Well, I just have to run out and buy EasyDCC... not! (grin)
But seriously, I wish I had as much success as you had with DecoderPro - heck, I even bought a flat panel monitor for this project! Not that I couldn't use the new monitor elsewhere, but if I had it all to do again, I would have made sure DecoderPro worked before shelling out any green.
Frank Eva Digital Railroader
Frank
Writing great manuals for products is not an easy process. It is our goal to produce the best end user documentation and we are always looking for ways to improve our documentation. Yes we sometimes make mistakes but when notified of a mistake we correct it right away. Each Digital plus by Lenz decoder is shipped with a manual and since we print our manuals as they are needed it is easy for us to correct any mistakes quickly.
We are always sincerely interested in any constructive comments on how to make our manuals better as it is our goal to make DCC very easy and transparent to use.
What information in our manuals in not needed and what information not in our manuals would you like to see?
I can only comment on products sold in North America under the Digital plus by Lenz brand name. Drive Select Decoders sold under this brand name all default to silent operations as described in the manual.
You can identify these decoders by looking the manufacturer ID of 99 in CV7.
I actually initially had the same thought when I first heard of this product, that is until I actually used it and then I was instantly sold on the idea. Our wireless telephone interface is a very popular item and is now in widespread use around the world. There are a great variety of cordless phone available and some are very comfortable to use. I particularly like the phones designed as "headset phones" as they look and feel like other handhelds.
Wireless telephones have a much greater range and battery life then many other options available and they are also very cost competitive. (Often they are offered as a free promotion this time of year at Office Max or other similar store)
We may have a slightly different philosophy than some of the other companies. We encourage others to develop products that complement our systems rather then manufacturing all items. CVP products produces an excellent more traditional radio throttle that works well with our systems in North America.
I hope everyone has a great holiday season and thanks so much for making this a very productive year for us.
-------------------------------------- [] Debbie Ames [] [[[]
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On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 12:50:13 UTC, Fritz Milhaupt wrote: 2000
Right on. As a retired engineer I appreciate both good documentation and the effort that goes into it. Most people (techies included) think it can be tossed off in an afternoon or two. Maybe that is why most techies are lousy documentors.
On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 04:23:52 UTC, snipped-for-privacy@notmail.com (Andy Harman) wrote: 2000
I don't operate in radio mode. I got so soured on NCE's system that I am not interested.
Cheat sheets are a good idea. I'm just too lazy.
What soured you about NCE's system? (I'm wondering if it's the same sour taste I've been getting in my mouth lately...)
I don't use Lenz (though I do have a few locos with Lenz decoders in them); I use NCE, but the generic comment regarding manuals, any manuals I've ever come across, is that they don't seem to be written by a complete novice, which is who your base audience is. My original basis for this was the original Windows/Office/Software Programs manuals. They were terrible! Which is why some of the Osborne manuals were so good (to me). As well as why the "For Dummies" books are so popular as well. When I bought WIN95, the first thing I did was burn the manual that came with it. It was worse than useless. I went out and bought the Osborne version of the manual. It was simplistic, but I could find what I needed to use the program.
My real job is working on business process improvements. A lot of times I have to either explain the new way of doing things, or write a manual/help guide for the employees. The one thing I eventually discovered was that I knew the process inside and out (of course, I needed to, if I was going to improve it), but the audience didn't have a clue. Eventually, I had to drop it down to the "Dick and Jane/See Spot Run" level, to make sure the dumbest employee knew what was going on. Sometimes I think some DCC manuals need to go down to that level, especially for those features that are complex.
I hate to address potential users in the Dick and Jane mode, but I bought my NCE system back in 2000; I still don't know how to program a CV in Hex. And, nobody ever really explains the process behind it; they assume you know. Dealing with the folks I've dealt with in my real life, I don't assume anything....
My $0.02.
:D
Kennedy
Good Morning!
Think the problem concerning manuals is stated very nicely by indicating that::
1.>-- Novices are learning something new. 2.>-- Those for whom manuals are written are not involved in the development and therefore fit category #1.Learning is an evolutionary process -- those totally unfamiliar need to be brought in on the ground floor. Just as the person designing the program started at the beginning, so too does anyone coming into the program.
Additionally, each individual is, well....... An Individual. Each of us has different gifts, desires, interests, and understandings. Some are quite proficient artistically and have difficulty with scientific items; others good at scientific have trouble with artistic; some understand a little // much // none of either, both or any combination thereof.
I cringe at the use of *dumbest--employee* or similar terms.
Waiting for a bus is as thrilling as fishing, with the similar tantalisation that something, sometime, somehow, will turn up. George Courtauld
James B. Holland
? Holland Electric Railway Operation....... "O"--Scale St.-Petersburg Trams Company (SPTC) Trolleycars and "O"--Scale Parts including Q-Car mailto: snipped-for-privacy@pacbell.net
? Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
On Tue, 23 Dec 2003 17:52:11 UTC, "Frank Eva" wrote: 2000
The major thing was the inability to acquire an engine with the radio throttle. It is SOP to carry a cord and plug the throttle in to acquire. Once acquired they are alright although you have to turn them back on every so often. Oh yes, sometimes you have to lift them up so they can talk to the receiving antenna. They are ok for road engines but a major pain when switching since you have to hold the button(s) down to make sure the command got through.
We are using utility throttles since we often have twenty operators and the expense of the big throttles would be incredible.
We had a lot of trouble with the system (using tethered throttles) until we replaced the active ports with the passive ones. Very few problems now.
OTOH I like the ease of acquiring an engine with the utility throttles. Makes acquisiton with Digitrax look like a contortionist job.
On Tue, 23 Dec 2003 04:01:06 UTC, snipped-for-privacy@notmail.com (Andy Harman) wrote: 2000
I started with the DT100. I looked at the instructions for the DT400 and decided that maybe I wasn't interested in learning a new way of life. For running (once everything is set up) I like the NCE utility throttles. Simple and adequate.
Ok, still useless. If not for 4-digit addressing, both of my systems (Sys-1 and Digitrax) would still be back on the dealer's shelf.
Andy
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Acquiring a loco with the Digitrax UT-1 could not be any easier unless they made it such that it could read your mind. The Digitrax DT-400 is so easy to use that I was able to figure out almost everything before I got the instruction manual to go with it. In fact, it is so simple and easy to use that I had to un-learn some of the DT-100 functions that had become second nature to me. Programming four digit addresses with the DT-400 is several orders of magnitude easier than with the DT-100.
........F>
You may be addressing this to DigiTrax owners, but your own system does not require you to program in Hex...
On Wed, 24 Dec 2003 09:15:51 UTC, snipped-for-privacy@thepond.com wrote: 2000
Walking up to the loco with a throttle and setting in the number and acquiring is about as easy as it gets. My recollection of acquiring with a UT-1 was acquiring with a DT-100, dispatching the loco to the layout and using the UT-1. Note 4 digit addresses were used.
I don't really mind the programming so much because it usually works for me and it is a one-time task. I hate trying to acquire a new loco with the DT-100. Sometimes it is easy, sometimes not.
I have a Digitrax system and a DT-100 throttle that is allmost 6 years old. I am trying to decide if I want the DT-400 or the DT-300. I like the compact size of the DT-100. The DT-400 seems kind of large. What are your thoughts on the size and weight of the DT-400?
Paul McGraw
My DT100s are in a drawer unused; the DT400 is just so much easier. The size and weight are not an objection to me. For kids running the trains, I use a UT1 and two digit addresses.
Ed.
in article snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com, Paul McGraw at snipped-for-privacy@charter.net wrote on 12/24/03 3:34 PM:
Go for the 400! It is at least 100% easier to use than any of the other DT's.
You won't need to worry about the function button to activate any of the functions, especially if you get into the sound aspect of the hobby.
-- Please note; return email address has changed. It is now snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net. Emails to Earthlink will be ignored.
The Gratiot Valley Railroad Club bi-annual train show and sale March 7, 2004, at the Macomb Community College Sports and Expo Center. Macomb County Michigan. Please visit our Web Site at:
I resisted getting a DT-400 because I already had the DT-100 to use for programming and a box full of UT-1s to use for regular operating. I like the UT-1and I was perfectly satisfied to use it as my primary throttle. Yes, it has limitations, but none so restricting that I couldn't work around them. I will admit that I was hoping that Digitrax would soon introduce a four digit UT-1 and offer consisting ability with it. I didn't want the big, bulky, complicated, hard-to-use DT-400
Well, anyway, lo and behold, I had an opportunity last fall to spend a long (3 day) weekend of marathon operating sessions on several of the railroads in my operating group. During this Marathon I had access to a brand new DT-400 courtesy of a local Digitrax pusher, ah... I mean dealer. It was a unit that was originally going to Toronto in a display layout, but stayed home instead. We don't need to get into THAT in a lot of detail.........Anyhow, I took an immediate liking to the thing and was surprised at how intuitively it operated. Much, much, much easier to figure out everything than with the DT-100 OR the DT-300. I wound up buying the thing and taking it home with me. I love it. I would not sell it for half again what I paid for it. I haven't touched my DT-100 for months except to move it out of the way in my carrying case when I go to op sessions. You cannot get a DT-100 any more and I do not want a DT-300 as I once thought I did. The DT-400 is such a delight to use that I don't even use my UT-1s much any more either.
Programming and consisting/de-consisting are so easy you almost don't need the instruction manual. With Digitrax, that is a big plus. I love their stuff, but their pubs and documentation are horrible. First, you have to learn how to read the manual, then, you can learn how to operate your gear.
Now, I will say one, itty-bitty negative thing about the DT-400. The knobs are too small to suit me. I like to operate one-handed because I like to run locals and yard switching jobs that do lots of switching work. I went to a Radio-Shack nearby, bought some big replacement knobs and put them on. Now it's perfect.
........F>
Thanks for all of the detail in your reply. You have really helped me out. I will be getting a DT-400R in January! Now if there could just be an after Christmas sale, all will be perfect. :-)
Paul McGraw
I guess each person has to make an evaluation about radio. I can tell you that I paid for radio capability, but did not care for it and no longer use it. All the layouts in our group have radio, but I never use theirs either. I prefer to remain tethered. I have used radio on Digitrax, NCE and other systems. I have also used infra-red on Digitrax and other systems including CTC-16. I just never found a wireless system that I liked. My DT-100s are radio, but my DT-400 is not. That's fine with me, because I will probably never take the radio reciever out of it's box again. I am in the process of starting a new railroad that will be 100% urban/yard switching. There will be no intercity trains and no mainline running. It is very probable that I will not activate my radio capability. If you've not used radio, there is little that I can say. If you have, then you either like it fine or you hate it. Too bad you can't operate for a year on a railroad that has radio- then make up your mind. ........F>
Heh. IIRC, it wasn't the hue and cry from the consumers, it was that a critical part of the DT100 was being phased out and would no longer be made by anyone. At the very least, this accelerated the development of the DT300 and DT400 throttles. ;-) Although, to be honest, the DT400 rumors were flying around in 1998 and
1999, long before they were announced...Paul A. Cutler III
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