Chips fitted or not

[Xerces Fobe2]

Magazine reviews could usefully include comment on how easy (or otherwise) it is to fit a chip. The Beattie Well Tank reviews commented positively I believe but it is rare to see criticism on this score. But then the magazines are still catching up with DCC and seldom if ever comment on the type of chip fitted or its efficiency in DCC fitted RTR locos. Or have I missed it?

 

I think that you have a very valid point the statement DCC ready or DCC on board appears to be where the information stops. What is the best type of chip for a specific loco and which are not would be very helpful. This would require an enlightened magazine editor to contemplate setting up a DCC review lab with a variety of DCC chips and test locomotives/generic chassis with a variety of chips and then include this with the review of the locomotive in question.

 

So, is any Model Railway Magazine up for this challenge?

 

XF

[GoingUnderground]

I haven't voted as the questions are just too simplified. For non-sound locos, my preference is always DCC Ready, not DCC Fitted. Then I can choose which decoder I want to install. If manufacturers insist on selling DCC Fitted non-sound locos then it must be a low end chip in a socket or harness, not hard wired, so that I can easily remove it, bin and forget it, and fit the make and model that I want.

 

For sound locos, they must keep fitting high end decoders like LokSounds or Zimos. The extra cost of sound means you do not want to have to replace a cheaper lower spec sound decoder with a better more expensive one.

 

How and where you fit the decoder is irrelevant if manufacturers would stop the "push-fit/struggle to get off again" type of body fitting and go back to good old-fashioned screws. It's not as if the locos contain sealed for life components and there was nothing that the user could do once they got the top off. They have components that need periodic cleaning and lubrication, so getting the top off easily in not "nice to have", it is mandatory in my book. The additional component and assembly time costs would add very little to the cost of todays super-detailed models but would significantly enhance the "user experience" whether on DC or DCC. Horror of horrors, we might even be able to remove the top and get it back on again for servicing without breaking any of the very delicate plastic detailing parts. I am assuming that manufacturers do allow space for the decoder and possibly the speaker within the body shell without major surgery to the chassis.