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I have several TMCC engines, steam and diesel, ERR Cruise, TAS cruise and Normal TMCC.

I just installed a Legacy 990 system and am slowly learning how to use it. (Am I the only one that finds Lionel's instructions hard to follow?)

So far I am having a hard time seeing any benefit to running non Legacy locomotives with the Cab2.

 What am I missing?

 

 

 

 

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The Cab2 does not give you any more capability than the Cab1 in running engine.  Many will say to stay with a Cab1 if you never plan to buy a Legacy engine.  I would not agree with that, though.  I had a couple of engines with the TMCC odyssey lurch that now start smoothly with the Legacy system.  I also believe that my other TMCC engines run smoother.  This alone is probably not reason enough to spend $300 on a Legacy system, but for me it was an added benefit of moving to Legacy.

The two biggest asked for items when it was only the cab1 was to add a screen and to get rid of the antenna.

Fast-forward to the Cab2 and the screen has been added and the antenna (external) removed.

With that, the one (and only one) advantage to the Cab1 is that I still have much greater range then either the DCS handheld or the Cab2.

However, as BigDog pointed out, the screen and functionally of the Cab2 make is so much nicer then the Cab1. Honestly, if you were having a hard time with the Cab2, then I would bet that you could not handle the Cab1.

In my opinion I find the shape even easier to hold with one hand and NOT accidently touch a button. The screen has all the information you might need.

Slider for horn/bell and slider for labor are used very much by me.

Lash-ups are extremely easy to configure on the Cab2.

Lastly, among many other features, I run with a club layout and at larger meets the Cab2/base has the ability to change channels. The Cab1 needs separate sale crystals.

Hope this helps.

 

Charlie

I connected mt TMCC base to my Legacy base and still use the Cab-1 to run my TMCC locomotives.  Why, in my mind's eye they run better that way then they did with just the TMCC base and respond better then with the Cab-2 remote.  But none of my TMCC locomotives have cruise.  I do like the railroad preset speeds on the Cab-2, and use them all the time, for both Legacy and TMCC.

I'm with MOED321.  I'm not buying Legacy locomotives, never doing DCS, just making due with TMCC in one flavor or another.  Unless ERR starts shipping some form of Legacy stuff,  just not going to get there.

My original Cab 1 and base is still in use but for how much longer I have no clue.  I may have to go to a newer setup but Cab 1L is probably where I will migrate.  This range issue with the 2.4 GHz seems a problem?  With no external antenna provision on the Cab 1L base, could be a show stopper.

 

The CAB1 could only send relative speed commands.  The CAB2 can send absolute speed commands via the "TMCC" mode - it is my understanding that this is what gives the finer speed control of TMCC engines, even ones that only support 32 speed steps.  This also seems to cure or at least greatly help eliminate Odyssey lurch issues.  If you have ERR or EOB engines you can use R100 mode for even finer control with 100 speed steps. 

 

CAB-2 pluses -

much better reception  (at least for me)

indents on red knob keep it from altering speed accidentally

screen feedback.

no antenna to break or bend

 

I don't however, see any improvement in the running characteristics of our TMCC locos. If anything, I'd say it's worse. The speed curve seems odd and we're always either speeding up too much or slowing down too quickly. 

 

 

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Actually, the CAB1L vs. the CAB2 is a lot more than just the missing screens!  You will miss out on a lot of Legacy features if you go with the lesser product.  Also, the full Legacy #990 base has the database for use with the LCS system.

If you have a 990 remote and base would you get the same features if you used the Cab1L as a second remote?   

I'm getting a LOT of "Oddesey Lurch" running my new Lionel SD40's with plain TMCC (cab-1) . In fact, I can barely run two powered units together in a consist (lash up) because they don't seem to accelerate at the same speed. One unit  is always trying to buck or pull the other one.

Will the Cab-1L  Legacy system fix this problem? I really don't need all the bells & whistles of the Cab-2 system.

Running in TMCC mode with the CAB2 improves the performance of Odyssey I stuff a bunch.  The CAB1 and CAB1L only run in relative step mode.

As far as the failure rates, I suspect the CAB1L has a lower failure rate than the CAB2, since there's a lot more moving parts with the CAB2.  Your post-war locomotive has a lower failure rate than the modern Legacy locomotives as well, but you get more functionality.  The MTBF is hardly a reasonable basis to judge the two products, you're comparing apples and oranges.

bigdodgetrain posted:
Berkshire President posted:

Does the CAB1L have sequence control?  How have CAB1L users found the whistle/horn effect?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the CAB1L units have a much lower failure rate than CAB2s?

cab2's have failure rate???

 

one person at our club has been using it since 2005 and it has never had an issue. me since 2010.

I'm on my 3rd remote.  1st was DOA, 2nd got a stuck button after 2 and a half years.

Berkshire President posted:

Does the CAB1L have sequence control?  How have CAB1L users found the whistle/horn effect?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the CAB1L units have a much lower failure rate than CAB2s?

Sequence control isn't a function of the remotes or base, but rather of the locomotive.  I've run my Legacy steamers under TMCC (My Legacy set was with Lionel getting that 2nd remote replaced.) and run them with sequence control.  You just press and hold the AUX 1 button just like on the Cab-2. 

As for the Cab-1 vs Cab-1L, they function the same, except that the Cab-1L can operate the quilling whistle.

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