What is the most user friendly and inexpensive system that will give the advantages as an expensive system. I have a small layout 8x7. What is a DCS system compared to a DCC system. Thank you.
Bachmann EZ Command - Cheapist, very limited. Allows you to program addresses, control direction, has limited control over sound functions. It can run up to three trains at once without a booster. A 5 amp booster is available.
MRC Prodigy & prodigy advance. Program addresses, functions. Control direction, sound functions, set cv’s, control many trains at once. Avoid the MRC decoders like the plague.
NCE Power cab. Gives more control that the MRC unit, is more dependable.
Digitrax. This is the system everyone dreams of having.
Welcome to the forum.
The “most user friendly” is very subjective and frankly everyone has an opinion about this. If you are interested in a lower price system that offers many of the features of a higher priced system then there are a few to choose from. The Digitrax Zephyr, the NCE Powercab, the MRC Prodigy Express and the Lenz 90. All are good systems, all are made by reputable manufacturers. All have legions of fans and supporters. You won’t really go wrong with any of them.
DCS is the proprietary control system manufactured by MTH. Supposedly it can control DCC equipped locomotives. If you want to use all the features of the DCS system then you have to run DCS equipped locomotives. At the present time there is 1 (yes that’s right 1) locomotive made by MTH in HO that is so equipped. It appears from what I have read that it can not control DCS and DCC locos simultaneously making it IMO a non starter as a viable control system in HO scale.
Anyway, if you are looking for a consensus opinion on which DCC system to get, you won’t find it here. There are many happy users of all the DCC systems I mentioned.
No, definitely not everyone. Many of us prefer other systems.
Steve Troy
I figured that Jeffrey would get a response to that! [:D]
I meant that figuratively, not literally. I wouldn’t mind having one myself, but the price is prohibitive.
Price? go to Empirenorthernmodels.com They have great prices for all DCC.
I ordered my Zephyr from their, and it should arrive today or tommorow.
The price is prohibitive for Digitrax?
The NCE Power Cab is $139.95 at Tony’s Train eXhange (www.tonystrains.com)
The Digitrax Zephyr is $159.95 at Tony’s.
I didn’t realize that $20 was “prohibitive”.
And if we’re going “whole hog” here, an NCE Power Pro is $389.95, while a Digitrax Chief is only $349.95. What’s “prohibitive” about that?
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
Asking this question on THIS forum will get you only one answer… DIGITAX.
Look on other forums where there are more free thinkers. Don’t just blindly follow the crowd.
There, I feel better!
caellis,
Nice talk. I guess you missed the recent thread where someone was trying to sell a DCC newbie on Lenz when the newbie was “95%” sold on Digitrax. Or all those other posts on this forum that recommend that folks buy NCE PowerCab or MRC’s Prodigy Advance. So much for that “one answer”, right?
You know, there’s a reason why Digitrax is the most popular DCC system in North America…just like why HO is still the most popular scale. I don’t recommend that anyone “blindly follow the crowd”, but one should not be surprised when the most popular system gets recommended most often.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
My idea of model railroading does not include spending most of the available time reading and trying to decypher the Digitraxx manuals. Yes that’s plural.[(-D]
Tilden
Well don’t then! As a Digitrax user I have not cracked a manual in months. It would be nice if all the Digitrax detractors could at least figure out how to spell Digitrax!!
Paul,
It is if you are on a strict fixed income like Jeffrey. He only has the Bachmann E-Z Command, as that is all he can afford at the moment. Not all of us has a extra $150 to “throw around”, especially when we are just trying to stay warm for the winter.
As Simon says…Touch your ear…uh, no…I mean, the word “user-friendly” is indeed very subjective and is different for each one of us. What I might find as “friendly”, another might find ackward.
The best thing to do, if possible, is to actually try out systems first-hand. If your LHS has some systems to look at, take advantage of that. (Not many do.) Otherwise, find a MRR club that runs DCC and see if they will allow you to stop in, watch, and ask questions.
And DON’T break back in and try and steal things!* (*Go to this link for an explanation…)
Tom
Now if you could tell us what your idea of model railroading does include, it would bring some constructive input to this thread.
Jack W.
May be you could look into the new generation Bachman DCC. It is called E-Z Command Dynamis and is full of feature. It look very promissing.
I am trying to find the link for you.
Jack W.
Looks like it was brought out at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. Here’s a report about it from a MR web site page:
http://www.trains.com/mrr/default.aspx?c=a&id=1074
The only other things that I’ve been able to read about it are from the Bachmann UK site. From what I can gather, it sounds like they may release it in Europe first before releasing it here in the States.
Having owned a Bachmann E-Z Command for a year, I’ll be interested in seeing what this new iteration looks like.
Tom
http://www.bachmann.co.uk/dynamis/index.php4
It is on the Bachmann UK web site. It is priced at about twice the E-Z command in the UK according to the on-line price list. It looks very interesting. This whole DCC market is really starting to hot up. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.
Jack,
Heres the link: http://www.bachmann.co.uk/dynamis/index.php4
Thanks Tom, Simon and John for the link. You guys are really quick on the draw.
Jack W.
There is a PDF with a bunch more information. Wireless, PC interface etc. certainly seems to hit all the high spots. It looks a bit like the ESU Ecos system. Reading the PDF suggests compatibility with the ESU protocols so I wonder if this has been developed by them for Bachmann. Up till now the Bachmann relationship had been with Lenz for DCC and Soundtraxx for sound decoders.
http://www.bachmann.co.uk/dynamis/current.pdf
For what it is worth, because I am from England originally, and still have all my family over there, I tend to keep an eye on the UK market. I still love my old Hornby trains. Hornby and Bachmann UK are 2 of the biggest players in the UK market. Hornby also announced a new DCC system
http://www.hornby.com/digital/
I get the impression from the Hornby literature that their system has been designed by Lenz! So it looks as if Lenz/Hornby and ESU/Bachmann are looking to go toe-to-toe in the UK market. It will be interesting to see if either of these systems make it to the US market.