Model Forum / General / Railroads / November 2009

NCE

Thunderbird Model RR club in Phoenix studied several options before
choosing NCE.  Digitrax was one of the first they eliminated - too much
proprietary stuff, very poor customer support.  Ponderosa North club
that I belong too also chose NCE after trying both, and I chose it for
my home layout.  2 other members have also.  I have the Power Cab setup
with a Smart Booster (3 amp total), am looking at adding a DB3 Dumb
Booster such that I can put 3 amps on each half of the layout.  4 power
districts; we run up to 4 locos during an operating session (layout is
around the walls 12 x 18, mostly designed as a switching layout).  Club
portable layout will run 3 locos without sound plus one with sound at
the same time.  I only have one sound loco but don't use it during op
sessions on my layout (will be adding one shortly tho).  My layout uses
the Power Cab plus 3 throttles (one with a toggle switch that makes it
two throttles in one unit).  Note that the Power Cab with Smart Booster
setup can only handle a total of 4 throttles, numbers 2-3-4-5.

I (and all in the club who use the NCE throttles) much prefer the
ergonomics of them over the Digitrax ones.  One club member does have
Digitrax, and we do operate on his layout from time - don't know how the
others feel, but to me the push buttons on the Digitrax throttles are a
bit small, and I personally don't care for the feel of them when I'm
using them.

HTH

Matt (also)

mc_brennan@yahoo.com wrote in news:95af621e-73f8-49df-91f0-d8faa0049b86
@n35g2000yqm.googlegroups.com:

Our club is Digitrax.  Digitrax has several good attributes, but is a
little rough around the edges for some people's taste.  For example,
almost all digitrax equipment is compatible with future versions.  That
means if you have a Zephyr set and a Super Chief Set they'll work
together and you'll get expanded capacity on your layout.  The throttles
are likewise compatible.

Loconet is one of Digitrax's key features.  Accessories, throttles,
computer control and the like can be done via Loconet.  For large
layouts, you can spread your boosters around the layout to keep track
busses short(er).

I have no experience using NCE systems, but one of the key differences
often pointed out on the Digitrax Yahoo! group is how Digitrax and NCE
handle their throttle networks.  The NCE throttle network is a polled
system, meaning each device in turn is asked "Do you have a command for
me?" while Digitrax uses a broadcasted mechanism.  When a throttle has a
command, it's transmitted.

If all you're doing is using DCC at home and won't take your equipment to
other locations, either system will work.  If you'll be taking your
equipment to other locations, Digitrax doesn't require much to get it to
work.  Just make sure your Radio address is set to the layout's address
(if you're using radio), plug in and start playing.

Puckdropper

I like the well thought out operation of the NCE system better.
Particularly if you have a lot of diesel consists set up.   With the NCE
system, when you set up a advanced consist, both ends of the consist are
remembered by the command station.  If you have a consist sitting on a
East - West track you can select either end to control the consist.  Select
the East end loco and forward direction and the consist moves East.  Select
the West end loco and the forward direction and the consist moves West.
Other systems require you to setup the consist in one direction or the
other.

Stuart Sabatini
Palm Coast, FL

mc_brennan@yahoo.com (mc_brennan@yahoo.com) said...

When I was looking into a DCC system, NCE was recommended from several
sources based on what seemed to be a consensus that it had the best
compatibility with other products (decoders in particular) and was easy
to use and quite flexible in terms of addressing and consisting.

I went with their system and ended up getting the wireless PowerCab Pro
since the shop I was buying from had a good price on it. I have since
heard that their wireless products tend to be better than others as well.

I should add a couple of points from my experience with NCE. I have had
no issues whatsoever. I have used a few decoders from Digitrax without
any problems, and I have used the Lenz LS-150 accessory decoders for
twin coil switch machines (a lower cost alternative than using six of
NCE's Snap-It). The Snap-It is a better choice if you are powering two
turnouts for a cross-over from one decoder as you can add an external
capacitor for some extra oomph, but you can't beat the LS-150' price per
output.

Here is what I believe is something that would definitely sell me on
a company if I heard it before buying:  I purchased an NCE Switch-8
accessory decoder that had a problem. The little rotary switch used to
program each of its outputs was not working - regardless of its position,
only the first output was being programmed. I emailed NCE to find out
if I was doing something wrong or could do something to fix the problem.
They responded quickly and told me the unit may have a bad trace or
solder joint and asked me to mail it to them for repair or replacement.
I did this and I received a working unit within two weeks (and I am in
Canada, so there was no doubt some extra time involved in the shipping).

This sort of customer service is something I value.

To be fair, I did have a question for Lenz that was not clearly explained
in their manual (I wondered if multiple LS-150s can be powered from the
same AC source). They were quick to respond to my question (the answer was
'yes').