Re: If ...

Steve wrote:
On May 15, 4:03 am, Chris Wilson <4rubb...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Steve <stephen.ma...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote innews:1179140590.924167.24290@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:





On May 12, 7:34 pm, Chris Wilson <4rubb...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
... and only if I was to change to DCC what should I buy?
I note the folks hereabouts appear to rate Lentz quite highly. ZTC is
expensive and IIUC not fully compliant with the standards such as
they are. But what about the recent Guagemaster offering - I do try
to buy British as much as possible.
Also what would I need?
Don't know the situation in Britain, but if you have a chance to try
the NCE Power Cab DCC system, do so. Fully NRMA compliant, 10,000 (how
many do Hornby have?) addresses, etc etc. And if you decide DCC IS for
you and later on uppgrade to a full PowerPro system for your OO
layout, the Power Cab plugs into the cab bus and becomes a normal
throttle. So you can use it on both.
What more do you need - well, a decoder for each loco is all (maybe a
tranny, dont know if they come with them in the UK).
What more do you want - ah, different question - radio throttle, EB3
power distribution unit, sound decoders (luv to see one of those in a
OO9 loco - having said that, probably already is somewhere), auto
reversers - great for turntables as well as reversing loops,
detectors, auxiliary modules etc etc. Now I know the NCE system isnt
British, but it aint Aussie either and I bought one :)
Cheers I've actually seen NCE for sale in the UK, what about power
boosters or whatever they're called, presumably I'd need a base station
but with that length of track would I need an auxillery power station
thingie?

--
All the best,

Chris Wilson


Hi Chris

No, to get up and running, the NCE system is complete - in both Power
Pro and Power Cab iterations. If you get the Power Pro, they even
throw in a few decoders as well. :) Maybe you will need a transformer,
check with your retailer.

Insofar as the number of addresses is concerned, 'taint the total
number, but the number itself. With that number of addresses,
basically the number on the side of the loco becomes the decoder
number. Glance at said number, enter said number into cab, loco is
yours. I originally had an early Lenz system with 100 addresses
available, having to remember what each loco/decoder number is was a
pita. Now I realise that it is BR practice to have 5 numbers on the
We can have 6 digits on the side if you include multiple units although Southern region manages to identify its units by the last 4 digits careful not to overlap. No such luck with locos 87001, 67001, 47001, 37001, 27001 overlap on 4 digits admittedly less likely to overlap than 2 digits but you which which number manufactures are bound to pick for locos they make.

The one good point about the Hornby system is that you can allocate free text as well as an address to a loco, text held on command station. So you could map the full six digit loco number to a 1-255 address, which is probably more easy to use than remembering the last 4 digits and Bachmann are doing the same with their system. 4 digits were all that is required in the US as that is all the digits they use to identify locos with duplicates between different rail roads.
loco, but unless you buy Zimo (beautiful, but real money!!!) the 4
digit number gives you ease of use. That limitation (254 addresses) of
the Hornby system is my main bone of contention with it. Plus
apparently there is a conflict with TCS decoders.

And no, you won't need a power booster, unless you really like to sit
and look at LEDs on your equipment rack :) My previous HO layout
occupied a 24' x 14' shed, and ran comfortably off the one base
station Power pro, though I have installed an EB3 to break the layout
up into power districts so that a short in one does not shut down the
whole layout. Oh and I added a PTB100 to boost power to the
programming track for sound equipped locos. Don't REALLY need a
Programming Track these days, but a wise thing to have, and I use
Decoder Pro on the PC attached to it to make programming so much
easier. At the moment, a programming track is the only way to "read" a
decoder.

One other point. If I was buying again, I would still definitely
consider the NCE, but I am impressed by the new ESU ECOS system,
though that is a tad more expensive - about $500Au more than an NCE
radio system is here in Aus.

Hope this helps

Steve Magee
Newcastle NSW Aust


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: DCC and the geriatric modeller.
    ... power up, when the booster might fire up before the control unit. ... to the selected decoder which cannot be reselected and controlled ... is running a loco into point set against it. ...
    (uk.rec.models.rail)
  • Re: DCC and the geriatric modeller.
    ... power up, when the booster might fire up before the control unit. ... to the selected decoder which cannot be reselected and controlled ... is running a loco into point set against it. ...
    (uk.rec.models.rail)
  • Re: DCC and the geriatric modeller.
    ... power up, when the booster might fire up before the control unit. ... to the selected decoder which cannot be reselected and controlled ... is running a loco into point set against it. ...
    (uk.rec.models.rail)
  • Re: DCC and the geriatric modeller.
    ... power up, when the booster might fire up before the control unit. ... to the selected decoder which cannot be reselected and controlled ... is running a loco into point set against it. ...
    (uk.rec.models.rail)
  • Re: DCC minimum starting voltage
    ... the fraction of available power to be applied to the ... After adjusting CV2 some locomotives will always start at speed step ... Think of the decoder having in it a straight line graph of applied ... When using a feedback decoder CV5 could be adjusted as described ...
    (uk.rec.models.rail)
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