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NIK

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Posts posted by NIK

  1. 6 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

    I remember when they brought it back!

     

    I'm pretty sure someone like Bruce Forsyth or Bob Monkhouse did it as a segment in a different programme in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

     

    Wiki just says the original version and Des O'Connor in the 1990s. I certainly wouldn't have watched that!

     

     

     

    Des O'Connor had a criminal record - and released some more later on.

    • Funny 2
  2. 1 hour ago, ColinB said:

    I still don't understand why the guys at Hornby didn't incorporate a reset command in their software. What we used to do when we reprogrammed a vehicle module is to issue a reset command at the end of the reprogramming session, on most micros you can do this, so all you do is create a command to tell the micro to do this. It saves on switching things on and off, the controlling program does it when it has finished . I suppose they just didn't have the experience to know it is a good idea.

    Hi,

     

    This is just a guess but perhaps they didn't incorporate a reset command as it might have been used as a fast way in to hack the decoder/programmer system without leaving a physical trace on the decoder?.

     

    As an example if the Nazis had incorporated a 'Say Again' operation into the process for communicating the new wheel and patch board settings for Enigma machines and the Allies found out about it they would have been able to gain info about the wider system.

     

    Regards

     

    Nik

  3. Hi Mike,

     

    Sorry, I didn't spot it was a non DCC topic but carrying on from what DCB said did you buy any of the units second-hand in which case there is a slight chance they may have DCC decoders fitted but running in DC compatibility mode.

     

    You said it was not controller specific but were all the controllers tried of the feedback type?.

    There is just a chance that feedback controllers may struggle with multiple units.

     

    Also I find it very difficult to judge slight changes in speed of a model train - maybe coupling together units is showing variations in electrical pickup.

     

    Do the units have Kadee buckeye couplers at the cab ends - that may reduce the effect of surging.

     

    Regards

     

    Nik (EMU and DEMU mad)

  4. Hi,

     

    I've not looked into this in detail but I think I remember talk about the back EMF feedback features of decoders reacting with one another when in a consist.

     

    I think the solution that was mentioned was to turn off the back EMF feedback feature on all 'locos' except the leading one.

     

    I think that's a bit of a challenge for model Southern Region practise in particular where splitting/combining  of units can occur quite frequently in stations and fiddle yards.

     

    I don't think there are any DCC decoders that offer say the option to automatically turn off the back EMF feedback to all of the advanced consist bar the front unit.

     

    Regards

     

    Nick 

  5. 19 minutes ago, metadyneman said:

    I recently acquired a mint boxed green 4-CEP for £120 which considering this version was released in 2009 I thought was quite a reasonable price. For some reason, I have never seen a first version VEP come down that low unless it had a string of things wrong with it (other than the factory made ones!) and for what I would describe as an inferior model I find it rather strange.

    Hi,

     

    Perhaps Bachmann sold a larger number of green 4-CEP than Hornby sold 'original' 4 VEPs?.

    Or some of those who bought original 4 VEPs are too ashamed to reveal that they had by advertising them for sale?.

     

    Regards

     

    Nik

     

     

    • Like 1
    • Funny 3
  6. Missed computer game hits:

     

    Resident Weevil

    Assassin’s code of safe practise.

    Call of Nature

    Close Cry

    Baldur’s Turnstile

    0.5 Life

    Triablo

    Pathetic Theft Auto

    Shop Counter-Strike

    Cul-de-Sac Fighter

    Closed Minecraft

    Mittman

    Metal Gear Flacid

    Not quite Total War

    Dom

    StoreCraft

    The Simms

    The Elder Bread Rolls

    Microsoft Light Simulator

    Falloff

    Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Nation

    Football Manger

    BioShack

    Buzz Simulator

    Napoleon: Total Pig

    Need for Speed: Trabant

    The Leg End of Zelda Fitzgerald

    Tom Clancy’s Splinter Injury

    Rain Simulator

    Guitar Villain

    Min Payne

    Medal of Honor Blackman

    Bus Replacement Simulator

    Farm Subsidy Simulator
    Command and Conker

    Crysis Averted

    Crab Game: the Starter

    Final Fanta

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    • Funny 3
  7. Just now, KeithMacdonald said:

     

     

    Bognor and Minehead?

    So easily confused.

    For a better connection, please can we have a picture of 6000 King George V visiting Minehead on the West Somerset Railway?

    I think there was only 1 King George V not 6000.🙂

    • Funny 4
  8. 1 hour ago, Hroth said:

     

    Doesn't surprise me, the last words of Geoge V were alleged to be "Bu@ger Bognor"...

     

    Isn't Burger Bognor the opposite end of the prom to Burger King?.

     

     

    Also talking of Geoges didn't the Prince Regent eat so much he became Gorge the 4th?.

    • Like 1
    • Funny 4
  9. Hi,

     

    No work on Beggarwood Lane planned this week at the club as we prepare for our annual exhibition at the weekend where this time we hope to raise some money towards the interior of our new club hut so that we can get it signed off by the building inspector and we can move in.

     

    Beggarwood is planned to all go up after our show. A lot of third rail has been lowered.

     

    In addition to a block of flats a 1960's industrial unit has been started for the right hand end of the scenic section. It looks a lot cleaner than the Victorian warehouse to its left and the 1930's flats to its right but I guess it should do.

     

    Scenery was starting to encroach on the site for a shunting signal for the carriage sidings but after consultation with our newly retired signalling engineer its going to be replaced with three ground position light signals.

     

    We've started to look at whether the viewing public will be able to see the aspects.

    Once the layout is up we can put a bit of string on the floor to represent the barriers and then see which if any of the ground signals can be seen straight enough to be seen.

    Will probably fit all three ground signals with surface mount LEDs plus wires as it will be difficult to retro fit them.

     

    Signalling the carriage sidings has brought up the problem of how to signal bidirectional lines.

    There are understandable route numbers for the three sidings, and for routes that are unidirectional I was going to add clearing a signal to the end of an NCE macro.

     

    That's not going to work for bidirectional routes where the signal to be cleared depends on the direction the train is going to go. We may have to look at the NCE macro number allocation to find macros that are both spare and where the number indicates which direction the train is to go.

    The NCE Power Pro macro numbers go from 0 to 255.

    0 to 9 have been allocated to routes in the goods yard in order to speed up shunting (less buttons to press on the hand held cabs etc).

    Some of 10 to 99 are allocated to routes on the clockwise and anticlockwise mainlines.

    Some of 100 to 199 are allocated to routes associated with the loop on the anticlockwise mainline.

    Some of 200 to 255 are allocated to routes associated with the spur with the gradient.

     

    Some of 100 to 255 are used linked to other macros to extend them as NCE Power Pro macro can only have up to ten instructions each and some routes involve setting more points than that. So they are reserved but not typed by the operators (hopefully).

     

    Regards

     

    Nik (on behalf of Basingstoke and North Hants Model Railway Society - still looking for members)

    • Like 1
  10. Probably. Depends what you mean by sound.

     

    The photo shows a circuit board with a DC blanking plate plugged in.

     

    So no DCC sound decoder mentioned or shown. Or a DCC non sound decoder.

     

    The spring like thing is an inductor in series with the motor and if its come away at one or both ends the motor will not run.

     

    Regards

     

    Nik

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