NCE PowerCab Query

[Ray H]

I have recently obtained an NCE PowerCab that is still fitted with a v1.28 EPROM rather than the v1.65 EPROM that is now (still) available from at least one UK retailer.

 

It seems to work as is to be expected when used in isolation with its own dedicated power supply (since I cleaned the keypad membrane).

 

However when connected to a system in what amounts to a dumb terminal mode the use of the Recall key appears to cause the throttle to shut down momentarily before it then displays the number of a previously selected loco. The system is linked to an NCE SB5 which appears to be fitted with a v1.65 EPROM..

 

The use of the Recall button toggles between the two loco numbers in the Recall stack with no intermediate display when the throttle is the command station whereas the display shows the basic start-up screen momentarily when using the SB5 as the command station.

 

I had an earlier version EPROM in my first PowerCab several years ago but had upgraded the EPROM prior to purchasing my SB5.

 

Can anyone advise whether this momentarily screen display is normal when the PowerCab has an earlier EPROM version than the SB5 or is it an indication of a possible problem with the PowerCab?

 

Many Thanks

[Pete the Elaner]

I use my v1.28 PowerCab as a throttle on my ProCab.

It scrolls though all 6 locos in its recall stack without any hesitation.

 

Was there a minor revision to v1.28 to allow re-adding locos to the recall stack without stopping them? I am not sure how or if this would affect its operation as a throttle though. Maybe we could try our PowerCabs on each other's systems since we live in the same town?

[Ron Ron Ron]

I use my v1.28 PowerCab as a throttle on my ProCab.....

 

 

That doesn't make sense.

 

I take it you mean PowerPro?

 

 

(Sorry. I'm just being a pedantic a**e.)

.

Edited November 15, 2018 by Ron Ron Ron

[Pete the Elaner]

That doesn't make sense.

 

I take it you mean PowerPro?

 

 

(Sorry. I'm just being a pedantic a**e.)

.

I did indeed mean that.

[Ray H]

I use my v1.28 PowerCab as a throttle on my ProCab.

It scrolls though all 6 locos in its recall stack without any hesitation.

 

Was there a minor revision to v1.28 to allow re-adding locos to the recall stack without stopping them? I am not sure how or if this would affect its operation as a throttle though. Maybe we could try our PowerCabs on each other's systems since we live in the same town?

Sounds like a plan. I'm going to club this evening and will try it there. I'll drop you a PM sometime tomorrow to see if we can arrange a mutually convenient time in the near future.

[Ray H]

The plot thickens, or maybe not.

 

I keep forgetting that the system at the club is a PowerPro rather than based around an SB5. It is also older than the SB5 based system that I run at home.

 

Anyway, I took the PowerCab to the club last night where it was connected in place of a digital Cab06 - the main reason for its purchase. It behaved faultlessly so I'm satisfied in that respect.

 

However the Cab06 had been allocated a cab number of 04 on the club system that previously had 2 x PowerCabs, the Cab06 and 3 ProCabs all numbered sequentially from 1 to 6 and a Mini-Panel with a cab number of 11. I plugged the "new" throttle into a vacant socket on a UTP, disconnected the Cab06 and tried to set the replacement throttle up to have a cab number of 04. The new throttle appeared to accept the Cab number value of 04 but then simply displayed the Cab number and the EPROM version number and refused to accept any further commands.

 

We subsequently tried to set several other throttles up (temporarily) with a cab number of 04 and they all sat on the same screen. In the end we omitted the (cab) number 04 from the sequence and everything appears to be working successfully - although . . . .   We did get one loco which seemed adept at slowly creeping around the layout when it hadn't been set moving by any throttle that we could find (and the loco number wasn't 04!).

 

That's a different problem and one that we may need to research further if it persists.

[Pete the Elaner]

The cab 04 issue sounds strange. I have only ever used 2 throttles on my PowerPro (got it right this time  ) .

Having just checked mine, the ProCab's address is 01 & the PowerCab's address is....04!

I seem to recall changing the PowerCab's address from the default of 3 because it would be less likely to conflict with someone else's system should I ever want to use it as a slave.

 

I don't think the PowerPro has been updated for ages.

[SRman]

I have taken to marking the number of the cab on the backs of each of them, for my own layout's use. This also means that if I take one as a 'guest' on someone else's layout, I can set it to any convenient cab number, then reset it back to what I need on my layout without having to scratch my head as to which one it was to start with.

The cab #4 problem and creeping locomotive suggest that one of the existing cabs is set to 4, and may be operating that locomotive.

At one stage I had two Power Cabs on v1.28, and one on the earlier 1.10. All three operated perfectly well together on both Power Cab and Power Pro systems, with the proviso I always made sure the 1.10 cab was used as a slave. All of them have been upgraded to v1.65 now.

Edited November 17, 2018 by SRman

[Ray H]

I have taken to marking the number o the cab on the backs of each of them, for my own layout's use. This also means that if I take one as a 'guest' on someone else's layout, I can set it to any convenient cab number, then reset it back to what I need on my layout without having to scratch my head as to which one it was to start with.

The cab #4 problem and creeping locomotive suggest that one of the existing cabs is set to 4, and may be operating that locomotive.

 

At one stage I had two Power Cabs on v1.28, and one on the earlier 1.10. All three operated perfectly well together on both Power Cab and Power Pro systems, with the proviso I always made sure the 1.10 cab was used as a slave. All of them have been upgraded to v1.65 now.

 

The club also meets on a Friday afternoon so we were there again yesterday when we were trying to discover how to fix a couple of locos that had intermittent and irregular shorts. That involved using several of the cabs (as we'd left them on Thursday evening). Luckily the errant creeping loco stayed where we left it on Thursday evening so I'd guess it was just one of life's little mysteries!