Some have used as little as 24".
I use 1000mm (approx. 39").
You need track beyond each end since the profiling routine overshoots.
That gives some room to come up to accurate speed for the higher end of the range.
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A sage user recommended to me the following protocol.
This process helps with accuracy and limits the amount of time it takes to get full range,
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Number of throttle steps is 128.
Run the engine in both directions for 5 or 10 minutes to warm up.
Then run the profile in segments:
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Segment 1 Steps
Start = 21
End = blank
Steps = 21
After the run, save new.
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Segment 2 Steps
Start = 7
End = 21
Steps = 7
After the run, merge profile.
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Segment 3 Steps
Start = 1
End = 1
Steps = 1
After the run, merge profile.
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If there are red warnings in the profile table afterwards, you can go back and re-run a segment then merge.
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You'll find that running at step 1 takes a long time, that's why you do segments.
Don't worry, dispatcher interpolates between the defined steps as does the "soft consist" script.
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--
Ken
NYNH&H, Old Colony Division, Cape Cod Branch (1949-1959)
Loconet * JMRI 5.11.1 * OSX,Win10,Ubuntu
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Neil Watson