Bear with me -- I'm still a newbie, so some of this may be completely wrong or misinformed, but I am looking at all the DCC sets out there & I am not sure which one to get for the N scale layout I am currently dreaming up. Here is what I am looking for:
1. Unit must have computer interface & must be supported by CTI which pretty much means Lenz, Digitrax, NCE, or Atlas.
2. I want to be able to do multiple-unit consists, but still break up the MUs & use the locos individually which means I want to be able to create MUs where the locos have different addresses. If I understand correctly, the Zephyr requires all the locos in a MU to have the same address.
3. I want to be able to switch from one loco to another without disturbing throttle settings. I understand that with most knob-type cabs, when you select a loco, it immediately gets the throttle setting you have set whereas with a push-button throttle, the cab will "remember" the throttle setting for the loco.
4. I want an easy to use cab -- I like the look of the MRC Prodigy Advance throttle a lot, but it fails my requirement #1. The NCE PH cab is probably the next best from a useability standpoint. The Lenz controllers look like the least user-friendly, but I haven't used any of these, so this is purely theoretical based on reading the manuals.
5. I will be running 2-3 locos at first, but I want to be able to expand to probably 10-15 eventually.
6. Cost isn't really so much an issue, but I don't want to buy more than I need. I suspect the Zephyr is really all I need, but I want to understand its MU limitiations better if there really are limitations, although I think the Zephyr will also fail requirement #3.
I think the NCE PH will meet all these requirements, but I am sure that's a lot more than I need. Then again 10 years from now the $200 or so extra spent on the PH won't matter at all, whereas changing DCC sets along the way will only add to the cost. I want to do this right the first time. The Lenz Set-100 seems like it meets all the requirements as well, but I am not sure I like the cab.
Thoughts?
--Snowbound in NH (although ice-out is probably mere weeks away)
1. Unit must have computer interface & must be supported by CTI which pretty much means Lenz, Digitrax, NCE, or Atlas.
2. I want to be able to do multiple-unit consists, but still break up the MUs & use the locos individually which means I want to be able to create MUs where the locos have different addresses. If I understand correctly, the Zephyr requires all the locos in a MU to have the same address.
3. I want to be able to switch from one loco to another without disturbing throttle settings. I understand that with most knob-type cabs, when you select a loco, it immediately gets the throttle setting you have set whereas with a push-button throttle, the cab will "remember" the throttle setting for the loco.
4. I want an easy to use cab -- I like the look of the MRC Prodigy Advance throttle a lot, but it fails my requirement #1. The NCE PH cab is probably the next best from a useability standpoint. The Lenz controllers look like the least user-friendly, but I haven't used any of these, so this is purely theoretical based on reading the manuals.
5. I will be running 2-3 locos at first, but I want to be able to expand to probably 10-15 eventually.
6. Cost isn't really so much an issue, but I don't want to buy more than I need. I suspect the Zephyr is really all I need, but I want to understand its MU limitiations better if there really are limitations, although I think the Zephyr will also fail requirement #3.
I think the NCE PH will meet all these requirements, but I am sure that's a lot more than I need. Then again 10 years from now the $200 or so extra spent on the PH won't matter at all, whereas changing DCC sets along the way will only add to the cost. I want to do this right the first time. The Lenz Set-100 seems like it meets all the requirements as well, but I am not sure I like the cab.
Thoughts?
--Snowbound in NH (although ice-out is probably mere weeks away)