i have my eye on the MRC Prodigy Express and the NCE Pro-Cab. both are around $190, right at the edge of my budget. i’m not sure which one too get. i hear both are good, but i also hear the MRC is slightly better and also has come more recommended to me then the NCE. but i like how the NCE controller has the little mouse wheel for throttle control (i think it makes the controller look cooler). some info that may help any suggestions, the local train shop carries both, i don’t plan on having more than 6 locos, the layout will be a 8 x 9 ft U with some long straights but not enough track space to run more than 2 or 3 locos at the same time, i would like to run steam and diesel (mostly diesel) and plan on having sound, possible have traffic lights since my yard will be more or less centrally located so i can run locos either clockwise or counter clockwise around the loop. turnouts i needn’t worry about, the layout will be N scale and only a foot deep, 2 foot deep at the ends where the big loop is so i will be using manual turnouts, and i also plan on manually deconnecting cars, sorry i can’t think of the term right now. again thanks for any help/suggestions ahead of time.
ooh crap forgot one thing. like i mentioned it is U-shaped, so i will only need one control bus?? centrally located for the controllers to plug in, and i don’t plan on using more than 2 controllers simultaniously. i won’t have a need for wireless controllers either, so having that feature is not a concern. i live in an apartment with a smaller room that’s only 9 x 11.5 feet and i also have to share some of the space with my wifes things although i know once i get everything going that room will end up turning into more or less just mine. now hopefully she won’t realize once i get the trains going i’ll always be in there [:-,]
suggestion approved [:)]. i think i would have chose the NCE eventually more or less because the controller has the thumb wheel. i just love the idea of using that rather than huge knob. i called it the wrong thing though didn’t i.
I would concur with the other posters, I have the ProCab (twice the price), but operation and programming are essentially the same and I love the thumb wheel too, which makes for easy one-handed operation. The only drawback of the PowerCab, (I think this is true for the Prodigy as well), is that it can’t be unplugged while in operation as all trains will stop. There is a device from NCE that can be added later (as funds allow) to get around this limitation and it will add other capabillities too. In the meantime, if the supplied cord isn’t long enough for you, NCE has longer standard lengths and custom lengths available. The guys at NCE are very friendly and always willing to help in any way they can, keep their number and email handy.
As far as the buss goes, run it the lenth of the “U” and conect the PowerCab in the middle.
I have to agree with the others, I don’t have DCC on my layout, but if I was going use DCC, based on my research, I would use NCE or Easy DCC. Both have much more user friendly handheld units than the others. I use Digitrax on a number of friends layouts and I dislike the throttles very much, hard to use in my opinion.
I want to add my two cents. I have NCE Powercab and I love it. I bought it after running local layouts with easy DCC, Digitrax, MRC and NCE. The NCE is hands down the easiest to operate and program. The Powercab unit has to stay plugged in as a master controller in it’s stock form, but up to 3 more cabs can be added that are “plug around.” If you add a smart booster later on, it will add 3 more amps and make your powercab plug around as well. My layout is 54 feet by 30 feet, I run up to four double engined trains at once.HO atlas and proto and athearn engines
DT400’s aren’t hard to use either - every function except powering the layout on and off has it’s own button. No wierd shift key combinations. A dedicated button for everything. People just look and see dozens of buttons and ASSUME complicated. When you don;t have to hit combinations of keys to do something, that’s by far easier than trying to remember that it’s shift-alt-F2 to blink the ditch lights.
The older DT100 and DT300, with only 8 or so buttons but THREE functions per button - now that’s complex. Less is NOT always better!
It is too bad that we have these differences in opinion which don’t do anything to help the OP to settle the matter. I guess the central message is that he should seek people who use as many different systems as he can in his area and ask for 20 minutes of their time.
I use the DT400 quite comfortably and reliably, but I do admit to having to find sports watches over the past few years that I can read without my glasses when I am out on a run. That means BIGGER numbers, and often a somewhat larger screen. Sheldon says that is what he finds more useful, and I can understand his opinion in that respect.
The encoder knobs work very well for me, now nearly four years into their use, but I was quite adept and used to them within a week or so. The button size could very well be an issue for a man with large or aged hands…not two ways about it…but I don’t happen to have an issue with them.
The upshot is, it is incumbent upon each potential user to determine for himself what is likely to be a good, sound, choice. Part of that process could include discussions of this nature, but the bulk of what is discussed in the way of opinion that is not objective fact is of lesser value.
A sa new DCC user I concur with the experienced posters. The PowerCab is easy to set up, easy to learn, and easy and fun to use. I am supremely satisfied with the choice.
In it’s stock form, you can only add one additional cab to the Power Cab; however, if you have added the Smart Booster, then you can add three more cabs. Also, the Smart Booster does not ADD three more amps, but it REPLACES the two amps of the Power Cab with three amps.
I’ve had the Prodigy Express for a couple of years and I’ve never had any problems with it. Having had absolutely no previous experience with DCC I found it simple to use and I was runing trains within minutes of hooking it up.
I wouldn’t even consider changing systems if it wasn’t for one thing. MRC doesn’t currently have a computer interface. Apparently they have one in the works but they don’t seem to be moving very quickly on it and when it does come out it sounds like it’s going to cost as much as my DCC system cost and, it won’t even be able to run decoder pro.
When I first bought the PE I thought that I wouldn’t be interested in a computer interface so it wasn’t an issue but as I became more familiar with DDC I realized that I do want it and in the near future I plan to buy a Pro-Cab and sell off my PE.
This brings up a question that I have had. I’ve heard that there are some limitations as to JMRI features when using the the NCE USB interface with both the Power Cab and the Power Pro. Is this true and if so what are the limitations?