Hello, I am assembling my Christmas list. (Late! I know! It's usually in revision 73 by now!) But anyway, among others, two items on it is a Blackstone K-27 with sound and DCC and a Digitrax Zephyr. Now I have heard plenty of things about possibly needing a Programming Track Booster (Such as the Soundtraxx PTB-100) to reliably program a certain sound decoders. Will the Zephyr be able to reliably program the Tsunami sound decoder in the K-27? I'm looking to get a track plan for my basement nailed down over Christmas and winter. And probably just have some flex track (Unless someone knows where I can get HOn3 sectional track) nailed to a 4x8 sheet of plywood with a few switches (Yes, the Fasttracks #6 turnout fixture is on there too... Oh well, the world won't end if I don't get everything I want for Christmas!) and spurs, to allow me to run my K-27 until I actually get everything ready for the big 'un. The track will be a route dedicated solely to the K-27 as it will be my first HOn3 locomotive. (I'll probably have bought myself 1 or 2 BS box or stock cars by Christmas...) So in a nut shell, do I NEED a programming track booster, or will the Zephyr and JMRI Decoder Pro be enough?
Thanks in advance and happy holidays!!!
--Jake
Jake,
I used a 3 foot section of HO track as a programming track with my Zephyr and had no problem programming a Tsunami with DecoderPro. No booster was needed.
Don
Thanks Don. I really appreciate the help!
Happy Holidays!
Zephyr's have the booster already in them.
ratled
Modeling the Klamath River area in HO on a proto-lanced sub of the SP “The State of Jefferson Line”
Jake1210 wrote:....(I'll probably have bought myself 1 or 2 BS box or stock cars by Christmas...)....Thanks in advance and happy holidays!!!--Jake
....(I'll probably have bought myself 1 or 2 BS box or stock cars by Christmas...)....
Leaving programming the Tsunami aside, welcome to the world of HOn3, and the chance to really learn the meaning of patience and anticipation. Hope you do indeed get your BS K-27 for Christmas - all the reports say they have raised the bar significantly.
The 1st run of the Blackstone cars were pretty much all reserved from the beginning. A very few hobby shops bought extra for stock, but most of those are already gone, too. It won't be easy getting a hold of any until a subsequent run if you didn't reserve in advance. An alternative for RTR cars in HOn3 are the MicroTrains line. They have been releasing a new car about every other moth or so for over a year, and they are very nice, also. To date, the line includes reefers and log cars. I believe a tank car is coming next.
yours in service
Fred W
ratled wrote:Zephyr's have the booster already in them. ratled
That is a track 2.5 amp track booster, not a programming track booster.
And Fwright, do you know where I can find the MTL boxcars? Everytime I go to the MTL site, and go to check out their HOn3 cars, I get 404'd.
Happy Holidays! --Jake
Jake1210 wrote:And Fwright, do you know where I can find the MTL boxcars? Everytime I go to the MTL site, and go to check out their HOn3 cars, I get 404'd. Happy Holidays! --Jake
This url works for me (I'm using Firefox): http://www.micro-trains.com/freight_car_hon3.php Micro Trains does not have box cars - reefers, flat cars, and log cars to date. The Blackstone box cars sold much faster than the stock cars. Of course, there are lots of good kits to build HOn3 cars from. Rail Line is a good first HOn3 car kit.
fwright wrote: Jake1210 wrote:And Fwright, do you know where I can find the MTL boxcars? Everytime I go to the MTL site, and go to check out their HOn3 cars, I get 404'd. Happy Holidays! --Jake This url works for me (I'm using Firefox): http://www.micro-trains.com/freight_car_hon3.php Micro Trains does not have box cars - reefers, flat cars, and log cars to date. The Blackstone box cars sold much faster than the stock cars. Of course, there are lots of good kits to build HOn3 cars from. Rail Line is a good first HOn3 car kit.Fred W
Well, it does work. It never worked on IE. (I switched to Firefox 2 weeks ago--I love it!!!)
Are you sure? I know the Zephyr comes with a power supply but it is my understanding, and was featured in Joe Fugate's Siskiyou Line series videos' (disc #3) as specifically having a program track power booster - eliminating the need to buy a supplemental booster for those power hungry decoders such as the OSI decoders.
If my info is wrong could someone please let me know. I don't have any sound locos yet but it is something I would like to plan for since I am starting my wiring soon. It may be my terminology is wrong but it was something like blast programming.
ratled wrote: Are you sure? I know the Zephyr comes with a power supply but it is my understanding, and was featured in Joe Fugate's Siskiyou Line series videos' (disc #3) as specifically having a program track power booster - eliminating the need to buy a supplemental booster for those power hungry decoders such as the OSI decoders. If my info is wrong could someone please let me know. I don't have any sound locos yet but it is something I would like to plan for since I am starting my wiring soon. It may be my terminology is wrong but it was something like blast programming. ratled
According to Joe's DVD (I watched that section last night to confirm) the Zephyr does indeed have the 'blast programming' capability. It's not so much a different booster as it is a adjustment to the programming algorithm that provides some current up front to charge up the sound decoders (that's a little bit of guesswork on my part). I think it is needed on the programming track since it is only active when programming. On the main, there is always voltage present, so once the decoders are 'running' they can be programmed.
In systems that don't have this capability you need a programming track 'booster' such as the Power Pax, when it is built in, in isn't so much a different booster as a different mode.
Jeff But it's a dry heat!
Vail and Southwestern RR wrote: ratled wrote: Are you sure? I know the Zephyr comes with a power supply but it is my understanding, and was featured in Joe Fugate's Siskiyou Line series videos' (disc #3) as specifically having a program track power booster - eliminating the need to buy a supplemental booster for those power hungry decoders such as the OSI decoders. If my info is wrong could someone please let me know. I don't have any sound locos yet but it is something I would like to plan for since I am starting my wiring soon. It may be my terminology is wrong but it was something like blast programming. ratled According to Joe's DVD (I watched that section last night to confirm) the Zephyr does indeed have the 'blast programming' capability. It's not so much a different booster as it is a adjustment to the programming algorithm that provides some current up front to charge up the sound decoders (that's a little bit of guesswork on my part). I think it is needed on the programming track since it is only active when programming. On the main, there is always voltage present, so once the decoders are 'running' they can be programmed.In systems that don't have this capability you need a programming track 'booster' such as the Power Pax, when it is built in, in isn't so much a different booster as a different mode.
Thanks Jeff
I do know that I was not able to program reliably some of my Lenz decoders with my Digitrax Super Chief system.
My little Zephyr system did the job with no problem at all. I knew there had to be a reason.
Jim