12-05-2012, 01:02 AM
I also strongly reccomend the NCE products. At entry level, you get far more features in that cab than you do any other similarly priced product. Ever since joining my local club, I've regretted not spending the extra $20 on a Power cab instead of the Prodigy Express I currently own.
Programming is incredibly easy, as the NCE cabs have readback features. They also walk you through the "basic" decoder programming like Addresses, speed tables, power settings, etc. Many other entry level systems require you to learn these CVs by heart and know how to do the "math" required to get the settings you want.
Unlike many other entry level DCC systems, the NCE can handle accessory decoders, such as those on switch machines and other devices not connected to the track. This allows you to throw switches from your throttle, and if you use the macro setting, you can actually program multiples switches to work simultaneously, great for interlockings.
Most competing systems would need an "upgrade" to the next level in order to do some of these things. It is annoying to find that the cab needs to be plugged in though. My Prodigy express even has a small power station that keeps the trains running when I unplug. I was under the impression that most trains just followed their last instructions when you unplugged the cab from the tracks. After all, track power should still be theoretically going to the track, since its still connect to the wall plug.
I Like the way my MRC Prodigy express feels in my hands, but it is so hampered by its lack of ability to do anything, that I really only tolerate it because I don't consist much on my home layout, and i know how to program manually.
I'm strongly starting to suspect there is actually something wrong with this (individual) system, but i can't seem to prove it.
Programming is incredibly easy, as the NCE cabs have readback features. They also walk you through the "basic" decoder programming like Addresses, speed tables, power settings, etc. Many other entry level systems require you to learn these CVs by heart and know how to do the "math" required to get the settings you want.
Unlike many other entry level DCC systems, the NCE can handle accessory decoders, such as those on switch machines and other devices not connected to the track. This allows you to throw switches from your throttle, and if you use the macro setting, you can actually program multiples switches to work simultaneously, great for interlockings.
Most competing systems would need an "upgrade" to the next level in order to do some of these things. It is annoying to find that the cab needs to be plugged in though. My Prodigy express even has a small power station that keeps the trains running when I unplug. I was under the impression that most trains just followed their last instructions when you unplugged the cab from the tracks. After all, track power should still be theoretically going to the track, since its still connect to the wall plug.
I Like the way my MRC Prodigy express feels in my hands, but it is so hampered by its lack of ability to do anything, that I really only tolerate it because I don't consist much on my home layout, and i know how to program manually.
I'm strongly starting to suspect there is actually something wrong with this (individual) system, but i can't seem to prove it.
Modeling New Jersey Under the Wire 1978-1979.
![[Image: logosmall.png]](http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg445/CAB_IV/Model%20Trains%202013/logosmall.png)