DCC Consisting for A-B-A Diesels

[bandmjim]

Yes you can use your NCE system to program the consist number, just to make that clear, you program your number into cv19 (0-127) makes no difference what system you use as long as you program cv19, try it, and remember the number as that is the number that will operate the loco from now on, until you program zero ( 0 ) into cv19 again.  I use a 3x5 card to note numbers and settings for each loco and keep it in the box with the loco as a reminder of what is going on.  Again it will now work on any system as long as YOU set the number into cv19.  Jim

[maxman]

rettop

rettop wrote the following post 2 hours ago: bandmjim Again you are setting CV19, if you set it, and is written to the decoder it stays with the decoder (loco) until YOU change it, you are not letting the NCE system select a consist number (cv19) it is easy to get confused with this I can see. I sure hope this works for me. This would fulfill my desire to go from remote test tracks to layout without having to reconfigure the consist. If it allows layout to layout flexibility, it shouldn't matter that my test tracks are Power Cab & the layout is Power Pro. Would this method work even if one layout is NCE and the other Digitrax? Can this methodology be done using only the NCE cabs or is Decoder Pro required?

What, exactly, are you trying to accomplish here, other than make life difficult for yourself?

The only things you need to program on a programming track are the individual loco addresses; whether or not it is going to run using the short or long address; whether or not the loco will run on DC and DCC or DCC only; how many speed steps you want to use; and which direction is normally forward.  Everything else can be done with programming on the main.  And that includes consisting.  You don't need JMRI to do any of that stuff.

Concerning this "portability" thing that you seem so concerned about, your best and easiest solution is to consist on the main using the method used by whatever system is used on the railroad you are visiting.  Yes, you can assign your own value to CV19, something between 1 and 127.  Let's say you want that to be 26.

That will give you the portability you desire.  No matter where you take the loco it will run if the selected address is 26.  That is because you have given it a number that most DCC systems will recognize as a short address.  But I suspect that all the other functions that you will have programmed such as bell and horn will not work properly because they want to be associated with the loco address, not the DCC consist address.

Further, you will confuse yourself because you will forget what number you used for the consist address.  And you will confuse everyone else who is used to looking on the side of the cab for the loco number and can't get the train to run because it is in the way.

Now in your specific case, the best thing to do at your basement is to let the NCE system pick the consist number for you.  Again you are doing this on the main.  Now you don't need to remember anything, except to look at the number on the cab.  If you find that you need to remember what the consist number is for some reason, you can always "browse consists" and the system will show you which locos are in which consists.

[RR Baron]

CV 19 must be set by NCE Consist Setup commands . If CV 19 is set by any other method,  NCE Advanced Consist will not work as intended. Also, if CV 19 is changed from the number set by NCE Consist Setup - NCE Advanced Consist will no longer work as designed to work.

NCE Advanced Consist only works if used with the command station that did the setup.

 

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FYI - 

Compatibility issue -

 

ESU LokSound V4 and V3.5 decoders do not respond to a NCE Advanced Consist CLEAR ALL ADVANCED CONSISTS as expected. The workaround is to use CONSIST DEL <loco address> command.

 

RR Baron

 

 

 

 

[RR Baron]

JMRI DecoderPro currently cannot be used to build a NCE Advanced Consist.

 

RR Baron

 

 

[rettop]

Why is that?

[RR Baron]

 

 

For specifics,  consult JMRI users  at their new website.  

https://groups.io/g/jmriusers

 

RR Baron

 

[betamax]

NCE uses something called "Intelligent Consisting".  Motor commands are sent to the consist address, function commmands to the lead locomotive's address.  It is a cross between decoder and command station consisting.

[rrinker]

 I've only said it about 5 times now across two threads on the subject.

Doesn;t help that every comparison chart of DCC systems says NCE does Advanced Consisting. Well, yes and no. There is still an additioonal element of command station functionality in there.

JMRI consisting does true NMRA Advanced Consisting using ONLY CV19. Which was great until sound decoders enter the mix - then you need to fiddle with CV21 and 22 to set which locos make what noises - ie, you want prime mover on for all, but only the lead unit should have a headlight, horn, and bell. 

 You can run a JMRI created consist on any DCC system. You can pick up the locos and move them to another layout, and couple them back together int he same order, and it they will run as the same consist. What you can't do is just flip ends and swap the leading and trailing units and have the functions work right - well, you can physically swap the locos and it would work, but real railroads don't have giant 0-5-0 switchers to swap the locos around - the engineer or hostler adjusts a few settings and moves to the cab of the other loco and drives off. The whole point of A-B-A or A-B-B-A or just two cab units back to back is that they DON'T have to be turned on a loop, wye, or turntable. That makes pure CV19 consists a bit cumbersome, at least for turn type operation. If the locos run from terminal a to terminal b and then the consist is broken up, and the return train hauled by a completely different consist that may or may not contain any of the locos that arrived witht he last consist, then it's not such a big deal. 

                                     --Randy

                        --Randy