I have just purchased a MRC 2000 DCC control box. i now need decoders. The problem is that I know very little about them and there are so many different ones on the market I see that MRC makes one that has what they refer to as a 14 step another as a 28 step and many more, all different prices. I went to the MRC web site and they had nothing whatsoever on decoders. Can anyone help me out with some advice as to which brand and which model a guy should buy. Thanks in advance. RRGMAN PS I do the HO Thing
Carl,
I belong to the Bellingham Society of Model Engineers and we use DCC on our layout. I don’t know to much about it, however there are guys at my club that know all about it. Stop by our web site at www.bsme.org and I’m sure the crew here can help you. Take care and hope it helps.
RRGMAN; The beauty of the NMRA standards for DCC now becomes crystal clear: you can use any decoder with your system, not only MRC. I would recommed using a decoder that features 128-speed step control. The speed steps are important, think of them as the transmission in your car. 14-speed step is like 1st gear. Very small movements of your throttle produce large voltage changes to the motor. This means slow speed control is very tough and requires a trained hand. Locos tend to leap from a standing start. 2nd gear would be your 28-speed steps. This allows for larger movements of your throttle, and better slow-speed control. The best is 128-speed step. As you can now see, this gives very fine changes in voltage to the motor, requiring more moveoemt of the throttle, so you can have the smoothest starts, and stops. In HO you have quite a choice for decoders. I model in N-scale, and compared to us, you guys hav enough room for the decoder, plus a couch and fridge! I would stick with the name brands; Digitrax, Lenz, NCE, and there are others. Ask at your favorite hobby shop. Robert