# basic consisting question



## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I have a couple trains I run for kids. One is an LGB 0-4-0 with a powered tender. It had been run via an aristo 75 mhz TE receiver, which will work just fine on a DCC powered track. The loco and the tender ran at different speeds, so I slowed the tender down by adding a series of diodes to drop the voltage till it matched. 

I decided to convert it over to DCC, and add sound, using two digitrax DH465s and a "soundbug." I might be able to get away with one DH465, but figured two would be better. I pulled the diodes out


I'm assuming I can set them to two different addresses, then match their speeds on the main. Once I have the speeds matched, I plan to change them both to the same address. This should work, no?


Also--I just want to make sure--I believe they should be able to share the same power feed? So that for example if the tender is off the track it will get power from the locos track power pickups,m and vice versa. There should be no problem with that, right?


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

I would just make a consist of the two units. Speed match them and then set the units up for consist. You could use two different addresses but I would think you could use one for both seeing how its all one unit. Later RJD


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

Since you will be running these together much of the time, basic consisting is the easiest to deal with... BUT when you want to speed match them on the main, you will want to use OPS mode (aka Programming On the Main, POM) programming. To do that, you need two different addresses. This is easy to deal with, see link 

http://www.girr.org/girr/lamrs/lamrs_dual_decoder.html 

BTW, one DH465 should do fine.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Since you have advanced consisting, why change over to the same address on each? Now adjusting one means you have to pull the other off the track. 

It will work, but why? I'm guessing you want to make it simple, but a consist address is also simple. 

Greg


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

Greg, I stay away from advanced consisting because it has restrictions. I don't like the 2 digit consist address for one thing. Some decoders, like Phoenix, don't support advanced consisting properly anyway. Even though they say that they do, it doesn't seem to work properly.


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I'll be running this thing with kids around, and it's just easier to enter a single 2 digit number than to scroll through a list of consists. 

One might be fine, but then I'd have to go back to using the diodes to match the voltage on the two units. That could work, but I thought as long as I had DCC, I might as well take advantage of it. I assumed I'd be programming them on the main, then changing one of them to the same address as the other


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

Easier to set a common 2 digit address and different 4 digit addresses so that you can program them in 4 digit mode to get the speeds to match, then change CV29 to set them back to 2 digit mode to run them.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I'm a little confused lownote, I thought you had a DCC system, where the 2 digit consist address could be selected directly, enter the 2 digits and press enter... 

Not that other brand where you have to scroll through all the locos to find the one you want, ha ha. 

Seriously, if you gave your child the 2 digit consist address how would he/she know it was not 2 units with the same address? 

Even George's method is a bit more work changing addresses, when you could just leave them consisted and use the individual addresses for fine tuning. 

Anyway, any of the methods work. 

Greg


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I set it up today with actually three decoders set to a single 2 digit address--the two motor decoders and a sound bug. It works well--the two units share powerfeeds and the soundbug, in the LGB powered tender, is just loud enough. The generic steam file chuff synchs reasonably closely to the LGB 0-4-0, with a bit of tweaking. 

I'd still recommend the DH465/SFX004 as a god low cost option, well under $100, but emphatically not as good as QSi.


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