Using non-"chipped" cars on digital track

Unable to comment on the "factory" stuff - but the Digitrax system reserves adress 00 for analog devices.

So, any analog (non-chipped) car would be addressed as 00 and controlled as such.

That means all 00 adressed cars would be controlled by the same set of commands... or alternatively, you can drive one 00 car at a time.

I use and enjoy both.

I set up 4 or 5 00 adressed analog cars as traffic, and set the throttle at 30% or so (which equates to a different speed for each car - and with my auto lane changers, means these cars even pass each other... ) - and let them circulate the track.. while I grab a DCC chipped car and practice racing moving traffic cones..

Or I may setup 3 DCC adressed cars and set 3 controllers to control these cars, all at the same speed... and I grab a 4th DCC chipped or 00 adressed car and again play "drive around the moving traffic cones".

I guess I have a multi-car home-brewed Challange setup afterall..

Oh - and the response on my very tight, technical 25s per lap track is just fine.

-Paul

QUOTE (astro @ 22 Jul 2004, 19:59)ahh ok - heres my guess:

for the 00 channel (analogue cars), it adds some extra zeros or ones that are not part of a 'message' to one of the other cars, so that the average voltage (of the ones and zeros of the proper messages plus these extra ones) ends up being say +6 volts (or whatever the controller for car 00 is set to).

Again there is a question of whether this would damage the motor & LED lights long-term - i have no idea on this issue
The DCC vendors advise against leaving an analog locomotive on a poweredtrack idling for extended periods, however indicate (and have not for years) minimal if any damage to non-chip controlled motors that are running, over time.

The sound you hear is in essence DCC signal..