# DCC and ECoS



## PacNWChris (10 mo ago)

Hello all! I'm new to this forum, so thank you for your time and please re-direct me if this message would be better elsewhere.

Years ago I had a medium/small sized N scale layout (DC power), and conditions forced me to leave the hobby for a while, but I recently was able to get back into it, and decided to make the switch to DCC. I have the ECoS command station and am still learning the features.

I bought a couple of Atlas Dash 8 (Santa Fe) locomotives second-hand that were already equipped with DCC and set up was a breeze! Within minutes of following the ECoS' instructions, they were up-and-running.

But ... I have a couple of older Kato F40s (Amtrak) and bought TCS decoders to install in them. I'm pretty certain they are installed properly, but am having trouble getting them to work. (They worked fine on DC power, so they are mechanically normal.) I've tried a few different times to get the locomotives "installed" in the ECoS, but to no avail.

In the "Advanced" option screen, when I put a locomotive on the programming track, and tell the ECoS to connect to the decoder for the profile, it runs through a search/load screen. It tests the LED lights on the decoder, and (seemingly) successfully finds the Motorola protocol. However, during this test time, the locomotive does not move in tiny increments as the Santa Fe locomotives did.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

For the many who are unfamiliar with the
Ecos system, here is a video.






Perhaps some member will have experience
with this device.

Don


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

Welcome! I'm in the Tri-Cities. I'm a fan and student of the "Hill Lines" (GN, NP, and SP&S) and the BN. My layout is two circles of N scale Kato Untrack on a 2-ft by 2-ft "art board" (no DCC). If you have any questions about railroading in Washington State please ask - we also have a fan of the Milwaukee Road on the West Side here, who goes by Traction_fan.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Can another locomotive be controlled from the same throttle that is currently running a locomotive?

If not, this limitation is a deal breaker for me. Being able to operate only two trains at a time on this command station severely restricts my operations.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I have heard that the Bachmann Dynamis system is based on the ECoS. I purchased a Dynamis for my son to use on his layout. It compared so unfavorably with my MRC Prodigy system that we unloaded the Dynamis after a couple weeks and bought a Prodigy Express2 instead. I hope your ECoS isn't like the Dynamis... but I'm sorry, I'm not going to watch a 25 minute video just to find out.


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

Must have been a drive-by. That photo is Mt. Rainier from Wikipedia.


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## PacNWChris (10 mo ago)

MichaelE said:


> Can another locomotive be controlled from the same throttle that is currently running a locomotive?
> 
> If not, this limitation is a deal breaker for me. Being able to operate only two trains at a time on this command station severely restricts my operations.


You can control LOTS of locos with the unit. There's a button that allows you to toggle between a mode where you have both speedos up for two given locos (or consists), or switch to a list mode that has multiple ones running simultaneously. I'm not sure how it could be managed, but up to 16,384 can be controlled by it.


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## PacNWChris (10 mo ago)

GNfan said:


> Must have been a drive-by. That photo is Mt. Rainier from Wikipedia.


Yes. I needed a avatar that represented where I live. (Snoqualmie, WA ... about a couple hours from Mt. Rainier) I'm not sure what a "drive-by" is in this context.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

PacNWChris said:


> You can control LOTS of locos with the unit. There's a button that allows you to toggle between a mode where you have both speedos up for two given locos (or consists), or switch to a list mode that has multiple ones running simultaneously. I'm not sure how it could be managed, but up to 16,384 can be controlled by it.


How does throttle position affect aa newly selected locomotive while another is running on the same throttle? 

And, are those throttles a rotary encoder or a potentiometer?


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

Greetings from a Santa Fe fanatic....Welcome to MTF Chris!
Good to see you figured out your issue with this unit as I saw your post on another thread here. I usually program my DCC decoders on a clean dedicated programming track to eliminate any potential issues.


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

My apologies, I was wrong. A "drive-by" is someone who makes one or two posts asking for help and then never posts again. This is a recent example.

(12) Dummy Locomotive Indentification | Model Train Forum


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## PacNWChris (10 mo ago)

MichaelE said:


> How does throttle position affect aa newly selected locomotive while another is running on the same throttle?
> 
> And, are those throttles a rotary encoder or a potentiometer?


You have three possible screen configurations when you're on the train control screen. (1) Both left and right are in single-locomotive mode like one of the pictures I included. (2) The left (or right) throttle is on single locomotive mode and the other one is on multiple locomotive mode like the other picture below. (3) Both left and right throttles are in multi mode.

I'm not sure if I can answer exactly what you are asking, but the throttles are motor driven. So, if you have multiple locos being controlled by a given throttle, when you switch to another loco, the throttle moves itself to the correct position. For example, in the picture, the Santa Fe locos (which is a consist of two Dash 8s), are at speed step 25. The F40s (another consist) is at speed step 13, so if I switch from the Santa Fe to the F40s, the dial will automatically adjust by dialing down. The single P42 (which is actually a phase III paint scheme**) is as speed step 20. The little green bars are also a visual indicator of the speed. The screen is touch screen, so you can use your finger, or the stylus that's included.

**Side note: those loco icons are pre-loaded into the system, but you can upload images of the specific loco you want. I'll probably do that with the P42, so it'll be the correct phase.

There's a lot more this thing can do, I just haven't figured it all out yet. haha I'm quite new to DCC, so I'm learning on the fly. One thing I really like is the visual nature of this controller. It makes it so easy to know what I'm selecting.


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## PacNWChris (10 mo ago)

GNfan said:


> My apologies, I was wrong. A "drive-by" is someone who makes one or two posts asking for help and then never posts again. This is a recent example.
> 
> (12) Dummy Locomotive Indentification | Model Train Forum


Oh, okay. I totally get it. I am on another forum too (one for Audi owners) and used to be on one for pinball machines (when I had a few).

I'm a teacher, so I don't have much chance to get on forums during the week. And last week felt like it was about a year long. haha

(Actually, I probably should use a photo I've taken of Snoqualmie Falls for my avatar, since I'm only a few minutes from there.)


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## PacNWChris (10 mo ago)

SF Gal said:


> Greetings from a Santa Fe fanatic....Welcome to MTF Chris!
> Good to see you figured out your issue with this unit as I saw your post on another thread here. I usually program my DCC decoders on a clean dedicated programming track to eliminate any potential issues.


Thank you!!

And yeah, I've been using a dedicated programming track too. I'm super new to DCC, so a lot of trial-and-error for me.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Thank you for the ECoS explanation. I am still researching this unit and the handheld DCC controller system as well. Still undecided as to what I will do, if anything.

I like the mobility of a handheld unit, but also the dual+ cabs of the ECoS system.

I'm usually operating three to four trains at a time, but sometimes I am working in the staging yard and need that controller to be with me as shunting takes place moving trains about.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Yes, a huge weakness of the Dynamis system was an inability to handle multiple controllers out of the box. Does the ECoS system allow you to add multiple controllers for multiple operators?


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