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Model Railroading > NCE Wireless Woes - UPDATEDate: 01/31/25 13:43 NCE Wireless Woes - UPDATE Author: tmotor First of all, THANK YOU to all that responded to my earlier post on this subject! :-D
It helped point me in the right direction. (Gotta' LOVE those helpful TO members!) Here's what I found (so far): The ProCab-R ("R" for Radio - wireless) I have is ancient and needs the internal board upgraded. There is NOT a DIY option, and it needs to be sent to NCE. $109 I also need to send them the RB02 Radio Base Station, to see if it needs a $30 upgrade. They are a relatively small shop, and have quite a backlog. They are currently working on throttles they have received Jan 4, 2025. They estimate 4-6 weeks turn-around time. With shipping, probably longer since they are on the opposite coast. I don't have a spare Cab. Being without a DCC throttle kinda' brings my Speed Matching project to a grinding halt for the better part of 2 months. :-0 Turns-out the current ProCab-R has an internal antenna. My ProCab-R has an antenna sticking out of the top, which is now Old School. Since I don't have a spare ProCab around, I will purchase another ProCab-R throttle. (The standard ProCab does NOT have wireless capability.) When my current ProCab-R returns, I will then have a spare throttle. Some of the keys on my throttle needed to be mashed pretty hard to register. There is a DIY option for the keypad membrane to be swapped-out. https://tonystrains.com/product/nce-5240500-membrane-keypad-for-power-cab-or-pro-cab However, i can't find any in-stock. Best I have seen is a "special order". I will ask the NCE folks to swap it when they perform the upgrade on my current ProCab-R. When I purchased my current NCE system, it was during the days when locomotives were very power-hungry. I purchased the 10 Amp "Powerhouse" version, thinking I would need that much power to feed the head-end and helpers for an Oil Cans run, all equipped with sound, on a grade. After my recent experience at La Mesa, I realize that with the current crop of engines with sound, 10 Amps is overkill. The standard for HO is 5 Amps, and (with properly sized Power Districts) it even works on large layouts like La Mesa. (The 10 Amp is intended for large scale, such as G-scale.) I've been looking for an excuse to get a 5 Amp DCC system from NCE, and this seems like as good a time as any. â[url=https://www.arizonahobbies.com/ph-pro-r-wireless-starter-set-updated.html]https://www.arizonahobbies.com/ph-pro-r-wireless-starter-set-updated.html[/url] Thanks again for keeping me on the right track. ;-) Dave Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/25 17:28 by tmotor. ![]() Date: 01/31/25 14:18 Re: NCE Wireless Woes - UPDATE Author: ATSFSuperCap First of all you really should have a back up throttle, in case, well, this happens. $150 will get you a new NCE Power Cab which does all the same stuff but is corded and needs to be plugged in.
Date: 01/31/25 14:34 Re: NCE Wireless Woes - UPDATE Author: funnelfan Not sure if you get many visiting operators, but adding Wifi to the system will allow people to use their phones or Wifi throttle like the TCS UWT-50P. Just recently I found there is a simple option for NCE systems made by WifiTrax in the WFD-30 which is a Wifi card that can be hooked to the NCE Cab Bus. TCS sells the card as well as Throttle-Wifi Card bundles with a nice discount over buying seperately. I just bought a bundle so I could get the card and my friend could get the throttle (which he loves). I haven't installed the card yet, but will report on it when I do.
Card; https://www.tcsdcc.com/product-page/wfd-30-nce-cab-bus-wi-fi-interface Bundle; https://www.tcsdcc.com/product-page/uwt-50-wifitrax-wfd-30-bundle I prefer the Potentiometer version of the UWT-50 throttle. Ted Curphey Ontario, OR Date: 01/31/25 16:11 Re: NCE Wireless Woes - UPDATE Author: tmotor Greetings ATSFSuperCap!
> First of all you really should have a back up > throttle, in case, well, this happens. Yup, learned my lesson! > $150 > will get you a new NCE Power Cab which does all > the same stuff but is corded and needs to be > plugged in. Some of the modular folks have used them to make a portable test bench. Modify a plastic toolbox as an enclosure. Have all of the sockets mounted to the outside of the toolbox. Plug-in the test track, and the throttle, and you are all set. It a pinch it can double as another throttle. Perfect! Take care and God bless! Dave Date: 01/31/25 23:30 Re: NCE Wireless Woes - UPDATE Author: tracktime 100% Amen with Ted below regarding the WiFiTrax interface paired with a UWT-50E throttle. This, my friends, is my go-to when using my NCE system these days.
My plan originally was to purchase a Radio-equipped NCE ProCab System for my layout, but at the time, none were in stock anywhere, so instead, I went with a tethered non-radio NCE ProCab connected to the WiFiTrax interface which then communicates with any WiFi throttle. While I am no fan of iPhone or Android throttles due to their non-tactile interface, I am more than pleased with the TCS UWT-50E (Encoder version) Throttle, which provides easy access to the higher numbered DCC functions and is ergonomically designed with a very straightforward interface that allows direct access to the most frequently accessed functions such as bell, horn and headlights without having to even look at the throttle. The TCS UWT-100 is nice also, but for me, it has nothing over the UWT-50 for ease of use. I strongly prefer the large easy-access dial on the UWT-50 for speed control over the scroll wheel on the UWT-100. Most importantly, with the WiFi interface, I have had absolutely ZERO issues with connectivity to my NCE system via the WiFiTrax interface for the 2+ years that I have had this. No dead spots, NONE, and no ugly radio antennas rubber duckies sprouting up in strange places on your ceiling or backdrop. I highly recommend this setup (TCS UWT-50 + WiFiTrax) for anyone running a NCE system who wants a wireless throttle. It just flat out works, and the ease of use is unparalleled. Cheers, Harry funnelfan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Not sure if you get many visiting operators, but > adding Wifi to the system will allow people to use > their phones or Wifi throttle like the TCS > UWT-50P. Just recently I found there is a simple > option for NCE systems made by WifiTrax in the > WFD-30 which is a Wifi card that can be hooked to > the NCE Cab Bus. TCS sells the card as well as > Throttle-Wifi Card bundles with a nice discount > over buying seperately. I just bought a bundle so > I could get the card and my friend could get the > throttle (which he loves). I haven't installed the > card yet, but will report on it when I do. > > Card; > https://www.tcsdcc.com/product-page/wfd-30-nce-cab > -bus-wi-fi-interface > > Bundle; > https://www.tcsdcc.com/product-page/uwt-50-wifitra > x-wfd-30-bundle > > I prefer the Potentiometer version of the UWT-50 > throttle. Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/25 23:37 by tracktime. Date: 02/01/25 05:34 Re: NCE Wireless Woes - UPDATE Author: WrongWayMurphy I concur with TrackTime. I use the WiFi interface with UWT-50 throttles and find
this the ultimate solution to wireless operation. Visitors come and often prefer to use their own iPhone throttles with no issues to boot. I love the ease of consisting with the handheld UWT-50. Date: 02/01/25 14:59 Re: NCE Wireless Woes - UPDATE Author: SPDRGWfan TCS throttles via wifi for the win!
I've only used my UWT-100's so far but I do have a UWT-50P - I noticed the price went up on the UTW-50 since I bought mine tho. |