does not (or handles it differently).

In either case, I’d suggest that you take your question to the JMRI group on Yahoo! The folks who wrote and maintain both these apps hang out there, and I’m sure they can shed some light on your issue.

5

According to the instructions they do. Here is a link in case you’ve lost them: http://www.modelrectifier.com/resources/railroad/0001711manual.pdf

My question would be are you able to consist them using your “normal” command station?

6

I think they do but you might have to program a CV or 2. Read the instruction sheet it should be in there. Joe

7

Stevert, I actually posted there as well as MRC’s and haven’t gotten a response. I emailed the WiThrottle people too, this morning. Maxman, I saw that in the manual, but it doesn’t seem to be working that way. My “regular” command station is JMRI and a Sprog 3. ba&prr, I tried even programing the consist address in JMRI directly. Thanks all. Tim

8

Two types of consisting…you need to know which ones you are using… Beyond that, well, we can’t help. David B

9

David, I know, and I’ve reached out to both developers for insight. I know that WiThrottle had support for CVs 21 and 22, and Engine Driver does not. Thanks, Tim

10

It appears that engine driver uses universal consisting and WiThrottle uses advanced. Thanks. Tim

11

Yes, and what does the MRC decoder support? David B

12

All documentation says advanced, and JMRI shows it has a CV19 (currently set to 0). Thanks, Tim

13

Only advanced consisting requires the decoder to support it. Universal is done in the command station and the decoder has no clue it’s in a consist, and simple consisting is just programming both decoders witht he same address - so really the decoder again has no clue.

What DCC system are you using? The issue indeed may be the Engine Driver handles the consisting, whereas WiThrottle relies on the JMRI Consisting Tool which depending on the JMRI version does have some issues with some systems

–Randy

14

Randy, I’m using a Sprog 3 and JMRI, that’s all.

15

Probably the other way around then, the Sprog likely cannot do command station consiting. Advanced consisting and setting CV19 should work, the command station doesn’t know or care. The Sprog wasn;t really intended to be your one and only command station, it’s more a universal programmer that does have the ability to run trains for testing purposes.

–Randy

16

It works with other brand decoders with no issue. TCS, QSI, NCE, Digitrax.

17

It all comes back to the MRC decoder. Life is to short to cheap out when you could be enjoying other brands. David B

18

Well, I can’t get the MRCs to take CV19 in Ops mode, even trying straight from JMRI itself. On the plus side, I now know how to universal consist in WiThrottle. Thanks for the help everyone.