Advice for a complete novice

[Regularity]

17 minutes ago, Corbs said:

The protocab system does sound very fancy. I think they need to solve the sound issue first in order to appeal to mass market.

When it was first promulgated, it was a brilliant idea, but it has been slow to market and the development cycle is taking way too long - DCC sound has made leaps and bounds since Protocab was first announced, and there are already ways of connecting DCC locos to batteries and remote control for less money.

[Platform10]

4 hours ago, wasdavetheroad said:

The basic differences between Deltang and Protocab is Deltang has a much more extensive range of receiver and battery options. a more capable range of Transmitter (controller) options and it is a lot cheaper!. To offset this you have to do some of your own wiring, think of having to hard wire a DCC decoder. I await with interest the Protocab new product reviews. As far as the OP's question goes, you can get a Deltang starter system for about £112. The Protocab starter pack is £240. Deltang is British too. 

 

A caveat about the Deltang system is the announcement a few days ago that some of the components of their receiver boards and transmitters will no longer be available which means they have stocks to keep production going into 2021. This means that David Theunissen has about a year to redesign the boards around substitute components. See the news section on the Deltang site.

 

I looked a Protocab but for me the killer problem was, although you could have 9 locos assigned to the controller, only one could be moving at the same time.. I have 3 continuous run circuits on my layout plus goods yards and a loco shed, so for my one man operation I can have 3 trains running on the through lines and one loco shunting etc. A Deltang Tx22 transmitter can have 12 locos running independently at the same time. Does the new Protocab controller fix this?

 

edit - Deltang also has products for other radio control applications such as boats and cars etc (see the radio control vehicle topics here on RMWEB, they mostly use Deltang stuff. this is because it is based on model aircraft radio technology. I understand that David Theunissen was one of the leading proponents of electric power for model aircraft.

4 hours ago, Robin2 said:

That seems just a little bit extreme.

 

If you are referring to the risk of a LiPo battery exploding then that risk exists with every system that uses LiPo cells. I would never use or charge them unattended in any RC system. And their use in model trains puts much less strain on the battery compared to model airplanes because the currents used in model trains are so much lower.

 

...R

 

 

Davetheroad,

My apologies, I hadn't realised Deltang was British.

Your point about extra locos running at the same time.  Yes Protocab can do this, on the existing controller as well as the new one.  Personally rubbing my belly whilst tapping my head and twiddling my thumbs is beyond me...

 

Robin2

Ok, a bit extreme.  But my point which I am making rather badly is that if you are assembling a set of components chosen by yourself, it follows you would need at least a basic knowledge of physics involved - which I don't.  Aside from the battery charging risks, and I agree the same batteries are used by both systems, my simple brain tells me if one component is overloaded by another there will be a risk of at best a failure and at worst a heat related incident.  It is for this reason my faith is with Protocab who have gone through rigorous certification processes for set systems.

 

Bob

[Robin2]

2 hours ago, Platform10 said:

if you are assembling a set of components chosen by yourself, it follows you would need at least a basic knowledge of physics involved - which I don't. 

I had hoped I had anticipated that possibility by beginning my Reply with "If you are interested in computer programming"

 

I do appreciate that most people who use this Forum have little interest in computers, and even see their model trains as an escape from them.

 

Quote

It is for this reason my faith is with Protocab who have gone through rigorous certification processes for set systems.

 

One pays a considerable premium for that certification and I wanted you to be aware that people with an enthusiasm for DIY can avoid a lot of that cost.

 

...R

Edited November 18, 2019 by Robin2

[Corbs]

I find it so much fun now I have worked out the wiring loom etc.

So far I have converted 9 locomotives. I started on the little 009 one in the foreground with basically no soldering experience and very little electrical knowledge.

Some of them have been rebuilt more than once as I've improved or found better ways to do things.

 

[Rhobat Bryn]

Does anyone know what's happening with Protocab?  I've sent three e-mails in the last two months and have not received a reply yet.  Also they have not published a newsletter since last year although their website is still up and running.

[CME and Bottlewasher]

On 30/07/2020 at 19:22, Rhobat Bryn said:

Does anyone know what's happening with Protocab?  I've sent three e-mails in the last two months and have not received a reply yet.  Also they have not published a newsletter since last year although their website is still up and running.

Hi,

 

I had Comms issues with Protocab too, they reached out to me via here.

 

Try:-

 

<sales@protocab.com>

 

Address it to Tony, mention that I pointed you in the right direction.

 

I hope that helps.

 

Kind regards,

 

Martin.