I have just bought two engines. They are a Bachmann B23/B30-7 and a Athearn GP38-2. They are HO scale. I have no ideal on what DCC decoder to buy for them each. I was wondering if anybody could give me an exact decoder and a good site? What all I need to run them and anything else to be known about DCC. I have a Bachmann EZ Command Center and just need help on what decoder to buy for each engine.
Thank you
Do an internet search on dcc…so you can find all of the manufacturers and compare.
underworld
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Fred I see your from Kansas. Loys Toys are not too far from you. Ask for Fred and he will fix you up with what you need. I use Digitrax HD123’s exclusively but then again I run steam. I you are looking for more then dual purpose decoders then you’ll need something else. I’m new to this DCC thing but it’s well worth the steep learning curve.
Another place is Tony’s Train Exchange.
Regards
Fergie
Dalas,
Two good sites would be Litchfield Station (http://www.litchfieldstation.com/) and Tony’s Train Exchange (http://www.tonystrains.com). You might have to poke around a bit to get the information. You can also just e-mail Bruce (Litchfield) or Tony (Tony’s) and ask them what decoder they would suggest… Be patient. It may take them a couple of days or so to get back to you. You can also e-mail Bachmann and Athearn directly to get their input, as well.
Dalas, keep in mind that with the Bachmann EZ Command System, you won’t be able to take advantage of the full capabilit of your decoder. All you’ll be able to do with the Bachmann is program the address and turn the headlights on and off.
Tom
P.S. Tony’s website has a helpful link called “DCC For Beginners”. Here’s the direct link:
http://www.tonystrains.com/download/DCC-for-Beginners.pdf
It’s definitely worth printing out and reading. It’s a good reference and it will help you with some of the basics about DCC.
What do you mean by just being able to just turn the light on and off? Can I still make them move?
Yes, you’ll be able to drive them in both directions and switch the lights on/off. Tom’s referring to the more advanced aspects of DCC - you can adjust starting voltages, speeds, etc with more expensive command units. The advice I would give is to avoid the Bachmann decoders - I have three of them that I really wish I hadn’t bought, the speed curve programmed in by the factory is terrible with a big “jump” in speed at about speed step 3, making slow running very tricky (near impossible in fact). Hope this helps!
OK thank you
Dalas,
How are your soldering skills? Have you ever soldered before? Are you willing to learn?
Not to scare you any more than you already might be, you may have to incorportate or learn those skills if you want to install decoders in these locomotives. Soldering isn’t really as daunting as some might think. Let us know what you find out and we can help you through it.
It may be that, for your locomotives, you’ll only need a simple plug 'n play decoder. That would be the ideal. On the other hand, it also may be more involved than that. I just wanted to get an idea about where your skill and comfort level are.
Tom
I have soldered a little 4X8 layout. I haven’t really soldered much. On a scale 1 to 10 how hard is it to install a decoder?
Depends on the loco. On DCC ready locos, installing a decoder can be as easy as pooping the decoder in and going.
I’ve a Athearn GP-38-2 I squeezed a soundtraxx DSD 100LC decoder and small speaker in there, goes great.
Ken.
thank you But I really don’t want sound. How does your GP38-2 run? I love mine.
Do not poop on your decoder. It will make a horrible mess of the whole affair.
True
Dalas,
You can hard wire it fairly easily: All you have to do is match wire colors:
Decoder - Hooks to
orange/gray - orange/gray (motor)
black/red - black/red (track pickups)
blue - lamp (neutral)
white - lamp (front)
yellow - lamp (rear)
Here’s a link for a better picture: http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/002/383xkyzs.asp
Some of the wires are fairly small so you’ll need a small soldering tip for your iron and some rosin core solder so that you don’t need to add any flux.
The 2-8-2 pictured below was an easy plug 'n play. Took me all of 5 minutes to install. My Proto 2000 S1 switcher was a bit more of a challenge because I had to isolate the motor from the frame.
Tom
thank you.
I maybe wrong but does’nt Bachamnn DCC have a function button to use your sound and lights
DRew
yes it does.