I want to apply DCC and a PC interface to my N Gauge layout. I know “lots” about PC’s (recently retired from a career with them) - but absolutely nothing about the application in the Model Railroad world.
Can some of you satisfied DCC and PC users give me some steering.
I have found the name Winlok for the PC interface. Are there others?
Winlok lists abount 10 DCC compatables. Any suggestions as to which?
My layout is not complicated, or spacious. I do not anticipate multiple operators. I would be able to have 3 trains in simultaneous operation. Beyond that would appear ridiculous in the space and layour configuration.
My real purpose is nothing more that satisfying my desire to apply automation to the layout - thus marrying my two hobby loves.
If you have some interest in and willingness to do some of your own work, the jmri interface is worth a long look. http://jmri.sourceforge.net/
As far as which DCC system to choose, that decision should be based (in my humble opinion) on systems that have a lot of local support in terms of dealers and other users in your geographical area. NCE is very popular in my geograhical area, for example, including among users of automation.
The choice of DCC system should also be made based on what works well for you personally. Digitrax, for example, is very popular in the hobby, but I find the user interface of the throttle annoying to the point of distraction. Others like it fine. Personal preference in terms of the user interface is so important that I think people should not buy a system before they have tried it for some period of time at a club or friend’s layout…
I’m actually not a DCC user, but I’ve been asking on these boards and reading up on documentation for a little while now preparation for a conversion to DCC and integration with a PC for control and perhaps automation. Like you, PCs are my career and model railroad my hobby, although I’m sadly far from retirement.
From what I can tell, the simplest course would probably be to pick up the Digitrax Zephyr and a LocoBuffer II. That allows a PC, via serial port, to talk to the LocoNet. The software most often discussed seems to be JMRI, the Java Model Railroad Interface, which is cross-platform (Windows, Linux, Mac…anything that’ll do java, really). It includes a decoder programmer and a package called panelpro for doing switch control. I think there’s also an automation component, but I haven’t looked at it extensively.
If you want to do full automation, you’ll probably want to do block detection and transpoding so you can figure out where the trains actually are. Both are described on the Digitrax website and I’m sure you could get advice here too. To do block detection you’ll need to break your layout into power districts and blocks…if you have a diagram of your layout you could post that’d be help.
You may want to check out ZIMO-DCC with STP software.
This system even under full computer cotrol will not take the fun out of operation. You can select any number of trains and operate them manually with your cab(s) while the PC controls the rest of the layout.