DIGITRAX DT602 TRHOTTLE

[reinhardtjh]

I've held Digitrax knobs as @Ed Kapuscinski suggests and I never know whats up.  I need two fingers to get the knob to turn in a satisfactory manner. I can roll the NCE (and MRC) wheel all day and feel like I'm doing something.

There was a thread in the Digitrax online group (https://groups.io/g/Digitrax-Users) about replacing the DT40x knobs with something like the ones on the UT4. I can't find it at the moment but the shaft is supposed to be a 1/4" and the DT40x knob just pulls off (albeit somewhat difficult).  I think a knob of about 1" or 1.25" diameter would work but one should measure for sure.  It would make using the thumbs as in Ed's picture easier.

[C855B]

I know this is a bit of apples vs. oranges, but since we're talking throttle ergonomics, I really wish you guys could have some hands-on time with the TCS. Maybe it doesn't have click-wheel feedback, and no hard stop... Pete... but I can't get past that just a couple of evenings ago I was controlling three trains* with the one throttle, one-handed. It is setup for the left hand, with nearly all operation control and menus easily accessible by thumb; that is, the most-used ops control buttons are on the left column of the button pad.

The only time I use two hands is to enter loco numbers when setting up consists. (Granted, two hands are needed for turnout selection since the turnout button is on the right side, but the list is impractically long on my layout so I rarely use it.)

* - With only a moderate level of concentration. Only had to use the emergency stop once. I need to try four, but that would be like that guy on the Ed Sullivan Show with the spinning plates on sticks... which one'll hit the floor first? 

[peteski]

I know this is a bit of apples vs. oranges, but since we're talking throttle ergonomics, I really wish you guys could have some hands-on time with the TCS. Maybe it doesn't have click-wheel feedback, and no hard stop... Pete... but I can't get past that just a couple of evenings ago I was controlling three trains* with the one throttle, one-handed. It is setup for the left hand, with nearly all operation control and menus easily accessible by thumb; that is, the most-used ops control buttons are on the left column of the button pad.

The only time I use two hands is to enter loco numbers when setting up consists. (Granted, two hands are needed for turnout selection since the turnout button is on the right side, but the list is impractically long on my layout so I rarely use it.)

* - With only a moderate level of concentration. Only had to use the emergency stop once. I need to try four, but that would be like that guy on the Ed Sullivan Show with the spinning plates on sticks... which one'll hit the floor first? 

So you aren't pining for one of those expensive ProtoThrottles that the cool kids use?   

I have no problems with endless-spinning encoders, but for yard ops, or switching, use a single turn potentiometer-based speed control knob (with a hard stop) comes in very handy.  The utility throttles are perfect for that.

For mainline operation encoder-based throttle is perfectly fine.  As for controlling multiple trains, NCE Power Cab can also do the same (I think 6 is the limit, but I never tried that many).

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Oh god guys, I just realized we have been missing a golden opportunity to call this the THOTle!

[peteski]

Oh god guys, I just realized we have been missing a golden opportunity to call this the THOTle!

[davefoxx]

So you aren't pining for one of those expensive ProtoThrottles that the cool kids use?   

Hey, now.  I've owned Digitrax, NCE, and ESU systems, and I've used their throttles, each of which have their own pros and cons.  But, although it ain't exactly ergonomic, they'll have to pry my ProtoThrottle out of my cold, dead hands.  For me, it's a game-changer for the hobby.  Among other things, jacking up the momentum and having to use a brake to slow/stop is so much more realistic operations of a locomotive.

DFF

[wazzou]

I remember gluing styrene to the Digitrax control knob wheel and to the throttle itself to act as a hard stop.
But that was on old UT-1's.


Apologies, this was the earliest UT-4 throttles, not UT-1.
@peteski

[peteski]

Hey, now.  I've owned Digitrax, NCE, and ESU systems, and I've used their throttles, each of which have their own pros and cons.  But, although it ain't exactly ergonomic, they'll have to pry my ProtoThrottle out of my cold, dead hands.  For me, it's a game-changer for the hobby.  Among other things, jacking up the momentum and having to use a brake to slow/stop is so much more realistic operations of a locomotive.

DFF

LOL Dave!  I fully expected this type of response from one of the ProtoThrottle fanboys (not that there is anything wrong with that).   

Too bad that you have small H0 layout - you could have even more realistic operations (as far as the momentum and braking goes) on an N-scale layout, where the distances are less compressed than in H0.  Have you considered switching to N scale?   

And before anybody gets their nose out of joint, I'm just giving Dave a good old fashion playful ribbin' - don't take it too seriously.

[peteski]

I remember gluing styrene to the Digitrax control knob wheel and to the throttle itself to act as a hard stop.
But that was on old UT-1's.

The UT throttles use a potentiometer (not an encoder) for speed control, so they hard stop by design.  At least all the ones I ever used.  Just like any DC throttle. 

[wazzou]

The UT throttles use a potentiometer (not an encoder) for speed control, so they hard stop by design.  At least all the ones I ever used.  Just like any DC throttle.

Not the older ones.

[peteski]

Not the older ones.

But when power is lost the throttle does not "remember" the last encoder position. How did you make sure that the hard stop corresponded to speed step zero?  You made sure the knob was set against the hard stop before plugging it in?  And you were able to achieve full range of speed control with only a single turn off the encoder knob?  Usually it takes several turns to get up to full speed. Or maybe you had your decoders set to 16 (not 128) speed steps?

[Steveruger45]

That’s how I normally spell when I’m writing anyway.  Thank the Lord for autocorrect

[CRL]

Odd... the only word I couldn’t read through was the word “strange”.

Hmmm 🤔

[davefoxx]

LOL Dave!  I fully expected this type of response from one of the ProtoThrottle fanboys (not that there is anything wrong with that).   

Too bad that you have small H0 layout - you could have even more realistic operations (as far as the momentum and braking goes) on an N-scale layout, where the distances are less compressed than in H0.  Have you considered switching to N scale?   

And before anybody gets their nose out of joint, I'm just giving Dave a good old fashion playful ribbin' - don't take it too seriously.

1) Each of us, in our own ways, are fanboys of something.  I have the ProtoThrottle; you have Kato. 

2) I have considered N scale.  In fact, I still have N scale in my basement: my daughter's layout.  But, I don't generally run it, because, to paraphrase Lord Dark Helmet, "HO scale will always triumph, because N scale . . . is dumb."   

Nah, I'm just ribbin' you, too. 

DFF

[nstars]

1) Each of us, in our own ways, are fanboys of something.  I have the ProtoThrottle; you have Kato. 

2) I have considered N scale.  In fact, I still have N scale in my basement: my daughter's layout.  But, I don't generally run it, because, to paraphrase Lord Dark Helmet, "HO scale will always triumph, because N scale . . . is dumb."   

Nah, I'm just ribbin' you, too. 

DFF

HO = Horribly Oversized. 

Marc