I was looking into DCC in Z Scale and found these small controllers; [h=1]ZTRACK SNAIL SPEED CONTROLLER (DCC) ANALOG AND DIGITAL US .[/h] I'm probably confused here that in on portion of the ad it mentions controlling three Locos at once and then later in the same ad there is a statement * one loco operated at a time. or something to that effect. DOes anyone have experience with these that can clarify this for me. The price, size and DCC sounded good to me But??? Not sure what I'm reading here. Thanks for your time in helping Glen
I have one of them - but did not use it much. What they mean is that three DCC locomotives can be operated but only one at a time can be adjusted. There is a three way switch that tells you which loco you are controlling. If you switch to another loco, the first will continue on. The DCC chip does what it was last told until it gets information to change or with some chips, the DCC power stops. Most chips will hold the last command given even if the engine derails. Put the engine back on and it will continue it's previous command. So unlike some controllers which have two knobs, Digitrax for example, the NCE controller only lets you control only one engine at a time. This is the most common one engine (or consist) type of controller, so the Snail Controller ad is just making that clear. Hope this helps and Happy New Year!
Thanks much David that more than answered my question. I'm in then much cheaper and seems so much easier than the other scales. Glen
Glen, It is important to note that this unit is not a controller, just a throttle. It can't program your decoders and it can't control decoder functions, such as headlights. Mark
oh bummer so this is just another Throttle, and a complete DCC system has to be used? As in NCE Powercab or something similar? I Also question then if this Throttle would be compatable with one of those systems?
No. It is a system to itself, just a minimal one. 3 DCC loco control of forward, backward, and speed. No other functions. It is not compatible with any other system. The only item it can "program" is loco number: 1, 2, or 3.
Thanks for the info the wag. I still think I'll jump onboard because it still would be nice to run trains and not manage your track.
