Question for any NCE Powercab owners..........

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Looking at getting one of these systems, but a concern:

In reading about them, it seems to add more than one additional throttle, one would need to purchase the Smart Booster.

Is this so ?

I’d like to have two additional throttles, plus the original Powercab. I realize the cab needs to be always plugged in.

2

You can have one additional throttle unless you use the SmartBooster. NCE has their owners manual online at their website. NCEDCC.com

Gary

3

http://www.ncedcc.com/ncetest/nce2_001.htm

4

Yes, I’ve already seen the manual, and other info. That’s what I’m trying to clarify, if I’m understanding it correctly.

Say I wanted to daisy chain another utp panel, with another throttle attached to the utp, into the power panel. Said power panel already has a powercab and another throttle running off it, per the manual diagram.

I need to get a Smart Booster to be able to do this ? The diagrams say no, but the text kind of/sort of says yes…

5

Hmm, I usually can decipher manuals, but in this case, I thin that in their effort to make it easy to read they’ve made it totally unclear. It says in the specs that you can only have two cabs, but the seems to suggest you could have more…

WAIT, I see it! It says the extra ports are for plugging in the optional cab, singular. So I think they mean you can have extra ports, but only one can have a cab at any one time. That makes all the words and pictures consistent, if muddled a bit!

6

Thanks for the reply. Fwiw, I’ve had this confirmed elsewhere; any additional cab other than a cab and the powercab on the power panel, requires both a utp AND a smart booster.

Ouch :frowning: May have to re-look at a Digitrax Zephyr; if I understand their system, all you have to do is add their version of an additional throttle panel (UP5, obviously daisy-chained), with no additional booster required, unlike the Powercab.

7

Mailman,

I just wanted to let you know that you are correct on the Zephyr. It will support 10 throttles without adding anything other than UP5’s.

8

Thanks !

9

I have the power cab and a smart booster. Without the smartbooster, you can run two throttles. You can have as many UTPs as you like. With the smartbooster, you can run 4 throttles according to the NCE manual. For my purposes, that is enough. Also, all throttles become walk-around, i.e. you unplug and move to the next UTP, and the locomotive continues to run. Further, with the smartbooster, the Powercab no longer has to stay plugged into the power UTP. If all you need is 4 throttles, the powercab and smartbooster is a better value than digitrax, not to knock digitrax. I have been very pleased with my NCE stuff.

10

You should also try out each system if you can. I like the larger controllers that NCE offers.They are more comfortable to ME anyway.

11

I’m unable to try out the systems, but the larger NCE controllers caught my eye too. Especially for my son.

And Karle, thanks for the info. I wouldn’t mind going NCE, but it just seems, if I don’t have to buy another part as I do with NCE, Digitrax may be the way to go ?

12

This shows the interesting, and I think quite clever approach that NCE has taken with the PowerCab. It has a very attractive entry price which is generally lower than the Zephyr across the board. Yet they have restricted the functionality of the system in a way that results in the need to invest quite a bit more if expansion is desired. I suspect that quite a few folks will spend the extra on the smart booster, giving NCE additional revenue.

13

How do you figure? Using Tony’s prices as an example, the PowerCab and SB3 will run you $217.90 and the Zephyr $159.95.

Plus, if you consider…

10 throttles for the Zephyr vs. 4 for the PowerCab/SB3;

2 jump ports for the Zephyr vs. none for the PowerCab/SB3;

Computer interface available for the Zephyr now vs. still waiting how long now for the PowerCab/SB3’s interface?

Programming track “stays” built into the Zephyr, even if you add boosters, vs. basically having to to re-install your PowerCab system (PCP and power supply) somewhere else after you install your SB3 so you can carry your Cab between your programming track and your layout…

…I’m personally not even remotely convinced that the PowerCab and SB3 is a better value.

To be fair, you will have 3 amps with the SB3 as compared to 2.5 for the Zephyr. But many folks have reported running 10 locos, including sound, on a Zephyr so with that number of throttles/locos “only” 2.5 amps doesn’t seem to be a limitation.

Steve

14

Thats a good point Simon.

But for ME, I’ll never use more than 2 controllers at a time, so the power booster is not an option. I guess if I had the need for 3 or more controllers then I would have to buy the power booster, although its not really that expensive.

I know this sounds stupid, but I like the easy to read LCD readout of the NCE and ergonomic feel of the controller in my hand. The zephyr is just too small and a bit more difficult to operate. Yea I know, over time it gets real easy, but I don’t want to have to think[:)]

15

Better value is based on personal preferences and needs. Here’s a comparison of various systems done by Tony’s Trains.

http://www.tonystrains.com/productcompare/dcccomparison.htm

A few thoughts -

  1. Is there really a need to have a basic system that can utilize 10 cabs on a 2.5 amp system? That means each cab can only use .25 amps at maximum usage. This is less than what a typical loco draws. Most layouts that the intro level systems are designed for couldn’t handle 10 separate trains being handled at once.
  2. The jump ports are not walk-around or wireless capable.
16

It does not sound stupid at all! Your reasoning is about as valid a reason as one could have to choose one system over another. In the big scheme of things, both do the job well. It is the more subtle things like ergonomic preference that will set one system apart from the other in the mind of a purchaser.

I am a vary happy Zephyr owner. NCE was not even on the radar for a starter system when I purchased it. The Zephyr was the clear and only choice at that price point when I was buying. That is not the case now, there are real choices and the market is better for it.

17

My suggestion. DON’T BUY A STARTER SYSTEM.

Buy a full system. That way you get all the functionality, all the flexibility that is DCC.

OK, you can buy a Zephyr. Since Digitrax sells at least 2 sets above that one, wht does the Zephyr NOT have that the others do? Why spend $160 now on a Zephyr and then 2 years later decide to “upgrade” to a full system for another several hundred $$$. Buy a full system now and enjoy all the benefits right from the get go. It is no more difficult to operate or wire a full size system than a starter system.

Dave H.

18
  1. Check the Digitrax forum. As I originally posted, there are Zephyr users who have run 10 locos, including sound. On the other hand, is four throttles enough for the number of locos that can be run on three amps?
  2. While it’s true the jump ports aren’t wireless, they can certainly be tethered (walk-around). See http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/zephyr-cab.htm for an example. And any of the other Zephyr throttles can be wireless. It’s actually about $50 cheaper to add a UR91 and a UT4R to a Zephyr than it is to add an RB01 and a CAB04P-R to a PowerCab.
  3. Yes, you need AN additional hardware component (not plural). However, that component is available, and has been for some time, in several different forms. But if you have a Powercab, you’re STILL waiting for ANY interface. Also, although we weren’t discussing the PHP, are you aware that not all of the throttle buss traffic is made available to it’s RS-232 port? You only get a subset, which greatly limits it’s usefulness. On the other hand, since the Digitrax inter
19

Thats probably good advice, but shelling out ::Gulp:: nearly $400 for a DCC system for a newbie just getting his feet wet was a bit too much for me.

I like the fact that both Digitrax and NCE offer a “starter” set. I think they’re both great for the beginner DCC user and you really can’t go wrong with either one. Yea, I know we are going to eventually dump more money into it, but I can easily add 50 or 100 bucks here and there. So far I’ve added another throttle, a switch for a programming track, and Tony’s PSONE circuit breakers. The throttle was about 97 dollars and the switch about 24 dollars. The circuit breaker really doens’t count as you would add that to any DCC system regardless. So I’ve added another $125 or so to my origianl starter system of $139, still well below a $400 system.

But again, if you can, hold the controllers in your hand and decide what is ergonomically best for you.

20

No, but it’s more difficult to afford them :slight_smile: