WIMorrison

23 minutes ago, ColinB said:

As to a new company taking over so if "Yamorc" is designing a new system isn't that the same which is what I was implying

YAMORC are not 'taking over' anything from Digikeijs which is what you stated and implied.

YAMORC is a completely different company that has no liability or interest in the Digikeijs products. The designs for all of the YAMORC product lines are all completely new with no dependence or reliance on the Digikeijs products.

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

Same problem with a Roco Maus (AFAIK*) I have to scroll through a jumble of numbers and names without knowing whether to go forwards or backwards.

 

* or I haven't found the way yet!

Just punch in the loco number you want to control rather than bothering with the names - much easier, and you can use the left/right keys to go up/down the numbering, though if the numbers are far apart it is quicker to type the number in again.

9 minutes ago, RedgateModels said:

For me, no need for the wifi router and the known issues of operating in a busy exhibition environment with the wifi being swamped.

And Bluetooth isn't? I have often found my earphones crackling and losing connectivity to my phone when sat trying to have lunch at shows - not really surprising given it is the same frequency as 2.4GHz WiFi - and more phones have Bluetooth switched on than WiFi, with the only real difference being the signal strength which is a lot weaker with Bluetooth than WiFi.

May I suggest that you give James a call at DCC Train Automation, he has the DT602 in stock, as the link shows, and he will be able to create a package that will work for you?

I don't think that the DT602 can be easily interfaced to a Gaugemaster command station because it uses Loconet which Gaugemaster doesn't support (AFAIK). you would need to buy a Loconet gateway that works with your command station, then connect a UR92 and finally the DT602 into the UR92.

A UR92 is around £130 and a DT602 around £170 or £300 for the Loconet parts, and you still have to find a gateway - possibly another £50-£100. Your aversion to technical solutions may also preclude this option.

I suggest that you would be better spending the money on a command station that has a Loconet connection of which there are many around. You should get one for around £200-£250 however you still need to add on £300 for the DT602+UR92 - how much do you want to spend?

11 minutes ago, bandmbill said:

Another vote for the Daisy 2.  I only use functions F0 - F8 remapping the ones that will actually use so that we only need one page - the wireless option works, it uses 868MHz and it has worked well at big shows.   My exhibition layouts have Digitrax DCS240 command stations and I do have a DT402 just in case for programming or status editing at shows but it doesn’t get used very often.  The Daisy is easy and comfortable to use in one hand, 

Did I see you using a DT602 on Saturday also?

Personally I would cut a slot in the chassis to allow the decoder to sit inside it , that way it would be clear of the body shell. I would also insulate the end of the blue, white and yellow wires properly.

Also Sellotape isn't a good way to hold things on 

Body shell is pressing on the decoder or wiring that you have done and breaking a contact somewhere.

I have a DT400 that works flawlessly with a Z21 when plugged into Loconet 

N.B. this solution will not work with z21.

Just now, melmerby said:

It's also expensive for what you get.

You missed out the word 'very' before expensive  😉

Page 69 of the manual here - Z21 WLANMAUS Manual (DE, EN)

Look at the numbers at the bottom of the screen and then you will know you are in the correct place irrespective of whatever language you are looking at now.

This is the German equivalent of the above (page 26 in the link).

Faster is generally quicker in terms of the time taken for something tripping, not a lower current value  - what  is CB?

Bob,

I have found over the many years of operating using a Z21 and their boosters that using the defaults is perfectly adequate and other than running the track from the boosters and the accessories from the Z21 I haven’t needed to change a single setting.

Using the defaults proved extremely useful at one exhibition when a power cut at an exhibition caused other layouts to loose custom settings in various devices because I was using the defaults everything came back up and ran perfectly as soon as the power was restored 😀

1 minute ago, Kaput said:

Its not brain surgery, DCC is is fussier with quality of electrical pickup and I never said anything about improving the pickups on mine, said I got a stay alive fitted

That is totally incorrect statement.

The "stay-alive" you have fitted will have masked the effects of a track voltage which may be too low and possible poor track. Quarry Hunslets have extremely short chassis which together with a low mass require that track laying is extremely good.  "Stay-alives" only ever mask problems, they never cure problems.

It is also the case that many people run the track at too low a voltage, forgetting (or possibly unaware) that the mythical 12v of DC which they like to run the track at, is reduced by around 2v by the decoder. DCC should be using a track voltage of 14-15v DCC to overcome that limitation.

Please explain why you need different, or better, pickups for DCC compared to DC and what the benefits are.

It would also help the OP if you detailed exactly how you improved the pickups on your quarry Hunsletts which made them run better.

Sorry, but I still don't understand what this directional/bi-directional reference means 😒

I suggest that you try resetting the decoder to default and trying again. Even better if you have a decoder tester to plug it into (or another loco as a last resort).

These decoders are actually Zimo MX616 under the Bachmann label and extremely reliable.

40 minutes ago, Izzy said:

One very slight downside I have encountered is that it appears the system doesn’t provide bi-direction signals ( I think that’s the correct term) as the Prodigy. So now locos fitted with the early Hornby TTS diesel chips will only work one way around on the track. Nothing is ever perfect is it?

can you explain this more please? The Z21 and Z21 app will control locos in both directions, as it will with any hand throttle connected.

Have you checked the webpages for the Z21 system? There are several videos there about the app and oodles of documentation for the whole Z21 system, plus the FAQs cover lots and lots of questions. Finally Roco is actually very helpful if you email them.

Though for 99.9% of the time it is simply switch on and use 

I think that the option with least wiring will be current sensing, and certainly that will provide reliable results that won’t get affected by external influences - and they can be more cost effective.

installing current sensing is no more hassle on a finished layout than it is if done when building.

superglue the rail chairs either side of where the cut will be and after it has set dremel a gap using a fine cutting disc. Very simple and very effective and doesn’t affect performance or reliability.

Connect each outside bard to the track outputs from your ECoS then sit you loco on top and open the throttle - you can't get it wrong.

If it is happening on every turnout I would immediate suspect the back to back measurement. I would check the back to back - assuming you have a gauge - to see if it is too right.

Also Peco are not unknown for having mouldings which are a bit tight and I know I have has some turnouts where I have eased the check rail by running a Dremel type cutting disc (not mounted in the Dremel though!) through the check rail gap, pressing against the plastic to widen it ever so slightly.

When you say ‘gets stuck’ do you mean that the check rails catch it this physically stopping it, or do you mean it stops electrically due to poor contact

The Z21 is actually sensible in not using DHCP as it prevents support issue from people trying to make it work on their home networks ;)

The only occasion I have seen a Z21 reset back to the defaults was at an exhibition when a child held the button down for long enough to initiate the reset function. The potential for that issue reoccurring is now avoided by leaving everything set using the default 192.168.0.x network.

Essentially what you suggest is correct however (there is always a however) the placement and length of the feedbacks in the track and turnouts can be optimised for reliable running and operations.

if you plan to do automated shunting, or swapping of locos on trains then you will need a small entry feedback that always remains free to allow identification of a loco entering or leaving the block. If you plan to do it either end of a loop then you will need this short feedback at each end.

At stations, or where you want to stop trains then additional feedbacks are beneficial because they will reset the calculated position to actual position. In running blocks where a lower accuracy of stopping is desired then fewer feedbacks are required.

Turnouts do not require occupancy detection but it can be beneficial and should be considered, however (another one) I suspect that your use of frog juicers will prevent the monitoring of turnouts for occupation. If this is the case then you should feed the power to the turnouts and any unmonitored track through back to back diodes to ensure track voltage remains constant across the layout.