hello The handheld still needs batteries. The tether is just for communication with the base unit, needs power to do that. Pep
Incorrect, the cable for communication also provides power, at least I know it does for Digitrax and several other systems. There may be some out there that require a battery even for tethered operation, but I don't know of any.
From page 4 of the Digitrax DT602 Family Manual (https://www.digitrax.com/media/apps/products/throttles/dt602d/documents/DT602_Manual_Web_Ho6A8Tc.pdf): "The DT602 does not need batteries when plugged into LocoNet." Did you say something about humble pie?
hello LOL, I realized I left out one small detail: the handheld needs the battery as it moves from the base to a local net panel. & yes the CAT 5 does provide power. Naw, no humble pie, I'll have a donut instead. Cheers Pep
You don't need the battery unless you want to be able to control the trains wirelessly when moving from Loconet port to port, which should be pretty obvious. Otherwise, just unplug, walk to the next port, plug back in and continue controlling your trains. I have not used a DT602, but with the DT402 it takes about two seconds for the throttle to power up and be ready to use, and it returns to the same place you were before - same loco selected, same functions on, same speed step and direction.
Can't go wrong with any of today's majors, similar bells and whistles. Which is to say subjective factors like how it feels tend to weigh heavily for most folks compared to objective comps. For me it was ESU, and yeah, all about subjectivity.
The screen you see is a snippet from a Windows 11-Latitude 3140 running 4 instances of Engine Driver under the Bluestacks Android virtualization software. Only wish my big screen TV was touch enabled..
Interesting to see the breadth of experiences. I opted for NCE PowerCab about 4 years ago, and an SB5 booster for the expansion. I can run 6 trains at a time (about my attention limit anyway), and can have a number of engines idling on the layout. I think the phone operated controllers are cool, but after 55+years of playing guitar, my fingers don't couple to the phone. I can use a stylus, but, of course, with a dozen laying around, there is never one nearby... I have the JMRI connection to the NCE system, but I found it too much trouble to use, and provided no operating gains over the NCE on my small layout. Plus, I had to watch the computer screen instead of the trains. Oh well.
I would have to say that it chose me. Back in the days before DCC ready plug and play locomotives, when all decoders had to be wired in, I made the mistake of mentioning that I had a milling machine while visiting a train store in Houston. The owner twisted my arm and offered to pay handsomely if I would mill pockets into locomotive frames to hold decoders for his N scale customers. Well, that worked out for a spell and then I was asked to go head and install the decoders while I had things apart. More money. Then I was provided with a command station to program the decoders while I was at it. They payed for that too. Added more scales as well. When taking NTRAK modules to conventions and train shows to set up with other NTRAK folks, it became the norm to dedicate the outside (red line) for DCC running. On big layouts with many peninsulas I was relegated to only running on the DC yellow and blue line loops. If I wanted to run with the big boys on the red line around the entire layout, I had to have a DCC equipped locomotive. Well, I knew how to install, program and run Digitrax as that is what was provided to me by the train store that I was working for.
Not sure about other brands, but to charge the MRC wireless throttles, you hook them up to the base with the same cord the tethered throttles use turning them into a tethered throttle while they are charging. But swapping batteries is a 10 second task.......I just keep an extra set of batteries for each throttle next to the base. For me the biggest advantage is at club setups........both the other users use tethered throttles, and they are constantly getting knocked off the shelf, and they frequently pick up the wrong one and adjust the wrong train. Not really an issue for a home layout though.
If you need to MU diesels, Digitrax is less intuitive than NCE or TCS. I went with TCS as it is pretty easy to MU diesels. TCS makes a lower cost tethered system you can get for under $149 from places like Yankee Dabbler. https://yankeedabbler.com/products/...ttle-lcc-system-dcc-command-station-all-scale
And if you decide to upgrade to the TCS CS-105 command station, the LT-50 will double as a wired throttle for it, similarly to the way NCE's PowerCab works. The LT-50 is the only hand-held command station that supports RailCom, which makes reading a RailCom-compatible decoder's settings very fast, and motionless. However, if you want to connect it to a computer running JMRI, you need a USB-LCC interface, from SPROG or RR-CirKits. Or, if you already have a CS-105 command station, you can connect the LT-50 to JMRI through it.
With the original Zephyr or Zephyr Xtra built in throttle, I would agree, but with the Zephyr Express built in throttle or using a DT series throttle, it's pretty simple.
I'm kinda like you on the smartphone throttle apps. I need tactile feedback to avoid having to look at the throttle to do what I want. After using both, I much prefer a throttle with real, tactile buttons/knobs, that also confirm that I pressed (or not) the button, without having to look. But the smartphone throttle apps have their place; if I need an additional throttle for a guest, I can hand them my throttle, and pull out my smartphone and muddle on. WRT JMRI however, it really makes programming a decoder much easier for me. The GUI for showing and modifying the various registers/bits is customized per decoder family, and shows what each setting does, making it much easier for me to find what I want, and set it how I want it. I can do boolean/hex logic and arithmetic in my head (I did that for a living for 33 years.) But that does not tell me what the register's contents do/mean. In one place on a screen, JMRI tells me what the bit values are, what they mean, and how to change them on a functional, rather than boolean, level. I strongly believe we should be teaching our next generation to count and perform arithmetic (and boolean logic: AND/OR/XOR/NOT) in hex, just like we teach kids their arithmetic tables. We need flash-cards for boolean logic! Anyone can count to over a thousand on their ten fingers in binary! And hexadecimal is just short-hand for binary, 4 bits at a time.
With New Internet/Wifi Service Couldn't get EngineDriver to Connect . . . . . so, after much trial & errors, was compelled to use "Station Mode" instead and it finally works GREAT! As a bonus after turning off the DCCEX Command Station my android phone automatically reverts back to house Wi-Fi and works with "airplane mode" as well (no more call interruptions!) Had to "refresh" EX-Installer-Win64 a couple of times before it finally took and on my avail networks it now says "DCCEX_c2abdc" with default password being "PASS_c2abdc". Unrelated: Upon reading here 'bout "reverse-loops" I had an epiphany as well! With layout being originally setup as "DC" I do NOT have to reverse mainline polarity upon exit from loop RATHER by quickly switching polarity on Atlas Controller while in reverse-loop loco continues normally with no interruption at all! KISS? Love DCCEX and thank everyone here -especially Sumner - for turning me on to "DCCEX"!
With one phone or maybe the current one (don't use it for EngineDriver) I had to turn 'mobile data' off to get EngineDriver to work. Also you can now use DCC-EX to auto-reverse a section of track if you need that. It does use up one track output for that section of track which could be a problem if you need all of the track outputs for the districts you already have. The base command station has two outputs and if you use those up an option would be to add the DCC-EX 8874 motor shield for 2 more if you are using the ready-to-run DCC-EX CSB1 command station. If you are using a mega it is a little more difficult. I just setup.... ... a DCC-EX Nucleo- F439ZI command station with 8 track outputs. The Nucleo has a lot more memory and is way faster than the Mega and is only $25. Now I'll be able to run DCC or DC in any of the districts at any time with the same throttle. Sumner
