Most suitable dcc controller...

[Icornish]

Hi.

 

I am about to start a new layout with the intention of letting my 3 boys enjoy it as well. Fundamentally, we have 3 mainline and assorted sidings. It will be dcc as we have a number of dcc locos already.

But the question is which handset system...

We would need 3 handsets, with the ability to control locos as well as points and other accessories.

 

What is recommended?

[Nigelcliffe]

You've just asked a question which opens up a huge can of worms..

 

Firstly, do you *really* want to control points and accessories from the DCC system ?   If so, fine, it can be done, but its a lot of additional expense.   And, many systems (not all) require a lot of button pushing to control accessories. 

 

Next, handsets.   Do you want model train handsets with knobs/buttons on them ?  Or do you want to consider using smartphones as the handsets ?   If you already have three smartphones, then the smartphone option is likely to be cheaper. 

 

Suggested systems to think about:

a)  Digitrax Zephyr plus two or three UT4 handsets, and some UP5 panels to connect things.   The UT4's are a bit fiddly to select a loco, but they are a well established design. 

b)  NCE PowerCab, plus SB5 "smart booster" (to extend PowerCab's capability), plus two or three NCE Cab06 handsets. 

c)  Signatrak ACE system, with optional handsets.

d)  Roco Z21, with optional "MultiMaus" handsets.   Out of box, Z21 works with smartphones (Android and Apple), optional MultiMaus gives traditional knob control. 

 

 

- Nigel

 

 

 

[terryj]

i have gone for the z21

grandson has one pad to control his train i have a pad or phone to control mine plus if i see anything going wrong i just hit the stop button and everything stops

poins are dc through a control panel which i control

[Irishrailwaymodeller]

Z21 allows for touch-screen control of DCC points.

[Ron Ron Ron]

Adding a couple of extra handsets to even a starter system, will whack the cost right up, to match or exceed the cost of a more expensive DCC system that can be used with mobile phone or tablet apps.

 

If you already own the smart device (phones, iPads etc,) then you are getting your extra handsets for £0 (free).

 

The budget, entry level version of the Roco Z21 (black coloured box) .....the z21 (white coloured box), can be purchase online for a fairly modest cost.

 

The entry level z21 is packaged in Roco train sets and some dealers split these up and sell the DCC system and include MultiMaus handset, separately.

Have a look on eBay.

 

Ron

[RAF96]

Whatever basic controller  option you go for make sure it can do what you need it to do. Some entry level controllers are extremely limited in capability, such as not being able to reset a loco decoder or change CV values or they may have a limited addressing range.

 

If going down the extra handset route rather than the phone/tablet route, is there a limit to the ‘daisy chain’ and what cost the interconnecting cables.

 

Some like the basic Hornby Select can be updated (v1.6) by return to works to enable them to change CVs,

[Icornish]

thanks all for the input.

my eldest currently has a basic Hornby select controller, but i was not aware how much further the technology had evolved over the intervening years.

 

To answer Nigel's specific points...

1) Yes, we would at least like some of the points to be powered (the ones on the far side of the board to avoid the 6yo crawling all over it to switch a point... As to whether they are DCC is a different point - I am familiar with the DC solution, and that would work really well too, and give the 11yo something to think about as we wire it all up...

2) smartphones... this is a sore point... Only the eldest has a smart phone, but its not that great. So, lets leave phones out for now (but maybe, future proofing...). My youngest (6yo) does prefer knobs to buttons.

 

Its looking like some more investigation on the Roco is in order :-)

[Phil S]

Smartphones are not a compulsory item for the z21 or Z21. ..... In this case a non-phone connected tablet is all that is required.   As it is the WiFi  used to make the connection. Equally it accepts cabled handsets using expressnet .... The most obvious being the Roco or Fleischman Multimaus .... But a Hornby select uses express net and can therefore be plugged in and used. In the same way as it can be plugged in to an elite.   The WiFi LAN version of the multimaus ....designed for the z/Z21 ....... Is availàble new for about 80gbp .... Giving freedom to walk about and control 9999 locos and over 2000 accessories ....with a graphic display of point L/R

I use a Fusion5 HD tablet 10.8" tablet as well,  for the track diagram of a 17m long g scale layout.... Changing points at the far end with a single tap.... It can do th3 loco control too, but we are habitual multimaus users

( a select can be used as a slave controller with a Roco Multimaus as Master in the basic Multimaus+Àmplifier setup ...which Is how I tried it originally)