Can extra EZ Command Control Center be used as Walk-Around?

[ripvanwnkl]

With the appropriate I/O connector cable, can an extra EZ Command Control Center (#44902) be connected in series with  a Walk-Around Companion (#44907) already connected to another powered #44902 which is connected to the track,  for a total of three controllers? 

Thanks,

[ABC]

No it will not work, many people have asked this, it will ruin both systems and void the warranty on both systems. It is only compatible with the walk-around companion and nothing else. If you don't believe me go ahead and try it and let out the "magic smoke."

[ripvanwnkl]

Understand and greatly appreciate the info/warning.

[Jim Banner]

At one time, MRC produced what was commonly called a Y-cable for use with their Command 2000 DCC system.  It had two inputs to be connected to the track outputs of two Command 2000 throttle/command station/booster combos.  The output of the Y-cable was then fed to the track via a booster.  The circuits in the Y-cable offset the addresses of one of the command stations by 10.  It was the one unique way of connecting two command stations to one railroad, even though this is normally a NO-NO.  I see no technical reason why it would not work just as well with two E-Z Commands and an E-Z Booster.

Having said that, there are practical and economic reasons why you might not want to follow this route.  MRC has not produced their Y-cable for 10 years or more and only rarely do they show up on Ebay.  And for the price of two E-Z Commands plus a booster, you could buy a more full featured command station/booster with similar power output.

Jim

[ABC]

Jim, he may be able to do what you described, but because the intermediate component is a walk-around companion and the E-Z Commands were not built with what you described in mind it will not work. However, I am sure that if you are very good with electronics and DCC systems and you really know what you are doing there probably is a way. The manual states that you should not in any circumstances connect two systems together and that the I/O connection is only intended for Walk-around companions.

[Jim Banner]

Actually, it should work just fine if ripvanwnkl  connected his walk around companion to one of the E-Z Commands and connected that E-Z Command's track output to one input of a Y-cable and he connected the track output of his second E-Z Command to the other input of the Y-cable.  Whether the E-Z Command was built with this in mind is irrelevant.  It is how the Y-Cable works that matters.

The microprocessor in the Y-Cable is programmed to simply repeat all of the commands from one of the inputs, copying it verbatim to the Y-Cable's output.  The treatment of the second input is a little more complicated.  The microprocessor first identifies which bytes contain the locomotive addresses being sent to the Y-Cable's second input, then adds ten to those addresses, and finally sends them to the Y-Cable's output.  So between the two E-Z Commands, we can now address up to 20 different locomotives.

Even though the digital inputs to the Y-Cable are at track level of voltage and current, the output of the Y-Cable is at low level, too low to actually run a locomotive.  That is where the booster comes into play.  It raises the voltage up to the required level and does so with an available current of about 5 amps.  This is enough power to run at least 5 sound equipped DCC locomotives or 10 silent DCC locomotives.

Please note that the outputs of the command stations are NOT connected together.  They are individually connected to high impedance inputs that are isolated from one another.  Only the data streams from the two command station outputs are combined.  The power is not.  And what about the walk around companion?  The walk around companion simply generates commands for the same 10 addresses used by the parent E-Z Command.  At the output of the command station, it is impossible to tell from the data stream which of the two generated any particular command.

When the Y-Cables worked, they worked well.  However, they occasionally mixed the two data streams which could cause one locomotive to react to commands being sent to a different locomotive.  If memory serves, there was also some difficulty with trying to run a dc locomotive on address 000 (Bachmann address 10.)

Bottom line, it is possible to use 2 command stations to operate one railroad, but as the manual warns in no uncertain terms, you cannot do it by simply connecting the outputs of the two command stations together, in either series or parallel.  Were Bachmann Industries or a second party so inclined, they could manufacture an updated Y-Cable.  But with the poor sales of the MRC original, I doubt if anyone would be interested in doing so.

Jim

[ABC]

I was saying that it could not be done without a MRC Y-cable. I was saying that using just Bachmann components (which does not include a Y-cable) it cannot be done unless your one of those people that really knows what they are doing.

[Joe323]

Of course this discussion assumes the OP has 2 EZ commands lying around.....