I just upgraded my MRC Prodigy to wireless. I love it, If you are still tied to your layout and you can go wireless,What are you waiting for. It makes operating so much easier

Les, I get my exercise picking myself up after tripping over the cords.
Charlie

I trip over the extension cord on the floor. The cords to the controller I destroy.

We use wireless E-Z Dcc on the modular club. The biggest problem is that the maximum # of throttles wireless will support is 7 or 8. When we have a really big layout set up, people end up standing in line waiting for a throttle to run trains. I liked the set up on the La Mesa Club Tehachapi layout when I was invited to run there. They have an NCE system, and some members bring in their own wireless throttles, but the club throttles are all plug in type. The throttle has a plug on about an 18 inch cord if I remember correctly, I know it wasn't very long. You plug in to your block and start your train, then unplug and walk to the next block where you plug in and wait to see if you keep a green signal or get a red and need to stop. If you keep the green, you just unplug and go to the next station following your train. Whatever it was doing when you unplugged it continues to do until you plug in and tell the train to do something different.

That's the way the Prodigy system works, we just follow the train around the room from on plug to the next. I have 5 extension plates. The base station remembers the commands so you don't have to be plugged in in order for the train to keep running.
Charlie

Russ The Prodigy wireless can have up to 32 throttles / cabs at one time but for that many you will probably need a power booster. I think most systems are similar to that. I have 3 wired and have had 4 running with no problems. Now I have total of 4 but only need one for now. I love my wireless.

I love the wireless option too. We use Digitrax equipment at the modular club.

I have a UT-4R which has a very short cord to plug in when acquiring or dispatching (the newest Digitrax wireless can do everything without plugging in). I also keep an extension cord for non-wireless set-ups or for when reception is poor.

I used to have to walk ahead of the train to make sure I always had the option of plugging in - it is fine that the train remembers what you told it to do when you are unplugged, but if you need a sudden stop, you have to be connected! Now I can walk with the train, and also don't have to stretch from the nearest plug when doing the switching work.

Andrew

I have found the Digitrax IR to work well. I have 4 IR panels in the layout room. Only thing is, the batteries go dead after a few days if you leave them in the UT4s.

Gary S Wrote:I have found the Digitrax IR to work well. I have 4 IR panels in the layout room. Only thing is, the batteries go dead after a few days if you leave them in the UT4s.

Gary,

There is supposed to be a way to put the throttle to sleep so the battery does not go flat (although this may not be the same as completely powering off - and I can't find the reference right now! ).

However, I am not sure it is totally reliable anyway, since our DCC guru at the club (also a DIgitrax dealer) installs a microswitch to physically turn off the throttle when you purchase it through him.


Andrew

At the model railroad club where I belong we have a Digitrax system. One of the last things on the "shut down list" used when preparing to "turn off the lights, lock the door and go home" is removing all batteries from throttles and putting them in the recharger. The club uses those 9v batteries that are really 9.4v that they get from Thompson Distributing.

At any rate, we haven't had any throttle battery problems that I'm aware of.

C'mon ... how difficult is it to take the batteries out when you are finished operating? :?

P5se Camelback Wrote:C'mon ... how difficult is it to take the batteries out when you are finished operating? :?

Part of the reason for the microswitch was a tendency for the battery cover "prongs" (that keep it shut) to snap if one was not very, very careful. Don't know if that has been solved with a design or materials change, but the switch sure is easy to use...!

Andrew

I like the switch idea. I am thinking along the same lines as Andrew, if I constantly remove the battery cover, eventually I will fumble it enough to break the tabs. There is a possibility that the aversion to removing the battery is pure laziness. :?

I think that if you leave the UT4 plugged in to a panel that is powered from the track, it will go into battery saver mode. Of course, that means you have to leave the system on all the time.

The MRC has a power off switch, it also has a save button that you push before turning off the power switch and it will save the last five loco addresses.

To sleep the UT4, hold down any function key and turn any of the address selector knobs to the next digit. The red light should come on briefly, thent he throttle is in sleep mode and the battery shouldn't run down so fast. You can also 'roll' the battery - do NOT flip it end for end, the spring at the base of the batter is all one pice and will be a dead short. There is a diode protecting the input fromt eh battery terminals so putting the + terminal to the - connection won't hurt anything, and will keep teh battery from discharging. The downside is, if you are rough with the battery covers they WILL break. One or two delers sells them, I have no idea how they get them, because if you go to Mouser or DigiKey and try to get the parts fromt he OEM, Serpak, you can only buy the entire case, not just the battery cover.
My layout is too small for radio, I can plug in in one place and reach pretty much anywhere in the room. With a sloping ceiling I don;t think the IR would work well for me, a friend of mine has a relatively low white tile ceiling and the IR works great for him, as long as you don;t point the throttle at the ground. If I want wireless I can always use my iPhone and WiThrottle.

--Randy

At the time the club bought the E-Z Dcc system the only totally wireless options were E-Z Dcc & NCE. The only club member who was using dcc on a home layout at the time had the E-Z Dcc system so that was the direction the club went. If I remember correctly NCE had a "bug" in their system at the time that they expected to have a fix for soon after we bought our system, but we got a better price on the E-Z Dcc system so that was the system the members voted to go with.