I have an 8’ x 6’ DCC HO layout I’m building. 90% of the time 1 operator, 10% 2 operators. Running 1 to 3 trains at one time. The layout has a 2’x3’ opening in the middle. I want to add a power cab connection in the middle. It appears I will need a UTP Panel. But what cable do I need to connect the Power Cabs PCP Panel to the UTP panel? The length of this cable would be 4’. And then I may want to add a second cab controller. What do I need for that?
Thanks for any feedback.
Ken,
Just so that I’m clear: Are you wanting the option of powering your layout with your Power Cab from two different panels on your layout - e.g. one on the outer fascia or another on the interior fascia? Or, are you just wanting to add a 2nd Power Cab as an extra throttle?
Tom
Sounds like he wants both, eventually
The first option I want is to be able to unplug my Power Cab from the PCP and move into the center area and plug it into the UTP Panel and control from there. A daisy chain. I could also later add a 2nd cap and left that connected on the inside and leave the Power Cab connected to the main PCP panel. Does a Power Cap HAVE to be connected to the PCP for any daisy chained UTP panel added? What do I need for the 2nd cap? What cable do I need to daisy chain the PCP to the UTP? Only needs to be 4 feet.
The PowerCab must remain plugged in to the PowerCab Panel witht he 6 wire cord to run train. It is the complete ‘brains’ of the system including the source of track power. You can get a Cab-06 and use that plugged in to any of the other plug locations, the second one in the PCP, and eithe rof the two in the new panel.
–Randy
Ken,
As mentioned, your Power Cab must remain plugged into the PCP panel in order to supply power to your layout. You can add a 2nd throttle using the RIGHT connector port of your PCP panel…or daisy-chain a UTP panel from the rear connector port of same - using either a 4- or 6-contact RJ12 cable - to add two additional connector ports.
Either one of the RJ12 cables will work with that set up because only 4 wires are needed for the connection. The 6-contact flat cable is what is used to supply the power from your Power Cab to your track.
NCE sells a 7’ RJ12 cable. For a 4’ cable you’ll either need to make your own, or have someone crimp one that length for you. You could also purchase additional coily-coils - like the one that came with your Power Cab - and use that to daisy-chain the PCP panel to the rear of the UTP panel.
Tom
So I can just use that coily-coil connector cable that came with my NCE Power Cap kit to run between the PCP and UTP panels (using one of the ports off the back of each of course)? And I would need to get a 2nd cab controller for the UTP. What would you reconnend for that cab controller?
THX
Correct. As mentioned, the coily-coil comes with the 4-contact RJ12 cable connectors on the ends.
The most economical route would be the CAB-06 throttle. Discounted, it will run you ~$86:
If you want something similar to the Power Cab, the ProCab throttle can be picked up for ~$150, discounted:
The ProCab throttle is essentially the Power Cab minus the command station & booster. This is the throttle that comes with the NCE 5A PH Pro system.
For a little more you could purchase another Power Cab system and use one to power your layout and the other to program your locomotives at your bench. (You would need the 2nd Power Cab’s PCP panel and wall transformer set up at your bench to accomplish that.) Whenever you need the additional throttle, just unplug the 2nd Power Cab from your bench and plug it into either the UTP panel or the RIGHT connector port of your PCP panel, as outlined in the earlier diagram provided by Greg.
HTH…
Tom
Note that you can purchase a second PCP and just move the Power Cab to it. These could be wired to feed the layout together, but everything would still go dead when you move the Power Cab from one PCP to the other. You also would not want to plug in Power Cabs to each PCP at the same time.
doesn’t the second detect the cabbus signal and come up as a PowerPro cab?
Only if it’s a standard throttle that can be set to Address 3. I don’t think that can be do that with the Power Cab? But maybe so, except that one would use the curly cable and pretend to be a Power Cab throttle.
And having two Power Cabs hooked up to the same load via the flat cable may cause electrical issues, so I suspect a no-go to avoid letting any smoke out. It’s not a documented configuration in the Power Cab manual, so I’d check with NCE before trying that.
Still cheaper to go with an 06 and an extra PCP and move the location of the Power Cab than to buy 2 Power Cabs.
Plugging 2 PowerCabs in to two different PCPs hooked to the same layout is definitely NOT allowed. That would be like connecting 2 command stations of any sort to the same layout with the added no-no of connecting two boosters in parallel.
There is really only one option to turn the PowerCab into a walkaround that you can unplug, and that is to get an SB5 Smart Booster. Then use ONLY the curly cord witht he PowerCab, as it now is really a plain ProCab. It can be unplugged and the trains will keep moving, and you can plug in to any number of plug panels. Doesn’t seem like for the layout size, the extra power is needed though, so the SB5 is a rather expensive way to go.
A cab bus panel and CAB06 is still the cheapest way to go, run trains with the CAB06, it can plug in next to the power cab, or in another panel daisy chained from the PCP. The PowerCab must stay put, using the flat cable.
–Randy
when i plug my PowerCab into the club layout it behaves like a PowerPro (yes, i’ve had to configure the Cab address)
Does your club use a booster?
As long as the Power Cab is NOT connected to track power it will behave like a ProCab throttle when connected to either the SB5 or a PH Pro system. That’s what essentially happens when you plug the Power Cab into the RIGHT connector port of the PCP panel: It lights up and looks like it’s ready to operate your locomotive. However, nothing happens when you press the buttons or engage the throttle because the Power Cab’s command station and booster are not connected to the track.
Tom
don’t know how the PowerCab knows it’s not connected to the track. The buttons still allow me to select a loco when i plug it into the PCP jack without the track connections. Of course there’s no track power.
regardless of which PCP jack you plug into first, the PowerCab will not see any cabbus signals, operate as a PowerCab and provide track power on the two outside pins of its rj-12 plug. The second PowerCab will see the cabbus signal from the first PowerCab and the 2nd PowerCab will operate as a PowerPro cab.
i guess there’s a race if two PowerCabs are plugged into both PCP jacks at the same time. If both come up as PowerCabs, both will drive the cabbus (not good), but only one is connected to the track thru the PCP.
of course, there will only be track power if the PowerCab performing as a PowerCab is plugged into the PCP jack with the track connections
I own an NCE PH-Pro 5 amp wireless system with two ProCabs used as throttles. I do not own a Power Cab, but I have long considered purchasing one to use on the work bench for programming purposes.
Whenever I see a thread about the Power Cab, I follow along to see what I can learn about the Power Cab. But, for the life of me, I cannot totally follow this thread.
I get what everyone is saying about the use of more than one Power Cab on a layout, but my question is this. Why would you want to use two or more Power Cabs on a layout? Would multiple Power Cabs simply be used as additional throttles? If so, is that the most effective way to approach the use of multiple throttles?
Rich
