NCE Power cab amp rating

[topnoddy]

Good morning gents , apologies if this has been asked many times before but I've done a search and came up blank .

 

Just getting back into the hobby after getting a spare room for a layout and I've decided to go DCC but only to run the locos , i will not be using sound/lights/points etc . The layout will be a tail chaser N gauge steam with a maximum of three lines , still at the planning stage at the moment 

 

I'm looking at either the NCE power cab or GM prodigy express , my question is what amp rating is the NCE ? I've been looking around various sellers and some say 1.5A and others say 2A . The GM unit is rated at 1.6A .

 

Am i correct in thinking that the higher the amp rating the more locos the controller will be able to run at the same time ? 

[mikeg]

I don’t know what the amps are but the NCE unit will run 6 OO locos at once, I think that the Express unit would run what you want but it is limited in what you can do setting up CV’s and reading them. Once you get to understand the NCE unit it’s very easy to use and can be added to to provide 5amps in the future.

 

regards mike 

[Danemouth]

IIRC Powercabs were originally sold with  1.5 amp power supplies but now sold with 2 amps supplies.

 

I've used Powercabs for over a decade and have set it to show current draw instead of time. Never seen it go above 0.6 amps. It also powers the eleven Cobalt motors on Danemouth.

 

Dave

[NIK]

Hi,

 

The NCE Power Cab has a peak power rating of 2 amps.

 

It has been know for suppliers to provide a power supply with slightly lower maximum current.

 

Yes, the higher the amp rating the more locos can be run at the same time.

 

The few N gauge locos I've tested drew around a fifth of an amp at maximum speed.

 

Regards

 

Nick

 

[smokebox]

Nce information station says 2Amps

https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201479815-Step-1-The-Power-Cab

[topnoddy]

2 hours ago, smokebox said:

Nce information station says 2Amps

https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201479815-Step-1-The-Power-Cab

Thanks for the link , i'd been searching on that site and couldn't get the info i was after 

[topnoddy]

Thanks for the replies , I was leaning towards the NCE and that's what I'll be going for now .

Not being that tech savvy the ease of use is a big plus .

[brossard]

Interesting that when this topic comes up, NCE frequently rises to the top of the pops.  I've had mine for probably 20 years with one firmware upgrade in there somewhere.  As has been said it is easy to use and has good ergonomics (you can hold it in your hand and manage the throttle and functions).

 

John

[Ron Ron Ron]

8 hours ago, mikeg said:

……I think that the Express unit would run what you want but it is limited in what you can do setting up CV’s and reading them……

Just to correct this bit of misleading and incorrect information.

The Prodigy Express is not limited in writing or reading CV’s.

 

The limitation on this system is the lack of accessory control, so you can’t switch points or operate any other trackside accessory functions (e.g. signals, level crossings etc,).

 

.

[DCCconcepts]

On 27/06/2021 at 10:49, Danemouth said:

IIRC Powercabs were originally sold with  1.5 amp power supplies but now sold with 2 amps supplies.

 

I've used Powercabs for over a decade and have set it to show current draw instead of time. Never seen it go above 0.6 amps. It also powers the eleven Cobalt motors on Danemouth.

 

Dave

 

Cobalt IP Digital point motors take approximately 5mA when static. They will draw about 50mA when moving and once stalled, will revert back to the 5mA state.

 

Best Regards,

The Dccconcepts Team

Edited July 3, 2021 by DCCconcepts