Soon I will decide on a DCC system but have no opportunity to test all choices. I am looking for ease of opperation. Not neccissrily comfort of the throttle in hand but can I quickly program and get’m running. I have read the manual for the lenz systems but they scare me a bit as it looks like you have to remember the sequencing to program correctly. I suppose this may nat matter if I use a computor interface but I am attempting to keep costs down of course.
I model in N and will probably only have 3-5 locos running at one time.
Any suggestions?
I just went Digitrax for my HO. I went Superchief to get the amps and to be able to read CV’s (Yes I did have to learn what they were). I connected it to my existing DC wiring in about an hour. It took a couple days to get the bugs out of my wiring, and to learn to run it. It will take more time to learn all the features.
I choose Digitax because most people here use it and to be able to get advice is important. I ran three trains at a time last night by my self. That was way cool.
It was not nearly as daunting as I suspected. It was my LHS that finally told me that I could do it and they were right.
It took a while to learn the sequences, but I made crib sheets and that took care of the problems.
After 40 years of DC I knew the problems and the solutions, It will take way less to learn DCC.
I have one of these systems. That is the worst part of the Lenz system - the manuals. They are not nearly as bad as they seem. Especially with the LH-100 throttle. I’ve still not “learned” with the LH-90 throttle. I always have to get out the book if trying to use it.
There is some “remembering the sequencing” to program correctly with any of the systems. Depending on what funcion you are programming it gets more or less complex. I have a Digitrax Zephyr that, for programming the channel number, has a fairly short sequence to remember if you are using the programming track. Plus the functions are printed on the console. The only thing I “forget” is to press the button telling it to do 2 or 4 digit channel number…
Relative to the rest of the system this is a minor expense.
Same experience here. I went the same route with the Super Chief Radio. The thing to remember is that you don’t have to remember or learn it all at once. It doesn’t take much to get the basics going. I haven’t bothered with speed tables yet. I’ll wait till I hook locont up to my computer for this. Likewise I still mess up a consist every now and then. No big deal. But I can say basic programming of any decoder has been a snap, including BLIs.
It’s long, but you may find this forum topic quite useful:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=1&TOPIC_ID=49375
John,
I originally started out with the Bachmann E-Z Command and just switched to the NCE Power Cab, which I’m very happy with. To me, the Power Cab throttle is very intuitive and programming straightforward.
Here’s a link to a write up on the Power Cab that I hope you might find helpful in your quest to find a DCC system that is right for you:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=1&TOPIC_ID=59491
Remember: Every DCC system has it’s pros and cons. You need to determine what things you can live with (i.e. limitations, quirks) and what things you can’t (features).
John, take your time and learn as much as you can about each one before making a commitment. If there is anyway to try out a system - albeit at a LHS or on someone’s layout - I would encourage you to do that. Hands on experience of an actual DCC system is second-to-none. It’s kinda like learning to drive a car: Would you rather do it by correspondence, or actually sit behind the wheel of a car?
Hope that’s a help…
Tom