I am going to bite the bullet and enter the dcc world. I was wondering what you guys would recommend for a starter set? -MRC Prodigy Express DCC System -DIGITRAX ZEPHYR STARTER SET -atlas commander -NCE Power Cab DCC System I have a fixed amount to spend around 250 bucks but i have a few DCC ready loco's already. cw
ok everyone is going to chime in about the system they own. the problem is most of us only own one system. So, based on the research I did while looking for a system I came down to two choices for a starter system. 1. Atlas (Lenz) Great system. I know people who use it. it's expandable, reliable. Etc. 2. Zephyr I decided to go with the zephyr because it has these things called analog jump ports. The analog jump ports allow you to use up to two transformers as cabs on your system so it means you get an upgrade from your analog system to your digital system. I think that''s pretty cool. I looked at NCE and it seemed more of an expert system and higher priced so I pretty much ignored it. That was my personal preference. Everything i've heard about the brand has been positive. The thing you should check, on all the systems you look at, is the track amperage. will it handle the kind of load in locos you plan for it. Can you boost the amperage to the system? People will argue about DCC systems even worse than politics and God. It's just not safe to bring this subject up in public. lol
Try as many as you can. Get a feel for what YOU want and need. There will be pluses and minuses on all the systems you look at, some good, some bad, for you the user. I think all the systems out there have there place. I would try to get a system that is expandable. If your layout grows so can your DCC set up.
I would rule out the Atlas Commander as it is more limited than the other three. I have a Commander and now use it as a 2nd throttle with my Lenz system but I think you might want something with more features and that is easily expandable. I think that any of the other three might serve you well, but the Zephyr and Power Cab probably have a little more capability (I don't know too much about the Express). Don't know your specific needs but keep in mind that the Zephyr must be operated from a fixed location (unless you buy an additional throttle) whereas the other two have tethered throttles that allow some mobility to move around as you operate. You may want to go to each manufacturer's website to get more info on each system. If you could spell out a little more about your layout, including gage (HO, N, etc.) and future plans forum members could be of more assistance. Jerry
Sure I can tell you a bit about my layout and scale... Basically a triple dogbone lay-out Around 200' of Kato uni-track (n-scale) 3 double crossovers 20+ turnouts 2 reverse loops As of right now I have only three DCC ready loco's (atlas trainmasters) which need decoders yet... I really don’t know much about DCC but I really want to make the layout run prototypical and with more ease in the Reverse loops.
Hooch, thanks for the link. I hope this thread continues. I also would like more info.. Thanks guys for your answers
Stephen, Ask your self these questions as you go through the process of picking a DCC system. 1. What exactly do I want to do with it now and in the future? 2. How easy is it to use and learn? 3. How good is the garentee and will they realy back up what they say? Only you can make that call. As has been said Tony's Train Exchange is a very good place to look, Tony is a stright shooter. Also you might want to pick a copy of Lionel Strang's "DCC Made Easy" it is a very good primmer. The basics to consider are How many locos running at one time = How much power you need. Do the wireing right the first time, the heavyer the better. at least #10 buss line for O Scale (I use #8 cable for the buss line). I hope this helps out. Lee "Still Training After All These Years"
The Lionel Strang book would be a good source plus the following websites contain a lot of helpful info: http://www.tonystrains.com/ http://www.litchfieldstation.com/lobby/index.htm From the sound of your layout, I would think that you will eventually need at least a 2.5 amp system. But you could start smaller to keep the cost down and get a better idea as to what you want to expand to. With a $250 budget you could get a Zephyr plus a UT4 throttle for $225 (2.5 amp), or a Power Cab with smart booster for $248 (3 amp) or a Prodigy Advance 2 for $260 (2.5 amp). All three of these would give you a lot of good features. There would be some additonal smaller costs for various incidentals. You could start smaller and work your way up as needed with just a Zephyr (no mobility) at $160 (2.5 amps) or a Power Cab (limited mobility) at $140 (2 amps) or a Prodigy Express (mobile) at $140 (1.6 amps). The reason I mention mobility is that unless you can sit or stand in one place and run your layout you will need a throttle that allows you to move around and follow your train while operating a loco. You might need this mobility for throwing turnouts, coupling/uncoupling, checking track problems, shorts, etc. You can add mobility with the Zephyr be adding a UT4 throttle, or better yet a DT400 for $75 more. With the Power Cab you have a tethered throttle which allows you to move by the length of the cord, or complete mobility by adding a Smart Booster which allows unplugging and moving the throttle as needed. With the Express, you can unplug and move the throttle without any additions, other than adding plug-in stations. If you want to operate your turnouts with DCC control then you need to buy stationary decoders for this. And all systems will operate these turnouts, except for the Digitrax UT4 throttle. Another consideration is sound. If you want sound equipped locos then power requirements will increase a little, however sound in N scale is not as readily available as it is in HO. Then of course, someday you may want to go wireless for your throttles so you won't have to mess with plugging and unplugging throttles. All three systems are upgradeable to wireless. I hope some of this will help. Jerry
I have an Atlas system and would not recommend it at this time. I have had no problems, but you can not "dial in" a loco address - you must click the + and - keys. To switch from address 10 to 46 is a nightmare. Also the Atlas system puts 18V on the tracks and is not adjustable. Most other systems put around 12V on the tracks. I am getting ready to replace my Atlas and am leaning towards the Digitrax Zepher. My layout is small, so the Zeph is more than adequet.
From personal experience I like the NCE Power Cab. I have run on a friends layout with the NCE Power Pro and liked it so much that I went out and bought the Power Cab system for $165 and it fits my needs perfectly. If it isn't enough power NCE has a booster for it that is 3 amps for a total of 5 coupled with the Power Cab.
I am no expert but I was in the same situation. I am a member of a Ntrak club and decided to go with what we use as the club. It gave me a much larger support network which is great for a new guy. The one downside is I spent a bit more cash, but ended up getting a system that is very expandable, upgradeable, etc. Good Luck Al
I have a Zephyr for my modules/layout at home. Top 5 reasons: 1) It's what (almost) everyone I know uses - the local club and many of my friends use Digitrax. Therefore, help is easy to get. 2) It operates like an "old fashioned" power pack. With the large knob and reverse switch, it is easy for my kids to use. Plus it has all the functions and a full keypad for programming. 3) It is infinitely expandable using any (even out of production) components from Digitrax. 4) The loconet ("LAN" that connects everything) can be built from readily available and inexpensive "telephone company" components - six conductor wire and 6P6C jacks. 5) "Jump Ports" - this feature allows you to use up to two (2) DC powerpacks as throttles, thereby allowing you to spread your upgrade/purchases of throttles over time Hope that helps. Andrew
Just a point of clarification. When you add the Smart Booster to the Power Cab it increases to a 3 amp system not 5 amps. The original 2 amps and the 3 amps are not added together but it simply gives you an increase to a total of 3 amps. To get 5 amps you can go to the NCE Power Pro system.
As others have said, you really need to look at your needs to determine which system is best for you. One thing you should look at is whether or not you can eliminate any systems that won't do something that you need. The Prodigy line does not have a PC interface and does not have a reduced function "engineer's" cab. The PowerCab PC interface is not available yet, but should be out soon. With the PowerCab, you can only add one additional cab unless you upgrade it with the 3 amp SmartBooster. With the SmartBooster upgrade, the PowerCab is still limited to 4 cabs total, and it becomes a 3 amp system, not 5 amps. The Zephyr is a console unit, meaning that if you want to have a walkaround cab, you will have to purchase one seperately. The Zephyr can only control functions up thruogh F8 out of the box, or through F12 if you purchase a walkaround cab. The Atlas Commander does not support 4 digit addressing, and it is my uderstanding, though I could be wrong on this, that when programming CV's, you cannot program a value greater than 99. The Commander is a console unit like the Zephyr and it is limited to 5 additional cabs. It is my understanding that you can use the Lenz USB interface with the Commander, but you can not program with it. For me, the answer was the Zephyr(I wanted a PC interface, 4 digit addressing, and more than 4 cabs), and I have been very happy with it.
just a quick note concerning amperage... the zephyr is 2.5amps, which means it's upper limit is operating 8-10 loco's (industry average is .5 amp draw I believe) basing a control system decision on the amount of available amperage ALONE is short-sighted IMHO. look at ALL the comparison points before deciding. BTW atlas loco's aren't exactly plug and play, you must loosen the screws on the mechanism to extract the old board and insert the decoder. be very careful! gearing can get messed up if not carefully reassembled. while Kato's decoder ready chassis aren't always perfect, most recent releases by kato do not require any loosening of the chassis, the proper board will drop right in (keep the Kapton tape handy!)
well I went with a digatrax super chief Well I WENT WITH A DIGATRAX SUPER CHIEF...... Well that was the easy part, now I have to try and figure out what I need and how to wire the layout. I think I might need some help. When I built my layout I built it for DCC, meaning I put in a bunch of reverse sections/loops/crossovers. I never really thought much about wiring them till now. I am real confused about where to isolate and what I need for a reversing Module (Digitrax AR1 - Auto Reversing Module or a Digitrax PM42) I kind of jotted down a crude drawing of my layout so any help would be greatly appreciated. chris
As drawn, the layout has no reverse loops or other reversing sections, so no AR1 would be required. Start out anywhere on the layout and there is no way for a train to reverse direction of travel on the same track. If you take a basic direction of travel as counter-clockwise on the double track loop along the bottom, the cutoff at the lower right will eventually bring you back via the loop on the left side and re-enter the main loop still going CCW. Similarly if you enter the left loop from the cutoff on the bottom of the "U", it will only take you from the inner track to the outer track, still CCW. The fact that you may be running one train CCW and another CW makes no difference. With DCC you could do that on a simple oval (with passing sidings, of course <G>).
And if your layout works using DC, it should work "as is" with DCC. Just change the wires that go to your DC power supply to the DCC power and you should be off and running. You will want to improve your wiring in time but first things first. This is exactly what I did with a room size layout. Ben
what if? what if i put a reverse loop in where the arrow is or a wye ? I have been comtaplating that for some time? what would I need? Ar1? cw
