DCC Boards

[Aflyer]

Hi again all,
I have a Bachmann Spectrum C19, and an Aristocraft U25B, that I want to install DCC boards into. Both of these locomotives are billed as DCC ready, and state they have open ports to plug in the DCC board.

I plan to use track power and probably the Revolution DCC Transmitter.
Can someone who has either of these locomotives share which sound/control boards they have used?

Thank you,
Aflyer

 

[PhilP]

You may have more trouble with the Aristocraft, as their wiring was not necessarily consistent, model to model.

Greg will be along shortly, no-doubt, but a couple of links to some reading for you:

Greg's site.. Work through titles that are of interest, there are linked pages, as you work-through..

Home

Greg Elmassian web site on large scale trains and garden railroads, cigars, and computers

elmassian.com

George Schreyer's site.. The level of technical detail is awesome!

George Schreyer's Large Scale Trains Page

girr.org

These sites will help with information, and if you are not put-off doing it yourself, will be useful references you will go back to.
Anything else, you can ask on here.

Hope that helps?
PhilP.

 

[Aflyer]

You may have more trouble with the Aristocraft, as their wiring was not necessarily consistent, model to model.

Greg will be along shortly, no-doubt, but a couple of links to some reading for you:

Greg's site.. Work through titles that are of interest, there are linked pages, as you work-through..

Home

Greg Elmassian web site on large scale trains and garden railroads, cigars, and computers

elmassian.com

George Schreyer's site.. The level of technical detail is awesome!

George Schreyer's Large Scale Trains Page

girr.org

These sites will help with information, and if you are not put-off doing it yourself, will be useful references you will go back to.
Anything else, you can ask on here.

Hope that helps?
PhilP.

PhilP,
Thank you for the response, you are correct lots of good reading and information that you provided.
I have been working on my track laying effort and have decided to go with DCC for my little railroad. I have purchased a Phoenix PNP board for my C-19, and am close to deciding which DCC system I want to purchase.
George

 

[PhilP]

am close to deciding which DCC system I want to purchase.

George,
Just remember the Forum is very 'Europe'-biased, so suggestions will be for equipment of mainly European manufacture.

Nothing wrong with this, but you may find more support locally for products from the US? - When starting out, if there is a club (or individual) who uses the same brand of equipment, it means there is some local support when you get stuck.

PhilP.

 

[Aflyer]

George,
Just remember the Forum is very 'Europe'-biased, so suggestions will be for equipment of mainly European manufacture.

Nothing wrong with this, but you may find more support locally for products from the US? - When starting out, if there is a club (or individual) who uses the same brand of equipment, it means there is some local support when you get stuck.

PhilP.

PhilP,
Thanks for that quick response. I do have a friend who has Digitrax system, he admits it is a little complex, and has to drag out the manuals to accomplish some things.
He has looked at the Revolution DCC manual and couldn't find anything he didn't like about it. I thin k I like it because it seems intuitive and is not wildly expensive.
George

 

[Fred2179G]

I plan to use track power and probably the Revolution DCC Transmitter.

Hi George,
(I get the weekly digest so I noticed your post.)
Is the Revolution DCC designed for track power? DCC originally (my understanding) was designed to send the control signals through the track with the power, using a base station. The only advantage to the Revo might be that you are not tethered to a base station?

 

[Hutch]

Hi George,
(I get the weekly digest so I noticed your post.)
Is the Revolution DCC designed for track power? DCC originally (my understanding) was designed to send the control signals through the track with the power, using a base station. The only advantage to the Revo might be that you are not tethered to a base station?

Yes, the Revolution DCC is suitable for 5 amps continuous and 8 amp surge (?, haven't tested) track power. Most of the central stations I have looked at have about those specifications. That's the way I run mine. The lack of a tether to the control is extremely handy. The only problem I have had is with 14 speed step locomotives. They are supposed to write an update to cover that.

---Hutch

 

[Greg Elmassian]

The revolution DCC system is designed for battery.

The revolution unit takes DC input and receives a radio signal and outputs DCC to an attached DCC decoder.

All that notwithstanding, if you want to power the revolution system from track power, it should be constant, and if you feed the track pickups through a full wave bridge, it will run from constand DC OR DCC, since both will be converted to a fixed polarity DC for input to the revolution unit.

The confusion here may be that the DCC commands come only via the Revolution system...

Greg