BlueWotsit Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 With all the expense incurred in returning to the hobby, the conversion to DCC looks like being a slow process. As I only want DCC for the movement functions I have finally identified two possible decoders to use (as in the title above). As I see it I can get 14 decoders of the Hatton brand as opposed to 10 Lenz ones for the same price. With a large collection of non dcc ready locos mainly Hornby, can someone advise me on the merits of both and any problems I might incur with the cheaper decoder Also with most locos as mentioned being non DCC ready, is it a good idea to install via a harness or hard wire thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractor_37260 Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 With all the expense incurred in returning to the hobby, the conversion to DCC looks like being a slow process. As I only want DCC for the movement functions I have finally identified two possible decoders to use (as in the title above). As I see it I can get 14 decoders of the Hatton brand as opposed to 10 Lenz ones for the same price. With a large collection of non dcc ready locos mainly Hornby, can someone advise me on the merits of both and any problems I might incur with the cheaper decoder Also with most locos as mentioned being non DCC ready, is it a good idea to install via a harness or hard wire thanks With all the expense incurred in returning to the hobby, the conversion to DCC looks like being a slow process. As I only want DCC for the movement functions I have finally identified two possible decoders to use (as in the title above). As I see it I can get 14 decoders of the Hatton brand as opposed to 10 Lenz ones for the same price. With a large collection of non dcc ready locos mainly Hornby, can someone advise me on the merits of both and any problems I might incur with the cheaper decoder Also with most locos as mentioned being non DCC ready, is it a good idea to install via a harness or hard wire thanks Hi I've used a lot of Hattons own 8/21 pin decoders in lighting installs, many of them in kettles and found them to be good quality for the price, although I have had a couple of rogue examples where some of the function outputs either didn't work or wouldn't programme etc, they were replaced with no questions. As for the more expensive Lenz standard option, having the same motor drive control as the more expensive Silver/Gold versions they should prove better than Hattons' own brand. Why not try one of each first, and compare the running qualities, before committing to purchasing in bulk ? On locos that are non-DCC ready, it's probably easiest to just to "hard wire" being very careful to connect the correct decoder wires to the track pick ups and motor = Red and Black to the "track" Orange and Grey to the "motor", and if possible check the installation on a reduced voltage "programming track" and attempt to "read" the decoder address to verify, BEFORE giving them full track power. HTH Ken Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeg Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 I would agree with Ken, but also check the wiring of the loco for any shorts with a meter as there are often shorts that do not stop DC running but can destroy a chip. Also make sure that the motor terminals are isolated from the frame/case of both the motor and loco chasis. I hope that I am not being a bit OTT but if you go through the topics on DCC you will find a lot of dead decoder stories due to the above. regards mike g Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 As I see it I can get 14 decoders of the Hatton brand as opposed to 10 Lenz ones for the same price. You can get the Lenz Standard for around £13 if you go elsewhere. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RFS Posted September 16, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 16, 2015 You can get the Lenz Standard for around £13 if you go elsewhere. . From here for example - http://www.arstecnica.de/shop/digital-switching/lenz-10231-01.html . 3 Standard+ decoders will set you back €51 (post-free), which works out at about £12.50 per decoder. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMJ Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Give me a Lenz standard or even better a silver or gold. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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