Atlas Atlasmaster DCC System HandCommand, 331 Instruction Manual

Atlas Model Railroad Co, Inc. • 378 Florence Ave. • Hillside • NJ • 07205

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:

[phone]

www.atlasrr.com

[e-mail]

LIMITED ONE-YEAR WARRANTY

Atlas Model Railroad Company, Inc. warrants that this HandCommand will be free from defects
in material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase. If this
HandCommand fails during the warranty period, carefully pack the item in the original carton,
together with the dated sales receipt, and return to: Atlas DCC Warranty, 378 Florence Avenue,
Hillside, NJ 07205. Defects due to misue, improper maintenance and/or abuse are not covered
by the warranty. Items that have been disassembled by the modeler or anyone other than an
authorized Atlas repair person are not covered by the warranty. This warranty gives you specif­ic legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

ITEM #331

Removing a locomotive from a consist

1. Select the address of the locomotive to be removed from a Consist.

2. Enter the Menu by pressing the Forward, , and Reverse, , buttons.

3. Use the + or – buttons to select "

nu-", and press Enter. The display will blink.

4. Press Enter again to remove the locomotive from the Consist.+

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Getting Started.................................................................3

Using the Atlas Master DCC HandCommand....................... 4

Locomotive Addressing....5

Running Your Locomotive...................................................5

Controlling Speed...6
Changing Directions...6
Activating Functions...7
Emergency Stop...8

Recalling Locomotives (“stack” function)............................8

The Menu System..............................................................9

Accessing the Menu...10
Menu Selections...10
Controlling Turnouts...10
Setting Speed Steps...11
System Settings...13

Consisting........................................................................ 14

1

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations for purchasing Atlas’ new plug-n-play DCC throttle!
Everything you will need to get started using the HandCommand is
included; there are no special cables to make, no searching for hard-to­find connectors or wire crimping necessary! Enclosed are: One Atlas
Universal Panel Connector (UPC) that you can mount anywhere on the
fascia of your layout for remote use of your HandCommand (see sepa­rate instruction sheet, included), 7' Xpress-Net cable wire which is used
to connect the UPC to the Commander or other command station you are
using, and a 6' coiled cord to connect your HandCommand to the UPC.

The enclosed Atlas HandCommand is a walk-around throttle designed to give you the
functionality of the Atlas Commander, without the ability to program decoders. You
can add up to five HandCommands to a Commander, for complete control of any size
layout. This manual will give you all the information you need to use the
HandCommand with the Atlas Commander or other DCC Command Station that is
XpressNet-compatible. Please check our web site at www.atlasrr.com for any perti­nent updates to this or other Atlas Master DCC components.

ATLAS MASTER DCC SYSTEM COMPONENTS

The following is all you need to get started running your trains in
Digital Command Control:

1. Commander

*: Item #330 - For complete control of your trains. Controls

up to 99 locomotives and 99 accessories (i.e., turnouts). Supports up to
five HandCommand throttles and three additional Power Stations (for
added power). Control up to three functions per decoder (available
functions depends on the capability of your decoder).

2. Generator

*: Item #335 - Provides power to the Atlas Commander. Also

makes a great power supply for your turnouts and other accessories.

2

3. Decoder*: Item #340 - Atlas offers an HO scale multi-function Dual­Mode Decoder™ that, once installed, allows you to easily switch the
operation of your locomotive from analog to digital mode. This function
enables you to run your decoder-equipped engines on an analog layout
without the typical speed differential. N scale multi-function decoders are
also available. Some HO & N scale Atlas locomotives have decoders
factory-installed, for your convenience. See our web site for further
details. www.atlasrr.com

* The Atlas Master DCC System components conform to the NMRA DCC

standards and are also compatible with items from other DCC manufacturers.

GETTING STARTED

In order to function, the HandCommand must be connected to a Commander or
other command station that supports XpressNET technology (see shaded box on
right for definition of XpressNET). This connection can be made directly using the
7' XpressNet cable (see instructions below) or through an installed Universal
Panel Connector (UPC; see separate usage instructions enclosed), using the 6'
coiled cord. Using the UPC gives you the ability to use your HandCommand from
a location that is remote from your Commander.

Connecting the HandCommand to the Atlas Commander (or other
Command Station)

The Atlas HandCommand is designed to work with the Atlas Commander or any
system that supports XpressNET technology. You must have an Atlas Commander
or other Command Station to use the HandCommand; it cannot function inde­pendently.

3 4

Connecting the HandCommand to a Commander

The HandCommand connects to the Atlas Commander via the XpressNET con­nector on the back of the Commander. The connection is made with a 6-con­ductor wire having a six-pin RJ25 connector; a 7’ wire is enclosed. Up to five
HandCommand throttles may be connected to one Atlas Commander. See UPC
instructions for diagram.

XpressNET is a high-speed digital network based upon the industry standard
RS-485 protocol. The Atlas Commander uses XpressNET to communicate
between its high-speed components, such as the HandCommand. XpressNET
communicates at 62.5 thousand bits per second (nearly 4 times faster than its
closest competitor). It is the highest performance network in widespread DCC
use and all its protocols are freely available to both the industry and the hob­byist.

XpressNET is an industrial based technology, which can be setup in an infinite
number of possibilities, making it simple to setup and control any layout, large
or small.

See separate instructions for installing and using the Atlas Universal Panel
Connector.

USING THE ATLAS HANDCOMMAND

Buttons And Their Function

Dial - Used to control the speed of the selected engine.

and - Used to select the direction of the selected engine. Press both but-

tons together to access the Menu system.

Stop - Press this button to turn the track voltage on or off. Also press this but­ton to restore power to the track after removing a short from the track.