One option for the NCE throttles is to get the built-in rechargeable battery upgrade. I think Litchfield is still offering this and I know you could also talk to NCE about it as well. The great advantage here is that you don't have to take the batteries out to charge them! The NCE design is very adaptable this way. I am not should if these upgrades allow auto recharging from the Cab bus, but I did my upgrade myself following a guide on the internet (probably not authorized by NCE so whenever my throttle is plugged into the cab bus, its charging! I haven't had to even open the battery compartment in over 2 years and I have never had a situation where I couldn't "go wireless" because the batteries are low. Even if you don't have charging from the cab bus, I think this is still the way to go. BTW, NCE radio throttles use an onboard sepic regulator so they don't need a set voltage. Anything from 2.4 up to 12 volts will work. So, if you have a Cab 4 or Cab 6 that only has 2 AAAs, you can adapt it to use 4 AAAs and get a longer use between charges!
I have the DT402D Digitrax throttle and use the rechargable 9.6 volt batteries. I put some Kapton tape on the batteries to form handles so I can remove them easily. I don't put the battery cover on and remove the battery after every session. I keep the spare battery on charge and just pop it in every other time, so it always has a charged battery in the throttle. Only once has the battery run down so low that my loco didn't respond and it was runnng at a high rate of speed.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
After my club has our meetings and we close up. The last member out turns off the lights and all the recepticles in the room so nothing in the room including the layout, the TV, the VCR, the CD player is connected to any power. I do that on my home layout too.
Keeping powered UP5's live all the time requires keeping things plugged in and turned on in the train room. I do not want ANYTHING powered up in there when I'm not around. Right now, all railroad and workbench power is plugged in via some X10 modules so I can shut it all down with on button. When I have that 'dream' basement for a layout, there will be one wall switch by the door that shuts everything off, even if I have to invest in a remotely operated contactor to handle the current. And there will be a pilot light by the switch. That way, even if I should forget to unplug a soldering iron or something, it will be shut off.
I just never bought in to the idea of leaving my DCC system on, but in sleep mode, when it could be days or more before I'm back using it.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I usually turn off the toggle switch at the club because we haven't powered the UP-5's yet. When you power the UP-5 the throttle gets it's power from the power supply, saving the battery
retsignalmtr I also installed toggle switches on my digitrax throttles (DT-400r and UT-4r) .If I am not doing anything that requires walk around freedom I leave them plugged in with the toggle switch turned off. Never tested the throttles for battery life, but if I don't turn off the toggle switch the battery could go dead overnight.
I also installed toggle switches on my digitrax throttles (DT-400r and UT-4r) .If I am not doing anything that requires walk around freedom I leave them plugged in with the toggle switch turned off. Never tested the throttles for battery life, but if I don't turn off the toggle switch the battery could go dead overnight.
I don't exactly understand the toggle switch? As long as I keep my throttle plugged in to the UP5 my battery does not discharge at all, even after a month or two of idle time. All my UP5s are powered per the Digitrax instructions:
Hooking up the UP5's Power Supply (Optional but highly recommended to make sure LocoNet voltage is adequate to control large layouts)The optional power supply (PS14) can be connected to one or more UP and/or UR panels to provide additional power for LocoNet operation and for battery saving power to any Digitrax throttle that is plugged into any of the powered panels.1. Plug the PS14 into the DC jack located on the side of the UP5 circuit board.2. Connect the +Common point on each additional board (located between the two LocoNet jacks) to the powered board with 22AWG wire (Figure 2). The +Common point on the circuit board is actually a through hole at the back of the board that is usually filled with solder during our production process. Up to 10 UP or UR panels can be run from a single PS14 power supply.
As far as my 6-8 hour estimate that is actual RUNNING TIME and that's a pretty conservative guess, and like Randy says, flipping a charged battery into the throttle is not even a minor inconvenience.
Take care, ED
BTW. If you flip the battery often and break the battery cover they are now available from digitrax for $12. It's why I added the shut off toggle switch.
I have found that the older Digitrax 'Simplex' throttles seem to eat batteries faster(4-6 hours). The 'Duplex' throttles seem to run much longer, but I have never tested one to loss of train control. Our club uses the 9.6v PowerEx batteries in all of the throttles. When the voltage drops to under 8v - folks lose control of their trains!
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
I use the 9.6 volt type in my DT402D Duplex throttles and they run for months at a time
Although I also installed a mini toggle sw so I could turn off the Throttle to save the battery from running down.
This way I CONTROl when the battery is off - not some engineer that designes the stuff and decides how long the throttle should stay powered.
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Never seems to cause a problem. I dunno, pop dead battery , insert new one - you NEVER use single use batteries for this sort of thing. Though I never actually tried - I suspect a single use Alkaline battery would actually last a lot longer. The problem witht he rechargables is they already start out with a deficit, 8.4V vs 9V, and if you get the special ones with the extra cell for 9.6V, each cell is smaller. Simple knob throttle, UT4, they definitely go more than 4-6 hours
Thanks for the input, guys. I desire a throttle that lasts a while before needing to change/charge batteries. I did research on CVP's EasyDCC throttles and they have documented battery life in their manual - a ballpark average is 45 hrs on 2 AAA cells. The replies from Rich and Brent regarding NCE throttles is great news to me; I already own a PowerCab and live 3 hrs away from their home. But I am not impressed with the reply regarding Digitrax throttles; 4 to 6 hr battery life won't do it for me. I also have zero desire to use any form of smart phone, tablet or other device to run trains; I want a big knob to turn.
Thanks again, Matt
We have 10 NCE ProCab Radio throttles at our club, and keep a 12 cell charger full of AAA rechargeable NiMH batteries always on standby.
How many hours we get on a set of batteries is something we have never tried to keep track of -- when a throttle seems low, we simply stop and change the batteries on the fly while the operator uses a different throttle if necessary. Each set seems to last about three or four weeks of pretty regular running, especially during an open house or operating session.
The NCE radio throttles have a battery saver setting to turn them off if someone hasn't used it for a few minutes, and the delay time is adjustable.
Initially, we were using regular alkaline batteries and would have to purchase a bulk pack of 10 or 12 batteries every other month.
Since finding a bulk charger and a wholesale source for rechargeable NiMH batteries, we haven't had to purchase any alkaline cells.
I have the NCE PH-PRO-R system as well. In 5 years I am only on my second or third set. Not enough to even worry about Batteries.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Matt,
I juggle three Digitrax UT4Rs and two DT402Rs during an operating session and I probably get an average of four to six hours of "operating" time out of each. (Honestly, I don't pay that much attention. I glance at the voltage reading when I unplug and if it is below 8v I just pop in a fresh battery)
I plug them into the UP5 panel to keep them from draining between sessions and that does not charge the battery but it keeps it from draining the battery.
I have found these Powerex 9V 230 mAh batteries work best for me. There are other brands (I've tried the Tenergy brand and the terminals popped off in the charger on the first use) I tried Energizers but they only gave me about half the life of the Powerex brand.
http://www.amazon.com/Powerex-MH-96V230-230mAh-Rechargeable-Battery/dp/B0002LAKOS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1388964105&sr=1-1&keywords=powerex+9v
Like Randy says, there's LOTS of variables, every command or turn of the speed knob uses juice. Often I'll set a train in motion and may not touch the throttle for quite a while, that will conserve battery life. OTOH, lots of button pushing and knob twirling will use battery life quicker. Sometimes I'll keep the throttle plugged in to the UP5 and not walk around with it.
Have fun, ED
I have an NCE PH-Pro 5 amp wireless system with two Pro Cabs.
I don't do much in the summer, but run trains a lot in the winter.
The batteries ( four AAA per cab) last just over one year.
That is about as scientific as I can get.
Rich
Alton Junction
There are too many possible combinations of batteries and throttle types to really make a chart of this.
There really are 3 options: Digitrax, NCE, and CVP Easy-DCC. Lenz doesn't have a native wireless option, and MRC doesn't interface with JMRI or RR&Co and thus looses out on a lot of functionality.
On all three, you want to use rechargeable batteries, not throw aways. All three, a set of batteries will last as long as you will. All three also work with JMRO so you can also use any iPhone, iPoid Touch, iPad, or Android device as a throttle.
I would like some real world input regarding the battery life of the various radio throttles; any and all brands. I am looking to purchase a wireless DCC system and this will factor into my decision.
Matt