TWG

The blue Daisy is sold by Tillig. It is shown on the website with catalogue number 66204 but described as nicht verfügbar (not available). Another secondhand possibility is the Fleischmann Profiboss, also made by Uhlenbrock. It too is a nice controller to use.

I agree with Nigel Cliffe that the Uhlenbrock Daisy 2 is really nice to use. Uhlenbrock now produce a version of it for Piko, who call it the Smart Control light. This is in a different case but is otherwise almost identical. It costs only €99, which to my mind makes it a bargain. The only missing features are the ability to add a radio module and backlighting for the keys. It is new and at present available as part of a system, but it will no doubt be available separately shortly.

I am confused by your mention of Aux 5 on a Next18 sound decoder. According to the norm (RC118), the Next18S socket (the sound version) does not have an Aux5. The outputs on the non-sound version (pins 7 and 16) for Aux 5 and 6 are used on the sound version for the loudspeaker connections. You say that Aux 3 and 4 do not work; what are you trying to do with them? They are at logic level (max 2mA); they can be used for a SUSI connection but otherwise need amplification. Bemo presumably saw no need for that facility.

The answer is nothing. I have had such an arrangement, which in my opinion has a number of advantages, for years and it causes no problems.

A&H Models have an instructional video showing the Z21 and use of a LS150 with a Kato point. LDT Littfinski does a 4 output decoder designed for Kato and similar point motors (LDT 1-DEC-DC).

I recommend that you follow Trog's advice above (post 3). I had two early Cobalts that clicked loudly. I lowered the voltage of the supply and they have never clicked since.

I think that you will find that current production of the 5090 railcar includes an NEM862 8 pin socket. Just plug in a decoder and all will be well. The small Mabuchi motors used do not consume a lot of current.

Thanks for the views put forward. However if the problem is something mechanical in the loco, how do we explain that it runs well in both directions with the D&H decoder? And why does the decoder cause the same problem when put in another loco, which with its own decoder (of the same type) has excellent performance? I think that the fault must be in the decoder.

I have a Roco loco (ÖBB class 38, tender drive) that has a factory fitted Zimo sound decoder. In the past it has run well. It still runs well forwards, but when put into reverse it runs for a short way and then stops. The sound and lights continue to work. After a few seconds it starts to move but after a few centimetres it stops again. I took the decoder out and put it in my ESU decoder tester (latest version with small coreless motor). The motor runs perfectly in both directions. So I thought that there must be something in the loco causing the problem - the gears binding or a short causing the decoder to shut down. I detached the loco from the tender but that made no difference. I dismantled the tender and everything appeared to be running smoothly. The loco still would not run backwards. I put the decoder in another Roco loco which uses the same decoder. The same problem; so the decoder is clearly defective (confirmed by putting a Döhler & Haass decoder into the loco, which works fine). I think that I will have to resort to the Zimo repair service, but I am curious as to how the decoder works in one direction but not the other. Also why does it work all right in the tester? It might be because the tester motor is very small and efficient, but the larger current for the big Roco motor is too much for the decoder in its present state (though well below its normal current capacity).

There are decoders designed for lower voltage motors, which might offer the best solution. The CT Elektronik DCX65 (3-8V at 250mA and the Doehler & Haass DH06A (6V at 300mA) are examples.

There is one DCC system that can match the speed of locomotives in multiheading, T4T. You have to do some initial calibrating, but subsequently all decoders will set the appropriate speed level. See www.tech4trains.de.

Have you made any progress? You write that you have "just received" the ICE. Where did it come from? If it is new, consult the seller. If not, can you find out if it previously ran satisfactorily? From your short description is does not seem likely that you have done anything stupid. It is likely that the fault is somewhere in the ICE, so I suggest that you take the decoder out and check for short circuits with a multimeter (if you do not have one, buy one - it is an essential tool). I doubt if the decoder is made by Auvidel. That firm may have an NMRA number but I have never heard of them ever producing anything for DCC. They do not appear to have a website, but I found a mention of them saying that they are software developers specialising in programmes for films and radio. 76320 is the catalogue number of an Uhlenbrock decoder.

This seems to me a sensible suggestion. I have 2 early Cobalts on my layout, both of which clicked intermittently. I lowered the voltage and they have never clicked since.

Butler Henderson's list of connections looks as if it was taken from an earlier version of the tester, as it mentions only Aux 1 and 2. The tester has over the years been altered to accommodate changing requirements as new sockets have been introduced, while retaining the original size. It seems to me likely that the blue wire has been dropped on the latest version because there was not room for it and for Aux 3 and 4, which were added in the latest version. As Nigel Cliffe's contribution makes clear, this is not a problem

A device that does most of the things that you specified in your first post is the Uhlenbrock Universal Controller (Universalsteuerung). This can be used for a block system and also for organising a storage yard, combining feedback and a brake generator. It needs a system with a Loconet control bus - Uhlenbrocks's Daisy system is worth a look and has a good deal to recommend it. There are some videos on the A&H Models showing the Universalsteuerung in action.

The ucon manager is a combination of a computer interface and an organising base station for the ucon bus, to which boosters, point and signal decoders, feedback units and the Railspeed are connected. The Railspeed automatically measures locomotive speed at each speed step and this is stored in the computer programme so that it can make the time and distance calculations necessary to stop trains at the right place. There is a video on the LS digital website showing this. The ucon system is intended for use with computer control and you have to have a suitable computer programme; at present the choice is between itrain, Windigipet and Railware.

I can understand your scepticism about the cable, but as we are at present working on the assumption that the BDL168 is not defective, experience suggests that the answer to the problem will quite likely turn out to be something simple. It is not necessary to buy a new cable. I have looked at the Digitrax instructions and see that you can reverse the polarity of the rail sync cable by changing what they call Option Switch 3 (see table 2 on page 14 of the manual). It may well not solve the problem, but it is very easy to do and you have nothing to lose.

I have no experience with the Digikeijs feedback unit, but I have a couple of their accessory decoders that are excellent. The comments on the website are favourable apart from some criticism of the instructions. One of the contributors has added additional guidance, which would be worth looking at if you buy a Digikeijs. However I agree with others that it should be possible to get the Digitrax device to work - it is unlikely that two are faulty. Given the extraordinarily high price it would seem worth persevering. I think that Peach James may have a valid point about reversed cables. As the 6 wire Loconet cable is two sets of 3 in mirror image, it normally does not matter if the plugs are wired straight through or reversed, but sometimes it does. My technical knowledge is insufficient to explain why, but Uhlenbrock Loconet cables were originally wired one way until they came up with a product (a booster, if I remember correctly) that needed to be connected the other way; now all Uhlenbrock cables are wired that way. Do you have the necessary equipment to make your own Loconet cables (crimper and cable)? Well worth the investment for a Loconet layout if you haven't. Make up a cable with one plug facing upward and the other downward (or whatever is the opposite to your Digitrax cables).

I suggest that you consider the Digikeijs DR4088LN-CS (www.digikeijs.nl). At €59.95 for 16 channels it is very reasonably priced. If money is no object, the Blücher GBM16XL (bluecher-elektronik.de) is a sophisticated option. If you like building kits, look at Hans de Loof's website (users.telenet.be/deloof/).

The question of AC or DC power supplies has come up before. If I remember correctly, Richard Johnson of DCC Concepts pointed out that the first component in DCC control centres is a rectifier, so it is irrelevant whether the input current is AC or DC (the only exception is the Uhlenbrock Intellibox, which requires AC). The power supplies provided by the manufacturers for the NCE Powercab, Digitrax and the ECoS are DC. As far as the voltage and current capacity are concerned, they will depend on your digital system. The output of some systems (e.g. ECoS and Intellibox) depends on the input voltage; the higher the input the higher the output. An input of 18V may give an output of over 20V, which is too high. With some designs you can alter the output voltage, so the input is less critical. Again the maximum current will depend on your system; you will not need 5A if your control box can supply the trains with only 2A.

I think that you should put your problem to DCC4PC. The two men behind it are very knowledgeable and when I had a question about whether one of their products was suitable for what I wanted they responded quickly (they advised against its purchase)

I have Uhlenbrock decoders and find them good. Some have been in use for years and I have never had one fail. Motor control on the latest versions is very satisfactory. I agree with Dutch Master's assessment.

I suggest that you would do well to determine the cause of the problem first. The fact that the loco gives up when hauling a train up a hill suggests that the decoder is overloaded. The current capacity of the Lenz Next18 decoder is only marginally higher than the Zimo, so a substitution is unlikely to make any difference. Putting in an 8pin socket will allow you to use a more powerful decoder, but a modern motor should not consume more than 700mA even going uphill. Have you any means of measuring the current drawn by the loco? Have you ruled out Nigel Cliffe's suggestion (a) above? It might be worth asking Bachmann if they have come across other instances of this problem. You do not say how long you have had the loco. If it is new, then Nigel's suggestion of a return to the retailer is a good one. Zimo decoders are of excellent quality, but it is possible that the one in your loco is faulty. Do you have another loco with a Next18 or know someone who has, so the decoder could be tested?

The same silver conductive paint is sold by DCC Concepts. They advise that you "allow a little of the carrier to evaporate before applying to the job (this will give you greater control of flow)". An alternative is to use a resistive paint such as that offered by Uhlenbrock (40111). Another method is to mix graphite powder (such as that sold for lock lubrication) with PVA glue and smear it over the wheel insulation; this is a bit hit or miss as the resistance depends on the amount of glue, but with a bit of experimentation one can achieve reasonably consistent results.

Since I changed to digital some years ago I have taken an interest at exhibitions in how many layouts used DCC and which systems were used. At first Lenz and Digitrax predominated, probably because the pioneer DCC sellers, McKay Models in Paisley and Sunningwell in Oxfordshire, concentrated on those. The spread of DCC (at the last exhibition that I attended 50% of the layouts were digital) has lead to a wider range of systems. My observations suggest that the most popular make these days is NCE, followed by Gaugemaster, with Lenz and Digitrax vying for third place and Roco Multimäuse fourth. This indicates that American products predominate. I find this a bit surprising, since (as somebody observed in an RMweb discussion not long ago) American DCC is rather "first generation" with controllers that have changed hardly at all for decades. I suppose that it is at least partly a question of what is available, but there are interesting European systems that are virtually unknown, such as Tams MasterControl, Rautenhaus RMX, Doehler & Haass FCC and Stärz. Having bought very cheaply from Rautenhaus a refurbished central unit taken in part exchange, I am going to experiment with Selectrix for the tram layout that I am planning.