I Need MORE Power Scotty !

OK, so I got out the old DCC system, the NCE SB3 Smart Booster, I have sitting in a dusty box.  I've not had to use it in ernest as I have not needed more power to the rails than the NCE PowerCab or the SPROG II puts out (about an Amp each).  Hey, I've only been programming or testing single locos or at most a couple of N scale ones in a consist.  But this little beauty, the SB3 puts out up to 3 Amps of power - yeeehaaarrr.

The SB3 on the left and the power supply on the right.

Well, I now want to do up some big consists - 6 or 7 (Tim the Toolman is grunting in the background, so maybe more...) locos.

Now, I also managed to find the old NCE USB Interface I bought years ago and haven't used in yonks since I got the SPROG II years ago.

USB Interface with USB cable at the top heading off to the PC and 

the data cable at the bottom heading off to the SB3.

So, for test running a few big consists, I have cleared all the crap off of the test track and cleaned it up again.  Now I need to work out and setup WiThrottle so I can drive the trains with my phone - much easier than buggerising around with the NCE Hammerhead (PowerCab).  Mind you, I have never setup WiThrottle before either - how hard can it be?

So a quick gander at the JMRI website of the instructions - yeh, yeh, I know what I'm doing.. hehehehe - ever heard those famous words before?

Funny enough, It wasn't that hard.  I got my USB Interface, plugged in the correct flat NCE 6 pin RJ12 Cable, Plugged in the USB cable into the USB Interface and then into the PC. Plugged the other end of the RJ12 cable into the SB3, Connected the power to the SB3 and then the output from it to the Tracks.

I of course already had JMRI installed on the PC - been using it for years - what a great piece of software for model train nuts.

And next I did this:

Made sure the PC was running on the 2G WiFi network at home and NOT the 5G one, as the phone is ancient and only uses the 2G WiFi.

Next were these steps:

1. Start JMRI on the PC

2. Edit Connections when the error pops up (steps 3-7)

3. Select System Manufacturer of NCE

4. Select System Connection of NCE USB

5. Select Serial Port of COM5

6. Select System of PowerCab

7. Select USB Version of V7.x.x

8. Actions

     Start Web Server

9. Actions

     Start WiThrottle Server

10. Fire up the Phone and Start up the Engine Driver application and connect to the Discovered Server.

The PowerCab is only to show how big they are compared to the phone behind it.  

Might be an old phone, but does the job.  Mind you, the PowerCab gets a bit of use

as a quick testing tool since it is all in one.

11. As the little furry animal says - Simples.  I played trains.  I'll tidy up the cabling and make a little box or something to make it all neat... later.

Now where are the rest of those SD70 MAC's so I can get them all running at the same speed for a good consist? .....