GrahamMills said:
muns said:
With the Massoth Navigator you can create a "consist" that can contain 4 loco addresses, you would then select that consist and control it as normal. The Navigator will issue the speed/direction commands to each of the loco addresses defined in that consist.
muns said:
I do not believe that the Massoth DCC system currently supports "consist" addresses
Now I am very confused. If the Massoth system does not support consist addresses then what address/ID does one use to select a consist?
muns said:
However it is not possible to set one or more of the locos in the consist to operate in reverse to the others.
but presumably one can change the CV to always run that loco backwards?
I don't use consists in my operations but I have been surprised at the problems that have been raised concerning the Massoth system. So I have experimented a little with the Navigator.
When controlling a consist it is necessary to switch the Navigator from loco control to consist control, a simple menu selection. Then you need to select one consist from the up to 16 that you must pre-define. No need to remember individual loco addresses, they are retained in memory and the available consist addresses range from 1 to 16. I not able to complete this on my test track at the moment, only one chipped loco out of storage, but it seems quite straightforward though, as always, its a good idea to read the manual as you go
Since forwards in DCC means forwards with respect to the loco (unlike analog where it means in one direction along the track, regardless of loco orientation) you have to make sure that the locos are all set to the 'same' forwards, and as Graham suggested that probably means increasing CV29 by 1 for any locos that are 'pointing the wrong way'. Also Massoth require that the locos in a consist are set for the same number of speed steps and parallel operation.
I suspect that 'Rule 8' applies to DCC systems as well as complete layouts. It all depends what you want from it! The Massoth has the attraction of a high current and various extra features such as variable voltage. However, its not supported by many (if any) of the automation software packages and it does not have some of the current developments such as RailCom (decoder feedback etc.).
Here are the two sections from the Navigator manual that describe defining and control of a consist. Its much easier to follow with the hardware in your hand, and it even sort of starts to make sense, so once 'learned' I'm sure it will become intuitive.
Defining a consist
Controlling a consist (the reason it refers to 5.3.1 is that is the menu step before 5.3.2 = press one button to get to 5.3.2) [
edited for clarity]
Hope this helps. It really does not seem all that difficult, so long as you follow the instructions. But if you need any further clarification just let me know and I'll try to get some other locos out of storage for a 'play'
Don