hughconway Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 I have noticed over the years, that any modeller attempting a prototypial layout (especially those involving shunting), faces a major hurdle in that there are many different coupling systems on the market, of which many if not all are incompatible and offer flaky shunting at best requiring frequent manual intervention. Given that DCC has been universally adopted by all manufacturers, it would seem to me that a universal coupling system which could be used in all scales either by attachments or by manufacturing different size would allow modellers freedom to shunt prototypically via a DCC controller rather than relying on magnets or ramps in fixed positions on ones layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 27, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 27, 2012 Depends which scale but with many people now fitting Kadee couplings to British rolling stock, especially now that most new items have NEM coupling pockets that take the Kadee numbers17 - 2, Kadees could well become the standard...well it old be nice to see it o in my view. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughconway Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 Kadees may well become the standard but they still rely on an external and therefore fixed magnet in order to activate them. What I envisage is a self-contained system which can be triggered by DCC at any point on a layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkie_pudd Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 i agree with the OP as ive been doing alot of research into next to real life shunt uncoupling etc, and think kadee are the way forward for me in 00 anyway. They seam the most reliable and i think the way micro electronics are going. That with DCC something like the kadee with builtin electro-mag release via a DCC controller function will come about. As you say till someone comes up with a reliable system that will fit and work in all scales. There are some nice quick or delayed release systems but still require the ole shunt shuffle, only time will tell i guess. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted March 27, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 27, 2012 MTH do some DCC operated knuckles on some of their locos that are apparently compatible with Kadee couplings. I have seen Kadees modified with a Fleischman turnout mech that worksby selecting a function key to make them release an adjacent Kadee coupling but not quite sure exactly who it was done but the possibilities of doing it are there. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 they still rely on an external and therefore fixed magnet in order to activate them. Actually there are already several people who have made DCC-activated kadees. Andi Dell (Dagworth on here) is one who springs to mind. All of the attempts at making DCC activated kadees that I have seen have needed a reasonably large amount of space within the body of the vehicle in order to accommodate the actuator (usually memory wire or an electro-magnet). There would be quite a win if, for example, the actuator could be included wholly within a coupling that plugs into an NEM pocket without needing to have an actuator installed on the vehicle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Mike Posted March 27, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 27, 2012 Look at how Nigel Cliffe has done DCC couplings in a 2mm 04 ;-) Very nice and very small electromagnets. Krois already do RTR DCC controlled couplings. Cheers, Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold traction Posted March 29, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 29, 2012 This looks like something interesting. Limited for certain tender drives but could be a nice starting point and ripe for adaption into something for every loco. http://www.digitrain...-uncoupler.aspx Cheers Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold DaveyH Posted March 29, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 29, 2012 I have three Lenz locomotives each equipped with DCC activated couplings and they work very well. Can uncouple a loco, but still can't split a rake of wagons......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 You're going to need a chip/accessory decoder and address each wagon?* *It is really likely I have missed something as a non participant in DCC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted March 30, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 30, 2012 You're going to need a chip/accessory decoder and address each wagon?* *It is really likely I have missed something as a non participant in DCC. No, it's not really a DCC issue as such. If two wagons are coupled, then uncoupling them from each other without using external magnets or the hand of God means one or other must have some remotely controllable feature to activate uncoupling. DCC may well be the best way to go, since so much of the technology is already available, and handsets/throttles offer an easy means of remote activation of whatever is on the wagon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
autocoach Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Last summer (2011) at the NMRA show in Sacramento, Kadee was showing a prototype wand style non-magnetic based uncoupling system where there were receivers as part of the coupler mechanism. It was an O scale prototype, but they talked about the research going into micro-miniturization for smaller scales. This was external to DCC. They did not indicate whether it was Blue Tooth or other ethernet communications. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cambriancoaster Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Has anyone any experience of the T4T TCCS (Train Coupling & Communication System) produced by a German Company (Technology for Trains -T4T) which is marketed in the UK by DCC supplies? TCCS is DCC controlled and seems to offer not only remote individual wagon uncoupling but individual lighting control in carriages etc. There is a very convincing video of the product on the DCC supplies website at www.dccsupplies.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=3347. The uncouplers plug into standard NEM pockets. I am very tempted to purchase their starter set. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Look at how Nigel Cliffe has done DCC couplings in a 2mm 04 ;-) Very nice and very small electromagnets. Krois already do RTR DCC controlled couplings. Cheers, Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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