Fitz Orchard
Registered
I have a muppet question I cannot find the answer to in plain English despite research and thus I turn to the forum experts here in the hope of an answer or two.
Background - I converted my little old LGB set up to DCC about 15 years ago and then due to other commitments ( a growing family) it was all soon packed away for over a decade, during which my memory and faculties aged. Now in my dotage and after downsizing and getting the family off the payroll I returned to the trains and remembered just enough of the instruction session I had from GRS back then to operate my Massoth set up at a basic level but am struggling to understand the basics of how it actually works and my lack of knowledge leads me to seek advice.
I am an electrical and electronics idiot. So here goes -
Simplest solution would be if there is literally an idiots guide to DCC written in plain English for non scientific/engineering brains. I haven't found one yet but perhaps someone out there knows of such a thing.
My quandary and confusion can be summed up in one question as follows:
With old fashioned DC power the train gets current from the track from a supply regulated by a controller. As the current increases the train moves with the flow of current determining speed. Wind the control knob down and the train slows down and stops after which there is no current in the track.
As I understand it with DCC the current flows at full voltage constantly with the central digital controller 'sending' digital instruction signals (also through the track). These are received by the decoder in the loco which controls the speed. Other such instructions can be used to control lights/sound etc. The responses to the instructions are determined by CVs (control variables) which are unique to each loco identity and which have been pre-programmed into the device decoder. Without the decoder responding no current reaches the motor. That is about as far as my understanding goes.
If that is all true then the track is constantly fully powered under DCC. Why then is it that my only loco which has no decoder and still operates under DC does not race at full speed if I put it on the DCC track? I would have thought that it would but such is not the case - it does nothing.
If I can understand a little better I may then be able to approach the underlying reason for my enquiry - I want to find out if it is possible to run a DC loco on DCC track or do I need to have the DCC switched off and turn on my old DC transformer and speed controller?
Again my apologies for what to most of you may seem an incredibly naive question but G Scale Central has such great content and advice on so many areas I thought I just had to throw it out there.
Thanks
Background - I converted my little old LGB set up to DCC about 15 years ago and then due to other commitments ( a growing family) it was all soon packed away for over a decade, during which my memory and faculties aged. Now in my dotage and after downsizing and getting the family off the payroll I returned to the trains and remembered just enough of the instruction session I had from GRS back then to operate my Massoth set up at a basic level but am struggling to understand the basics of how it actually works and my lack of knowledge leads me to seek advice.
I am an electrical and electronics idiot. So here goes -
Simplest solution would be if there is literally an idiots guide to DCC written in plain English for non scientific/engineering brains. I haven't found one yet but perhaps someone out there knows of such a thing.
My quandary and confusion can be summed up in one question as follows:
With old fashioned DC power the train gets current from the track from a supply regulated by a controller. As the current increases the train moves with the flow of current determining speed. Wind the control knob down and the train slows down and stops after which there is no current in the track.
As I understand it with DCC the current flows at full voltage constantly with the central digital controller 'sending' digital instruction signals (also through the track). These are received by the decoder in the loco which controls the speed. Other such instructions can be used to control lights/sound etc. The responses to the instructions are determined by CVs (control variables) which are unique to each loco identity and which have been pre-programmed into the device decoder. Without the decoder responding no current reaches the motor. That is about as far as my understanding goes.
If that is all true then the track is constantly fully powered under DCC. Why then is it that my only loco which has no decoder and still operates under DC does not race at full speed if I put it on the DCC track? I would have thought that it would but such is not the case - it does nothing.
If I can understand a little better I may then be able to approach the underlying reason for my enquiry - I want to find out if it is possible to run a DC loco on DCC track or do I need to have the DCC switched off and turn on my old DC transformer and speed controller?
Again my apologies for what to most of you may seem an incredibly naive question but G Scale Central has such great content and advice on so many areas I thought I just had to throw it out there.
Thanks
