I'm assuming that individual diesel locomotives in a consist are started individually.
I understand that these days consisted sets are probably left idling once consisted. But suppose they were shut down for some reason.
Is there a way to do this with DCC? I use NCE.
I use NCE. I'm assuming you're referring to engines in consist all with sound?
I'm no expert, so my approach to engines in consist with sound is to address the last/rear engine, shut off the sound then go to the lead engine and shut off the sound. I do this all the time. I do know, and I'm sure the DCC experts will jump in, that you can program a consist so the sound on the lead engine is the only one you hear.
This is the way I do it. I have 4-5 consists on the layout with engines that have sound and I shut them off at the start of an op session or when I'm solo. I do like sound, but there are times I need to hear myself think!
Neal
Yes, sound. So, in a consist all of the locos are addressed with the consist address. Are you calling up the locos with their individual loco numbers, and doesn't this just activate the main consist address?
maxman Yes, sound. So, in a consist all of the locos are addressed with the consist address. Are you calling up the locos with their individual loco numbers, and doesn't this just activate the main consist address?
That said, as I recall (always dangerous), I believe that even though locos are in a consist, you can call up any non-lead loco by its long address and control its lighting and sound.
Rich
Alton Junction
I’ll have to go down to the basement and try this. What’s confusing to me is that in a two unit consist if the direction is reversed and the units are addressed by the trailing unit, then the trailing unit becomes the lead unit.
Maybe that’s the key——-all the trailing units can be individually addressed so long as they are not the lead or controlling unit.
richhotrain maxman Yes, sound. So, in a consist all of the locos are addressed with the consist address. Are you calling up the locos with their individual loco numbers, and doesn't this just activate the main consist address? I have an NCE PH-Pro 5 amp wireless system. I am replying to this thread without actually going down to the layout, so I reserve the right to be wrong. That said, as I recall (always dangerous), I believe that even though locos are in a consist, you can call up any non-lead loco by its long address and control its lighting and sound. Rich
I have an NCE PH-Pro 5 amp wireless system. I am replying to this thread without actually going down to the layout, so I reserve the right to be wrong.
I took two BLI E7A locomotives with long addresses 907 and 927. I set up an Advanced Consist #90. I picked 907 as the lead loco and 927 as the rear loco.
I selected 907 which started the consist with lights and sound. I then selected 927 and hit F8 to mute the sound. The sound muted on 927, but the sound remained active on 907, and the consist performed to throttle commands.
maxman I’ll have to go down to the basement and try this. What’s confusing to me is that in a two unit consist if the direction is reversed and the units are addressed by the trailing unit, then the trailing unit becomes the lead unit. Maybe that’s the key——-all the trailing units can be individually addressed so long as they are not the lead or controlling unit.
richhotrainAt least with the NCE command station, reversing direction of a consist does not make the rear loco into the lead loco. It just makes the consist move in reverse. If the consist is two A-unit diesels set up back to back, the lead loco remains the lead loco in either direction although in reverse it appears as if the rear loco is now the lead loco.
Yes, understand that. However if one dials up the trailing loco in the consist then it becomes the lead loco.
maxman richhotrain At least with the NCE command station, reversing direction of a consist does not make the rear loco into the lead loco. It just makes the consist move in reverse. If the consist is two A-unit diesels set up back to back, the lead loco remains the lead loco in either direction although in reverse it appears as if the rear loco is now the lead loco. Yes, understand that. However if one dials up the trailing loco in the consist then it becomes the lead loco.
richhotrain At least with the NCE command station, reversing direction of a consist does not make the rear loco into the lead loco. It just makes the consist move in reverse. If the consist is two A-unit diesels set up back to back, the lead loco remains the lead loco in either direction although in reverse it appears as if the rear loco is now the lead loco.
richhotrainNot quite sure what you mean by that comment. After selecting and silencing the rear loco in a consist, it still shows as the rear loco when I toggle Browse Consists on my throttle.
Forgetting sound for a moment, let's assume that you have three consisted locos, 2000, 3000, and 4000, and they are just sitting there. Joe Guest comes along and you ask him to move the set from the ready tracks to the A&D. With NCE if he dials up 2000 the locos willl move. And if he dials up 4000 the units will move. He doesn't really know or care that the 2000 was designated the lead unit when the consist was originally made up.
Now let's add sound to the equation. So Joe Guest dials up unit 2000 to operate the consist. He then decides that he wants to turn the sound of the 4000 off. If he dials up 4000 to acomplish this, does this then cause a conflict with the operation of the 2000 unit?
maxman Forgetting sound for a moment, let's assume that you have three consisted locos, 2000, 3000, and 4000, and they are just sitting there. Joe Guest comes along and you ask him to move the set from the ready tracks to the A&D. With NCE if he dials up 2000 the locos willl move. And if he dials up 4000 the units will move. He doesn't really know or care that the 2000 was designated the lead unit when the consist was originally made up. Now let's add sound to the equation. So Joe Guest dials up unit 2000 to operate the consist. He then decides that he wants to turn the sound of the 4000 off. If he dials up 4000 to acomplish this, does this then cause a conflict with the operation of the 2000 unit?
Ok, thanks. Will give this a try.
Strange that the specific question the OP asked hasn't been answered yet.
He wants to start sound on units in a consist, sequentially, perhaps with some delay in between sequences (the invisible guy moving between units to get them on the line?). If I understood his sense correctly, he wants this to be at least semi-automatic when the consist is activated.
I'm ASSuming that the answer 'so far' is that he addresses the individual units in the consist, triggers the appropriate code or toggles CV for the startup sequence as appropriate for that locomotive, then moves to the next one... and that doing so will not affect consisting. Is there more to the exercise than that?
What's the analogue (in JMRI or elsewhere) to a sequencer in electronic music? Surely there will be situations that you want to send commands in order with configurable times between them?
Overmod Strange that the specific question the OP asked hasn't been answered yet.
Overmod If I understood his sense correctly, he wants this to be at least semi-automatic when the consist is activated. I'm ASSuming that the answer 'so far' is that he addresses the individual units in the consist, triggers the appropriate code or toggles CV for the startup sequence as appropriate for that locomotive, then moves to the next one... and that doing so will not affect consisting.
Well, no, I didn't want this to be automatic, semi or otherwise. Rather I wanted to be the not so invisable guy who would call up the individual locos and press F8 to get each of them started.
I have not had time to try this, but it seems that if I call up the consist and press F8 all the units will start. But from what I gather from the responses if I begin with the trailing unit I can start that with F8, go to the middle unit and start that with F8, and then select the lead unit and start that with F8.
Or maybe not.