Prodigy Express Question

[meanjean]

Can you run 2 cabs on this system? Can pick one up cheap and want to run 2 trains with my boys. Not sure if you can buy a 2nd cab?

 

[EvoMan454]

Yes. The prodigy Express can support up to 20 cabs.

 

[meanjean]

So whats better,
MRC Prodigy Express for $108 or
NCE Power Cab for $130

I have a small layout and want to run 2 trains total on 2 cabs.
They both seem great but price for upgrades and 2nd cab are important.
Ready to buy but cant decide on whats best for my small home HO layout.
Does the NCE has something better for the extra $22?
Can I run DC trains on either of these?

 

[jwils1]

$130 is really a good price for the Power Cab. Is it new? Is it the latest version, or at least Version 1.28? They have a slightly newer version 1.23b which has been shipping from NCE since about December.

If you never plan to expand beyond the Power Cab, plus just one extra throttle, then it might be your best choice, and probably better than just a Prodigy Express with one extra cab.

The better MRC systems like the Advance2 and the Wireless system offer better features and more power than just the Power Cab, even with some of Power Cab upgrade possibilities.

If your budget would allow, a good choice would be the Advance2. Micro-Mark has them for about $210 http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Are...ction=Catalog&Type=Department&ID=96&Offset=30

An additional cab for the Advance2 would run around $82.

The least expensive extra cab for the Power Cab system would run about $72.

I guess it all depends on how far you may want to go beyond the basic Power Cab and of course what your budget will allow.

Jerry

 

[meanjean]

$130 is really a good price for the Power Cab. Is it new? Is it the latest version, or at least Version 1.28? They have a slightly newer version 1.23b which has been shipping from NCE since about December.

If you never plan to expand beyond the Power Cab, plus just one extra throttle, then it might be your best choice, and probably better than just a Prodigy Express with one extra cab.

The better MRC systems like the Advance2 and the Wireless system offer better features and more power than just the Power Cab, even with some of Power Cab upgrade possibilities.

If your budget would allow, a good choice would be the Advance2. Micro-Mark has them for about $210 http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Are...ction=Catalog&Type=Department&ID=96&Offset=30

An additional cab for the Advance2 would run around $82.

The least expensive extra cab for the Power Cab system would run about $72.

I guess it all depends on how far you may want to go beyond the basic Power Cab and of course what your budget will allow.

Jerry

The power cab is new. Its on Ebay and V1.28
So your saying thats not the newest?
As much as I would love to spend more right now its just not in the cards. Wasnt sure if the power cab is worth the 30 extra bucks.
You saying the Power cab is better for a basic set up with options for expantion?

 

[EvoMan454]

Well I'm not sure about the NCE powercab but I know the MRC express can be fully upgraded easily into an Advance squared or wireless so there is plenty of room for expansion if you ever feel like you want a system with more features. The advanced Squared wouldn't be necessary for your purpose.

 

[jwils1]

The newer Power Cab Version 1.28b has only a small difference. With 1.28 if you're runnning two trains and then call up a 3rd loco by entering the new loco number and pressing the Enter key then one of the other two locos will stop and all function go off.

With 1.28b the previously running two locos will continue to run when you all up the 3rd one and won't change speeds until you specifically call up their addresses.

This isn't a huge difference and it's not important to many users. If you ever wanted to upgrade to 1.28b you could send your unit to NCE. I think the cost would be minimal.

By the way, neither Power Cab orMRC will run DC locos.

If I get time I will post some more info comparing Power Cab to the Express. However, if the Power cab is on Ebay you may not be able to wait too long to get it. Do you think you will ever want more than 1.7 amps and two throttles?

Jerry

 

[jwils1]

When considering small starter sets it's good to consider upgrade possibilities as many people are eventually going to want to upgrade. It's almost always more economical to start with a more powerful, full-featured system if one's budget allows.

Here is a look at costs for upgrading the Express and Power Cab. Please feel free to correct this If you see anything that is not right. Upgrade paths can vary because of so many possible combinations but this will give some idea of what's available:

Upgrade path for Prodigy Express:
Prodigy Express: $110 (1.6 amps)
Add Advance2 cab: $75 (adds programming accessory decoders, programming routes, Universal consisting, read CVs, fast clock, yard mode)
Upgrade to 28 functions: Send unit in to MRC $? (cost is said to be minimal)
Upgrade to 2.5 amps: Send unit in to MRC $? (cost is said to be minimal)
Add District Boosers (3.5 amps): $117
Add wireless conversion: $170

Compare to full featured systems:
Prodigy Advance2: $210 (3.5 amps)
Prodigy Wireless: $350 (3.5 amps)
Add wireless conversion to Advance2: $170

Upgrade path for Power Cab:
Power Cab: $150 (1.7 amps)
Add 04p engineer's throttle: $72
Add SB3: $108 (increases system to 3 amps - includes power supply)
Add radio: $265 (includes 04pr throttle and RB02 base station and can be added to basic Power Cab)

Compare to full featured systems:
Power Pro: $453 (5 amps and includes power supply and computer interface)
Power Pro radio: $596 ( 5 amps)

Of course there are other misc. costs involved such as plug-in stations for tethered cabs.

Jerry

 

[jwils1]

Here are some comparisons between Power Cab and Prodigy Express. If the answer is in bold type then IMO it has the edge in that category. This is for those who are just comparing these two basic starter systems with the only upgrades being the addition of one more cab.

Power: PC 1.7 amps - PX 1.6 amps
Functions: PC 28 - PX 16
Speed control: PC Thumb wheel & push button - PX Knob & push button
Separate program track leads: PC No - PX Yes
Programing on the main: PC Yes - PX Yes
Read back CVs: PC Yes - PX No
2 & 4 digit addressing: PC Yes - PX Yes
Advance consisting: PC Yes - PX Yes
Universal consisting: PC Yes - PX No
Turnout control: PC Yes - PX No
Turnout routing: PC Yes - PX No
Number of throttles allowed: PC 2 - PX 20
Walk-around throttle: PC No - PX Yes
Loco stack: PC 2 - PX 25
Fast clock: PC Yes - PX No
Power upgrades available: PC Yes - PX Yes
Can upgrade to radio: PC Yes - PX Yes
Yard mode: PC Yes - PX No
Momentum key: PC Yes - PX No
Option key: PC Yes - PX No
Macro key PC Yes - PX No
Automatic double ended consists: PC Yes - PX No
Back-lit display: PC Yes - PX No
Supports 14/28/128 speed steps: PC Yes - PX Yes
Ease of use on scale of 1 to 10: PC 8 - PX 8

Notes: By adding a Prodigy Advance Cab ($82) to the Express you automatically convert it to a Prodigy Advance which adds these features: Increases functions to 20 or 28?, programming accessory decoders (turnouts), programming routes, Universal consisting, read CVs, fast clock, yard mode, improved cab button arrangement and increases ease of use to a 9.

When you add a 04p cab ($72) to the Power Cab you allow walk-around cabability.

It looks like Power Cab has the edge until you add a second throttle, then IMO I think it shifts to the Express (which then becomes an Advance).

If anyone sees any discrepencies please let us know.

Jerry

 

[meanjean]

Wow Jerry thats a ton of info. Thanks, I think.
So the PC has 11 and the PX has 5. Seems that the PC is in the lead.
What does the following mean;
Functions
Read back CVs
Advance consisting
Universal consisting
Loco stack
Automatic double ended consists
Yard mode

I understand the rest but not sure what the above are. THere for I dont know if I need them or how important they are for the home user with a small layout.
Thanks guys.

 

[jwils1]

Wow Jerry thats a ton of info. Thanks, I think.
So the PC has 11 and the PX has 5. Seems that the PC is in the lead.
What does the following mean;
Functions
These are the numbered keys that operate lights, horn, bell, various sound features, etc.
Read back CVs
CVs are the various settings that determine the performance of a loco. If you have read back you can check to see what a particular setting is. If not, then you can program any setting to override what's there but unless you right it down you won't know what setting you made. This isn't super critical but it is very handy to be able to read them at times.
Advance consisting
This is decoder assisted consisting and usually offers more flexibility, including number of locos and number of consists. It's the one that most use except maybe for Digitrax.
Universal consisting
This consisting is controlled and remembered by the Command Station. I don't think it is used nearly as much as Advanced. For example, on my MRC Wireless I can only have one Universal Consist for the system whereas with Advanced I can have as many as I want.
Loco stack
This is where you call up a previously selected loco simply by pressing the Recall button. It's very handy for switching back and forth between running locos or those that my be sitting on sidings that are ready to go. It's one of my favorite features on MRC as it gives you so much flexibility very quickly.
Automatic double ended consists
If you run a lot of consists this is a very nice feature that NCE offers. If a consist goes to the end of the line and you then want to run it back the other way you simply select the loco that was at the rear of the consist and it automatically becomes the lead loco going the other way. If you don't have this feature you can simply kill the first consist and then assemble a 2nd one going the other way. You can do this pretty fast on MRC.
Yard mode
This is where you are doing a lot of switching and don't want to bother with the Direction key. By rotating the speed knob clockwise your loco goes forward. By turning it counterclockwise it slows down to 0 and then reverses in the other direction.

I understand the rest but not sure what the above are. THere for I dont know if I need them or how important they are for the home user with a small layout.
Thanks guys.

I hope this helps.

Jerry

 

[EvoMan454]

I recommend you download the manual for the Prodigy Advanced 2. The Prodigy Advance 2 Has all of the features that Jerry compared for the starter systems and than you could make your choice and so does the Power Pro (The next step with NCE). I say this because you should look at the upgrade paths of the two systems, and see which system you would like to upgrade to just in case in the future you would like to have more operators than you and your kids and more accessories.

 

[jwils1]

I want to add one more thing on this thread. Even though I am an MRC Wireless user the last thing I want to do is try to talk someone into MRC. What's good for me may not be good for you. There are five very good U.S. DCC systems available to us and they all have some excellent features.

We each need to try to find that one system that seems to best fit our specific needs, both for now and in the future. Hopefully most will zero in on the right system for them. But regardless of which system you go with you're going to thoroughly enjoy DCC.

Jerry