NCE Powercab connect to laptop

[Martin 284red]

I have the above as my DCC controller, however I want to connect this to my laptop.

Can anyone help with advice, I know NCE have there own connector but it costs £40 approx, I need to know if there is anyone who can point me in the right direction to get a connector cheaper.

I want to set up JMRI which I have already on my laptop.

Regards

Martin

[Luke Piewalker]

As far as I am aware the NCE USB adaptor is the only game in town.

[dasatcopthorne]

16 hours ago, Luke Piewalker said:

As far as I am aware the NCE USB adaptor is the only game in town.

 

Agreed.

 

That's the only way.

 

Dave.

[Izzy]

Not sure what you want to do with JMRI but for just a little more cost you could get a Sprog2/3 to run with JMRI which would give you an alternative/backup system. I use mine for programming/testing with a Prodigy to run the layouts, but the Sprog/JMRI combo can of course do that if desired. It’s just a thought.

 

Bob

[Pete the Elaner]

2 hours ago, Izzy said:

Not sure what you want to do with JMRI but for just a little more cost you could get a Sprog2/3 to run with JMRI which would give you an alternative/backup system. I use mine for programming/testing with a Prodigy to run the layouts, but the Sprog/JMRI combo can of course do that if desired. It’s just a thought.

 

Bob

 

I've not used a Sprog but a separate system for programming locos can be an advantage.

but

You can't program on the main with JMRI. I occasionally find it useful to tweak settings while a loco is running. I never do it directly from the handset because I won't have a record of the new settings.

 

As for the NCE's USB connector, this is not such bad value. Starting off with a PowerCab & upgrading it to the same specs as a PowerPro (computer connection, separate program track, booster) costs little, if anything, more than buying a PowerPro to start with.

[Izzy]

22 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

I've not used a Sprog but a separate system for programming locos can be an advantage.

but

You can't program on the main with JMRI. I occasionally find it useful to tweak settings while a loco is running. I never do it directly from the handset because I won't have a record of the new settings.

If I POM then of course I use the Prodigy, sometimes it’s much quicker for simple changes, but it’s easy to get the sprog/JMRI to read the decoder & save the results to the roster. I’m think you can POM with the sprog in command station mode in JMRI, I’ll have to check. 
 

Bob

[Nigelcliffe]

6 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

 

You can't program on the main with JMRI. 

 

 

Rubbish.  You can use Programming on the Main with JMRI.   I've been using it for 17 years or so....

 

 

- Nigel

 

[Crosland]

7 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

I've not used a Sprog but a separate system for programming locos can be an advantage.

but

You can't program on the main with JMRI.

 

Of course you can, if the system supports it.

 

In the case of the SPROG it uses service mode in programmer mode and POM in command station mode, both driven by JMRI.

 

I can't think of any "real" DCC system that does not support POM with JMRI.

 

[Pete the Elaner]

2 hours ago, Nigelcliffe said:

 

Rubbish.  You can use Programming on the Main with JMRI.   I've been using it for 17 years or so....

 

 

- Nigel

 

 

Thanks for the correction. I can't believe I typed that & it completely contradicts the rest of my paragraph.

I feel very embarrassed for typing it.

I meant that you can't program on the main if you use separate systems for programming & operating, so I completely understand wanting to do everything with 1.

[Crosland]

20 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

I meant that you can't program on the main if you use separate systems for programming & operating, so I completely understand wanting to do everything with 1.

 

I still don't get what you are trying to say.

 

Any system that can operate should also be able to do POM, whether via JMRI or system hardware.

[Pete the Elaner]

12 hours ago, Crosland said:

 

I still don't get what you are trying to say.

 

Any system that can operate should also be able to do POM, whether via JMRI or system hardware.

 

The original question was how to get a cheaper connector so the OP can use JMRI with a Powercab.

If a Sprog is used separately, this is really useful because locos can be read/programmed while the layout is in use.

This leaves you with JMRI connected to a Sprog which is connected to a programming track & a Powercab controlling the layout.

Programming on the main is useful. JMRI is good for this because once you read in the CVs, you can view them before changing anything. But if you have it set up with a program track via a sprog, programming on the main is accessed from the throttle, so JMRI is not automatically updated with any changes you make.

 

I can see benefits & drawbacks of having a separate system for programming.

[Lemmy282]

I bit the bullet and bought the NCE USB adaptor, and the Autoswitch which is about £20. Using this set up it gives you a separate programming track output and can connect to JMRI. Okay it would cost about £70 in total, but it gives you all the flexibility and always connected to the computer for programming track or POM.

 

Nigel L

 

[Crosland]

On 25/07/2022 at 08:30, Pete the Elaner said:

The original question was how to get a cheaper connector so the OP can use JMRI with a Powercab.

 

It was, but threads drift and my last post was in response to your statement

 

Quote

 

I meant that you can't program on the main if you use separate systems for programming & operating, 

 

 

Which is just wrong. You can have one system for programming in service mode on a programming track and one system for running. The system for running can program on the main, if it's a decent system. That's exactly what programming on the main is intended for.

 

Your response still makes no sense 🙂

 

On 25/07/2022 at 08:30, Pete the Elaner said:

Programming on the main is useful. JMRI is good for this because once you read in the CVs, you can view them before changing anything. But if you have it set up with a program track via a sprog, programming on the main is accessed from the throttle, so JMRI is not automatically updated with any changes you make.

 

I've never used the Program button from a throttle, so I don't know what that does, and it doesn't seem to be enabled for SPROG command station or for the NCE simulator (I don't have any NCE hardware).

 

Programming on the main in JMRI can be done through the comprehensive programmer interface and any changes saved to the roster, just as you do in service mode on a programming track. The only difference is that the read buttons are not available.

 

In PanelPro Tools>Programmers>Ops-Mode Programmer, select the loco in the roster drop-down, select the Programmer format and open it.

 

 

 

[Pete the Elaner]

1 hour ago, Crosland said:

 

Your response still makes no sense 🙂

 

 

Maybe I just need to explain my setup?

 

When I install a decoder, I use JMRI to read back all CVs from the programming track. I never change any settings directly from the handset (in my case a Procab), only through JMRI. Since JMRI will have an up to date record of my settings, I should never need to read them again, so any updating can be done on the main.

I have a PC in my layout room which is permanently connected to my PowerPro. I just need to launch JMRI & I'm connected.

 

If I had a separate system for programming, this would be great because the layout would not be cut off while I read in the CVs to JMRI. I would have to connect it to a programming system (Sprog) instead of my PowerPro to my PC & programming track.

But the PowerPro still runs the layout. If I wanted to update any CVs on something running, I could do it from the handset but this would bypass JMRI which would make my records out of date.

[Nigelcliffe]

1 hour ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

Maybe I just need to explain my setup?

 

.......

 

( Yes, clearly any changes done from a handset will bypass JMRI, and you therefore get out-of-step with what's in a decoder and what is in the PC record of the decoder).  

 

     
Assuming you've a long enough cable to your programming track, you can setup JMRI so that programming track is on a Sprog, and layout control and programming-on-the-main is on the NCE system.  With a common roster file.   So, you could make changes on one system (the layout via NCE PowerPro) using the PC whilst still having access to the programming track (via Sprog).     

 

Or, if that feels too complex to have everything available all at the same time, you could setup the "PanelPro" icon to launch a profile which is NCE-PowerPro and Programming-on-the-main, and a different launch from "DecoderPro" to a profile which is Sprog Programmer for Programming Track, but with both profiles set so the roster is in a common location, so both see the same decoder settings files and update the same file.   

 

There are a very large number of ways of configuring JMRI.  

 

 

 

[beejack]

For anyone looking to buy one there's a second hand one for sale currently no bids.

 

No involvement with the seller, was just looking through my saved searches and noticed it.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165596576060?hash=item268e53393c:g:L4AAAOSw5wli3-Pq