list of decoders (or manufacturers) that work with the Hornby select

[Lu4472ke]

im building a shunting layout that i plan to use a Hornby select to power it, but are there certain decoders that don't work with the Hornby select? 

[Lu4472ke]

and also one quick thing i forgot to mention: the list has also got to be compatable with the Bachmann dynamis, as thats what my big layout is running on.

[Lady_Ava_Hay]

Both the Hornby Select and the Dynamis are reported to be NMRA compliant although in the case of the Select, that has been questioned on this very forum some ages back.

 

Thus any decoder that is also NMRA compliant will work with both.

 

In essence though a cheap decoder might give cause for concern whereas an expensive one will give better control and be more sturdy in the event of spikes in supply voltage and overheating. As in all things you very much get what you pay for with decoders.

 

The Hornby Select is/was notorious for needing a lot of button pushing to access decoder function and I am fairly sure that it can read CV's but not write them. As far as I can remember the Dynamis required the addition of a booster pack to be able to adjust CV's

 

To get the best from any decoder, one needs to be able to write CV's.

 

When buying any make of decoder, it really pays to speak to your local model shop to see what he stocks as he will usually sell you anything that he has had the least problems with. My shop stocks budget decoders from Hornby and Bachmann and more expensive ones from TCS plus ESU sound decoders. More than that range of choice just becomes dead stock.

[JohnR]

I think the consensus of opinion is that the Hornby Select is a sub-standard DCC controller, that doesnt conform to all the relevant standards, and may show problems with certain decoders. Hornby will tell you only that it has been tested to work with their own decoders. Except those are not necessarily the best in all circumstances.

 

As a result, the Select is best avoided. If you are looking for a basic DCC controller, the Bachmann EZ-Command will work with any decoder. 

 

The Bachmann Dynamis will work with all decoders that conform to NMRA standards.

[Ron Ron Ron]

....As far as I can remember the Dynamis required the addition of a booster pack to be able to adjust CV's

 

To get the best from any decoder, one needs to be able to write CV's.......

 

 

Not quite.

The original Dynamis did have the capability to write (adjust) CV's, .....but it had no programming track output, so it could not read back CV's.

 

The "booster pack" you mention was in fact the add-on Pro Box.

Among the various features this added, was the inclusion of a programming track output and the ability to read back CV's.

 

The current model, the Dynamis Ultima, incorporates all the features of the Pro Box into the main system box and adds a few more, such as a computer interface and RailComPlus.

It can read and write CV's.

 

 

.

Edited December 12, 2017 by Ron Ron Ron

[traction]

My Hornby Select's are used with all different types of Decoder and I don't have any issues with any them, Digitrax, TCS, CT-Elektronic, Hornby (Sapphire only) Lenz and Zimo all work very well.

I do have some old Bachmann ones which work but I don't think much to the actual decoder itself.

 

The Slect's I have are all on the latest version of firmware v1.5.

It does give out quite a high voltage to the track but nothing like the EZ-Command!

I've tamed the Hornby Select by adding a string of diodes in one of the track feeds from controller to track, I have then measured the function output of the decoder (to power the forward or reverse lights) so it was the same voltage output as when I connect up my NCE Powercab.

 

The EZ-Command on the other hand, I had to use a different AC power supply to lower the voltage enough to run N-gauge locos as the power supply it comes with gives about 20v+ on to the track.

 

The main issue I have with these two controllers is not being able to carry out a reset decoder, as neither one can write to the reset CV.

The Select is better in that it can operate all decoder functions and can set an acceleration or deceleration rate along with accessory decoder functions, but the EZ-Command is a much more basic pure "loco running only" controller.

 

Cheers

 

Ian