What is a good dcc system for a reasonable price

[godzilla]

I have a small layout  with one mainline  and 6 sidings and about 6x12. So what dcc system Would BE the best. Btw all my engines are dcc. 

Dave

[wp8thsub]

Hard to go wrong with the NCE Power Cab. It's expandable so you won't outgrow it. ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/200354825-Power-Cab-Starter-Set

[railmodeltroy14]

Digitrax Zephyr

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

Feb 5, 2020 19:11:16 GMT -8 wp8thsub said:

Hard to go wrong with the NCE Power Cab. It's expandable so you won't outgrow it. ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/200354825-Power-Cab-Starter-Set

Absolutely, I agree the NCE system is great and the Power Cab is a terrific starter system.

Another thing to take into consideration is to find out what systems others in your area use, if you have friends in the hobby. There is nothing like a support system in the area.

The truth is both systems mentioned have strong systems and similar costs and would do you well.

[el3672]

I've already switched with complete satisfaction to the Ring Engineering/ Rail Pro control system....quote from there site..
"At Ring Engineering, we created the easy to use and powerful RailPro model train control system because we believe you should spend your time having fun with your model trains and not learning cryptic programming of variables, memorizing what function buttons do, and other complexities required by typical digital control systems. In addition to ease of use, RailPro’s Direct Radio adds simplicity and capabilities that are only available with a RailPro system. RailPro products by Ring Engineering are professional model railroad control products, which can be enjoyed by beginners and experts alike."

[lvrr325]

I have a basic MRC Prodigy Express on a layout larger than that and it works fine. The only drawback is it can't read CVs. But for $130 or so you can't ask for a lot. For 6x12 with single train operation it should do all you need. It does support four digit loco addresses so you can set each to the cab number.

If you have any clubs or groups it may be good to see if you can look at other people's systems and try them and see what things you like or dislike about them.

[riogrande]

I have way too many engines to go with the Ring system, as interesting as it is, and a growing number of those engines are already equipped with decoders. Last I checked, the cost per engine with Ring is more than double what it costs to install a good quality mobile decoder. For not-so-big rosters, it may be more economical.

I've had a Digitrax Radio Chief system for many years (mostly stored) and plan to use it for now, but as with many, I've used Digitrax at a local modular club. They would always need to do set up for me as I just never remember the steps. I'm very tempted to switch to NCE, but for now ... I'll have to use queue cards.

[jonklein611]

I went with a Digitrax Zephyr because my home club uses Digitrax

[edwardsutorik]

I would pick NCE over Digitrax because, with the NCE, you can use long addresses from 0001 to 9999. With Digitrax, you're limited to 0128 to 9983. Do ya feel lucky?

And the display screen is more pleasant to work with.

I have both.



Ed

[ncrc5315]

I would go with the Digitrax Zephyr, nice screen, can read back CV's, has computer interface built in. Want to expand, or add features, just start adding the needed modules.

[wp8thsub]

Feb 6, 2020 5:07:48 GMT -8 riogrande said:

I have way too many engines to go with the Ring system, as interesting as it is, and a growing number of those engines are already equipped with decoders. Last I checked, the cost per engine with Ring is more than double what it costs to install a good quality mobile decoder. For not-so-big rosters, it may be more economical.

I've operated with the RailPro system quite a few times. If you have a small layout, and don't mind the clunky throttle ergonomics, it may be a good choice. I would never put my own money into it, but that's me.

[Paul Cutler III]

I'm a 21-year Digitrax user at my club, and have Digitrax Zephyr at home. I like it. My old layout was 25' x 50' with a 200' double track mainline and would run with a 5 operators at the same time. My Zephyr (DCS50 - the original one) handled it all. I added a wireless receiver and had radio throttles, too; it's a powerful little system. The new Zephyr (DCS52) is even better with a much bigger & better display. And don't forget that with a couple DC powerpacks, the Zephyr gives you two more DCC throttles ("Jump" throttles) to play with.

NCE also makes a good product; my only issue with the PowerCab is that the throttle is the command station. If you unplug it to walk around, the entire system shuts off until you plug it in again. The same thing would happen with a Zephyr if you unplugged it to move it somewhere else, but it's not a walk-around system unless you add another throttle.

I would pick the Zephyr if you're going to be sitting in one (or three) spots and running the layout. I would pick the NCE PowerCab if you want to walk around the layout within the length of the cord.

The RailPro has very expensive decoders and the throttle is an ergonomic problem (human thumbs point up, not down). I think it's a cool set up and I can see myself getting a throttle and a few decoders for fun at the club layout, but I could take all the money I've spent on Digitrax over the past 20 years and still not equal the price of a 100% RailPro set up. Also, RailPro is a one-manufacturer system with unique decoders. If they go out of business tomorrow, you're sunk.

Ed,
That's incorrect. Digitrax uses 2-digit addresses from 001-128 and 4-digit addresses from 0129-9983. You do have to change CV29 to use 2 or 4 digit addresses, however.

[Colin 't Hart]

Feb 6, 2020 5:07:48 GMT -8 riogrande said:

I have way too many engines to go with the Ring system, as interesting as it is, and a growing number of those engines are already equipped with decoders. Last I checked, the cost per engine with Ring is more than double what it costs to install a good quality mobile decoder. For not-so-big rosters, it may be more economical.

I've had a Digitrax Radio Chief system for many years (mostly stored) and plan to use it for now, but as with many, I've used Digitrax at a local modular club. They would always need to do set up for me as I just never remember the steps. I'm very tempted to switch to NCE, but for now ... I'll have to use queue cards.

I'm in a similar situation to Jim. I have an original Digitrax Zephyr which is more than adequate for running a few trains at a time at home. I even have a powerful 8A booster (Loconet compatible, developed in Germany for Fremo).

I was on the fence about switching to a "better" DCC system (was considering NCE or the newish ESU CabControl system), but the truth is it would make little difference to me.

NCE has a big advantage over Digitrax if you envisage making and breaking MU consists during operating sessions. And the system is just easier to use (than Digitrax) in general.

For me the ProtoThrottle is a game changer. Yes, it's expensive, but instead of spending money on a new/different DCC system I plan to put that money towards a ProtoThrottle. Which DCC system is between it and my locomotives is less important.

The best advice I've read is to get the same system that your friends or others local to you are using. That way you can take along throttles etc to operating sessions or to the club and use them there. And you can help each other out if you have problems.

If you're a lone wolf: get an NCE Power Cab or Digitrax Zephyr Express. These are the best value starter systems which can both be easily expanded later and have a large user base.

[Deleted]

I have a dcs51 and raspberry pi. I find that system most economical, as it gives me the ease of Loco net and the power of any wifi throttle.

[riogrande]

Feb 6, 2020 18:24:24 GMT -8 wp8thsub said:

Feb 6, 2020 5:07:48 GMT -8 riogrande said:

I have way too many engines to go with the Ring system, as interesting as it is, and a growing number of those engines are already equipped with decoders. Last I checked, the cost per engine with Ring is more than double what it costs to install a good quality mobile decoder. For not-so-big rosters, it may be more economical.

I've operated with the RailPro system quite a few times. If you have a small layout, and don't mind the clunky throttle ergonomics, it may be a good choice. I would never put my own money into it, but that's me.

That makes sense to me.

Feb 7, 2020 5:47:11 GMT -8 @greenwizard88 said:

I have a dcs51 and raspberry pi. I find that system most economical, as it gives me the ease of Loco net and the power of any wifi throttle.

The wifi thing hasn't made sense to me in the past because I would not want to use a smart phone to run trains withn. I would not want to run trains having to constantly look at the touch screen to see if my finger was in the right spot to maintain control. But ... now that TCS is offering the universal WiFi throttle, that changes things.

tcsdcc.com/throttle

Now Raspberry pi - mmmm... sounds like it would go good with ice cream!

[brammy]

Speaking of DCC.

When I build my 17x17 layout, I want to have power to roughly 8 locos (staging tracks, etc).

I am assuming this (www.modeltrainstuff.com/nce-524007-ph-10r-power-house-pro-10-amp-starter-system-with-radio/) and a spare throttle will let me and another operator run trains?

[riogrande]

Feb 7, 2020 0:58:09 GMT -8 Colin 't Hart said:

.

NCE has a big advantage over Digitrax if you envisage making and breaking MU consists during operating sessions. And the system is just easier to use (than Digitrax) in general.

For me the ProtoThrottle is a game changer. Yes, it's expensive, but instead of spending money on a new/different DCC system I plan to put that money towards a ProtoThrottle. Which DCC system is between it and my locomotives is less important.

The best advice I've read is to get the same system that your friends or others local to you are using. That way you can take along throttles etc to operating sessions or to the club and use them there. And you can help each other out if you have problems.

If you're a lone wolf: get an NCE Power Cab or Digitrax Zephyr Express. These are the best value starter systems which can both be easily expanded later and have a large user base.

I'm not to the point of running yet, but there is a lot of favorable feedback on the UWT-100 throttle from TCS. Those who have reported not liking either NCE hammer head throttle or the Digitrax DT400 or 500 throttle like the UWT-100 throttle. It works off of Wifi and can be used with either Digitrax with the LWNI module or NCE with the WFD-30.

Here are some comments I read recently: "One of the few things that I find NCE does significantly better than Digitrax is double-ended consists, even though their consisting in general I don't particularly like. TCS fixes it with the UWT, not requiring CV19 consists, and allowing you to get out of one cab and climb into the other cab with a couple of keystrokes.

Other than releasing the slot on a LocoNet-based system, the TCS UWT makes the command station manufacturer pretty much irrelevant."

[Deleted]

Jun 3, 2020 6:47:23 GMT -8 brammy said:

Speaking of DCC.

When I build my 17x17 layout, I want to have power to roughly 8 locos (staging tracks, etc).

I am assuming this (www.modeltrainstuff.com/nce-524007-ph-10r-power-house-pro-10-amp-starter-system-with-radio/) and a spare throttle will let me and another operator run trains?

Unless you're running all 8 at once, or into G scale, that's probably overkill.

I use a DCS-51, and I can run 4 N scale engines with at once, without any issues.

[jonklein611]

Jun 3, 2020 8:35:08 GMT -8 @greenwizard88 said:

Jun 3, 2020 6:47:23 GMT -8 brammy said:

Speaking of DCC.

When I build my 17x17 layout, I want to have power to roughly 8 locos (staging tracks, etc).

I am assuming this (www.modeltrainstuff.com/nce-524007-ph-10r-power-house-pro-10-amp-starter-system-with-radio/) and a spare throttle will let me and another operator run trains?

Unless you're running all 8 at once, or into G scale, that's probably overkill.

I use a DCS-51, and I can run 4 N scale engines with at once, without any issues.

Same.  It's quite a nice unit. If you ever go over capacity it's easy to add a booster / command station later.

[brammy]

My train club is NCE, so I'd prefer to also have NCE here. So, I take it the 5amp version is enough?

I won't run all 8 at once.

[riogrande]

Jun 3, 2020 9:12:30 GMT -8 brammy said:

My train club is NCE, so I'd prefer to also have NCE here. So, I take it the 5amp version is enough?

I won't run all 8 at once.

I'd think 5 amp is more than enough. I had this conversation regarding my planned layout and they recommended 3 or 4 power districts which helps manage loads it seems. I have a Digitrax 5 amp booster/command station. If it turns out 5 amps isn't enough, worst case is I may need a second booster at most.

BTW, from discussions I've been reading about DCC, there is a growing consensus that Digtrax and NCE systems are both getting very dated and that wifi is the way of the future. The UWT-100 TCS throttle is getting very favorable comments and it operates off wifi and the Proto Throttle is also a big hit with some operators, and also wifi.

At one time I was seriously considering buying a full NCE system, as Digitrax operation never "clicked" for me. But it looks like I can keep my Digitrax system and adapt it to wifi throttle and the reward would be easier use. The cost of wifi enabling an existing system is fairly modest. For Digitrax, around $60 somthing and for NCE the WFD-30 runs more at $110.

I've wanted to ge one of the Proto Throttles and try it out as well - many report they enhance their operating experience.

[Christian]

Jun 3, 2020 9:12:30 GMT -8 brammy said:

My train club is NCE, so I'd prefer to also have NCE here. So, I take it the 5amp version is enough?

I won't run all 8 at once.

If they are modern locomotives (this century) the motors draw a half amp or less at stall. "Stall" means full throttle and holding down on the locomotive so it can't move. Unless you plan to do that often 5 amps are more than enough. Older locomotives - blue box era - are current hogs and usually have lousy motors anyway.

I'll toss in on the Zephyr Express. The computer link means you can run JMRI as well as one of the many cell phone throttle apps. In other words, WiFi control right out of the box.

Well, that plus some finagling.

Depending on your home network that could actually mean a LOT of finagling.

[edwardsutorik]

Feb 6, 2020 23:48:07 GMT -8 Paul Cutler III said:

Ed,
That's incorrect. Digitrax uses 2-digit addresses from 001-128 and 4-digit addresses from 0129-9983. You do have to change CV29 to use 2 or 4 digit addresses, however.

No, it's not. I said "...with the NCE, you can use long addresses from 0001 to 9999. With Digitrax, you're limited to 0128 to 9983."

And you confirmed my statement when you said you have to change CV29 for the Digitrax system. The Digitrax address from 001 to 127 are short addresses, not long. You CANNOT have a long address of 0024 in Digitrax. You CAN in NCE.

The options in CV29 are "short" and "long" addresses, not "2 digit" and "4 digit".

More reading on the subject:

sites.google.com/site/markgurries/home/technical-discussions/decoder-addressing/address-confusion


Ed

[brammy]

I have a newbie question.

So, my club has NCE, and I figured I'd just get an NCE system to ensure compatibility. Do I need NCE? How we do DCC at my club is each member has a 2-digit prefix they use, so mine is 66XX. So, if I give a loco a 6605 address, will it work between Digitrax and NCE?

I know consisting won't work, but I always break the consist when I am done.

[jonklein611]

Jun 4, 2020 8:20:48 GMT -8 brammy said:

I have a newbie question.

So, my club has NCE, and I figured I'd just get an NCE system to ensure compatibility. Do I need NCE? How we do DCC at my club is each member has a 2-digit prefix they use, so mine is 66XX. So, if I give a loco a 6605 address, will it work between Digitrax and NCE?

I know consisting won't work, but I always break the consist when I am done.

Yup that will work with either system.  NCE and Digitrax do consisting differently.

[brammy]

Thanks,

I am so used to computer systems that don't work with each other, I just assume they won't at this point.

Edit: wow, this is a lot cheaper than the NCE system.

[rmcroadster]

I agree with using NCE. So much better than Digitrax is my experience.
Matthew

[brammy]

One of my friends at the club laid down a convincing argument for NCE last night. It was more having a system friends who would run already know how to use than any sort of technical merits between the two.

Originally, I had budgeted out one of the whole base station, booster, and power cabs combos (about $1k) and I now realize that is overkill for my setup. I am going to go with the power cab starter kit and an extra throttle to get things up and running.

[Colin 't Hart]

Jun 5, 2020 5:18:42 GMT -8 brammy said:

One of my friends at the club laid down a convincing argument for NCE last night. It was more having a system friends who would run already know how to use than any sort of technical merits between the two.

I think this is the best reason for choosing any particular system over any other. Your friends can help you with problems -- and you can take and use your throttle at the club and at friends too.

[brammy]

I have another sandy check question.

I bought a smart booster SB5 because I need to unlock my power cab to walk around the layout. I bought 2 UTP panels, but realize now I need 3. My understanding is as long as I disconnect power (the wall wart and the track power feeds), I can use the PCP as a UTP. So, is it safe to assume that if I wire it this way it works?:
- SB5 - UTP#1 (command station jack)
- UTP#1-UTP#2
- UTP#2-PCP (single back jack so I am using this as there final connection.)