Powercab as a spare throttle?

[Mr chapman]

Hello. I have a small layout and I'm using an Nce powercab. My friend has a huge layout and he also uses the powercab system. Just the basic not a procab. Now, he has a couple of spare sockets around the layout so he can control it from different areas. What I want to know is when visiting (if that's ever a thing again) is there a way to plug my powercab in and use it as a spare throttle to share control? I thought I read somewhere you could do it many moons ago, although the manual now shows a dedicated spare throttle. 

[BromsMods]

It can, indeed, be done quite easily. You need to first check with your friend if there are any other items on the cab bus using the address 3 or above.  Assuming there aren't you will need to plug your PowerCab into his cab bus with the curly cable and as you do so keep the SELECT LOCO button pressed down.  This will enable you to change your cab address to a vacant address above 2 on the cab bus.

 

The downside of this is that when you next use the cab on your own system you will need to change the address of the cab back to 2 (using the flat cable and the method described above) or your own system won't work!

[RedgateModels]

What John said

 

used to do this with my exhibition layouts - my regular operator had a Powercab and this is how we used to work at shows until I had the chance to buy a Procab throttle cheaply. Been using this setup ever since.

 

Still not had to use that spare encoder @BromsMods after all these years

[Nigelcliffe]

What's been said is all correct. 

 

However, the PowerPro system could setup so it didn't have any resident Cabs (throttles) on the default of "2". Thus the first visitor with a PowerCab could plug-in without changing anything.    A second visitor bringing another PowerCab would have to change cab addresses to a spare value. 

 

  
 

 

 

[Mr chapman]

Top banana! 

[norman]

You can't use a banana as a throttle that's a no no never.

 

[Crosland]

You could use an apple.

[arff999]

Or a pear 

[Crosland]

He's already trying to use a pear (of Powercabs).

[BromsMods]

You can use whatever is ap-peeling for the individual!

[Ron Ron Ron]

Sorry to sow seeds of doubt, but this has become a fruitless thread....we should get back to the core issue....which was.....errr?

[Ravenser]

Just to warn - the one time I've tried this, there seemed to be quite a marked lag in response when using the "slave" Powercab

[Mr chapman]

Fruit salad aside, what do you mean by lag? A delay between hitting stop and the train actually stopping? 

 

May sound stupid, but with the two cabs on the same layout is it just a case of selecting a vacant locomotive? And what happens if you try to select a locomotive being used by the other cab? 

 

And if you really want to impress me work a kiwi fruit into your answer

[BromsMods]

8 hours ago, Mr chapman said:

Fruit salad aside, what do you mean by lag? A delay between hitting stop and the train actually stopping? 

 

May sound stupid, but with the two cabs on the same layout is it just a case of selecting a vacant locomotive? And what happens if you try to select a locomotive being used by the other cab? 

 

And if you really want to impress me work a kiwi fruit into your answer

 

I doubt if there is a wiki thread on this but for the answer to the question about selecting locos, see page 44 of the manual which deals with ASSIGNING A LOCO TO A CAB.

 

ASSIGNING A LOCO TO A CAB
(shortcut = PROG 2 )
This selection passes a loco or consist from one cab to another. This is especially
useful when the other operator is a novice or has a Basic Cab. The locomotive/
consist is passed to the assigned cab and the locomotive/consist controlled by the
other cab is passed back to the original cab. In effect the locomotives controlled by
the cabs are “swapped”. This way you will not accidentally ‘lose’ a locomotive in the
system.
ASSIGN THE LOCO
Enter the loco/consist number you want to assign to another cab, then press
ENTER. If you want to assign the loco you are currently running just push ENTER.
WHICH LOCO: _003

ASSIGN THE CAB
You need to know the address of the cab you want to ‘receive’ the loco you are
assigning. Enter the Cab number then press ENTER.
LOC:1234
TO WHICH CAB? _
 

[Ravenser]

14 hours ago, Mr chapman said:

Fruit salad aside, what do you mean by lag? A delay between hitting stop and the train actually stopping? 

 

May sound stupid, but with the two cabs on the same layout is it just a case of selecting a vacant locomotive? And what happens if you try to select a locomotive being used by the other cab? 

 

And if you really want to impress me work a kiwi fruit into your answer

 

 

I mean just that. If you selected the loco on the master PowerCab it responded immediately. If you used the slave it took 1-2 seconds to respond

 

This cannot be solved by the use of a slice of kiwifruit, though it will still apply if you are controlling a container train with a model of a 20' integral reefer of chilled kiwifruit on it

[Nigelcliffe]

2 hours ago, Ravenser said:

 

 

I mean just that. If you selected the loco on the master PowerCab it responded immediately. If you used the slave it took 1-2 seconds to respond

 

 

There are two different situations, which may be being confounded. 

 

Situation 1:  PowerCab system, with a second handset added to it.   The PowerCab is the command station. 

 

Situation 2:  PowerPro system, with a number of handsets.  Each handset must have a unique cab address.   A PowerCab can be a handset on such a system, but behaves like a PowerPro handset.  

 

I make no comments on the lag reported, other than pointing out that Situation 1 is different to Situation 2.  

 

 

[Ravenser]

1 minute ago, Nigelcliffe said:

 

There are two different situations, which may be being confounded. 

 

Situation 1:  PowerCab system, with a second handset added to it.   The PowerCab is the command station. 

 

Situation 2:  PowerPro system, with a number of handsets.  Each handset must have a unique cab address.   A PowerCab can be a handset on such a system, but behaves like a PowerPro handset.  

 

I make no comments on the lag reported, other than pointing out that Situation 1 is different to Situation 2.  

 

 

 

This was Situation 1

[Ray H]

Have you tried switching the throttles around to see the effect?