Budget DCC controller - suggestions please

[Yardman]

In general with DCC you get what you pay for. If it's cheap, it is missing a lot of features or is poorly constructed. It is what the manufacturers don't tell you about their systems that can come back and bite you further down the line. Get a system from a reputable manufacturer that can be upgraded easily as your needs grow. Don't buy a dead end system so you end up buying a complete new system in a year or two. Find someone with the system you are thinking of buying and talk to them about it. Try the system out before buying.

[WIMorrison]

In general with DCC you get what you pay for. If it's cheap, it is missing a lot of features or is poorly constructed. It is what the manufacturers don't tell you about their systems that can come back and bite you further down the line. Get a system from a reputable manufacturer that can be upgraded easily as your needs grow. Don't buy a dead end system so you end up buying a complete new system in a year or two. Find someone with the system you are thinking of buying and talk to them about it. Try the system out before buying.

Is this advice specific to buying DCC equipment or life in general- would seem to be that latter to me

[Oldddudders]

I would go for the z21 start with wi-fi & Multimaus handset - Relatively cheap (£165.00 all in), but packed full of great functions and all your friends need to do is bring their i-phone/smart phone or tablet with the z21 app downloaded and they can control their own loco's. 

 

http://www.scograil.co.uk/roco-multimaus-with-z21-start-10729-p.asp

But for that price Neil could almost buy a Digitrax Zephyr. And many of us have no ambition to run our precious locos with a smart device, thankyou.

[WIMorrison]

I know which one I would trust to run my precious locos, and the accessories and the computer interfaces - especially as it allows anyone to come and play trains easily and quickly without the need to buy additional handsets

[tractor_37260]

Eh? They're about £20, am I missing something...?

 

Think what was meant was, the Lenz option being only a few quid more than Hatton's DCR decoders, good though the Hatton's decoders are for the price, the Lenz being worth the extra................

[njee20]

Ah, I see, but that's pretty moot against the cost of not buying decoders at all!

 

 

I know which one I would trust to run my precious locos, and the accessories and the computer interfaces - especially as it allows anyone to come and play trains easily and quickly without the need to buy additional handsets

Which just goes some way to show how personal these things are, as I've never been keen on a z/Z21 either, despite having a smart phone near-welded to my hand most of the time!

[Neil]

There have been further interesting posts since i last checked and I thank you all for your contributions. I can't help but notice that some notions of budget don't match with my own, however I was born and raised in Yorkshire so this maybe explains the discrepancy. I deliberately didn't expand on my disenchantment with DCC in the initial post as I didn't want the thread to turn into a divisive DC vs DCC debate. So far we seem to have avoided this, thank you. One further question raised requires an answer though. 

 

I'd love to know more about that layout, & two aspects in particular - how noticeable the difference in gauge was, & how often you tried to rail stock on the wrong track!!

 

 

The layout was my second Foss Bank Sidings a small shunting plank. It appeared a couple of times in the Modeller, firstly featuring point control and secondly disguising the sector plate. Here are a few early construction photos showing the OO section ...

 

 

...OO gauge to the rear and the EM siding to the fore ...

 

 

... and an overview of the complete entity

 

 

The EM gauge siding was just that a siding on which I could display item of stock, whereas the OO component of the layout could be operated properly. The difference in gauge wasn't really noticeable even with the tracks just a couple of inches away from each other. Surprisingly I always managed to put the right stuff on the right bit of ;layout but then again I didn't have oodles of locos and wagons to confuse me.

 

 

[Ian Morgan]

If you are reasonably OK with a soldering iron, Merg kits are very cost effective, and fully featured, Command Station (1 amp) £31.31, hand held throttle £38.70, 5 or 10 amp booster £28.92, + power supplies (6 amp £25.69, 3 amp £10.54)

 

So, a 1 amp system with single throttle could be built for about £80. If you increase the number of locos, or sound fit, the booster can be added at a later date.

 

However, I would not recommend the hand held throttle kit for a beginner as its surface mount components need careful soldering.

[Butler Henderson]

Eh? They're about £20, am I missing something...?

Yes I specifically referenced Model Railways Direct who tend to the cheapest for them in the UK and who are currently selling them for £18

https://www.modelrailwaysdirect.co.uk/digital-and-analogue-control/lenz-10231-02-standard-plus-locomotive-decoder-v2/

[Oldddudders]

Yes I specifically referenced Model Railways Direct who tend to the cheapest for them in the UK and who are currently selling them for £18

https://www.modelrailwaysdirect.co.uk/digital-and-analogue-control/lenz-10231-02-standard-plus-locomotive-decoder-v2/

  

Maybe, but what you actually wrote was this. Do you see the scope for confusion?

 

The highly reliable, pretty indestructible and good performing Lenz Standards are typically (Model Railways Direct) only a quid or two

[Peter Crawford]

Guide price for a chip: £20.

Guide Price for a controller: £175-£200.

 

Get the best quality stuff for that price and you'll be fine.

[Ron Ron Ron]

Guide price for a chip: £20.

Guide Price for a controller: £175-£200.

 

 

Putting on the pedant's hat for a moment.

In DCC, the chip is the controller (i.e. a decoder).

 

 

..

[Ron Ron Ron]

If you are reasonably OK with a soldering iron, Merg kits are very cost effective, and fully featured, Command Station (1 amp) £31.31, hand held throttle £38.70, 5 or 10 amp booster £28.92, + power supplies (6 amp £25.69, 3 amp £10.54)

 

So, a 1 amp system with single throttle could be built for about £80

£31.31 + £38.70 + £28.92 + £10.54 = £110 for 3 amps (£80 for 1 amp).

 

A Roco MultiMaus system should cost no more than £80 to £90.

Open the box, plug in and off you go.

 

 

.

[Butler Henderson]

Note that a Multimaus will not read back CVs.

[Ravenser]

Note that a Multimaus will not read back CVs.

 

A relatively cheap option would be the Hornby Railmaster/elink at about £70 - if you ignore the cost of the laptop to run it on.

 

Otherwise you are talking about a full-fat system, which costs significant money

 

The Fatadder's suggestion of fitting an NCE panel so that others can bring their Powercab and plug it in sounds the best economical solution - always supposing your friends are using Powercabs.

 

What systems do they use??

Edited June 25, 2018 by Ravenser

[Phil S]

Note that a Multimaus will not read back CVs.

Firstly: The red (roco) or Grey (Fleischmannn) multimaus CAN read back cvs WHEN connected to a Z21 ( or its predecesor, the MultiCentralePro, or if the Rocomotion interface is added to the basic amplifier with which the Multimaus is normally supplied.

 

Secondly: Reading-back CVs during program is NOT REQUIRED and SLOWS programming because of all the time taken to read back the value you are about to scrap!

 

The Multimaus and Basic Amplifier can WRITE all the CVs you want ( I've all cvs)

 

Therefore the Multimaus remains, in my opinion, the best and most cost effective handheld controller capable of single-handed use ( 2 if a child ... Child lock also available) controlling both locos from 1-9999 and Accessories 1-> 2000+ ( cannot recall the actual limit) complete with a graphic showing the left/right or normal/reverse of the point ( by command sent, not feedback)

 

So for 60-90gbp you get a fully usable, comfortable system, which can be used on Lenz and other Expressnet based systems too, and with. A Z21 family, with wireless versions (80-95gbp) and tablets and smartphones if desired.

[WIMorrison]

Note that a Multimaus will not read back CVs.

 

Mine does

[Butler Henderson]

Having two red cabled multimaus and a blue wireless one I agree they are a good simple to use handset. If someone wants to read back CVs then that may be possible depending on the wider setup (and £££). Whilst the wireless one will read back before buying it I bought a SPROG and use decoder pro on the pc to read/write decoders, only very rarely using a multimaus to write a CV.

[PaulCheffus]

Secondly: Reading-back CVs during program is NOT REQUIRED and SLOWS programming because of all the time taken to read back the value you are about to scrap!

 

Hi

 

It is if you need to restore the values when you find your alterations have made things worse.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[DaveyH]

It may be worth looking at DCC++. Simply an Arduino, a motor shield and some very clever free software? You can control locos and accessories and there is a very helpful forum supporting the system too. Some reference to it on Rmweb, but the majority of stuff is at Trainboard.com

 

Davey

 

(Edited to correct spelling)

Edited June 26, 2018 by DaveyH

[Phil S]

Hi

 

It is if you need to restore the values when you find your alterations have made things worse.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

Ancient invention called pencil and paper - with the original data supplied by the decoder manufacturer 8-)  Also no great loss if old data is forgotten - just try the new.

[Penrhos1920]

Mine does

How?

[Ravenser]

Ancient invention called pencil and paper - with the original data supplied by the decoder manufacturer 8-)  Also no great loss if old data is forgotten - just try the new.

 

I'm afraid programming blind is awkward, inconvenient and frustrating. Been there, done that, didn't like it at all

[fcwilt]

I'm afraid programming blind is awkward, inconvenient and frustrating. Been there, done that, didn't like it at all

 

I honestly cannot imagine why that was so. The only downside is that you cannot read a value but that is rarely an issue since you are striving to program desired, known values into the loco. No need to move the loco to a "programming track". And it is much faster as well.

 

Frederick

[PaulCheffus]

Ancient invention called pencil and paper - with the original data supplied by the decoder manufacturer 8-)  Also no great loss if old data is forgotten - just try the new.

Hi

 

And what happens if you’ve changed them previously?

 

Cheers

 

Paul