Adding engines question

It can be done with other engines on the track. 

It can be done with other engines on the track. 

That's correct. The main main thing is to have high DCS signal strength. The only thing that is more sensitive to deficient DCS signal strength is a sound file transfer.

Barry:  Do I have this correct?  If I have two engines on the track that are not in DCS and I do the Add MTH Engine DCS will add both at the same time without problems?

And if there is another MTH engine on the track already in the system, if it isn't started up it will be ignored during the Add Engine process?

I'd like to try that if it won't mess anything up ..

I add engines regularly with other engines on the tracks, they are ignored.  Can't say I've added multiple ones at the same time, so you'll have to wait for Barry's answer for that one.

I'm just curious. The engines add so quickly why would you want to add two at the same time? I, like John, have never added more than one at a time. 

So I don't have to pick them up and move them to an un-occupied track, like the UP turbines ... I have to reload a remote after having to do a factory reset, which wiped out all the engines in it.

So if I can add more than one at a time, I'll be very pleased

Did you stick two on the track and try adding them?  Give it a whirl, let us know.

You can have several DCS engines on powered tracks at the same time while adding them, regardless of whether or not they've already been added to the remote. However, you'll have to do an add engine command for each one, one at a time.

Just be sure that  there're not trying to draw more amps than are available.

How do you control which one is being added and how would amperage be an issue?  They don't start up or turn on.  I would imagine the amperage is in the 10-100 milliamp range for adding an engine.  If 2 unadded engines where on powered track wouldn't both try to add and possibly result in conflicting data or dual address.  Am I missing something?

How do you control which one is being added

You don't, DCS does. Each engine requires its own ADD ENGINE command.

 and how would amperage be an issue?

Amperage is an issue as regards how many engines are on powered tracks and what state they're in. Every powered engine always draws some amps even if it's not started up.

When I get my new remote set up with tracks, etc., I'll try adding all my unadded engines now sitting in the Coach Yard and see how it goes.

Barry,  If I have 2 new engines that are factory reset and placed on the track at the same time and I do an "add MTH engine".  How does DCS determine or know, which engine is being addressed?  G

How does DCS determine or know, which engine is being addressed?

The first one that acknowledges the request to add an engine is the one that it adds. They are differentiated by, perhaps, the serial number of the PS2/PS3 board, or some other unique identifier with which the engine responds.

Regardless, it just works.

This is good to know.  Rev 5 of the MTH User Manual says to remove all but the one engine you want to add.

It will save me moving a lot of engines to get these four added back.

That is why I was asking the questions.  The manual clearly states do one engine on the track at a time to add.  The one time I tried two on a small layout, I remember getting a conflict and had to remove the other engine.  G

The manual is very conservative and always errs on the side of caution. I've been doing adds "wholesale" for several years.

Interesting observation, maybe there is some wisdom to adding them one at a time?

John,

maybe there is some wisdom to adding them one at a time?

Nope, there are several reasons why he may have had trouble. That wouldn't be one of them - the symptoms are wrong for a problem of that type.

Further, there's more than one way to do what Kerrigan wanted to do, i.e., turn of the lashup's smoke.

I'll take your word for it, I've never had the issue.

So I don't have to pick them up and move them to an un-occupied track

This shows the value of having toggle-switched blocks.

Another approach is to move all locos, under power, to a portion of the layout fed from different TIU outputs.