Having basically lost patience yet once again with the NCE defect rate -- around 30-50% across every product in its line except the boosters and cabs -- I decided to swear off NCE Illuminators for all but T-Trak modules and am in the process of replacing them for lighting on my HO layout. I would have preferred to stick with something that runs off the DCC bus, but I do have two 16V AC circuits that cover the whole layout with plenty of terminal strips, and the Woodland Scenics Just Plug system will run off 16V AC from a power pack.
So I got a Just Plug light hub as proof of concept and installed it under the benchwork at the Manhattan Transfer stub terminal.
I only had enough LEDs to fill two ports, but they work well.
I took a new Broadway Limited SW7 in Indiana Harbor Belt for a test run. Broadway Limited locos are very sensitive to dirty track, but this one isn't too bad. I ran it down to pick up an MP boxcar at Forley Lithography in Manhattan Transfer.
The building behind the PRR semi trailer has Woodland Scenics Light Diffusing Film and a Just Plug LED installed, powered from the Light Hub shown above. The street lamp and the lighting in Red's Hot Dog stand is an earlier project running off the existing 16V AC circuit. More buildings in this area will be lighted off the Just Plug system.
You can see that the area under the building above the roof of the Penn Central baggage car is lit. This is also off a Just Plug stick-on LED. I plan to add more of these under this building, which serves as the Manhattan Transfer terminal head house, to light the platform area there. This would not be possible using the old incandescent bulbs and encourages me to detail this area further with newsstands, platform gates, and so forth.
Sorry to hear about your frustrations with NCE. I use NCE decoders on every engine that I buy that is DCC ready or for the Athearn BB engines and never had an issue. Probably have over 100 decoders installed and I returned 1 over the past 6 years. I don't use their other accessory products and I have both Power Cab systems and Power Pro systems on both layouts.
ReplyDeleteNot long ago, I got a package of decoders that had been mis-sent to me from NCE (this is typical of them, too). The internal paperwork gave me the impression that they guy who should have gotten them bought a 4-pack and simply sent them in to NCE for testing on the expectation that NCE would replace any that were defective! Good luck dealing with those guys. I did return the package to NCE. Not much later, I wound up with four Illuminators that were defective. I wrote a letter explaining what was wrong with each one, taping it to the part of the letter that explained its particular problem. I pointed out that I'd helped them out by being honest and returning the package sent to me in error and asked if they could return the favor by expediting the replacement of the defective decoders. Hahahahahah.
ReplyDeleteA 30-50 % failure rate and they are still in business! I can't blame you for swearing off their products. The illuminated buildings and scene look great as does the IHB unit.
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