At five amps, it doesn't take long to weld a wheel to the rail or melt a sideframe. This current can quickly damage trucks, engines, or let the " Magic Smoke " out of decoders. To prevent this, DCC systems have short circuit protection built into the booster. When it detects an unexpected event, the booster will cut track power for a short period of time.
Once the short has been removed from the track, the booster will automatically turn the power back on. For this to work properly, every point on the track needs to be wired so that the full power of the booster can pass through it. This usually means heavier wire, better track connections, and more track feeders. To test the performance of the layout wiring, simply place a coin or other conductive metal object across the rails.
The booster should shut off the track power automatically and turn it back on once the short has been removed. A typical starter train set comes with a tiny, low-cost analog power supply -- literally a throw away item due to its rudimentary controls, limited power availability, etc. Many people will use this starter power supply for their programming track as this initial power supply is good for only powering one engine on a small loop of track.
A common argument against Digital Command Control is cost. Some will claim that DCC is very expensive , and then back it up with a mythical figure they assert represents the high cost of converting to Digital Command Control. They will contrast a low end basic analog power pack against a sophisticated DCC Starter Set , which is not an appropriate comparison.
Where the argument begins to fall to pieces is when you want to run more than one train on your layout. Then there is the question of multiple operators on your layout. How much time do you want to spend instructing new operators on the complexities of operating on your analog layout? Is that a good use of your time? The difference is when those costs come into play.
DCC typically has a large front-end cost in terms of the equipment. Once the initial investment is made, the cost goes down. Whereas with Direct Current, the cost is spread over time. All those toggle switches and extra wire, that is not free either.
Just not as noticeable. Ultimately, it is your choice. But do not let people throwing big numbers around scare you. The question is, what do you want to do? Analog may be appropriate in one case, but a limitation in another. Act accordingly. In theory Digital Command Control is implemented with only two wires.
But, Voltage Drop is not your friend. While you don't need block wiring, you should not try to run your entire layout with only two wires feeding the track. With DCC, accepted practice is to feed the track at regular intervals using a power bus. Posted by selector on Monday, February 5, PM. Looks like I read it wrong in the first place, and perhaps it's been revised.
I now see:. It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. Member since October posts. Posted by betamax on Monday, February 5, PM. Start here. Lots of information. Member since December From: Shenandoah Valley 8, posts. Big long blocks of text are hard for some of us to read. It's a visual thing, like dyslexia. Posted by richg on Monday, February 5, PM.
One large room and one small room all connected together. Most PFM, couple Tortoise turnouts. Posted by rrinker on Monday, February 5, PM. Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 's Visit my web site at www. Member since November From: St. Paul posts. Posted by garya on Tuesday, February 6, PM. Member since January 6, posts.
I do leave several diesels idling with sound with sound on in my yards for their sounds. I like the DCC sound! If I were to start over today I would still go with Prodigy. I really like the simplicity of both hook up and ease of operation. Modeling the early to mid s SP in HO scale since Bakersfield , California. I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps. Posted by bearman on Wednesday, February 7, AM. Posted by rrinker on Wednesday, February 7, AM.
Posted by kevinihrke on Wednesday, February 7, PM. What is right for me probably would never be right for you. Have Fun! Don't Be A Stranger! Member since May 7, posts. Posted by mbinsewi on Wednesday, February 7, PM. My You Tube. They have been in display cases or in boxes on a shelf, never ran any of them, I just like how they look!!! So I certainly don't have anything figured out; the proof will be when I start to lay track and wire this layout. My brother is a property manager for hundreds of rental properties and he and I sometimes do scab work on the side and when I did these jobs I'd buy locomotives before my wife could spend the money it appears this is a common theme in this hobby; keep the wife in the dark about how much I have and how much I paid for it.
So my collection is just that; a collection and no experience with DCC until a few months ago when I got these DCC systems and put up a few lengths of test tracks and played around with them a little.
I have been collecting buildings, train cars, vehicles, electrical components, scenery, track, switches etc. However, so much has changed since I built my last layout years ago I just felt more confident using DC.
I believe its obsolete now. When I start building I pretty much have a lot of stuff to keep me plugging along but will likely need to buy a few additional items as I go. My plan was always to spread out the cost of this layout over many years and then hoped I would be able to afford what I needed once I actually started; we'll see how well I did once I start.
Thanks to all the input I'm going to jump both feet in and try to learn what DCC is all about. My bench work was built 6 years ago; I read that it was advisable to build it and let it sit especially in MN where I live so that any warping etc could be dealt with.
Thanks again all of you and if anyone else would like to give me some tips or advice, I'm all ears. Not sure if you can gleen any info from my story, but you'll decide what you want to do. Have fun and good luck! Posted by joe on Friday, February 9, AM. Search the Community. Model Railroader Newsletter See all. Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!
Don't subscribe All Replies to my comments Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. What do you prefer and why OO gauge vs N gauge. Hi New to this ,can a loco fitted with dcc run on a dc layout? Hi Howard, usually, yes. Found this very help full. Now can I convert, a dcc to a DC current system..
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Command Control in general is a superior experience for the end user, especially on small layouts with short electrical blocks, as soon as you have more than one train running at once.
Command Control in general is also more readily scalable than DC; changes are incremental and layered. DC systems must consider expansion from the start, witness Bruce Chubb's many miles of dedicated laced wiring harnesses on the cab controlled version of The Sunset Valley RR and think about merely adding one more lamp to a signal head. With respect to the original question, like any new endeavour, the beginner should start with something appropriate for them.
If they are technophobes or Luddites, then DCC is not the way to go. If they are desperately remote from a club, or have little or no access to the Internet, then DCC is not the way to go. As a beginner, my decision to buy at the outset must be based on what I can handle alone or with a reasonable amount of help or I'm bound headlong for disappointment.
If one has to have a live-in nerd simply to run trains I'm sure they won't be keen on the idea. Of course a beginner's tastes and skills will change over time but, if they have a negative experience at the start, they won't continue with the hobby long enough for this debate to matter. Non-sound equipped DCC locomotives are no longer appreciably mo re expensive than a simple DC offering. And this is paralleled with all their other offerings. The only company that will happily let you have a crack at DCC for less is Bachmann.
As a beginner modeler, or where you have long single track mains and decent separation due to efficient planning, there is an appreciable difference in not adopting DCC right away. I'd budget it out only after you know the layout is going to be in place for a while, after it has been completed. Otherwise all the DCC bells and whistles just sit. Locos often come pre-fitted with decoders while staying in the same price range. Let's keep this as an apples-to-apples discussion.
As a matter of operating procedure, is it usual or reccomended to leave locos randomly scattered around one's mainline? I would suggest most likely not.
Any loco which is not actually running is deliberately "parked" somewhere, usually off the main. If that "parked position" has even 1 turnout between it and the main, then basic "turnout-driven isolation" is a very effectively way to control "which loco's moving", without needing the operator to have to manipulate any "non-proto" traction-block switches. If the turnout is set against your loco, it doesn't move. Simple I accept that dropping power to a sound-equipped DCC loco will cause it to go quiet.
However, the number of posts even in the last 6 months here on-forum covering the subject " Magazine Home Payment rates Contact us. Questions and answers New forum move blog prep Request an article, book, or video Submit magazine trouble ticket How to read the magazine MRH posting guidelines Contact us.
Mynxx Optima Geneva Helvetica. Lucida Georgia Trebuchet Palatino. Another one for the beginners - DC vs. Fri, — DKRickman Modeling general discussion. Login or register to post comments. For years I looked for a way to make my steam engines sound like steam engines.
I even crammed a 9V battery and Circuitron sound system remember those? The sound was so-so, when it worked. How great is that? Even on my little layout, with just a Zephyr and a homemade throttle on the jump port, I can easily run multiple engines. I can bring a train in, then flip over to another engine to grab a car off the rear, or move out of the way.
I only run one engine at a time in most cases, but it's amazingly simple to use multiple engines sequentially, and without thought to blocks or locations. Simplicity in wiring. My layout is one big block. It's small enough to run from a single booster, so there is one bus running the length of the main line, and every track is fed off of that.
I didn't have to plan an operating session to figure out where I might need insulated gaps. I didn't have to run multiple busses for multiple cabs. Heck, I didn't even think about power. I just laid the track where I wanted it, soldered the joints, and then ran feeder wires wherever it seemed appropriate.
Clean appearance. Because I use manual ground throws on all of my switches, there is nothing at all on my fascia at the moment. I will eventually add some station names, but that's about it. No control panels at all, no block switches, no cab selectors, nothing. It looks really neat and clean, and I like that. It helps me focus on the railroad, not the layout. I like the fact that I can tune an engine to run in a particular way. I can adjust the top speed, the throttle response, the direction of travel, everything.
I no longer have to worry about whether I can run a Kato and an Athearn engine together in a consist - I know I can. Handheld throttles.
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