MERG modules in November's BRM

[terrysoham]

Just noticed a very nice article by Phil Parker describing his build of two dcc MERG kits - a command station and controller. For those who are interested and visiting the Peterborough exhibition next weekend, I understand that MERG will be having a stand and I am sure the members manning the stand will be delighted to extol the benefits of joining MERG.

Regards

[Phil Parker]

All being well, I'll have the controller shown in the article working on Ruston Quays at the show too.

 

And I'll be happy to extol the virtues of this well thought out and presented kit.

 

If you are looking for a well featured DCC controller at a budget price and aren't scared of simple soldering, pick up the November issue of BRM for the full story.

 

[Kelly]

Realised why I hadn't read it yet, the issue hadn't arrived! it duly dropped through the door this morning.

Having had chance to read it, it is a very good piece I think. A follow up on other features and using it could well be good, with perhaps showing how the CBUS modules can be combined for complete layout control via JMRI or RocRail?

[Phil Parker]

 

Realised why I hadn't read it yet, the issue hadn't arrived! it duly dropped through the door this morning.

 

Having had chance to read it, it is a very good piece I think. A follow up on other features and using it could well be good, with perhaps showing how the CBUS modules can be combined for complete layout control via JMRI or RocRail?

 

 

I'll be honest and think that CBUS etc. are probably a bit heavy for a general magazine. If they appear, putting them in context with a layout would probably make sense. I'm not sure what Kineton is using, but there is a chance that they might crop up there.

 

My aim with the article was to gently lead those with a bit of an interest to the arms of MERG where there is a support from people who know how this stuff works far better than I. That and get a DCC system I really like of course. Writing the piece for the magazine audience wasn't easy, nor was producing enough photos that were interesting. Endless shots of components will leave many people cold.

 

I am looking at using some of the cheaper kits in other future projects though. The speed control is a real find and I can see uses for many others - the feedback from this piece indicates that electronics articles are more popular than expected.

[Huw Griffiths]

... I understand that MERG will be having a stand and I am sure the members manning the stand will be delighted to extol the benefits of joining MERG.

 

I don't doubt that for one second. After all, a number of them are probably also rather keen on electronics as a hobby.

 

They've also paid to join (and remain members of) MERG - and are probably rather keen to see their society acquire some more members. Rightly so, too.

 

 

Having had chance to read it, it is a very good piece I think. A follow up on other features and using it could well be good, with perhaps showing how the CBUS modules can be combined for complete layout control via JMRI or RocRail?

 

Aaarrgh! That sounds scarily like programming!!

 

Seriously though, I suspect that all that stuff was probably taken care of by the people who designed these kits - so I should be able to breathe again.

 

 

I'll be honest and think that CBUS etc. are probably a bit heavy for a general magazine. If they appear, putting them in context with a layout would probably make sense. I'm not sure what Kineton is using, but there is a chance that they might crop up there.

 

My aim with the article was to gently lead those with a bit of an interest to the arms of MERG where there is a support from people who know how this stuff works far better than I. That and get a DCC system I really like of course. Writing the piece for the magazine audience wasn't easy, nor was producing enough photos that were interesting. Endless shots of components will leave many people cold.

 

I am looking at using some of the cheaper kits in other future projects though. The speed control is a real find and I can see uses for many others - the feedback from this piece indicates that electronics articles are more popular than expected.

 

I think you're right about CBUS etc. When I was at college, studying Electrical & Electronic Engineering, anything programming related terrified me. This might have had something to do with the way a number of textbooks on the subject seemed to be "written":

• Page 1:  Kindergarten stuff, "explained" in terms a 2 year old would find patronising.
• Page 2 (and the rest of the book):  A sea of flowcharts, heiroglyphs and an alphabet soup of jargon that most of us mere mortals will never understand. The college maths books of the day seemed to be "written" in a similar "style".

 

Obviously I can't comment about the MERG kits / modules and associated documentation - I've never seen them - but I suspect they've done a better job of this stuff than some textbook "authors". After all, if this electrical / electronic engineer can't take "technobabble", I can't see most hobbyists being too keen on it either.

 

I also suspect that people with no prior connection to either electronics or MERG would see it as a barrier. The last time I checked, societies like MERG were not in the business of building barriers - they prefer to build bridges.

 

 

As for photos - or pictures in general - there are some component shots that might interest some people. If they help people to work out how to identify parts, or how to connect them / fit them to the PCB, I suspect some people will find them useful. On the other hand, endless shots of resistors (whose only visual difference is the colours of the bands painted round them or numbers printed on them) probably won't interest too many people. It's all about getting the balance right - something which you generally seem to be good at.

 

As for other kits, I'd be interested in seeing what they have to offer - and how much it costs for a basic setup. Whether I'd be interested enough to join at some point in the future remains to be seen.

 

 

Huw.

[Kelly]

I'll be honest and think that CBUS etc. are probably a bit heavy for a general magazine. If they appear, putting them in context with a layout would probably make sense. I'm not sure what Kineton is using, but there is a chance that they might crop up there.

 

My aim with the article was to gently lead those with a bit of an interest to the arms of MERG where there is a support from people who know how this stuff works far better than I. That and get a DCC system I really like of course. Writing the piece for the magazine audience wasn't easy, nor was producing enough photos that were interesting. Endless shots of components will leave many people cold.

 

I am looking at using some of the cheaper kits in other future projects though. The speed control is a real find and I can see uses for many others - the feedback from this piece indicates that electronics articles are more popular than expected.

 

CBUS was just one example really, mainly suggested for the fact the DCC command station and handset use CBUS, without the one, the other cannot work. To link the CANCMD/CANCAB to a laptop for instance needs the CANUSB4 as the link. Of course you can then add additional modules to control points with servos/motors etc if you so desired, it is a fairly well thought out system in a modular sense.

 

However, you are probably right in that going much further is perhaps going beyond the scope of a magazine like BRM, but the exposure to the fact DCC doesn't have to cost £100s is a very good thing.

 

The pocket money kits are great little cheap items, with some very useful, such as track and dcc decoder testers etc and twinklers for such as traffic lights or level crossings for less than £5 each, sometimes less than £1.

[Kelly]

I don't doubt that for one second. After all, a number of them are probably also rather keen on electronics as a hobby.

 

They've also paid to join (and remain members of) MERG - and are probably rather keen to see their society acquire some more members. Rightly so, too.

 

 

 

Aaarrgh! That sounds scarily like programming!!

 

Seriously though, I suspect that all that stuff was probably taken care of by the people who designed these kits - so I should be able to breathe again.

 

 

 

Obviously I can't comment about the MERG kits / modules and associated documentation - I've never seen them - but I suspect they've done a better job of this stuff than some textbook "authors". After all, if this electrical / electronic engineer can't take "technobabble", I can't see most hobbyists being too keen on it either.

 

I also suspect that people with no prior connection to either electronics or MERG would see it as a barrier. The last time I checked, societies like MERG were not in the business of building barriers - they prefer to build bridges.

 

 

As for photos - or pictures in general - there are some component shots that might interest some people. If they help people to work out how to identify parts, or how to connect them / fit them to the PCB, I suspect some people will find them useful. On the other hand, endless shots of resistors (whose only visual difference is the colours of the bands painted round them or numbers printed on them) probably won't interest too many people. It's all about getting the balance right - something which you generally seem to be good at.

 

As for other kits, I'd be interested in seeing what they have to offer - and how much it costs for a basic setup. Whether I'd be interested enough to join at some point in the future remains to be seen.

 

 

Huw.

 

JMRI/RocRail don't really involve programming, merely control of a layout (they support more than just CBUS/MERG DCC for a start).

 

As for MERG documentation, it varies a bit, but for the kits themselves, it is excellent. As Phil's article points out the items are attached to a card telling you what they are, and the instructions are well and clearly laid out. There is much more to MERG than what is in the kitlocker really, as the kits go through a fairly lengthy process before being made available to members to buy.

 

For instance, the way the various kits are designed in some cases, leads to some people customising them to their own needs, which then in turn spawn new kits eventually. Sometimes those never reach further than a PCB available in the kitlocker though.

 

MERG's primary aim is to encourage and educate about model railway electronics.

 

As for your last comment though, that is a bit too open ended to answer properly. What do you deem a basic set up? DCC? controlling points/signals? both with feedback (for instance servos giving feedback to CBUS and then changing polarity)? MERG offers more than just CBUS as an option too for layout control. Kits start around £1-5 for the pocket money items, which use veroboard rather than PCBs and are quick, simple and cheap to help those new to electronics/soldering a cheap taste. The CBUS modules range from about £10 to £36, with most non-DCC related ones (ie not the command station or handset which are £26 and £38 respectively) in the £9-14 a kit range. Can be as complex or as simple as you want really. Non-members can still access a fair selection of documentation, including prices for the various  kits.

[mikeymarlin]

In the September issue of BRM p76-79, there was an article entitled "RELAX, IT'S JUST ELECTRONICS" which outlined the implementation of MERG CBUS and DCC to our new n-gauge exhibition layout - Kineton. It is written from the perspective of a mechanical engineer who wanted to implement a cost effective, control system for accessories (points, signals and train-on-track detection) and locomotives whilst reducing the wiring on the layout. 

To use the MERG modules, you do not need to programme anything - if it had, it would not have suited me. The kits are straight forward to build and configure and most importantly, the support via the MERG forum is outstanding and all for an ANNUAL membership fee of £16. There are active area groups throughout the country who hold meetings to discuss various aspects of model railway control. In the group that I lead, I would say that 70% of the members come from a non-electronics background.

My recommendation: look on the MERG website, find an area group, contact the group nearest you and go along to a meeting - you will be pleasantly surprised.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Well I am the ultimate test for such an article. If I can read through it and:

 

1) Understand any of it;

2) Not fall asleep

 

It must be really good!

 

I can certainly see the benefits of DCC and it would  be nice to have a controller that does not cost a fortune. Some of the other MERG stuff goes a bit too far down the computerisation road and operates a layout in a different way to what I want.

[mikeymarlin]

Joseph,

Perhaps I should have had you review the article before it was published!

 

I hope you find it interesting and easy to understand .

 

I look forward to your feedback.

 

MikeP. 

[Tony Teague]

I actually enjoyed Phil Parker's article and felt that it & the kit being built presented a much simplified approach to electronics, however, I have one question.

As a committed DC / non-DCC modeller, would MERG have much to offer me?

Tony

[Kelly]

I actually enjoyed Phil Parker's article and felt that it & the kit being built presented a much simplified approach to electronics, however, I have one question.

As a committed DC / non-DCC modeller, would MERG have much to offer me?

Tony

Very much so.

 

The merg dcc system uses cbus for communication. But the dcc isn't required to have a cbus set up for point /signal /polarity control and control /mimic panels.

 

And cbus is just one of a few different systems available.

 

Merg supports electronics in relation to model railways in general, be it dcc, dc or any other means or type etc.

 

The forum and the back issues of the journal (going back well into the 90s) provide a great resource for electronic help and discussion. Dcc certainly not being the only focus, and in fact for a number of members it isn't for them.

[Kelly]

kits are straight forward to build and configure and most importantly, the support via the MERG forum is outstanding and all for an ANNUAL membership fee of £16.

 

With regards to the membership fee it should be pointed out that the £16 is the renewal price. The first year being £21.

[Huw Griffiths]

JMRI/RocRail don't really involve programming, merely control of a layout (they support more than just CBUS/MERG DCC for a start).

 

As for MERG documentation, it varies a bit, but for the kits themselves, it is excellent. As Phil's article points out the items are attached to a card telling you what they are, and the instructions are well and clearly laid out. There is much more to MERG than what is in the kitlocker really, as the kits go through a fairly lengthy process before being made available to members to buy.

 

For instance, the way the various kits are designed in some cases, leads to some people customising them to their own needs, which then in turn spawn new kits eventually. Sometimes those never reach further than a PCB available in the kitlocker though.

 

MERG's primary aim is to encourage and educate about model railway electronics.

 

As for your last comment though, that is a bit too open ended to answer properly. What do you deem a basic set up? DCC? controlling points/signals? both with feedback (for instance servos giving feedback to CBUS and then changing polarity)? MERG offers more than just CBUS as an option too for layout control. Kits start around £1-5 for the pocket money items, which use veroboard rather than PCBs and are quick, simple and cheap to help those new to electronics/soldering a cheap taste. The CBUS modules range from about £10 to £36, with most non-DCC related ones (ie not the command station or handset which are £26 and £38 respectively) in the £9-14 a kit range. Can be as complex or as simple as you want really. Non-members can still access a fair selection of documentation, including prices for the various  kits.

 

All very reassuring - much like Phil's excellent article (which I finally got the time to look at earlier today).

 

The aim of encouraging and educating people (about model railway electronics) sounds perfectly reasonable to me. However, this wouldn't surprise anyone who really knows me. After all, for a number of years, I worked in a university as a "labrat" - not just building, setting up and repairing stuff, but also running lab classes and supervising students doing practical work towards their final year projects. I'm also passionate about aims very much like these.

 

I can also see this stuff about people customizing kits / modules for their own purposes - which is one reason why it would make sense to download any available instructions / documentation at the first opportunity (and also make a point of being quick to download any new stuff / updates).

 

 

In fact, I've been known to do something very similar with project articles from commercial electronics magazines. I don't know how many peole here remember Elektor - a magazine which used to be published in a number of different editions - and languages - for sale on newsstands in various countries. For a while, they also had some of their articles - and some circuit boards - available on an open access website - before they made it increasingly difficult (and expensive) to access this content and finally went "direct subscription only".

 

One magazine project idea was a speedometer for use with radio control cars - based around a cheap digital pushbike speedometer. Somebody had worked out how to connect alternative input signals to the bike speedo's reed switch input - using a transistor based signal conditioning module and CMOS logic chips to allow the "count rate" to be reduced, by some predefined factor. A further module within their circuit allowed it to be driven using a reflective photosensor - with measures taken to ensure it wasn't triggered by stray light from outside the setup.

 

All of this was very clever - but my local branch of Maplin didn't stock the logic chip they'd used. I also wished to be able to reduce the count rate by a different factor - and I didn't particularly wish to use their chosen optical sensor. Because of this, I "breadboarded" my own modified versions of their circuit, which used a different logic chip (there would actually have been nothing to stop me using a number of them - one after another - to really drop the count rate). Over time, I was able to drive the thing from a number of different signal sources - reed switches - a function generator - there might have been other sources, but it's so long ago that I can't remember.

 

What I can remember, though, is that I really enjoyed doing this stuff. I also realised that digital bike speedos are very useful for counting things - and could be adapted for applications ranging from DIY wind speed monitors to simple frequency meters. Some ready made model train speedos based around them have also been sold (and circuits / DIY setups for them published in a number of magazines and on a number of websites).

 

I'm not saying that anyone should necessarily buy or build any of these - but they certainly offer potential for some very enjoyable experiments.

 

 

Turning to your, perfectly reasonable, question about what I see as basic setups for MERG kits, I agree that this is a bit open ended. However, if a magazine asks somebody to write an article about how to build / use a selection of kits, I suspect they might also have made a decision about which kits (and how many of each) they need in order to effectively test / demonstrate them. I also suspect they're unlikely to use any more kits than they need in order to achieve this - so this could be seen as a basic setup. It's also possible they might have a specific layout in mind when they decide which kits to use.

 

My point was basically that, as somebody with no links to MERG (in this case) and no involvement in building / setting up / testing the layout(s) concerned, I wouldn't have a clue what's needed, how much it would cost, or how the total cost would compare with various ready made alternatives.

 

 

I actually enjoyed Phil Parker's article and felt that it & the kit being built presented a much simplified approach to electronics, however, I have one question.

As a committed DC / non-DCC modeller, would MERG have much to offer me?

Tony

 

I've also wondered about this myself - a number of times over the years - for basically the same reason. I could be convinced - but I suspect that my decision might also be affected by the state of my wallet on the Sunday afternoon at "Warley". (Other shows are, of course, available - "Ally Pally", for instance ... .)

 

To be brutally honest, I'm not sure what I'll end up deciding at this year's "Warley" - but I suspect I'm likely to join at some point in time. I just don't know when, that's all ... .

 

 

Huw.

[ColinK]

I too found the MERG articles interesting. I can certainly see the benefits of joining to get kits to make at good prices. Many years ago I did assemble electronic kits and even made some items by buying all the bits from Maplins. However, what I discovered was that most items I made would work, but occasionally one did not work. If it didn't work I had no idea how to find the problem (other than excess solder in the wrong place) and fix it, so the item when in the bin. That certainly worries me with something like a controller kit.

 

As to future articles, what I would really like to see is 'a idiots guide' to using JMRI decoder pro (I think that's the right programme) to store loco decoder setting and do some function re-mapping so the functions buttons control the same sounds on my all DCC sound locos eg pressing F8 sounds the guards departure whistle on every loco I own.

[steve W]

.............but occasionally one did not work. If it didn't work I had no idea how to find the problem (other than excess solder in the wrong place) and fix it, so the item when in the bin. That certainly worries me with something like a controller kit.

That emphasizes one of the main reasons why joining MERG if you are interested in electronics is a good idea. There is a very active forum and in the 6 or 7 years I've been a member have not seen a problem unresolved. Where 'distance' fault finding has not been possible or exhausted without result, a member usually volunteers to take a look at the failed project.  I've asked a number of questions and had great help where needed. Members range from electronic /computer enthusiasts (and professionals) for whom designing the circuits is a major part of their interest to those, like me, who want a better way to control some aspect of my model railway, but for whom computer code might as well be Mandarin.

With regards to scope of activity, take a look at the web site, there is a list of kits there that will give some idea of the scope, although a few are not well defined.

[dj_crisp]

I think it's great to see an article on electronics... after that is a rather important part of the hobby and an area I always struggle with! I'm sure there must be better ways than my bodge it approach and I'd really welcome a regular section in BRM on the simpler side of electronics projects that can enhance models etc. - Perhaps a guest spot from MERG?

 

cheers

Will

[Huw Griffiths]

There are active area groups throughout the country who hold meetings to discuss various aspects of model railway control. In the group that I lead, I would say that 70% of the members come from a non-electronics background.

My recommendation: look on the MERG website, find an area group, contact the group nearest you and go along to a meeting - you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

You make an interesting point about area groups - and I suspect they're probably very good.

 

Please don't take this as a criticism - it's not - but some of us not in MERG might not always find it too easy to find out about the local groups near where we live - where and when they meet - what happens at meetings - stuff like that. It isn't always too easy to find out anything about this at shows, either - which is a shame, as I'm sure that local groups and meetings are very important to members / potential members of societies like MERG.

 

In fairness, I could probably make similar observations about a number of the "specialist societies" dealing with different areas of the railway modelling hobby - and, perhaps, I should be addressing these comments at lots of other societies at the same time - however, right now I'm thinking about MERG.

 

 

Over the years, I've been to a number of model railway exhibitions - and MERG have had an official presence at quite a few of these. I've got no issue with the people who've manned their stand - without exception, they've all come across as decent, approachable, people. Undoubtledly like the society they've represented, they all seem to add a lot of positive stuff to the hobby. As a result, I always make a point of visiting their stand.

 

So far, so good - but could, perhaps, be even better, if some basic info about local groups were also available at their show stand - basic stuff about local meetings - local group contact details (even if this is just a "dead letter drop" Hotmail address, which might get looked at once or twice a week).

 

 

I wonder if it any clubs / individuals exhibiting at the same show might also be willing to make themselves known to visitors (perhaps using a logo on a layout plinth). Perhaps, it might even be possible for societies like MERG to have a list of information like this on their show stands - which layout / demo / stand they're on - which (if any) local groups they're active in - that sort of stuff.

 

Whether any of this would actually be workable isn't for me to decide - it's just "chuck ideas in the air" type stuff.

 

 

I actually enjoyed Phil Parker's article and felt that it & the kit being built presented a much simplified approach to electronics, however, I have one question.

As a committed DC / non-DCC modeller, would MERG have much to offer me?

 

I'm sure that any number of people would say that it does - especially the people you're likely to meet on their stands at shows. There wouldn't be much point in them being there otherwise. I could probably make similar comments about any number of the societies connected with the hobby.

 

 

I too found the MERG articles interesting. I can certainly see the benefits of joining to get kits to make at good prices. Many years ago I did assemble electronic kits and even made some items by buying all the bits from Maplins. However, what I discovered was that most items I made would work, but occasionally one did not work. If it didn't work I had no idea how to find the problem (other than excess solder in the wrong place) and fix it, so the item when in the bin. That certainly worries me with something like a controller kit.

 

That emphasizes one of the main reasons why joining MERG if you are interested in electronics is a good idea. There is a very active forum and in the 6 or 7 years I've been a member have not seen a problem unresolved.

 

... I've asked a number of questions and had great help where needed.

 

... With regards to scope of activity, take a look at the web site, there is a list of kits there that will give some idea of the scope, although a few are not well defined.

 

 

I think it's great to see an article on electronics... after that is a rather important part of the hobby and an area I always struggle with! I'm sure there must be better ways than my bodge it approach and I'd really welcome a regular section in BRM on the simpler side of electronics projects that can enhance models etc. - Perhaps a guest spot from MERG?

 

I'd also welcome regular content like this in mainstream railway modelling magazines.

 

In fact, if this were to happen, it wouldn't be the first time that usable electronics features found their way into railway modelling magazines. I can remember a French magazine (I think it might have been Loco Revue) routinely having stuff like this over a decade ago - basic electronics topics like different types of standard logic gates (and what happens if you combine them - complete with simple circuits). This wasn't PhD level stuff - and it didn't need to be.

 

Changing the subject slightly, a number of people seem to get completely the wrong idea about bodgers. Real bodgers are / were actually very skilled craftsmen - who made chair legs, using improvised workshops and limited toolkits:

 

https://www.ukcraftfairs.com/guide-to-bodging

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodging

 

In other words, rather than making the whole chair, these guys did part of the job (albeit a rather important part) - botchers they most certainly were not!

 

 

Huw.

[Tony Teague]

Following my earlier post I visited the MERG stand at Peterborough and, as expected, I was warmly received and it was patiently explained to me how the MERG approach & products could help me as a non-DCC modeller; I also picked up a sample copy of the MERG magazine at a very reasonable price and browsed this when I got home.

 

I think what I concluded mirrored my experience when I was actually a MERG member for a year, a few years back, in that you do need, as steve W has observed above, an "interest in electronics", alongside your interest in railways, and that unless you have a reasonable understanding of electronics and the related terminology, you are not going to find the MERG magazine an easy read.

 

So my conclusion is that I like what electronics can do for my railway modelling, but I am not sufficiently knowledgeable, nor interested in becoming sufficiently knowledgeable, about electronics as to want to build the circuits myself. So I doubt that MERG membership is for me, although I will continue to make use of electronics wherever it can enhance my layout.

 

Tony

[Adrian]

You make an interesting point about area groups - and I suspect they're probably very good.

 

Please don't take this as a criticism - it's not - but some of us not in MERG might not always find it too easy to find out about the local groups near where we live - where and when they meet - what happens at meetings - stuff like that. It isn't always too easy to find out anything about this at shows, either - which is a shame, as I'm sure that local groups and meetings are very important to members / potential members of societies like MERG.

 

[snip]

 

Huw.

 

 

Not too sure what more they can do - the information is out there if you want to find it.

 

For example MERG area groups are listed here http://www.merg.org.uk/areagroup.php

 

For me in Preston if I follow the link for the Northwest Area Group then there is a "click here for latest news" which is a link to the public side of the MERG wiki (members get full access)

 

The page is here http://www.merg.org.uk/northwestgroup

 

Which gives details of the date (next Friday), location (Sale) and main topic (WiFi module with Raspberry pi and CBus) for the next meeting. Also details of local exhibitions attending. 

[RJS1977]

I've been a MERG member myself for a few years - and I'll admit I don't find the magazine an easy read either.

 

However Davy Dick's recent series of Pocket Money Project articles were extremely well written and easy to follow, and I have (with some hiccups along the way) assembled several of these myself (I can put the LDR train detector circuit together in about half an hour). My Seaside Layout (see avatar) uses three of these projects (12V power supply, simple controller and LED dimmer) and may well have included a few more if my control box had been big enough!

 

I have assembled a couple of CBUS kits too (again with a few hiccups along the way) and the Thames Valley Group (along with the forum) have been extremely helpful in getting these to work - the main problem with CBUS being that until you have two modules, you can't test it - and if they aren't talking to each other you don't know which one isn't working! So then it becomes necessary to borrow a couple of known working modules from another member to swap in and out. Once you've got two working modules, it's easier to add more one at a time.

 

I've even had an article published in the Journal myself - expanding Davy's simple single line auto-shuttle to work signals and points. 

[Joseph_Pestell]

Joseph,

Perhaps I should have had you review the article before it was published!

 

I hope you find it interesting and easy to understand .

 

I look forward to your feedback.

 

MikeP. 

 

Hi Mike,

 

I probably need to read through it again but I think it passed the test very well. Not too theoretical, just simple instructions as to what to do.

 

Very informative and, as others have said, encouraging to find that DCC can be affordable.

[davefromacrossthepond]

The MERG DCC system seems interesting indeed. After checking out the website I had two questions I couldn't find the answers to and hope someone here can. Does the MERG system allow the use of multiple hand controls? Does the power supply work with 110V as I live in the states?

[Kelly]

The MERG DCC system seems interesting indeed. After checking out the website I had two questions I couldn't find the answers to and hope someone here can. Does the MERG system allow the use of multiple hand controls? Does the power supply work with 110V as I live in the states?

As far as I know yes and not sure, suspect so as cbus just needs a 12v dc feed, so a standard laptop type psu would do fine for that. Same for the dcc power as that is still only 16v dc.

[terrysoham]

Yes you can use several CABs (handsets) at the same time. I have used four at the same time when I was testing so presumably you could use more if you wish.

As Kelly has said the DCC command station and booster require a psu giving an output of 15vdc or thereabouts - you can power both of them from one psu. In the build instructions it states that it requires an AC supply from the psu. This is incorrect.

 

Regards