New controller time

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

Yep. My NCE pro cab master-r is 20 years old and giving up the ghost. Thumb wheel doesn’t work, it doesn’t always turn on. When it does, it sometimes almost immediately kicks off. Or sometimes stays on for varying spells before kicking off. Not so much the 10 minutes it is set for. I decided it is time to just get a new one because of its age. I know I can get parts. Decided to replace it instead. I do use the radio function. What are some good aftermarket controllers worth considering before I just go get the same one. Of which NCE is out of and backlogged in production.

shane

2

i didn’t know there were NCE compatible controllers not made by NCE

looks like a replacement is ~$14 and doesn’t require much skill with a soldering iron to replace (see video)

3

I don’t own/use NCE, so take this with a grain of salt, but I believe TCS now makes some throttles that are compatible with NCE. Don’t know about radio, though, as I think the TCS throttles use WiFi. But you could always use JMRI/WiFi to get around that.

4

There are some NCE PH-Pro 5 radio systems in stock if you look online. Trainlife.com has 1 as of this writing. So does Litchfield Station. Maybe just replace the command station if it’s outdated?

Disclaimer - I have no affiliation with above dealers. Just trying to help a fellow hobbyist find what he needs…

Neal

5

If you are otherwise happy with what you have, most cost effective would be to have controller repaired by NCE. I personally see no reason to reinvent the wheel.

6

Hello All,

I would stick with “Apples to Apples” and Have NCE repair/upgrade your unit.

One of the reasons I chose NCE was their ability to upgrade older components- -to a certain extent.

If you want an aftermarket, third-party solution, I would reach out to the great folks at NCE and ask them what current controllers are compatible.

A third-party option is the Iowa Scaled Engineering Proto Throttle.

It is compatible with NCE systems.

At $499.00 for the base unit and an additional $99.00 for the receiver, perhaps an email to NCE would be more cost-effective.

Hope this helps.