I posted the following message over on the Layout forum but I thought it also appropriate for the General Discussion here. Sorry if you’ve read this already.
I’m looking for some input here. I wanted to know how many of your out there currently using the EZ Command system have installed your own decoder(s), programmed them, and are running them using Bachmann’s EZ Command.
The reason for asking is that I received a rather bizarre reply this morning, from a “reputable” DCC dealer (whom shall remain nameless, but is mentioned quite often on this forum), to an e-mail that I sent on Saturday inquiring about their recommendation for decoders for two of my locomotive: An Athearn Genesis 2-8-2 Mikado and a Proto 2000 Alco S1 switcher. I initially told the distributor that I would be running the locomotives with the Bachmann system. Their reply was this:
Tom, Thanks for your inquiry.
Unfortunately the Bachmann System can only program Bachmann decoders. There are no Bachmann options for these locos.
Use NCE D13srj for Mikado and N14ip for Atlas when you get another system.
Thanks, [Dealer]
Well, if that’s true then that’s news to me and I’m VERY disappointed. I was under the impression that I could run pretty much any decoder or non-decoder equipped locomotive with the Bachmann EZ Commander system. The two primary limitations were the 1-amp power supply and the “non-adjustable” CV settings. Am I wrong?
I never read, heard or understood anything to that effect from the MR review article on the Bachmann EZ Command system a few months ago. I sorta got the impression that the dealer was more or less blowing me off because I wasn’t using a more sophisticated system. The guys on the Bachmann forum thought that the dealer misunderstood me. Maybe. I WAS very explicit with what I was looking for so I don’t think my inquiry was confusing.
Anyhow, have any of the rest of you had any difficulty pr
I will look forward to the answer you get from them… I just hope it’s not a “Sorry for the inconvienience, but we can not help you on this matter for you are not using our Locomotives”… that would be bad… I would think that it would be one of the cheap Lenz decoders because I do believe Bachmann uses those in thier Loco’s
The Bachmann decoders are indeed the basic Lenz ones rebadged - mine still have a Lenz part number stamped on the PCB. I’ve used these with a Lenz Compact for the past few weeks, not noticed any problems. Programming, etc. all function perfectly. My only minor complaint is that the speed curve programmed in at the factory is not very gradual - it could do with being a little “flatter” at the bottom end to avoid the locos taking off. As budget decoders go they’re fine, work well apart from the problem mentioned, and I’m hoping it might be possible to reprogram them to solve this. Hope this is of some use!
The bachmann Ez Command System should work fine. You are limmited to only being able to program the adress but I havent heard of anyone or experienced any problems with running any of my decoder equiped engines using it. Pop the engine on there assign it one of the nine adresses and off ya go.
I have an Atlas SD35 that I installed an Atlas decoder into and a pair of Proto 2000 E’s with TCS TH150DP’s. All work just fine with my Bachmann EZ Command. I’m working on a noise problem with the Atlas but it is really old and needs some work anyway. So far no problems. For some reason it sounds like the person you are dealing with is incorrect. I ordered the Atlas decoder locally and the 2 TCS decoders from Loy’s Toys in Arkansas with no problems. I spoke with Loy and told him exactly what I had and he said there was no compatability issues. I was concerned about the amp issue and that so far is not a big deal. When the system was demoed for me I saw 2 BLI units 1 steam and an E7 working with sound no problems. There were 3 units running at the same time. I still like my system and for the price it is awesome.
Check out this website. They have information about the decoders that I am using on my Bachmann EZ Command.
Forgive me if my understanding is wrong but from a topic on another forum I gathered that the decoders in the Bachmann Locos can only be programed in registry mode. There are only 5 options that way. It stands to reason that the E-Z Command system is also limited to Register mode programing. I would believe that your dealer is correct. Most decoders use Paged and Ops mode programming now. Hope this helps.
For those of you who might have been interested, I just received a reply about my inquriy from Joe Freeman, VP of Sales at Bachmann Industries. For all intense and purposes, it’s basically what I posted here, but I included the dealer’s name for Bachmann so that they knew who I had cooresponded with. (Uh,oh I hope this doesn’t lead to an ensuing battle. I just glanced at the e-mail again and noticed that one of the cc: recipients of Joe’s e-mail to me is to the dealer HIMSELF! [B)]) Anyhow, here is Joe’s response to me:
*I’ve opted to omit the dealer’s real name from the reply for the sake of focusing on the issue
Okay, so according to Bachmann, “anyone’s loco, using anyone’s decoders”.
I hope that’s been of some interest to some of you. Thanks to all of you who responded. I’m
DCC was meant for compatibility, anyone who tries to proprietize it is gonna have trouble. There are some systems that have some higher features that won’t function on more standard or basic systems, but won’t inhibit good standard operating.
I have an EZ command, I bought a digitrax decoder from Loys toys, I installed it in a P2K loco, I programmed it with my EZ command. Simple and to the point.
According to NMRA If it says “DCC” the Receiver has to conform to a common minimum standard - Ie: work with other 's DCC prugraming devices.
HOW WELL is another matter. Note the NMRA Spec is for the receivers only. The dealer may have mispoke, OR you could have misunderstood and re-translated his message. (I wasn’i there). To wit:
In any case, i think ANOTHER call to the “unamed” dealer would be in order. It is too easy to misunderstand, and either way a claification is in order. YOU are the one yelling '“FIRE”.
Let me set the record straight: both for you and for anyone else who has or might read this post. What you’ve read is exactly what I sent Bachmann and what Joe Freeman replied to me. I did not “re-translate” anything. What is there is exactly what was sent.
Don, you’re a absolutely right! It is too easy to misunderstand - as is what I sense between us. If you call raising your hand and asking someone a legitimate question to help clear up some confusion about a matter “yelling ‘Fire’”, then…so be it. What I am attempting to do is to get to the bottom of the issue - with the limited amount of DCC understanding that I have - so that everyone (dealers, manufacturers, MRRer’s, you, me, etc.) benefits from it.
Hang in there with me on this one, Don. I’m trying to disseminate the informaton to everyone as I receive it and understand it. I’m sorry if you see it otherwise.
Wow this has got heated! I for one am glad this is coming out. I have read a bunch of misinformation myself. From what I have read the Bachmann EZ Command will not do the following: You can not run more than one loco at a time, no consisting, no sound capability, now only works with Bachmann decoders. All of that is incorrect! What are the facts? Being an admitted DCC novice I may be new to this but when I see information that I know not to be correct I have to step back and say wait a minute. Then things get to splitting hairs.
I can see why some dealers may have a problem selling the Bachmann unit or supporting it. It’s $50 not $250! It does so far what most beginners want at a fifth the price. It allows them to experience DCC with out a lot of cost. Once they learn most will upgrade. People can talk programming modes and this and that but it’s all jiibberish and means nothing to novices. This topic has good, bad and useless information thrown about and it does nothing but confuse people. Maybe it will give MR a hint to put out the Absolute Gospel Guide to Starter DCC with make sense in English Facts. Why not there is a Kalmbach book for everything else…
I agree. I found out last night watching the DVD and looking at the manual that the EZ Command will do consisting. (Not something that I’ll necessarily utilize but someone else will.) They even showed programming 3 locomotives; one of which was facing the opposite direction of the other two.
Kalmbach does have a basic book on DCC, which I refer back to as I gain (albeit slowly) more and more information about the many aspects of DCC.
I bought the DCC Made Easy Book. It was ok and gave some basic information. It’s a little dated. It did help some with converting my DC layout over to DCC. The DVD that comes with the EZ Command is really good. Answers a lot of questions. It’s funny because there are trains running al over the place in the video at diffrent speeds and on the same track. They show how to perform functions and simple programming. If they could put that out where people could see it would solve a lot of headaches.
TSTAGE
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Since your post basically aid you were 'given incorrect information on a new product , I raised the question of any possible mis-interpretation of Not what you “understood” - but what he actually said. Forgive me…
I even had the audacity to suggest you call the dealer to (1) correct his info( and (2) clear tup this discrepancy for the rest of us, since you raised it and anyone else complaining would be in a 'heresay 'situation (“this other fellow said”).
I was not trying to offend you, but to clarify a very fundimental point about a new and exciting product that many other’s would like to know. In short, not just what Bachmann said, vs what the Dealer said.
We now know that Bachmann was correct - within some limiiations - but I remain curious why you wouldn’t take the opportunity to set this erroneous dealer straight?
If you erred, correct it. If HE erred, correct him.