Yesterday, I took a long road trip to Franklin, TN to Southbound Trains. I asked the man working there about sound from a Bachmann E-Z Command DCC controller. I didn’t know that if you program a sound-equipped loco to the system and run the loco, the diesel sound would take over and run by itself. So, you can have sound with the Bachmann E-Z Command DCC system after all, that is if you buy the Broadway Limited Imports “Sidekick” for the horn and bell and splice it into the system between the controller and the tracks. To think, I was about to buy a $200 Digitrax Zephyr starter set just for sound. Now I feel like such a “Dee Dee Dee”, to quote Carlos Mencia. [D)]
I’d still go with the Zephyr. If you’re going to go to the expense of having sound in your locos, and are going to shell out the extra $30-$40 for the BLI Sidekick, might as well spend a little extra on the Zephyr and have a system with more robust sound programming options.
My [2c]
Unless you already have the Bachmann EZ system on your layout… then I guess that changes the situation a little…
I couldn’t agree more. You can’t program in the momentum and other desirable CV changes with the EZ-Command, nor with the Side-Kick, last I heard. So, you will spend nearly 80% of the cost of the Zephyr to get 40% of the capability. I can’t see the sense in that.
-Crandell
P.S.- …oh, and you will have to touch two devices, when the Zephyr has the one paddle. Nope, the idea just gets worse.
Hold on - There is still something here that is not ‘right’. The sound in a BLI engine will work on DC or DCC. The 'brand of DCC system really makes no difference. The ‘gotcha’ is if you can control different sound functions with a limited DCC system. You need to have the F0/F1/F2 functions available on the throttle. The Bachmann system does have a YELLOW ‘function’ button and their on-line documentation indicates the following:
Press the yellow Function button. The button toggles the selection on and off.
The flashing LEDs adjacent to the button indicates the train under control.
F10 switches the basic lights function on and off. On most decoders this is directional and is useful guide to the direction that a train will move when the control knob is turned. F1 to F8 control further functions on customer fitted advanced specification decoders
The ‘Sidekick’ was designed to add function control to DC operation of BLI engines. I was not are that it could be inserted in the power line and would not interfere with DCC packets - Have they demo’ed this in front of you?
Ya I seriously doubt a sidekick would work if inserted between the DCC controller and the track. On DC QSI sound systems have you trigger the bell or whistle by reversing polarity on the engine (if you do it correctly while it’s in motion, the engine will keep going and not reverse it’s direction). So all the sidekick buttons do is basically reverse polarity to the track, temporarily back-and-forth for the whistle and continuously for the bell. Since the DCC signal is AC power I doubt it would have any effect - at least, not a positive one !!
Plus, I might be wrong, but with the Bachmann controller, are you going to be able to program DCC funtions like max/mid/start speeds, acceleration/deceleration etc.?? If not, you should still probably go for the Zephyr. BTW shop around, I think I got my Z for about $150 not $200. [8D]
No, they didn’t demonstrate it with the Bachmann system, but with a 20 year old TYCO DC throttle and a little Alco RSD-15 in L&N paint. He told me he had a guy do a demo for him a while back with a system identical to the one I described. A Bachmann E-Z command DCC system wired to a BLI Sidekick. He said it worked just fine. That’s what he suggested if you want a simple and relitively inexpensive DCC system with sound. Compared to the Digitrax system, It seems like a better choice to me. Plus, it cuts down on the amount of “hotwiring” since the Bachmann E-Z track (the stuff I have) hooks up to the DCC system via a little “quick plug”. I would still need to hotwire the sidekick into the wire that runs from the controller to the track… I’m gonna have to hotwire stuff anyways… [sigh]
I’m very unsure as to how this was wired - you shouldn’t need the Sidekick unit with DCC control, even a simple system like E Z Command has a good selection of function buttons that will be able to control your loco sound effects. Programming is limited to changing addresses and which end is No. 1 end however - not necessarily a problem. I’d be inclined to try the Bachmann unit alone with a sound-equipped loco first, as I can’t see why you need the Sidekick - as others have said, those are intended to activate the sounds under DC.
My vote (if asked) would also be for the Zephyr. I have seen it for 149.00 on several web sites. I have the super chief and I plan on getting a Zephyr to wire up to my main yard so I can have a dedicated controller for switching duties.
Terry[8D]
Don’t sell yourself short; you didn’t think of it because it will not work. A “Sidekick” is NOT intended to be used with DCC. It is a DC ONLY accessory. And it you install one on a DCC system between the system and the track, let us know what happens when you hit the horn or bell button. I suspect it will act like a momentary loss of contact and the sound system will restart.
And you can tell “the guy” I said so. I suspect we have a communication breakdown here.
A Bachmann DCC system will run the steam chuff or prime mover or any other sounds that are programmed to run as the loco moves. Whether the function button will work the bell or horn or whatever I have no idea. So in that respect you can have sound with Bachmann DCC. Of course you can have better sound than that with QSI or Tsunami and DC too, and you can program or reprogram the QSI I know (don’t know about Tsunami).
I am soon going to bite the bullet and go with a Zephyr or Powercab (I like the idea of playing the whistles!!) DCC system, so if you still doubt me, I will bid you good luck, AND make you an excellent deal on ‘Sidekick’.