Someone posted the following link on another forum:
http://www.nwsl.com/S-CAB_Radio_DCC_Control.html
I was wondering: The FAQ section says that the batteries are good for 15 hours (or more) of operation before needing recharging. Since the decoder(s) pick up power from the handheld throttle and not from the track, I'm guessing that that actual time would be contingent upon 1) how many locomotives you run at a given time and, 2) whether they have sound or not. I noticed, too, that the unit is NOT recommended for a club setting as interference between cabs would become an issue.
Anyhow, I thought it would make for some interesting discussion.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I think you misunderstand the system. There is a battery in the locomotive to power the decoder. The decoder does not get power from the hand held controller. It only receives a radio signal from the controller. The controller should run for 15 hours or more independent of the decoder power usage.
Oops! You are correct, Tom. I missed that part. I perused the General Information and FAQ pages but didn't read everything.
I wonder how practical the battery pack would be in smaller switchers that only have enough room for the decoder and not much else?
You do not have to use battery power. You can use track power. You would have to keep the track clean, but it would save the cost of the battery and you wouldn't have to worry about keeping it charged up. Some locomotives may not have room for a battery. You would have to worry about things like reverse loops. I guess there are pros and cons to both methods and it depends on the individual.
AC, DC or DCC on the rails. A simple, 16VAC or DC wall wart connected to the track would keep the on board battery charged. As was said, consider the track gaps. The full wave bridge rectifier in the on board pack does not care what the polarity is.
I figure track cleaning will not b much of an issue as the circuit operates from the on board battery and the track would have to be very dirty for little or no track pickup. Intermittent pickup should not be an issue.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
ANd here's the problem - it's proprietary. Like the other radio system, Ring's RailPro. So we have 2 systems doing much the same thing, neither compatible with the other. So, place your bets and hope the one you choose is still around over the next 10+ years.
The direct control is nice, but until there is a standard set so I'm not limited to one manufacturer, no deal. That's what happened with command control systems prior to the DCC standard, lots of different systems, none compatible with the other. Some even did more than the earliest DCC systems, some over the years went out of business even before DCC. Only one has ever hung around, CVP, because they started making DCC systems. Keller, Dynatrol - all gone shortly after DCC.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Ring Engineering's system IS a proprietary system - you have to use their decoders. However, the Stanton system uses standard off-the-shelf decoders - this is where they will get the leg up on the other.
If you don't go with the onboard battery supply though, I really can't see where the advantage is. The basic concept is to eliminate any requirement of wheel to rail electrical contact. Otherwise, your radio controller is just sending the command to the engine instead of the command station, still requiring good electrical contact between the engine and the track, not to mention reverse loop wiring, etc.
Track areas like engine facilities and / or staging tracks would have voltage on them purely for battery recharging when the engines are parked.
The only advantage I can see with Ring Engineering's system is that it's fully capatable with your current DCC system - all it needs is the voltage off the rails, it ignores the standard DCC signals there. The beauty of this is that you can take your Ring Engineering engine and throttle to ANYone's layout, plop it down on the rails and run !
The next generation is starting to happen - it will be interesting to see what comes out on top. If you're interested in this topic, this forum may be of interest to you ....
http://www.freerails.com/view_forum.php?id=45
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
The power that runs the locomotive comes from an on-board cell phone battery, not the controller And that battery will last between one and two hours, depending on the load.
What you heard was that the controller battery may last for 15 hours or more because all it does is send commands to the decoder/receiver also in the locomotive.
This is a revolutionary system for people who like to model and run trains rather clean track and obsess over electronics.
B
If it's anything like the Ring Engineeering RailPro system, the locomotive can be ran from track power instead of battery.
I have one RailPro equipped steam locomotive that I can run on our DCC equipped club layout at the same time as everyone else is running DCC, but it is susceptible to dirty track or dirty wheels, just like DCC.
The biggest advantage to it is when we have our portable HO scale club layout set up somewhere, and are using a CVP EasyDCC system for power. The Easy DCC control panel restricts you to two trains running at the same time. With RailPro I can run a third train.
Because of the built-in radio receiver circuitry, the RailPro receiver/decoder is slightly larger than a Tsunami. The one I purchased has a 9-pin JST header on one end and was a simple plug-in installation.
Those new NCE decoders say they are compatible with Stanton and Tam Valley - hmm, does that mean those two are similar enough to each other to work totgether? Or just wishful thinking at this point? Because if the other two 'known' systems can work together, Ring has their work cut out for them.