Tonight at the club layout one of the members mentioned it would be great to add DCS control. We currently have the layout wired with a bus topology, and have the equipment to go to TMCC, currently we mostly run conventional with Cab-1. Since we are wired bus, can we add DCS without rewiring to STAR ? Thanks, Dave
I would try it and see. We often added DCS to a bus wired club layout with no problems, others have been not so fortunate. Worst case you will getting poor signals but no damage to components.
Jim H
Dave,
You may run into problems with the DCS unit if you wire it into the TMCC & Cab-1, from the video I have it does not mention using Cab-1 unit with DCS & TMCC, you may have to experiment and see what happens.
Have you been to Steam Town to see the Reading T-1 on display? The T-1 was a rebuilt Iso class steam loco that Reading Shops rebuilt to a T-1 Northern designation during the 1940’s.
Other areas of interest are Leesport at the traffic light go towards the river and there is some locomotives and rolling stock parked on the old Pennsy tracks, Reading, Pennsy and Septa. Another area is just north of I-78 and route 61 on the left as you go north, it has some Reading Lines diesel locomotives there. Also on Tuckerton Ave. just north of Reading between route 61 & 222 business is some old Reading Lines rolling stock.
Lee F.
You can try it and see what happens. I would definitely not try to wire in the TIU to Command Base. How are conventional loco’s handled on the layout at this point in time? Are they controled by TMCC power controllers (e.g. TPC’s, PowerMasters, new ZW’s)? If you add a DCS TIU and use it only to control PS-2 loco’s under DCS the only issue will be proper signal propogation. Either the signal works or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, you could rewire for star.
This has come up enough that I think the firm answer is, it depends! [:D] My around-the-wall layout is 14x22 and has bus wiring all the way, but DCS has worked flawlessly for me from the start. I have the DCS TIU, one AIU, and the TMCC command base connected to my TIU. I don’t need any magic lamps, and my signal strength is 9-10 everywhere. I use both DCS and CAB-1 remotes to control my TMCC engines. Try it and see, and you might be pleasantly surprised like I was. Good luck!
4kitties,
I have a question about using TMCC and DCS together, can you use the Cab-1 or do you have to route it through the TIU as MTH mentions in the video? Or could you put in a double pole double throw toggle switch to re-route the wiring to either TMCC & Cab-1 or DCS?
One thing I have noticed about my DCS system is when no PS-2 locomotive is on the track it gives me a ‘check track message’ on the handheld unit.
Lee F.
phillyreading, You only need to use the cable MTH provides between the TIU and TMCC Base if you want to control your TMCC engines with the DCS remote. With the cable in place you can also control 2 TMCC engines at the same time. One with your Cab 1 and 1 with your DCS remote. No need for any toggle switches.
Unless you make a special cable on your own, the stock TIU to Command Base will not pass serial signals from the Command Base to any downstream devices like TPC’s, ASC’s, ARC’s, BPC’s. You also can only send ENG command through the DCS remote, not SW, RTE, ACC, TR (aka you can not control a modern ZW or TPC or PowerMaster).
You do not need toggle switches to “seperate” the systems. If you plan on only running PS-2 loco’s with the DCS remote and only try to run TMCC stuff with the CAB-1, both systems will quietly ignore each other.