I have my benchwork built and am ready to lay track. From the start I had planned on just using DC. Then the more I thought about it, I figured maybe I should just go DCC right now with something like the NCE Powercab. It's a fairly inexpensive way to start so it's not the money that bothers me, but I have been trying to figure out what advantages I would have over DC. I have researched a little and I know the obvious advantages that are talked about frequently but there is something I am curious about that I'm not sure I've read, or if I'm just mixed up.. Using a Atlas N scale GP38-2 just as an example, if I installed a decoder and went with DCC, would the engine itself run smoother, be able to run slower without hiccup, and/or run more quietly than on DC? Thanks, Bill H
I think you will be happy going with DCC now and starting out with a PowerCab. As I've heard many others say, old timers may resist going DCC (usually because of the number of locomotives they'd have to convert), but I've never heard of anyone who went with DCC and then went back to DC. How different locomotives behave under DCC varies. Some people do report better performance, particularly at low speeds. Best!
Lownen, that's a darn good point if you think about it. I haven't either! Unless that person was too mad or embarrassed to tell anyone, LOL!! Ifeel good about the Powercab for my needs and IF I go DCC, that's the way I'll go. However, I'm still a little fuzzy on some of the benefits of DCC and what exactly I will gain by going that route. But, that's what research is for... LOL
When we implemented DCC at our FREMO group, there were some people not pleased. It was new for them. But now, these people have quite a few engines with sound and light and they're happy with DCC. I think who uses a typewriter nowadays with computer. It's similar with DC and DCC. Wolfgang
The answer is: yes, I can report that the slow-running performance is very good, at least on my layout. Before DCC I used throttles I built myself from a plan in ModelRailroader, and the slow speed performance was good also, but I could not tweak the performance for all locos, as all were fed from the same source, the DC throttle. DCC lets you define a speed curve for each loco separately. I regularly mate the newest Atlas locos with slow motor with older Atlas and Kato engines - DCC makes this possible. Sure, you could also achieve that with diodes and resistors, but that's not the way to go, IMHO. hth Michael
If the loco runs rough and jerky on DC, DCC will likely not help (someting about lipstick and pigs, IIRC), however, given a decent running DC loco, DCC will not degrade it, and the "tweaking" of features like kick start, speed curves, BEMF, etc. via Configuration Variable (CVs) give you greater control overall. Since you are just starting out, adding DCC now is a whole lot less painfull than fitting gobs of decoders later. Go for it!
The ability of multiple locomotives to operate independently on a single electrical section of track is reason alone to make DCC worth the price of admission. The rest is just icing on the cake.
How large is your layout? How many operators will there be? Is your layout really big enough to have two locos operating independently on the same section of track? As much as I’m going to get flamed for this I think a lot of DCC users tout DCC advantages that amount IMO to little more than “Silly train tricks”. If your layout is fairly large and or, you are going to have multiple operators then by all means take advantage of DCC greater operational potentials. If your layout is a small bedroom sized pike and you’ll be running it alone, I’d save the money and go with DC
with DCC, would the engine itself run smoother, be able to run slower without hiccup, and/or run more quietly than on DC? Possibly, very likely, probably not (may be noisier). It depends on what kind of DC control you compare to, but (I think) all decoders use PWM for motor control, which means the motor gets 1000s of full voltage pulses every second which helps with low speed running. Many DC controllers use 'pulse power' or other funny names to achieve a similar effect though at lower frequencies (derived from the mains AC frequency), but PWM is probably better. Unfortunately PWM can also make some motors whine - depends on the motor and decoder. Have to say though, that being able to run more than one engine without messing with blocks will always be better. Even if only one is running you have to park the other one somewhere it can be isolated, and that isn't always convenient. On the prototype they'd just leave it where it was if it wasn't actually in the way - DCC allows you to be prototypical
This is pretty much a thing of the past, as most current decoders use "SuperSonic" or some other catchy name to increase the PWM frequency above our hearing range. Your dog may have an issue, though! :tb-wink:
As has already been said, the ability to control multiple trains independently is the primary benefit. Even if you have a small layout and run two or three trains, the ability to leave two trains parked on sidings and run a third train without worrying about electrical blocks or routing power with turnouts is huge. The Digitrax slogan says it all, "Control the trains, not the tracks." Another benefit is that, through the use of stationary accessory decoders you can also control your turnouts from your command station. This, of course, adds expense to the turnouts as well as the locomotives, and some people prefer to have panel mounted switches on track diagrams. But the Digitrax DS64 stationary decoder gives you the best of both worlds. The DS64 will decode switching commands from the DCC signals on the rails, but also has input ports so that you can hook up panel mounted switches. Another item that I didn't notice being mentioned is computer interface. With an interface device you can hook your DCC command station to a computer. Then using the free open source Decoder Pro software you can configure your locomotives from a Windows or Mac GUI screen and save your decoder configurations on your computer as backups. Using the companion Panel Pro software you can build on-screen virtual panels for controlling your turnouts. Someone on here (I forget who) even put a touch-screen on their computer so that they wouldn't have to use the mouse to control turnouts using Panel Pro. Best!
Thanks for all the input guys. My N scale layout that I am currently working on is a little less than 4x8 which I assume is considered fairly small even for a home layout. I honestly do not know if it will be just me myself, or if I may be able to get some of my friends and family members interested. That could go either way. I am using Unitrack and had planned on keeping the wiring simple by using the power routing feature of the turnouts to store other trains on sidings and more or less run one train at a time. That could get old, or it may not. I really don't have any experience so time will tell on that as well. Now I think at the very least, I will wire my layout with a bus and frequent feeders so if I decide to go DCC either now or later, the layout will be wired for it. One thing that confuses me from my research about DCC is that some have described one advantage as only needing 2 wires to the layout, yet nowhere have I seen anyone with DCC who only has 2 wires. That is kind of misleading. The wiring is simple enough though so it's not a big deal. I think I would enjoy some of the "train tricks" and I know I would enjoy speed matching because MUing is something that I'd really like to do and have been skeptical on how well DC locos can do this despite what I've read. If I have any worry at all about going DCC I think it is mostly my ability to install decoders, and even more so, my ability to understand how to set up all the decoder parameters that will give me benefit over DC like the forementioned speed matching and such. In general, I'm not great with electronics and can get frustrated fairly easily. I just don't want to set myself up for unnecessary frustration, but at the same time I hate to miss out on possible fun. This is just one of many decisions I've had to make with this hobby so far. Decisions, decisions.. LOL Thanks, Bill H.
If your lyout consists of just one electrical block, then you only need 2 wires. Since you described your layout as small, you probably need only one electrical block. You would want more than one block, if: you had a large layout and wanted making it easier to find electrical shorts or wanted some kind of signalling, because then you would need blocks to let the signal system know where the trains are. hth Michael
Are feeders not considered "wires"? I was under the impression even on small layouts you should use feeder wires with DCC every so many feet. I have even read where some people do feeders to each and every piece of track. I'm a little confused by this. Thanks, Bill H.
I'm afraid this is another case of sloppy terminology which has become the 'normal' use in the hobby. The 'two wires' needed by DCC is the same two required by a DC 'block'; ie. a pair of wires forming a circuit, one connection out from the controller/power unit and one connection back. Same as a lamp in your house. On DC you will need a circuit for each block, whereas on simpler DCC setups you only need one circuit for the whole layout. However, there are some other issues, the main one being that nickel silver track is actually not a very good conductor, esp. in the sub-code 100 sizes. Losses across track joiners is also a problem, so volt loss can become substantial. This is actually as much a problem with DC as DCC, but the way DCC is used (one big block with mulitple locos in it) excacerbates it. As a result it is recommended that the circuit has multiple connections to the rails, resulting in the 'feeder bus with droppers' arrangement. Clearly this does use more than two wires, but there will still only be one circuit - the advantage being that you only need two wire colours, and they mean the same wherever you are on the layout. Eg. red = outside rail, black = inside.
This is a useful feature for DC operation (some folks simply power each block through a selector switch and turn it "off" when a train is parked - same idea). With DCC this is unnecessary, as you simply set the speed for that train to zero and leave it there. Track power is not turned off so loco lights remain on (unless you turn them off from your throttle). When you want to run, no need to switch power on, just crank the throttle up! It's a beautiful thing.
That is blantant false advertising if I have ever heard it!! LOL Thanks so much for clearing that up and honestly that shocks the heck out of me but makes sense at the same time. I thought by "2 wires" they literally meant 2 wires to the layout total. I bet I'm not the only newbie to ever fall for that one. Is it safe to say that wiring for DCC is easier than wiring for DC, BUT ONLY if your DC layout is large or complex enough to have more than one block?
I'm sure it's a beautiful thing. Like Lownen said, you don't normally hear about people switching to DCC then switching back to DC.
