The best currently available dcc controller

[Hobb0]

Hi guys - long time since last question - 

what is the very best dcc controller currently available in uk?

I know I will get multiple answers but that is ok for me to decide. I was looking to get Hornby but there are others available and some are out of stock.

im no expert but want one that I can grow into. 
I
 

 

[kev]

I like the gauge master one the club uses the lenz system

 

[trevora]

In what price range?

£100 -£1000 ?

[Oldddudders]

20 minutes ago, Hobb0 said:

Hi guys - long time since last question - 

what is the very best dcc controller currently available in uk?

I know I will get multiple answers but that is ok for me to decide. I was looking to get Hornby but there are others available and some are out of stock.

im no expert but want one that I can grow into. 

Find a DCC specialist dealer and get him/her to demo what they have. What seems comfortable and effective for me may seem pants to you. The range of handsets and consoles among systems is quite large, and only a hands-on try will help you decide. DCC is not cheap - make sure you get the right kit first time. 

[WIMorrison]

What do you want to do with it, what scale,!what size of layout, what type of control, how expensive, ….

 

this list of questions could go on for hours and will always end up with the same answer.

 

there is no best one on the market, there are some that offer better capabilities than others, there are some that are awful - but there is not one that has everything and that is the best.

[jpendle]

I agree with @Oldddudders and @WIMorrison

 

Asking which is the best is like asking which is the best car for sale in the UK.

 

Although it's probably fair to say that the Hornby offering won't be top of any list.

 

Regards,

 

John P

[johnd]

3 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Find a DCC specialist dealer and get him/her to demo what they have. What seems comfortable and effective for me may seem pants to you. The range of handsets and consoles among systems is quite large, and only a hands-on try will help you decide. DCC is not cheap - make sure you get the right kit first time. 

 

Also a visit to an exhibition is a good idea, speak to the the DCC layout operators and observe the systems in use and speak to any dealers selling DCC, they are usually most help full.

[WIMorrison]

6 minutes ago, jpendle said:

Although it's probably fair to say that the Hornby offering won't be top of any list.

 

Never a truer word said 🤣

[Pete the Elaner]

Another consideration is what your friends have. You may get a better system to theirs but they won't be able to help you with any issue which may arise.

[D9020 Nimbus]

It also depends on what trains you want to run. If you are going to use Trix or Minitrix sound-fitted locos at any time, they can cause issues with some controllers of US origin (e.g. Gaugemaster Prodigy Express). Cheaper controllers usually don't allow you to choose whether functions are a "toggle" (one press to turn on, another press to turn off) or momentary (sound lasts only while function button is pressed). This causes issues because Trix/Minitrix use F2 for the sound. The US NMRA has a standard for function assignment, where F2 is the horn, and momentary, so the loco sound will only work if you hold the F2 button down… not what you want.

 

Otherwise, the main differences between systems are the "feel" and the features offered — and the price. The Hornby Elite (the dearer one in the range, the cheaper Select has some compatibility issues) has a knob which can turn without limit in either direction. Since the speed setting is not shown clearly, it can make it difficult to know when you have actually stopped the loco. Some models have push buttons for speed control, some have sliders, some work with smartphone apps. Some have a limited number of functions which you can activate — the latest DCC decoders can support up to 28.

You really need to compare the systems in person if you can.

 

[Philou]

For what it's worth, I have an ESU ECoSII. It wasn't cheap and has as far as I am aware all the bells and whistles. You can control two trains independently via its two knobs that do have a 'start' and 'end'. To change direction the knobs go one step back and you're into reverse. There is a four-way handle to which functions can be assigned - eg to the left the whistle/horn etc. Each knob has its own function buttons (up to 18 and F+ button to go beyond that - in my case 28). The screen is quite large (tablet sized) and in colour. You can assign addresses up to four-figures and have up to 9999 'objects'. Locos can run in multiple consists (ie double heading) and if you have a roundy-roundy you can set two trains off on their own and continue controlling two others. You can also create your layout on-screen and control your pointwork via the screen.

 

Having said that, I am never going to use all the bells and whistles and as I dropped it, it's going to cost a lot to have it repaired!

 

The club uses the Roco system and I think it's not dissimilar to the Lenz one. The club can also control additional locos via their mobile phones working via the handset (and a dedicated wifi) - this to me seems a simple way of extending a DCC system.

 

I only made mention of all the above as the 'best' is not, perhaps, always the best - it depends what you want to do or get out of it.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

As a PS: Am I going to get my ECoS repaired? Hell, yes!

[melmerby]

22 minutes ago, Philou said:

The club uses the Roco system and I think it's not dissimilar to the Lenz one

IIRC Some earlier Roco systems were made by Lenz but are not the same as Lenz's own offerings, although they both use the Expressnet protocol and share some compatability.

The current Roco (&Fleischmann) system is the Z21 which is nothing like their earlier stuff.

1 hour ago, Hobb0 said:

Hi guys - long time since last question - 

what is the very best dcc controller currently available in uk?

I know I will get multiple answers but that is ok for me to decide. I was looking to get Hornby but there are others available and some are out of stock.

im no expert but want one that I can grow into.

IMHO steer clear of the Hornby offerings, they are overpriced and under specified.

 

Do you want any sort of automation?

e.g. how will turnouts be operated? Manual switching or via the DCC system?

Any likelyhood of computer control? e.g. occupancy detection of trains is then probably needed,

You should get a system that has a feedback bus with good support to allow a choice of accessories & makers thereof.

Railcom? that identifies a train anywhere on a layout

 

If you want the latest features I would also steer clear of US based systems, they constantly play catch up with Europe where most of the development of DCC is carried forward.

Edited December 28, 2022 by melmerby

[Crosland]

2 hours ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

Some have a limited number of functions which you can activate — the latest DCC decoders can support up to 28.

And even higher.

[melmerby]

32 minutes ago, Crosland said:

And even higher.

Massoth do 99!

[Hobb0]

oo scale , turnouts control by dcc, computer control with railcom nice, mobile phone / iPad connection if poss.

May answer a few questions. Would prefer non US system .

many thx for all the replies and I will research each one u good folk say.

Price is not a consideration as I want a good system that can help me expand my rail.

if it’s got its own screen (poss colour) even better.

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Hobb0

[Haymarket47]

17 minutes ago, Hobb0 said:

oo scale , turnouts control by dcc, computer control with railcom nice, mobile phone / iPad connection if poss.

May answer a few questions. Would prefer non US system .

many thx for all the replies and I will research each one u good folk say.

Price is not a consideration as I want a good system that can help me expand my rail.

if it’s got its own screen (poss colour) even better.

 

Z21 it is then 😉

[Hobb0]

I’ll check it out 

[Ron Ron Ron]

There's a whole Roco website, devoted to the Z21 ......

 

https://www.z21.eu/en

 

 

 

 

.

[daryll]

if your handy with a soldering iron , then check out  https://www.merg.org.uk/ thers not a lot they dont do

[WIMorrison]

11 minutes ago, daryll said:

if your handy with a soldering iron , then check out  https://www.merg.org.uk/ thers not a lot they dont do

 

Apart from interface with any commercial feedback, control systems or computer automation (excepting for JMRI) ;)

 

 

[daryll]

23 minutes ago, WIMorrison said:

 

Apart from interface with any commercial feedback, control systems or computer automation (excepting for JMRI) ;)

 

 

why would you want to control a model railway with a computer  , unless you like to watch trains go by

[Oldddudders]

3 minutes ago, daryll said:

why would you want to control a model railway with a computer  , unless you like to watch trains go by

I don't, but people in this thread do. It's clever, and it's achievable.

 

One man's meat etc

[WIMorrison]

7 minutes ago, daryll said:

why would you want to control a model railway with a computer  , unless you like to watch trains go by

Don't knock it until you have tried it - the computer is extremely good at running  8 to 10 trains simultaneously from a random selection of 17, stopping them in stations, shunting them in and out of sidings, swapping them over whilst operating 70 turnouts and all without any short circuits or crashes. It leaves me free to operate one train myself, shunting wagons, changing locos - basically whatever I want to do, and the rest of the trains continue to run.

 

I know that I wouldn't have a hope in running that number of trains by myself.

 

And the best aspect? When people visit, I can actually talk to them and show them the layout without having to stop talking and change my attention whilst I operate turnouts or move a train.

 

Lots and lots of reasons why computer automation is a useful addition to railway modelling.

[daryll]

2 minutes ago, WIMorrison said:

Don't knock it until you have tried it - the computer is extremely good at running  8 to 10 trains simultaneously from a random selection of 17, stopping them in stations, shunting them in and out of sidings, swapping them over whilst operating 70 turnouts and all without any short circuits or crashes. It leaves me free to operate one train myself, shunting wagons, changing locos - basically whatever I want to do, and the rest of the trains continue to run.

 

I know that I wouldn't have a hope in running that number of trains by myself.

 

And the best aspect? When people visit, I can actually talk to them and show them the layout without having to stop talking and change my attention whilst I operate turnouts or move a train.

 

Lots and lots of reasons why computer automation is a useful addition to railway modelling.

point taken

[Michael Hodgson]

One of the advantages of the Z21 is the number of interfaces/bus types it supports  That means it can connect to more diverse types of DCC equipment than most others - though that flexibility may be unimportant to many modellers.

 

If you intend to use computer control or are considering it as a future upgrade (though many modellers actively don't want to), you will need a system that is compatible with the software you might use, rather than having the hardware dictate what you can use.  The two main software packages widely used are iTrain and TrainController and it would be wise to consider which you would go for before committing to hardware, though it probably won't have a massive impact on your choice of command station.  Once again people have the preferences.