A new single manufacturer 'Dead Rail' wireless (RC) DCC system........ ?

[Zerogee]

Hells teeth Z, no wonder others get good running and mine is a crock. Just looked in the bag and there are the extra pickups. Now why would any manufacturer do that? Neither did my supplier even mention it when I Complained about the carp running saying that all his other customers were very hapy with Pfiffi! Too Late now, she going to be a battery machine as will all my other DCC Selktalbahn Locs if the Aristo kit works out. Fingers severely crossed.

I really think that TL45 products (locos and rolling stock) are not assembled on a production line - I think that they have all the mouldings and parts made, then the staff in their shop(s) assemble the stuff whenever they are not busy ignoring (sorry, serving!) customers!

When we visited their store in Wernigerode last year, the one member of staff seemed to spend most of his time putting coaches together in the back room (quite visible from in the shop itself) - he could barely be bothered to emerge from the back long enough to take my money for some things I wanted to buy, made no attempt to communicate at all, and generally seemed to consider the fact that people were IN THE SHOP, and even WANTED TO BUY SOMETHING, to be a great inconvenience to him.....

Jon.

 

[itsmcgee]

got mine and will give it a little test today at a geezer meet we have every Thursday. I will report on it later. So far seems to set up very easy.

 

[Ralphmp]

Anybody received / tested this kit out yet?

 

[beavercreek]

Anybody received / tested this kit out yet?

Still waitin'......... apparently Parcel Farce have it in customs.........

 

[itsmcgee]

I have used mine on a couple of occasions now. On several of my locos when I installed the decoder I ran the track power wires to a switch. I use the power receptacle on the lgb engines for a power source. So flip the switch one way it picks up power from the track. Flip it the other and it turns off the track power and takes power from the plug. This allows me to drop the revo RX with a battery in a trailing car and run the loco on battery power. I have had the opportunity to run on 3 different battery only layouts. Using a different loco and consist on each it worked great. It was very easy to set up as it is very similar to the “normal” revo which I have used for many years. Well worth it for someone that runs a DCC layout and wants to run on battery only layouts.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

As a point of interest, I believe the interface between the transmitter and the receiver is NOT DCC, but the same command set as before, and the "command station" is in the receiver.

I need to validate this, but what I remember is that it was stated in the literature the command station is in the receiver.

Again, needs to be verified, but this would mean that the Revo transmitter can only talk to the Revo receiver, not any deadrail system. The reason I bring this up, is the "history" where the original deadrail systems basically put DCC over the air on 900 MHz channels.... no extra protocol or formatting. So ANY 900 MHz receiver tuned to the proper channel could receive the DCC stream, and "give" it to a decoder (there are fine points about how this is done, effectively the receiver drives a small booster to power the decoder).

A fine point, but it's good to understand the architecture if you want to expand the system or interface with other deadrail products... And I have to stop using the deadrail term, in the US, a number of people are now using the term for ANY remote control system that is battery powered, not specifically DCC.... ouch...

Greg

 

[dunnyrail]

I have used mine on a couple of occasions now. On several of my locos when I installed the decoder I ran the track power wires to a switch. I use the power receptacle on the lgb engines for a power source. So flip the switch one way it picks up power from the track. Flip it the other and it turns off the track power and takes power from the plug. This allows me to drop the revo RX with a battery in a trailing car and run the loco on battery power. I have had the opportunity to run on 3 different battery only layouts. Using a different loco and consist on each it worked great. It was very easy to set up as it is very similar to the “normal” revo which I have used for many years. Well worth it for someone that runs a DCC layout and wants to run on battery only layouts.

Mine is yet to arrive, but I like the idea of DCC/Battery option. Only issue is that one will be getting drag from Loco Pickups and possibly Skates as well if fitted. A possible serious inhibition to Battery charge Longevity.

 

[Cliff George]

As a point of interest, I believe the interface between the transmitter and the receiver is NOT DCC, but the same command set as before, and the "command station" is in the receiver.
Greg

Yes, that is how I understand the manual. Hopefully the bidirectional nature of the protocol will have been used to ensure instructions to change speed, direction or control functions actually reach the receiver, and once they do, no further repetitions from the transmitter are sent, saving battery power and bandwidth issues. This is also how I understood the DRC300 was to work, as Jon has already pointed out.

My set is also stuck in customs somewhere, although I've already had, and paid, the ransome demand. It has been stuck in customs longer than it took to get all of the way from the supplier in the good old US of A!

I note that the price of the set, DCC transmitter and receiver, has already risen by 60 bucks.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Yep, I agree with your assessments of the protocol and it's advantages.

Using a handheld to act as the command station is problematic, and certain shortcuts/modifications must be taken/made especially on the throttle. This is one of the reasons AirWire can be flaky, although I don't think they make the UK frequency version.

Now, deadrail from a real DCC system works great (since you can have an efficient protocol between the throttles and command station, and it's no battery train to send continuous DCC information from the command station). This allows you to mix and match your receivers, although most of them available here are 900 MHz just for the simplicity of selecting channels, but there's no reason that you could not do this on 2.4 GHz...

The reason I mention this is that people want to mix and match, so the only "standard" is the raw DCC protocol over the air.

For most radio control people, they pick a system and stick with it, so the Revolution, while the air interface is proprietary, will be a hit I believe, since it frees people to select any DCC decoder for the loco.

Greg

 

[PhilP]

Most radio systems are proprietary..
In effect, where you would have an ESC on a 'standard' RC system, you have a small Central Station instead..
This takes in commands given out by the radio receiver, and gives out DCC to the decoder.

As an analogy, the 'bus' connection from throttle to CS, has become the revolution wireless protocol. Instead of the CS feeding the track, it has 'moved' to within the individual loco(s).

 

[Zerogee]

Had the extortion demand from ParcelFarce this morning, paid it immediately online and my stuff is now promised for delivery tomorrow...... noticed the price jump, glad I got in before that!
I ordered two of the special price Tx/Rx sets, because at the original "sale" price it seemed silly not to take the opportunity to get a spare second handset. If they work well, will probably get a couple more receivers while they are still on sale price.
Can't see myself wanting to do more than four loco conversions, as I plan to stay mostly track-power DCC and just use the battery locos for visiting and similar; all of them will remain capable of being returned to track power at the flick of a switch.

Jon.

 

[Zerogee]

Well, my parcel arrived today - had a quick look at the sets, there is no documentation or instructions whatsoever so all there is to go on is the online PDF manual - which is extremely light on detail as to how the Rx module is installed and set up. The input and output connections for power and decoder are self-explanatory (and basically the same as the Tam Valley DRS1 that I've already used), but I'm unsure about the "bind button" - enclosed with the Rx unit is a momentary push-to-make switch on about a foot of 3-wire cable, connected to a CT micro plug. The Rx unit has TWO sockets that the plug would fit into - one socket has "set" printed into the PCB next to it, but the other appears to be unlabelled. Obviously the bind button harness is supposed to plug into one of these, but has anyone got any idea which one? Unlike the regular (non-DCC) Revo Rx, which I also checked the PDF manual for, the DCC version does not have the little surface-mount bind button actually on the Rx PCB, so it looks like you have to use the external button.

Anyone who has already set one of these up (Itsmcgee...?), any advice on this....?

Jon.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

page 4 of the manual shows the SET connector and the EXT connector locations on the board.... I'd use the set for the linking button...

Greg

 

[Zerogee]

page 4 of the manual shows the SET connector and the EXT connector locations on the board.... I'd use the set for the linking button...

Greg

Thanks Greg - so what is the "EXT" socket for?

Jon.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

dunno.... will ask Navin next time I talk to him... it could be programming, but maybe some expansion port. I have the
usb programming dongle too, which is wireless.. so it is probably something else...

 

[dunnyrail]

Mine has arrived at my Local Post Office, was out yesterday when delivery was attempted. So will be collecting at around 0900 when the PO opens. Very excited, but will not be able to do anything much till I make an order for more DRC Stuff to get the next Loco on the route to being a Battery Joby.

 

[Timmo]

Well chaps, any updated thoughts on this system. Just checking before I buy.

Tim

 

[Greg Elmassian]

I have not had a chance to try mine out, too busy installing deoders and new centerset Kadees with 3d printed draft gear.

Greg

 

[PhilP]

Well chaps, any updated thoughts on this system. Just checking before I buy.

Tim

Tim,
Things have changed (yet again) in this part of the market-place..

It may be worth you looking at the Fosworks offering for battery/wireless DCC..

 

[dunnyrail]

Tim,
Things have changed (yet again) in this part of the market-place..

It may be worth you looking at the Fosworks offering for battery/wireless DCC..

I reviewed both I. The Battery Forum and Garden Rail UK.