# MRC prodigy wireless



## arthur (Dec 27, 2007)

Hello to all,
Does anybody have experience with this model and throttle. I live in Fl. and it seems most grain stores sell Digitrax. While in Georgia, I found some NCE and the MRC as well. Granted, the MRC may be more popular in HO, but I see people do mix and match. Thankx for your input. I think all work well, and it may just be what is easiest in ones own hands. Arthur


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## arthur (Dec 27, 2007)

I meant train stores, sorry. Arthur


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Not appropriate for Large Scale, only 3.5 amps output, but worse, only 15-16 volts input, that means about 13-14 volts on the rails, which is too low for virtually all motors (remember you will probably lose a volt or 2 on parts of the layout, and 2 volts through the decode)... you could be down to only 10 volts to some motors.

Fine for HO, might be ok for O scale, no way for large scale.

Greg


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

If all you run is the climax/shays, then it should be OK as these run at slowspeeds (read low voltage). 
I prefer the higher voltages and I have a choice of slow or fast!! You can set some decoders to limit voltage to motors.


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

arthur said:


> Hello to all,
> Does anybody have experience with this model and throttle. I live in Fl. and it seems most grain stores sell Digitrax. While in Georgia, I found some NCE and the MRC as well. Granted, the MRC may be more popular in HO, but I see people do mix and match. Thankx for your input. I think all work well, and it may just be what is easiest in ones own hands. Arthur


Hi Arthur,

*I think all work well...*

Perhaps that is the real question (do they all work well)?

An MRC AD501 Power Station 8 Booster is one option that might bring your voltage and amps up but I bought a couple of them and I am not sure that I would recommend them to anyone. I also bought a bunch of MRC AD322 decoders and I know I would not recommend them to anyone.

Others have apparently had similar problems.

http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/193939.aspx

The MRC stuff I bought was discontinued and on close out. I cannot say if my experience was typical or not. MRC is still in business so they must have a lot of satisfied customers. I just don't know how well their products hold up at the voltage and amps of G scale.

Jerry


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Not to be contrary, but the Powerstation 8 is a discontinued product, and uses the output from a booster as it's input. If you only had about 14 volts input to the Powerstation 8, I doubt seriously that it would boost the power to the 20 volts (minimum) you should have for G scale.

If there is any controversy about voltage, run your loco on 10 volts DC and see if it runs fast enough. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts it will not. 14 volts maybe, but not 10.

The DCC system is a one time cost and don't go cheap, the difference between systems is only a few hundred dollars, less than the cost of a SINGLE locomotive, not to mention comparing the cost to all of your rolling stock, track, etc.

Regards, Greg


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

*Not to be contrary, but the Powerstation 8 is a discontinued product, and uses the output from a booster as it's input. If you only had about 14 volts input to the Powerstation 8, I doubt seriously that it would boost the power to the 20 volts (minimum) you should have for G scale.

If there is any controversy about voltage, run your loco on 10 volts DC and see if it runs fast enough. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts it will not. 14 volts maybe, but not 10.
*

The above information is INCORRECT. It DOES NOT take the input from a booster. It takes the DCC signal from a DCC command station.

I was clearly not recommending a MRC AD501 Power Station 8 but, since Arthur was asking about MRC products, I was mentioning a MRC solution.

It actually WILL boost 12 - 18 volts to 15.5 - 20 volts (no load) up to 8 amps max, 168 watts max.

I suspect the AD501 Power Station 8 was intended to bring products like the Prodigy up to the volts and power needed for G Scale.

I may choose to do the same thing by powering my DigiTrax DCS200 with one of my MRC Power Station 8's. I don't know yet as the Digitrax transmitter & receiver were shipped yesterday and have not arrived yet.

As I said, I am not recommending the Power Station 8's. I've purchased 3 of them (2 are left but still in the box). Years ago I used an LGB 1 amp power supply to feed an LGB Central Station 1 which provided the MTS/DCC signal to a Power Station 8 which powered the layout. 

It was unorthodox but more important it was super cheap and it worked and jumped my layout from 1 amp to 8 amps with plenty of volts & amps from a little starter set power supply.

Here is what MTH had to say about the Power Station 8.

http://www.micromark.com/html_pages/instructions/82034i/82034powerstation.htm

This is some background on what I did. It may or may not be of any help here:

http://forums.mylargescale.com/39-dcc-large-scale/5940-mrc-ad322-decoders-mrc-ad501-boosters.html

Jerry


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Jerry is right, sort of: I was getting information from a sales site...

I found the manual: http://www.modelrectifier.com/resources/dcc/power station 8 AD501.pdf

The DCC input *SAYS *it is from a command station, but it says "12-18 volts from any DCC command station" .... that is CLEARLY TRACK OUTPUT VOLTAGE from the DCC booster... normal DCC command station output is like 1/2 a volt BEFORE it goes to a booster.

MRC just should have left out the words "command station", or read the NMRA spec.

To MRC apparently Command Station means "command station plus a DCC booster"...

Anyway, the input to power the unit is not from the track as I believed, but it has an AC line cord.

Apparently you have no control over the output voltage, and also the voltage spec "unloaded" is worrisome, meaning the power supply is unregulated. So you have no idea what the heck the track voltage is going to be.

Apparently some combination of load and the DCC input voltage.

Next time I'll get the manual from the mfg first, not just specs on a sales site. Thanks for the corrections Jerry.

Greg


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Greg Elmassian said:


> Jerry is right, sort of:
> 
> Apparently you have no control over the output voltage, and also the voltage spec "unloaded" is worrisome, meaning the power supply is unregulated. So you have no idea what the heck the track voltage is going to be.
> 
> ...


Hi Greg,

If you look through the images you will find that the MRC AD501 does have a variable voltage output control.

http://www.collector-modeltrains.com/dash/universe/catalog_item/MT-0013928/

I had left a link to the manual at:

http://www.micromark.com/html_pages/instructions/82034i/82034powerstation.htm

I don't know much about MRC or DCC but apparently (somewhat like an LGB 55090 Booster) MRC uses a central station to provide the DCC signal but depends on an external power supply (like the LGB 5-6 amp 20 volt 50111) to get its power. In effect the MRC AD501 apparently combines both the functions of an LGB 55090 and 50111 but instead of the booster plugging into the central station, the central station puts the DCC signal on the track and the AD501 picks up the DCC signal from the track and boosts the power to feed a 2nd track. 

I don't know how other companies handle this. I just figure it out as I need to with the various systems.

I don't know what LGB's MTS track voltage is or MRC's. I can check them with a voltmeter but I don't know how accurate that is. Usually it is amps rather than volts that limit what I can do with my MTS/DCC stuff.

As I have said before, I find the whole MTS/DCC stuff somewhat confusing so I don't feel qualified to make recommendations.

I look forward to the DT402D and UR92 getting here so I can see how well they do or do not work with an AD501.

Jerry


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Once again I must apologize, I was so excited to find the manual, I missed that part!

I'd like to find the maximum output, actually have it verified by an individual, and also see how much it sags under load.

If it will get to 20 volts and with a reasonable load, it would be an alternative, especially since it appears you can parallel them.

I, like you, am a bit gunshy of MRC DCC.

Greg


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

I use the Prodigy Advance to program and test DCC installations. It's great for that purpose, but I'd agree it's a little short on overall power for a typical large scale railroad. MRC offers their newer "Prodigy Elite" 10-amp version, which gives you more power, but it's still limited to about 14 volts to the track. I've played with that one, and could easily see myself using that if I were to run track-powered DCC. I find the controller easy to use, and the programming interface no more or less difficult than others. _Note: I model narrow gauge, so I don't need the higher voltages those above have mentioned._ Having said that, I would echo the sentiments expressed above. If you're looking to just break into this, it's probably more cost-effective to go with a system that will give you the higher voltages out of the gate. 

I personally tend to view the handheld throttle as perhaps the most important aspect of any system you buy. That's how you're going to interact with your trains, so it has to be comfortable and intuitive for you to use. The best system in the world isn't worth anything if you don't enjoy running it. The challenge, of course, is getting your hands on one to try them out. HO scale clubs in your area might have a variety of some of the more popular systems you can try (NCE, Digitraxx), but you may be a little more hard-pressed to find someone using systems from Zimo, ESU, Massoth, etc. 

Good luck! 

Later,

K


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

I've used a Prodigy Wireless on HO. For the most part, I really liked it - really user friendly and easy to use to program loco addresses, select locos, etc. But my BIG problem with it was that the cab would periodically quit talking to the base station, and this whether in wireless or wired (i.e. cab connected with cable) mode. All tech support could offer was to go through the "Reset" procedure described in the manual - not too hard, just a sequence of key presses. But it happened often enough - like every second or third time I'd turn it on - that resetting it started to get old. I ultimately scrapped it and, on Greg's advice, went with an NCE system. Still learning to use that.


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

I don't like posting negative things about products or companies but my used Digitrax DCS200 came with a used MRC - AG990 Power G 10 Amp Pack. Since I had no use for it I sold the Power G to a friend. I was recently told by that friend that the Power G failed soon after he started using it.

Since I already have them, I will still plan to use the AD501 Power Station 8's but I don't think I will be buying any additional MRC products in the future. In fairness, all of my MRC products have been used or discontinued and or on close out at super cheap prices. I have no idea how good current production MRC products may be.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

> I don't like posting negative things about products or companies


The original post asks, "Does anybody have experience with this model and throttle?" I don't consider honestly relating one's actual experience to be "posting negative things." It is what it is, and I consider honest reviews, warts and all, to be far more useful than whitewashed hogwash.  Otherwise, why ask the question in the first place?


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## arthur (Dec 27, 2007)

Thankx to all replies. I had posted the thread, because the MRC looked very easy to use. Without actually using DCC, my first glance at Digitrax was, " Boy, there is a a lot of buttons." I think a tthrottle working off a smart phone would be a logical next step. That is why the looks of the new command system by Piko is intriguing. Arthur


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Arthur, I will tell you that a smart phone, or really any touch screen makes it more difficult to use.

Normally you want to watch your train to enjoy it. A button or throttle you can operate without looking is a great advantage.

Also, there are a lot of things you can do in DCC and going through levels of menus to find the function you want is not fun either.

I do use JMRI and at shows where we run several trains on the mainline, all we really do is maintain spacing and stop if a train ahead stops. I have 5 smart phones I use for this.

But running the train for enjoyment, you will want throttle, direction, bell and horn/whistle buttons.

Just take it slow and easy, and find people who have operated the systems you are interested in. Now, when they give you their opinions, do NOT be afraid to ask why/how they came to their conclusions.

I just explained why a touchscreen with no physical feedback is not fun, so I gave you my opinion and backed it up with reason.

Regards, Greg

p.s. one common misconception in DCC is that you have to learn EVERYTHING or understand EVERY button to use the system, not true, you can learn a bit at a time.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Accidental dupe


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