Most of my rolling stock is DC. Lately I got a few locomotives with DCC. Here is the issue:
I can’t run the DCC units in DC mode along with the DC units because the DCC units use so much power that the DC units run away.
Is there anyway to resolve this issue. Besides disabling (removing the DCC board) is there any way to disengage DCC.
Thanks.
Yup. Convert the DC units to DCC.
All my rolling stock can go either DC or DCC.
Couldn’t help it. I assume you meant locos are DC.
Sooner or later you will make the leap to DCC. It will just get better and better. Go ahead and do it now before it gets any harder. What ever engines you deem good enough to convert will be the same ones you convert later.
So bite the bullet. I did. I still have quite a few engines DC but I have converted all the ones I really run on a daily basis.
We had the same problem on our modular layout since some people dont have DCC in thier locomotives. We came up with a very simple solution! Simply put a DPDT switch between the power supplies and the bus. The middle leads go to the bus, put your DCC command station on either side, and your power pack on the other side. When you want to run DCC, flip it to DCC, when you want to run DC, flip it to DC. I dont know if this is practical for your layout, but on the modules we have 3 main lines, each isolated from the other. Each main gets its own switch so we can run some lines DC and some DCC whenever we want. But you have to be careful if you cross onto line on a different power source. Whichever you are planning to cross to needs to be setup for whatever mode the train is on now.
Remember, unless all decoders that could possible come into play when you run DC, whether accidentally or not, can operate on DC-powered track, the magic smoke will hiss out of your expensive decoders and be lost forever. It seems to me that mixing DC and DCC on a layout is iffy, unless you pay more to get the advanced decoders that don’t much care how they get their power.
How do you figure that you pay more?
All TCS decoders (my decoder of choice) come dual mode. The MSRP on the T1 is $20 but you can get it cheaper at tony’s. Plus, even if you do “let the smoke out” just send it back to TCS and get a free replacement.
Okay, fair enough, if he is not using sound decoders. If he is running sound, then they cost more, and are all dual-mode, I believe. I know that my Sountraxx DSD 100LC is not dual-mode. I am not aware of such generosity with Soundtraxx, but I haven’t tested them. [:D]
I took for granted he was talking about sound and all. That could get pricey. The best advice is just don’t do it fellers. Leave DC DC and DCC DCC. I don’t understand what’s so difficult about that. I mean if they ALL came with dual mode decoders, yeah, fine, but they don’t. But hay, the bottom line is it’s your stuff, fry it if you want to.
Thanks every one.
Your are all correct. I think it’s the correct thing to do by converting to DCC sooner then later. But I don’t know if I can do this.
Some one mentioned that Tony’s Train House does DC to DCC conversion.
Your comments please regarding the work this vendor does would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Howard, if you can use a soldering iron, you can do it. I’m the biggest fumble fingered FFF up you ever saw, and I’ve installed SEVERAL decoders with not one problem yet. Just practice on small stuff, and you’ll have it licked in no time.
Rob gives good advice. Just do it yourself. Tonys Trains is a great place to buy decoders, but thier installations are obscenely overpriced. I mean come on! up to $160 for a plastic HO diesel! If you really cant do it yourself, the cheapest I have found would do the same install for $20, but on top of that you have to buy the decoder and pay to ship the loco there and back. Installing decoders isnt hard, and if you use TCS, you can screw up all you want and they will keep sending you replacements[:D]
(clearly I am a big fan of TCS[;)])