Evenescent

Some of you with NCE DCC systems might have used NCE's Mini Panel, which is a great bit of eqt for automation, layout control and route setting etc.. A large proportion of DCC Concepts products can easily be used with NCE systems, they have recently produced a new product called a Super Panel, which can only be used with NCE DCC Systems. The Super Panel is as you might expect similar to NCE's own Mini Panel, but is much, much more capable. The first thing that I noticed after unpacking is that each of the 50 odd terminals can do 2 actions compared to the Mini Panels 1 per terminal (30 terminals). This means that simple on-off switches are used, for instance to control a simple point left and right directions can used from 1 terminal, whereas the Mini Panel would have to use 2 terminals to do the same. The Mini panel can do sequences of 4 contiguous actions per terminal (no good for point control though), whereas the Super Panel can do 20 actions per terminal either as toggle switch closed or open, so that'd be 20 points that could be simultaneously controlled from one terminal and without using macros either. I mentioned automation in a general sense, in particular the Super Panel is capable of locomotive automation too. So actions such as back and forth shuttles, with slowing, then stopping are possible as well as lights and sounds etc. Some of these actions are possible with a Mini Panel too, but to match a single Super Panel multiples of Mini Panels would have to be used. Cheers, Eve

Some of you with NCE DCC systems might have used NCE's Mini Panel, which is a great bit of eqt for automation, layout control and route setting etc.. A large proportion of DCC Concepts products can easily be used with NCE systems, they have recently produced a new product called a Super Panel, which can only be used with NCE DCC Systems. The Super Panel is as you might expect similar to NCE's own Mini Panel, but is much, much more capable. The first thing that I noticed after unpacking is that each of the 50 odd terminals can do 2 actions compared to the Mini Panels 1 per terminal (30 terminals). This means that simple on-off switches are used, for instance to control a simple point left and right directions can used from 1 terminal, whereas the Mini Panel would have to use 2 terminals to do the same. The Mono panel can do sequences of 4 contiguous actions per terminal (no good for point control though), whereas the Super Panel can do 20 actions per terminal either as toggle switch closed or open, so that'd be 20 points that could be simultaneously controlled from one terminal and without using macros too. I mentioned automation in a general sense, in particular the Super Panel is capable of locomotive automation too. So actions such as back and forth shuttles, with slowing, then stopping are possible as well as lights and sounds etc. Some of these actions are possible with a Mini Panel too, but to match a single Super Panel multiples of Mini Panels would have to be used. Cheers, Eve

Ahh that's not a rant! Anyway i tried the PowerCab connected to a Z21 Black sniffer port and it worked fine. I guess that the sniffer port connects to the booster within the Z21, so any DCC systems track output can be used. Roco states that the port requires a DCC system output signal minimum of 16v, so in the case of the Power Cab which works from a 13.8 v power source, I had to connect the Power Cab to another booster powered by a 16v power supply unit, then connect that to the Z21 sniffer port. Cheers, Eve

OH, and as for MRC/Gaugemaster Prodigy Advance 2, I had this before I changed to NCE. I was really annoyed with having to continually send my handsets back to Gaugemaster for repairs to the speed control rotary encoder. They would not send me a replacement rotary encoder which I could easily fit myself. Now my club has 2 Prodigy Advance 2's one a Gaugemaster and the other an MRC, both base units had packed up, I replaced a blown resistor in the MRC and 4 transistors in the Gaugemaster, I was however really shocked at how cheap and nasty the PCB's were, & very Chinese! And I base that having explored the innards of my 5 amp NCE systems which are of much, much better quality. Sorry if anybody takes umbridge at my comments, but I do have the experience of these systems. Cheers, Eve

I really recommend any NCE system, I don't like the Z21 system that my club uses, I don't find the smart phone app to be simple to set up when taking a new loco to the club. HOWEVER, I've just been investigating the possibility of connecting the track output wires of an NCE Power Cab to the sniffer port of a Z21, there are number of pieces of info regarding this including ROCO's own web site if you search for their manuals then connections. But there is actual proof with a You Tube video https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=NCE+Power+Cab+%26+sniffer+port&newwindow=1&sca_esv=68bfdf527d5dcfbf&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWIJl6WRyCqeeIC6mRcb8Wrb7V75_EQ%3A1719048119551&source=hp&ei=t5d2ZvPsHuqFhbIP1KeX4A0&iflsig=AL9hbdgAAAAAZnalx0B6w2JRPP6hRFhMlwB-tDmW7THM&ved=0ahUKEwizpI-k8e6GAxXqQkEAHdTTBdwQ4dUDCBQ&uact=5&oq=NCE+Power+Cab+%26+sniffer+port&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6IhxOQ0UgUG93ZXIgQ2FiICYgc25pZmZlciBwb3J0MgUQIRigATIFECEYoAFIpn1QAFiXbnAAeACQAQCYAVigAfsNqgECMji4AQPIAQD4AQGYAhugArIOwgILEAAYgAQYkQIYigXCAgoQABiABBhDGIoFwgIREC4YgAQYsQMY0QMYgwEYxwHCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAcICDhAAGIAEGLEDGIMBGIoFwgIOEC4YgAQYsQMYgwEYigXCAhQQLhiABBixAxiDARjHARiKBRivAcICCBAAGIAEGLEDwgINEC4YgAQYQxjUAhiKBcICCxAuGIAEGMcBGK8BwgIFEAAYgATCAg0QLhiABBjHARgKGK8BwgIKEC4YgAQYsQMYCsICBxAAGIAEGA3CAgYQABgNGB7CAgYQABgWGB7CAgcQIRigARgKwgIIEAAYgAQYogTCAgQQIRgVmAMAkgcCMjegB5aJAQ&sclient=gws-wiz#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:077c2c46,vid:CZaVTlrj5Bs,st:0. I hope to try this out soon but as you do need (according to Roco anyway) a 16v minimum in put from your "legacy" (as Roco term it) controller I'll use my Power Cab with a MERG NB2 Booster. I'll post further after I've tried it. Cheers, Eve