I have a Digitrax Zephyr, DCS50, the older version of the Zephyr purchased in 2002. I do not have any wireless throttles, at this time I do not have any type of detection, CTC or signalling. I hope to add signaling at some point in the future, we shall see if this ever happens. My turnouts are controlled by either Caboose Industries ground throws; or, Remote switch machines controlled from the old DC panel I still use mostly for this purpose. Some of my locos have been set for a top speed per the type of loco they are: switcher, road switcher; or road engine. I have only consisted my F-7 A&B units.
Interesting, do you typically run more than one train at a time? Do you have any additional throttle ports hooked up? Did the older Zephyr support that like the new one does?
I don’t know how interesting my layout is to people who operate at clubs or large home layouts as my layout is a one man operation. However, my Zephyr system does have a DT 300 throttle plugged into Loco Net. So, yes, I have two Loco Net Panels at two different locations where I use this throttle for switching chores that would be difficult to do from the Zephyr’s location.
I am attempting to operate my trains with a Car Card system. At this point my operations are rudimentary and I’m not certain I am all that interested in operations. Still I am attempting to give the idea a shot. My set-up has the capability of running up to three trains at a time. However, I generally run one or two.
I have the same system - always has been fully expandable. I’ve added a DT400, a DT402, and a used DT100 to my system. Somewhere in a box I have a Jump throttle I made too. And I’ve added an extra booster. While my layout is non-existant for now while I design a new one and remodel the basement to have nice walls and a drop ceiling that looks nice, not like it’s been through a minor war, I am planning to send the DT400 and DT402 back to be upgraded to radio so i can run wireless going forward. The nice thing about Digitrax is that if you buy the non-radio throttle today, you can send it in later and have it upgraded tot he radio version for the price difference. IE, the radio version is $200 and the non-radio is $150. I buy the non-radio, 2 years from now I decide I want to switch to radio, so I can send it back and for $50 they’ll upgrade it to the radio version.
I rarely touched the Zephyr console after I got the DT400 way back when. On my previous layout, the unit was under the layout, not even easily accessible.
From what PM Railfan says the acronym ADC means Analog Direct Current. Since I am not an electrician, I have no idea how long it has been in use; or, even if it is in use. I guess if DDC (Digital Direct Current) is a reality, it may be somewhat logical that ADC be used to describe DC, although DC may still be adequate.
I do see the acronyms DDC and DCC becoming very confusing!
[:D]I’ve had ADC since the 1970’s. Mine is a pair of high quality ADC speakers made by Audio Dynamics Corp of New Milford, Connecticut. So there, it has been around for quite some time. BTW ADC is out of business now! My speakers still work and sound great![{(-_-)}]
Maybe someone else decided to enshrine, “Analog DC,” in a three letter acronym. As a believer in clearly understandable communication I would never do so. (I can think of a number of things that could be condensed into, “ADC,” some of them unacceptable on a family-friendly forum. Apropos of which, think of the possibilities in FFF…)
EDIT - two other possibilities for the A in ADC: Ancient, Awful… (Note that I would never consider either applicable to DC control.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - analog DC, MZL system)
I’ve been an electrician and electrical contractor for 40 years. I’ve never seen the term “ADC” used in the trade. There would be little need to, as DC is either extremely rare or extinct in the field.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone derived the subject term from “A DC”. As in “1.2 A DC” That would be 1.2 amps direct current. I frequently see things like “15.2 A AC”. If the voltage is already pinned down, the only variable to be discussed is the current.
Actually, if such an acronym were desired, true direct current would be referred to as “DDC”, I think. It’s either on, or off. You know, like a battery in a flash light. Once you vary the DC with a rheostat, you could then call it “ADC”. So a power pack could be an AC/DDC/ADC converter. Seems pretty pointless.
The term seems to be an answer to a question nobody asked.
DC power for a model railroad can have different forms - it can be “straight” if it is well filtered, in which case it will still vary up and down as the throttle is varied, but for a set speed it is a flat line. It can have “rolling waves” if it is not well filtered (sometimes done on purpose to help with slow speed control of locos). It can “look like a cityscape” if it uses PWM (pulse width modulation). It can even be combinations of these, for example some throttles will use PWM or allow some unfiltered pulses through at low settings and switch to pure filtered DC at higher setttings.
In the television industry ADC is Analog to Digital Converter, a device which converts old fashion NTSC signal from a video tape into a digital cable signal. So in the model railroad hobby it would be equalivant to an onboard DCC decoder. But I think the original post refers to someone thinking Analog Direct Current, confusing it with AAD and ADD which are commonly printed on music CDs to identify which part of the recording process was analog and digital with AAD standing for Analog recording, Analog mixing, Digital master.
So, PM Railfan who first used this term a few weeks ago on the forum, says ADC stands for Analog Direct Current. You can read his full reply on page 1 of this thread.
I would doubt it refers to analog to digital converters (ADC) since the more common need in model railroading would be to convert a digital value into an analog (DAC) voltage to drive a motor. Every decoder includes a type of DAC to convert a digital value for the speed to a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal to drive the motor. (I guess that an ADC is needed to measure BEMF).
ADCs have been around at least as long as the phone system went digital back in the early 60s.