DCS Loco Address Confusion

Bill,

First, there is no conflict between the following statements:

the DCS remote will place the engine into it's engine list with a DCS ID# that is the same as what is in the engine, if it's available. If the engine's DCS ID# is already in use in the DCS Remote, the first (lowest) aavIlable DCS engine ID# will be selected.

the new address won't become permanent in the loco memory until track power is removed.

Next, the statement that you attribute to the book is incorrectly stated by you. You state:

any remote that has the engine with an ID different from the one in the engine's memory will be unable to command the engine and will get errors.

Rather, the book, correctly, states:

If a PS2 engine is added to more than one remote, it will not necessarily be assigned the same DCS ID# in all remotes, but rather, a PS2 engine will have the DCS ID# assigned to it by the last remote to which it was added. This is the DCS ID# by which the engine must be addressed. Any remote that has the engine with an ID# different from the one in the engine's memory will be unable to command the engine and will get errors when it attempts to do so. Therefore, it is always advisable to keep DCS Remotes in sync by ensuring that PS2 engines have the same DCS ID# in all DCS Remotes.

 

If engines are to be added to more than one remote, it's important that they always have the same engine ID# in each remote. When adding an engine, first add it to one remote and then repeat the ADD ENGINE command for each additional remote. If you follow this process starting with the first engine you add to DCS and continue it with all subsequent engines, your remotes will always be in sync with regard to engine ID#s.

The book, again, is not in conflict with itself.

Then you ask the following questions:

How does the remote control the new loco if it's address doesn't become permanent until after the track power has been removed? Do you have to remove track power and then re-apply it to run the loco?

There engine knows its new address, as does the DCS Remote, as soon as the address is changed. However, it takes battery power to make it stick after track power is removed.

You can use the engine with the remote immediately. However, after cycling track power, if the battery is too weak to save the address, the engine will revert to its old address.

If I have a loco with a known address ID#, when I go to run it with a new remote, should I clear that address from the remote before trying to add the loco?

No, let DCS manage engine ID#'s all by itself. All you can does make things more confusing. Just play by the rules.

Is there any way to scan a new loco before trying to add it, in order to determine it's existing address, perhaps using a dedicated programming track, or would this require yet another power supply, TIU, and remote as well? 

No, you cannot except by an arcane use of the DCS Loader Program.

One of the answers to that question is that DCC addressing is much simpler than DCS. Most DCC systems can recognise addresses containing numbers up to 9999, so most people use the road number on the side of the cab. Even the basic systems that can only two digits can use the last two or first two digits in the road number. This seems easier to me.

Really? I think not, particularly in O gauge.

Quote from Bill  ...If I have a loco with a known address ID#, when I go to run it with a new remote, should I clear that address from the remote before trying to add the loco? Is there any way to scan a new loco before trying to add it, in order to determine it's existing address, perhaps using a dedicated programming track, or would this require yet another power supply, TIU, and remote as well? 

PS 2/3 engines add to the lowest available location if their existing address(ID ) is taken in the remote,  So if you wanted  your engine at ID 13 you would have to move the engine that has ID  13 to another location with the edit address command under engine set up. If you had a spare remote with nothing on it  or reset the remote the engine would add to address 13  .  Not engine 1 as you may think because ids stick with the engine  unless edited , or  factory reset. (both these requires a good battery )