All my locos are programmed into cab 1. Just purchased cab 2.
I need to program cab 2 using the same addresses?
When running a loco using cab 1 can I “hand off” that loco to cab 2 and visa versa?
If yes to the above question, how is the “hand off” done. Will the two cabs fight, or worse?
Edit: I neglected to say my system is DCC MRC Prodigy Express.
Thanks in advance,
I gue sit would help to know what sort of control system you are using. It looks in your photos that you have some DPDT toggles - so just a DC 2 cab system? If so, there is no “programming”, just flip the toggle to cab 2 and cab 2 will be controlling the loco on that section of track.
–Randy
Bob,
Conversely, if you are talking about DCC throttles: Each loco address is stored in its perspective decoder so no additional programming is needed. For NCE, all you have to do to “acquire” a locomotive is to punch in the locomotive’s address on that throttle then increase or decrease the throttle speed. With Digitrax, I think you have to press “Steal” on the new throttle before you can acquire another locomotive. Is that right, Randy?
Tom
You only have to ‘steal’ if it’s still assigned to the other throttle. In which case they will BOTH have control of it. You should always release the loco on the first throttle before aquiring it on another.
WHat happens on NCE when you try to aquire a loco that another cab already is controlling? Also for anyone that has one, what about MRC and CVP and Lenz? Inquiring minds want to know.
Oh and ‘steal’ isn’t another button or anything, it’s just a warning when you try to aquire a loco that’s already selected elsewhere. You are prompted if you want to steal it, hit either Y to do so or N to say “oh wait, forgot someone else has that one already, don’t take over control”
–Randy
No, this does not work well at all. This is because when you enter the loco number into the cab, the cab automatically assumes that the speed step is zero. So if the loco happens to be moving along at speed step 40 on the first cab, when the second operator punches in the loco number and presses enter the loco now sees speed step zero and comes to a screaching halt.
There is a better way to do this with NCE, but what that involves is the first operator handing off the loco to the second. With NCE each cab has an identifying number that is recognized by the command station. So the first operator needs to know the number of the second operators cab. There is a menu item on the NCE handset that says something like “send loco to cab”. The first operator selects this, enters the number of the other cab, and pushes the enter key. The loco number shows up on the other cab and the train continues to move along under the second cab’s (operators) control.
The Lenz system will flash the loco number if it’s assigned to another cab - pressing the ‘enter’ button again will transfer control of it to your cab. In order to acquire a loco with the Lenz system, you need to adjust your throttle to that loco’s speed and direction before it will give you control - and indicates that you need to do this on the display.
maxman,
If you have a CAB-04p or -05p throttle, you can “approxiimate” the speed with the knob before punching in the number. It may speed up or slow down slightly but at least it won’t come to a screeching halt.
I didn’t know about the “send loco to cab” capability, maxman. So does it use the cab address for the identifying number?
Tom
Randy,
Isn’t there a “steal” button on the smaller UT4 throttles?
That’s what I was referring to.
Tom
Yes, because there’s no display or Y/N keys on them. So when the LED doesn;t turn green when you select a loco because it’s already active on another throttle you have to use steal instead of select. On a DT100/200/300/400/402 there is no STeal key, you just answer with Yes or No.
It’s somewhat further complicated by the mix of throttles. When you steal with a DT series throttle, which has encoders, or otherwise select an already moving loco, nothing happens to the speed of the loco - the throttle assumes the existing speed since the physical knob position has no relatioship to the speed. If you steal and both throttles are DT types, both users have full control over the loco - this comes in handy for training sessions where the instructor can override the trainee. If one person slows down, the train slows down - it will only speed up if someone actually increases speed. Add in a UT throttle, or the Zephyr console, and it’s a different story. When stealing with a UT4 from another throttle, the locow ill gradually change speed to suit the throttle position. If the throttle stolen from is a DT throttle, that will be the end of it, as far as the person doing the stealing is concerned. The person with the DT throttle though, may change speed only to see the loco gradually speed up or slow down to match the posiiton of the UT throttle. Since the potentiometer throttle of a UT IS a direct physical represenation of the speed setting, it is constantly sets the selected loco to whatever speed the knob is dialed to. Say it’s int he middle, about speed step 64. If you steal the loco on a DT throttle and dial down to say step 32, the next time the UT4 sends its data on the bus, it will set the loco back to 64. The person with the DT throttle will also see the speed number change as this happens.
Bottom line is, you really shouldn;t be running into this. Locos should be properly released from one throttle before attempting to take over on another. Say you have a hostler in the termin
I neglected to say my system is DCC MRC Prodigy Express.
Sorry, it was my assumption that we were talking about either the Pro or PowerCab handset with the encoder. With the potentiometer equipped handsets I guess you can approximate the knob position, but then that would sort of require one to be next to the other operator to see what that position is. And then when the other operator goes to get rid of that loco from his handset, the natural thing he’d do would be to turn the knob back to zero. I think that the loco would now see an instruction from the first handset saying “go to speed step zero”, and this would cause a problem. But I have not tried this, so I could be wrong.
So far as your