Hey everyone I am new to this hobby I am going to run HO trains and with DCC I want to be able to run 5 locomotive (I already have 3 of them) but the main question I have is say I buy a life like locomotive and a walthers locomotive. That are NOT DCC will I have to buy a DCC Converter for just Life like and one just for walthers or can I buy one that will work on all of the them?
Viking, welcome to this great forum!
Just to ensure that we are talking about the same thing, I am going to assume that by DCC Converter, you are refering to what I would call a DCC Decoder or some others just refer to as a DCC Chip.
I may be wrong here, and you may mean the DCC command station that runs the layout?
Each locomotive will need to have a DCC Decoder installed into it. There are many many options for DCC decoder from many manufacturers like Digitrax, NCE, Lenz, TCS (my personal favorite) plus others from all over the world. These decoders range from inexpensive ($12-15) basic decoders with simple motor control, upto more expensive ($30 plus) for sophisticated lighting effects and motor control effects.
It is possible to wire in a harness with a plug into each of your locos, which would allow you to move a decoder from one to the other, but then you would only be able to use them one at a time and would risk damaging them every time you have to remove the shell.
Does this answer your question to your satisfaction?
Simon is on the right track, but you will need to read up on DCC a little to ask better questions and understand the answers. I found it took me many weeks to learn all the words and lingo. It is not all that hard once you learn to talk the talk. We will be patient and helpful, but very specific questions are needed and the specific brands are all a little different.
Also each engine, even from the same company is a little different. I just switched to DCC and am loving it, though it is quit a challenge for my old DC brain.
Sorry I was 1/2 awake when I posted that ya the main question is if I have 2 differn’t brands of locomotives (like athern and Life like) do I need an athern DECODER (:p) for my ather DC train and a decoder for my Life Like DC Train?
One other thing. The controler for DCC the way that connects is that just a CAT 5 plug? (A network plug)
The guys will be gentle however you will have to read the manuals (try the Digitrax web site which has manuals posted on it for free) which will give you more info. As well buy a couple of books on DCC in general and read them. As well ask at your hobby shop they are usually good with providing help.
The command station is connect to the track via 2 bus wires, it is also connected via a 6 wire cable to control throttles so you can operate the engines.
Each engine must have a decoder, to be fully DCC.
The DCC system you pick is up to you, there are several Digitrax being one.
Over to you for more reading.
Tom
You can use any brand of decoder in any brand of DC loco to convert it to DCC.
Viking, A DCC complete control system is comprised of 3 key elements.
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The command station or brains of the system. Essentially a dedicated computer.
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A power booster that supplies both the track voltage and the DCC command packets to the track.
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A throttle. The bit you as the operator use to run the trains.
If you look at any brand of DCC system (Digitrax, NCE, Lenz, CVP EasyDCC etc) all 3 of these elements are there. They may be packaged together as is the case with the Digitrax Zephyr DCC system, but it still has these 3 elements in the system.
The power booster connects to the track using plain old wire. It can be simply 2 wires to the track, in the same way an old DC powerpack would hook up, or is may be thru a more complex power bus. Either way, it is just 2 wires, a left track and right track connection.
The Command station will be connected to the booster and the throttles thru some type of connection bus. This actually varies from brand to brand. Digitrax does use 6 pin RJ45 type connectors with cableing that looks like 6 wire telephone or data cable. Other brands of DCC system use other connection methods and type of cable.
I got that each engine must have a decoder but do I have to buy a decoder just for athern? Or do they make plug and play ones that work with all engines?
If you need to you can contact me on MSN at viking16@comcast.net
You have to put a decoder in each engine. You will not be able to swap the decoder out and put it into the next engine that you wi***o run.
In addition each engine may require a different decoder - for example my N scale steamers tend to all take Digitrax DZ123 (because I have choosen the Digitrax system) but the the diesels take different board decoders. I could if I wanted put another brand in.
The Digitrax site is a good one to surf on for info.
Tom
Viking,
you can put a Digitrax, an NCE or a TCS decoder into your Athearn. There is not a specific decoder for Athearn, it can be any decoder.
Having said that, some of the DCC Decoder makers do manufacture loco specific decoders just to help out the person doing the install.
Take a look around www.tcsdcc.com all they make are decoders and they have some nice installation examples.
digitrax uses 6 pin RJ12 connectors with 6 wire cabeling
RJ45 connector is 8 wire that is used with cat5
the RJ45 connector is wider then the RJ12 and will not plug in to the Digitrax panels
Correct, the 6pin jacks/plugs are RJ12 type. I crimp my own but use CAT5 cable (the only downside is the stiffness of solid vs. stranded conductors but it isn’t moving). I split our the 4th pair to carry DC to the UP5 panels for LED power.
Okay thanks everyone for your help really thank you all. Sorry if I confused to many people I am. Now I just a good DCC starter set. It’s looking more and more like bachman (I know I spelt that wrong) has the best one. So I will do that latter.
Thanks for correcting my error on the RJ’s! Not thinking straight this morning.
Viking, Bachmann makes probably the least expensive DCC system on the market. It has proven to be a good entry system for some of the guys here on the forum. It is quite limited, and does not have any real expansion capability. Make sure that you read up on it and are happy with the capability. Some of the folks found that they out grew it and ended up selling them and moving up to systems with more capability.
so best bet is to build my own set. Got it
Viking16,
First off, [#welcome] to the forum! Good to have you aboard! [:)]
Secondly, as some of the fellas have already suggested, it would be good for you to familiarize yourself with DCC a little more. A couple of good references that are good:
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DCC Made Easy by Lionel Strang (Kalmback books)
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DCC For Beginners (http://www.tonystrains.com/tonystips/dccprimer/index.htm) - You can either read online or download as a .pdf file.
The Bachmann E-Z Command - although a decent DCC system - is limited in what it can do. If you are looking for something that is simple to run, inexpensive, you don’t want or need to adjust CVs (configuration variables), and you’ll only be running 2-3 locomotives at a time, then the Bachmann might be a good choice for you. However, if you are looking for something that will run more locomotives at a given time then you’ll need to purchase at least a good starter system like the NCE Power Cab or the Digitrax Zephyr.
Again, Viking, reading either or both of the above references will help you determine what you want and need from a DCC system. For instance, if you think you might want the capacity to run a “non-decoder” (or DC) locomotive on your layout, the E-Z Command or Zephyr would be your choices because the Power Cab doesn’t have that capability.
Viking, reading and understanding DCC is going to be your best (and wisest) investment at the moment. It will allow you to make both a well-informed choice when choosing your DCC system, as well as minimize the chances of regretting that choice down the road. [B)]
Hope that’s a help…
Tom
so best bet is to build my own set. Got it
Viking16,
No. Your best bet would be to read through the posts again and heed the suggestions given. [:)]
Tom
The NMRA has, fortunately for all of us, set standards for DCC systems. The important thing is that the standards guarantee that any Decoder will work with any DCC system. So, you can buy a Digitrax system, which consists of the command station, power booster and throttle, and run locomotives equipped with Digitrax, Lenz, NCE, TCS or any other decoders, all at the same time. What you can’t do is mix non-decoder parts. A Lenz throttle will not work with a Digitrax command station, so it’s important to check out the various throttles and decide which one you like. Remember, that’s the part that will be in your hand every day.
I’m a Lenz guy myself, but I was starting out with a lot of old, power-hungry locomotives and felt I needed the full 5 amps that the Lenz-100 system offered. For your purposes, you would probably be better off with a Digitrax Zephyr. As was mentioned above, the Bachmann is not expandable, so once you outgrow it, you’re kind of stuck buying a new system anyway. The Zephyr allows you to add other Digitrax components, like power boosters and throttles, as your layout grows and you need more capabilities.
When I got back into the hobby a little over a year ago, I pulled my boxes of trains that I’d packed up 40 years ago out of the attic. It was fun and interesting, but when I first hooked up the DCC system, that’s when all the excitement I had when I was a kid came rushing back at me. As they say, you run the trains, not the track.
Welcome aboard. You’re going to have a great time with DCC.