DCC

[DBuuckie]

I am set up for DCC using MRC prodigy 2 but when i buy a new engine with Tsunami dcc and sound board i can not program on main or on program track. I purchased a digitrax program booster but it still doesn't work perfect i'm wondering if it is something i'm doing wrong or is it something with MRC and Tsunami boards. One other problem i have 5 Inter-mountain engines and 2 Athearn Genesis i can not get them programed for 2 separate consists of a 3 and 2 engine consists using either the old or the new consists

[cacole]

It sounds like there is something wrong with your Prodigy.  I have no problem programming Tsunami, QSI, LokSound, or any other brand of decoders with my NCE system.

[jrbernier]

  Digitrax does not make a program 'booster' - The PR3 can be used as a 'stand-alone' booster(direct from your PC tp the PR3's program track output via Decoder Pro software.  With a large output power supply, you may be able to program your Tsunami decoders.

  The only program boosters I am aware of are the Soundtraxx PTB-200 and the DCC Specialties PowerPax boosters.  The Tsunami decoder sometimes needs a lot of power - Something most program tracks cannot provide.  That said, I have programmed Tsunami's at the club with a Digitrax DCS200 system and a PowerPax booster.  I have also programmed them at home with a Digitrax Zephyr Xtra in 'blast mode' .

If you have the address programmed into the engine, there should be no issue doing a consist, unless you have not broken the old consist and the engine you are trying to add is still in another consist....

Jim

[Stevert]

If the Digitrax "program booster" you're referring to is in fact a PR3, I can confirm that if set up properly as a stand-alone programmer, with a sufficiently robust power supply, it will easily read/write to Soundtraxx Tsunami and LC, QSI, and of course Digitrax sound decoders.

I use an 18VDC regulated power brick with my PR3, and it hasn't yet met a decoder it can't reliably read/write, including the above-mentioned sound decoders.

[DBuuckie]

The booster i have isn't a digitrax i made a mistake when i put that in it's PTB-100 Sound Trax

[Train Modeler]

You could contact MRC and/or Soundtraxx since no one has responded with direct MRC experience.   The PTB-100 should do the trick.   I can program sound decoders in ops mode or service mode using the PTB-100--no problems with either of our Digitrax systems. 

Richard

[Santa Fe all the way!]

I have the MRC Prodigy Sq system and had a small problem as you have. As strange as it sounds, I had the best luck programming decoders when the loco was directly over the closest feeder to the base unit. Even doing this, it took a couple of tries. This problem only occurred with Tsunamis, I've programmed QSI, BLI , Digitrax, and MRC decoders without problems.