NCE

[Geep7]

One noticeable difference between the NCE and Gaugemaster offerings, is the control style.

 

The Powercab has a thumb wheel, plus increase and decrease speed step buttons at the top of the handset.

 

The Prodigy has a control knob located at the bottom of the controller.

 

I'm most likely rather bias about this as I have used a Powercab for going on 15 years now, but it does seem more naturally pre-disposed for one hand operation.

[NoelG]

It is a very personal choice thing and as advised do try and operate as many cabs as you can before you buy. There may be some small functional or ergonomic cthings that drive you nuts or others you cannot live without.

 

I can only share my own personal experience when researching the move from DC to DCC about 4 years ago. I tried out only 4 DCC systems: Lenz, NCE, Gaugemaster Prodigy and ECoS 50200. I was lusting after the ECoS colour display system, but in the end I went for the NCE and was very pleased ever since. Its not perfect but I love the ergonomics and the feel in hand of their dog bone style cab. It must be the easiest to program and setup with easy to use wizards for setting up new decoders, assigning addresses, making CV29 a simple set of plain english questions, etc. Strangely one of the attractions of NCE personally for me and a decision influencer at the time was the option of buttons for throttle control or a thumbwheel rotary knob (which coming from DC I perceived I would need), but to be honest I only ever use the inc/dec throttle buttons which are great for blind eyes off one handed use with tactile feed back. The Cab ergonomics have become an mental extension of my mind when driving locos, especially shunting and for sound locos. I just think what I want the train to do and it just seems to happen, with my fingers just pushing the right buttons by tactile feel rather than eyes on. I hooked my NCE up to a PC running JMRI so I could use the wireless cab app 'WiThrottle' on some old iPhones but I gave up after a few weeks on the touchscreen user interface because it required eyes on and there was no physical tactile feedback, so one handed shunting went out the window. More recently for another layout I tried the Z21 just for a change of scene and because some friends had recommended it, but Z21 and I didn't become buddies, not the fault of the Z21, more the limitations of touchscreen for driving and shunting model trains. The NCE dog bone cab is not for everyone, but for me personally is like having an extra limb that makes my trains do what I'm thinking. 

 

Ok some truthful negatives. The 'momentum' button is a useless waste of space and should be superglued so you cannot accidentally use it, because the blasted thing overwrites CV values in the decoder permenantly. Also I don't like having to use the EXPN display button to display the status of all functions including above 10. What is very annoying is that while in EXPN (ie view all function status), you have to exit by pressing EXPN again instead of another button, especially a throttle input exiting it automatically (ie you cannot use a throttle button while in EXPN display mode). One minor niggle is I had to config the 'Option' button to act like a shift key for quick access to extended functions for sound locos, but this was a once of setting. Pity the SHIFT key does not do this for all functions above 9. 

 

Likes: The 'prog' button menus are so easy to setup and config decoders and the DCC system itself, all plain english. Also consists are really easy to set up but no speed table matching built in. The feel in hand just suits me, the way my brain thinks, and my hand size.

 

Anyway good luck, enjoy the search, and whatever DCC system you end up with. I spent about two months methodically researching and trying different cabs before I jumped. Avoid 'confirmation bias' recommendations.

 

NCE PowerCab or the ProCab are basically the same handheld cab. One is 3amp the other is 5amp or 10amp.

 

WiThottle phone cab app. Touch screen. Very inexpensive way of having wireless cabs on almost any layout. A fab novelty at first but that soon wore off because I wanted to concentrate on looking at the train rather than the LCD screen (ie so I could position my fingers).

 

WiThrottle iPad app for twin or quad train control wirelessly. Not for me I'm afraid, I want to concentrate on looking at the train action and not an LCD screen.

[NIK]

Hi,

 

The NCE Power Cab has a 2 amp maximum output and  some UK suppliers supply a power supply noticeably less maximum current.

 

A Pro Cab plugs into various NCE command stations and the command station defines the maximum output current.

 

Regards

 

Nick

 

 

[RedgateModels]

On 09/04/2019 at 12:27, RedgateModels said:

 

Powercab will take 3A, just don't tell it I have a 3.5A supply feeding it LOL

 

 

[Nigelcliffe]

4 hours ago, NoelG said:

.......... I hooked my NCE up to a PC running JMRI so I could use the wireless cab app 'WiThrottle' on some old iPhones but I gave up after a few weeks on the touchscreen user interface because it required eyes on and there was no physical tactile feedback, so one handed shunting went out the window.

 

 

 

That appears to be a limitation of the Apple devices, and the programming options available to developers on Apple devices. 

If you use the equivalent software on an Android device, then the volume controls act as speed up/down, which gives some tactile feedback.  Or you can use a £5/£10 game controller wirelessly to an Android device, giving speed, direction and some function keys. 

 

 

- Nigel

 

[Art Dent]

4 hours ago, NIK said:

Hi,

 

The NCE Power Cab has a 2 amp maximum output and  some UK suppliers supply a power supply noticeably less maximum current.

 

A Pro Cab plugs into various NCE command stations and the command station defines the maximum output current.

 

Regards

 

Nick

 

 

 

Jeremy at Digitrains in Lincoln (phone number: 01522 527 731) is extremely helpful (as are the chaps at Coastal DCC - I've had dealings with both).

 

Digitrains sells their own psu < link > which is compatible with the NCE system and delivers 2A

 

Incidentally, just been on the Digitrains websote and they have 12 PowerCab systems in stock < link >.

 

Art