Weekend Update 6/3/18

[x600]

I'm not sure how the dog came into possession of the cab for one of my NS B40-8Ws but it didn't stand a chance.  Instead of my planned weathering of NS 4825 this weekend I'll be working on a new cab.

That should buff out 

Greg O.

[tehachapifan]

Dog's got some weathering chops!

[chuck geiger]

Scenic Express man came:

[Philip H]

Finished editing a little video from @Ed Kapuscinski’s place:

[wm3798]

Ludite!

Scoff all you want, John.  But if I remember correctly, the last 18 months of updates about your layout have involved rewiring, replacing Digitrax components, and otherwise chasing electrical ghosts directly or indirectly attributable to your Digitrax system.  The last couple of ops sessions at Eric's involved long periods of small talk due to a break down in the Digitrax system, and twice during my visit to Ed's the system verged on collapse twice. 

Apart from their dizzyingly mystifying user interface, in my opinion the only thing that Digitrax adds to your modeling experience is a maddening urge to throw it against the wall.

By the way, the document in my hand is the 700 word dissertation Ed prepared to help you put in the address of a locomotive, m.u. it to another, and (eventually) run a train.  Ed makes his living writing technical information, and to his credit, this two-sided blur of 10 point type was as concise as even HE could make it.

Digitrax is not user friendly, and looks like it must have been designed to meet some impossible barrage of government specifications rather than actually be used by someone hoping to enjoy themselves.

Lee

[eric220]

Dave V

Glad the Juanita found a good home.  Who is the gentleman in the photo? 

C-130G that's a Navy bird.  The fuselage should be longer and a lot more metal hanging from the side.

That would be me. The JD is safely in California.



The C130-G (ground herc) joke came from a conversation with my wife. She came home with the rental, a big, boxy, grey minivan and declared that she was home with “the battleship.” I reminded her who we were going to visit, and in honor of the national guard airmen that she works with (including some C130 crew members) we dubed it the “ground herc.” Somehow I suspected there was a -G variant out there, but that’s what it became.

[peteski]

Scoff all you want, John.  But if I remember correctly, the last 18 months of updates about your layout have involved rewiring, replacing Digitrax components, and otherwise chasing electrical ghosts directly or indirectly attributable to your Digitrax system.  The last couple of ops sessions at Eric's involved long periods of small talk due to a break down in the Digitrax system, and twice during my visit to Ed's the system verged on collapse twice. 

Apart from their dizzyingly mystifying user interface, in my opinion the only thing that Digitrax adds to your modeling experience is a maddening urge to throw it against the wall.

By the way, the document in my hand is the 700 word dissertation Ed prepared to help you put in the address of a locomotive, m.u. it to another, and (eventually) run a train.  Ed makes his living writing technical information, and to his credit, this two-sided blur of 10 point type was as concise as even HE could make it.

Digitrax is not user friendly, and looks like it must have been designed to meet some impossible barrage of government specifications rather than actually be used by someone hoping to enjoy themselves.

Bravo Lee!  You made me laugh and nod my head in complete agreement. You have just made my night! 

[OldEastRR]

Scoff all you want, John.  But if I remember correctly, the last 18 months of updates about your layout have involved rewiring, replacing Digitrax components, and otherwise chasing electrical ghosts directly or indirectly attributable to your Digitrax system.  The last couple of ops sessions at Eric's involved long periods of small talk due to a break down in the Digitrax system, and twice during my visit to Ed's the system verged on collapse twice. 

Apart from their dizzyingly mystifying user interface, in my opinion the only thing that Digitrax adds to your modeling experience is a maddening urge to throw it against the wall.

By the way, the document in my hand is the 700 word dissertation Ed prepared to help you put in the address of a locomotive, m.u. it to another, and (eventually) run a train.  Ed makes his living writing technical information, and to his credit, this two-sided blur of 10 point type was as concise as even HE could make it.

Digitrax is not user friendly, and looks like it must have been designed to meet some impossible barrage of government specifications rather than actually be used by someone hoping to enjoy themselves.

Lee

One word: NCE. You'll never look back. Hopefully Ed K will follow this advice on his next layout.

[w neal]

Amen.

[wm3798]

I have an MRC Prodigy Advance that's now pushing 10 years old.  A couple of the buttons on the throttle have reached a point where they misfire on occasion, but that's the extent of the problems I've had with it.  I understand the NCE is similarly simple and reliable.  If and when I move on to my next significant layout, that will probably be the system I choose.

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I hate the NCE scroll wheel. I actually LIKE the encoder wheels Digitrax uses for control. I find them precise AND they provide good feedback that your finger is doing something AND how much it's doing (an important thing... TWSS).

That said, I don't find selecting engines or MU'ing them too difficult: "Tell it to select, enter the number, tell it you're done". I can't imagine it being much simpler.
I think part of the issue is the ergonomics and labeling of the buttons. It's a mess. I wonder if a better overlay could be made for the throttles that makes them a bit more intuitive.

[wm3798]

That's the brunt of it, Ed.  All the gee whiz technology in the world is useless if no one can pick it up and see how to use it.

(I experienced the entire VHS era without ever bothering to wade through the directions of how to program one, much less set the clock to something other than "12:00")

[Ed Kapuscinski]

That's the brunt of it, Ed.  All the gee whiz technology in the world is useless if no one can pick it up and see how to use it.

(I experienced the entire VHS era without ever bothering to wade through the directions of how to program one, much less set the clock to something other than "12:00")

Amen to that! Usability is key in any technology. It's why I love my car but HATE Android Auto.

[Point353]

I hate the NCE scroll wheel. I actually LIKE the encoder wheels Digitrax uses for control. I find them precise AND they provide good feedback that your finger is doing something AND how much it's doing (an important thing... TWSS).

That said, I don't find selecting engines or MU'ing them too difficult: "Tell it to select, enter the number, tell it you're done". I can't imagine it being much simpler.
I think part of the issue is the ergonomics and labeling of the buttons. It's a mess. I wonder if a better overlay could be made for the throttles that makes them a bit more intuitive.

Would one of the Digitrax 'utility' throttles provide a more user friendly option for visiting operators?
http://www.digitrax.com/products/throttles/ut4/

[jagged ben]

Would one of the Digitrax 'utility' throttles provide a more user friendly option for visiting operators?
http://www.digitrax.com/products/throttles/ut4/

The club got a couple of these recently, and I find that in combination with JMRI to set up consists, it's rather preferable, especially for simpler operations.