Computer DCC help required

[Mark060]

Hello.

 

I am new to G-scale garden railways having inherited a garden railway. I know the majority of the stock is LGB and fitted with DCC decoders.

 

Having done some research,  i think i know how i want to control and power the railroad, but i am looking for advice and alternative ideas.

 

I am inclined to convert all the locos to battery power to help eliminate dropouts / dead track.  But, i really like the signsl and point control you get from a PC using iTrain.

 

How do i mix battery power with iTrain DCC? Can i use the iTrain and s module like a Z21 to control the track and train BUT have track main power off? As such locos only get main power from batteries and dcc from Z21?

 

Is there another way? I really want a computer controlled signal and point set up. Is it a waste of a Z21 if I dont use that to power the tracks?

 

Apologies.....i am very new and don't know where to start.

 

Many thanks

 

[WIMorrison]

Mark

 

You can use iTrain in Semi-Automatic or Manual mode and in your case you would want to use manual mode. iTrain would then setup the route (signal, turnouts) but you would be the driver and you would need to obey all the signals as iTrain would have no control of them. 

 

The challenge will be that you will need to create some feedback mechanism to inform iTrain that the train has entered/left a block as without this it would have zero knowledge of where the train is to operate the points and signals ahead of you and release them after you have traversed them.

 

You could do this with reed switches, infrared sensors, microswitches or any other device that you may want to use.

 

There is a very good iTrain forum where you will get advice from more than just me, inlcuding fellow iTrain users around Europe

 

https://berros.eu/itrain/forum/viewforum.php?f=1

[Mark060]

Hello and thank you for your advice.

 

I was hoping to hear something like that i.e. I could control the trains but the computer do the route work. Thank you also for pointing out the shortfall of this in that the computer will need to know where the train is. What would be good is if a system, such as the Z21 could provide  control through the tracks and be 99.99% relaible, but I am just dreading the dead spots, hence looking at battery options

 

Ill head over to the iTrain forum (Edit  - can't access that forum, Im not yet a Z21 owner)

 

Many thanks

Edited September 23, 2020 by Mark060

[WIMorrison]

You will get access to the iTrain forum when you download the program and request a trial licence which lasts for 2 months.

 

You can use dead rail with positional occupancy detectors such as I mention above which you can use to switch a DR4088LN-GND or Opto (need to check on exact model) and this would send a signal back via LocoNet to the Z21 which would then feed iTrain with the information required to work out where the train is.

 

Not something I have done before, but logically simple - there may be other solutions but this one meets the need of deadrail with you in control and automated routing.