This is probably the wrong place to ask such a basic question, but… What is DCC and where can I find a source of basic info on it?
Years ago when I became involved in MRR, there was no such thing. Now I am interested in getting back into the hobby. The mags all talk about DCC, but I don’t know what it is and/or what it involves.
Can any of you point me in the right direction?
Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Blake Harper
harperblake@hotmail.com
Blake,
First off: [#welcome] to the forum! Good to have you aboard! [:)]
Okay, go to the following web site: http://www.tonystrains.com
In front of you you will see two columns. In the right column, click on 2. DCC For Beginners. It’s a very good resource about DCC and will explain what DCC is and what it can do. You can either read it online or download it onto your computer as a .pdf file.
There’s also a good book put out by MR called DCC Made Easy by Lionel Strang. Lionel does an excellent job of explaining DCC in very easy and understandable terms. It also contains a few pages of “meat” - just in case you’re feeling hungrier than you thought. [:)]
Hope that helps…
Tom
Welocme to the forum.
I bought a book on DCC from my LHS. It took me a year to read it and convince myself it was a good idea, but now I am a fan. The time lag was caused by my inability to know what I was reading until I read it about 6 times and saw some people using it. Reading responses on this forum also helped though some of the guys are better at “writing for dummies” than others.
Welcome aboard! Tom has already given you the same advice that I would have offered. I’d just like to add that DCC adds a lot of realism and fun to model railroading. The first time I ran a DCC-equipped train on my layout, I found myself grinning like a little kid. Just being able to run the trains, not “run the track,” makes all the difference.
DCC brings the computer age to electric trains. As mentioned above, instead of controlling the track by varying the DC voltage, you have a constant AC current on the track and control the trains via an onboard computer chip called a decoder. Thus you can control multiple trains, the turnouts, signals, roundtables, and anything else that has a decoder.
Another feature of DCC is controllable sound and lights in the locomotive. IF you make the decison to go with DCC, it is only barely more costly than DC.
Art, you just touched on a wonderful idea!!
We need a “DCC for dummies” book printed up! I mean right down to the yellow and black cover that we all have learned to enjoy. Maybe with a little help from the NMRA it could get published, and with some help from the manufacturers free copies could be handed out at shows.
Harperblake, [#welcome] to the forum. I’m always happy to see another potential DCC convert speak up. I was once one myself, quite a few gray hairs ago!![:D]
Glad to hear you’re back in the hobby. A few years ago when I was considering getting back in I saw a demo of the Atlas DCC system at a train show. I bought it on the spot and oh what a difference it makes. I’ve since upgraded to a better system but if it wasn’t for DCC this hobby wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.
I too, like Art Hill, had to read stuff over and over but it finally sinks in and I’m getting more comfortable with it every day. Actually the basics are very simple and you can get started without much knowledge at all. But the neat part about it is that there is no end to the sophistication that you can get into if you want to. Good luck…and you’re going to love DCC.
Jerry
Hi, and welcome back. To give you a sampling of the difference between DC (analog) and DCC (digital) opertion, consider what you would have seen had you placed two locomotives on your track years ago, regardless of their orientation, or whether your trackage was set up for blocks. As soon as you powered up and dialled any power to the track, both locos would have begun to travel in he same direction. With DCC, you must “give the nod” to each loco if you want it to move. Unless you address it specifically, it will do nothing…unless it is equipped with a sound system, in which case it will emit random sounds permitted by the designers, but it will perform no mechanical function. Also, you can place two identical engines six feet apart, facing each other, and once you address each of them (call them by name numerically), you can get them to move towards each other at different speeds, and even get them to have a collision.
There is much more, but that stark comparison of each system’s capabilities should suffice to make you want to pursue the learning.
Edited for typos, several. Sorry.
I would like to thank all of you for your responses.
I downloaded & copied the link that Tom suggested, (I have to have a hard copy in front of me to really grasp the knowledge).
Just reading the responses piqued my interest. Even though my space is very limited, the DCC system sounds like a lot of fun.
As I said before, I am just getting back into the MR scene, so I’m sure I’ll have more Q’s and will return to this site.
Thanks again to all of you, Be Well & (as we say in the marine industry), keep’er steady!
Blake
What?
How do you figure that?
jsmaye,
DCC can be less expensive than DC IF you try to do a lot of wiring with DC. Buying a lot of toggles, relays, transformers, and wires can get expensive, especially for a large multi-operator layout.
Otherwise, DCC is almost always more expensive.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven