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What DC variable output train speed controller will give me the best "LOW SPEEDS" control ? There are many makes and models of Variable direct current controllers out there. I am open for suggestions as to which to buy. I primarily wish to control train speeds from zero to a crawl.
if you want to stay with DC, which will never give you the low speed control of DCC, the best choices are usually from Model Rectifier Corporation. Unfortunately, more and more of these are going out of stock as MRC and most other companies switch production to DCC systems. There are some excellent deals on e-bay though, as people dump DC power packs because they are switching to DCC. Any of the higher end MRC power packs like the Tech II or Tech III would do what you want.
DCC stands for Digital Command Control. It is a completely different type of control system than a DC power pack. DCC put 16 volt AC signal in the track from a controller that is picked up decoders installed in the locomotive. These signals are sent tow ways, from the controller to the locomotive and from the decoder in the locomotive back to the controller. All speed, lighting, and sound is controlled by this interaction between the decoder and the controller. This is really the future of the hobby since it allows you to run very complex layouts without having to worry about things like power blocks and engines perform much better running under DCC. There's a very good primer for beginners at http://www.tonystrainexchange.com/tonystips/dccprimer/index.htm. I suggest you read it carefully before you make any buying decisions.
I have gone with MRC for Both DCC and DC. Very good controller. I can run Three engines on the DC all day long. I can run 4 for several hours before it shuts off but Was due to one of the engines having a Drive shaft come loose.
I have the MRC 260 which is a basic controller for DC and my DCC is the Prodigy Advance 2
I have a MRC Tech 4 which is the 220 model. I love it! Nice heft and quality to it, it has a nice big, smooth throttle, along with built in load adjuster circuitry, and the momentum feature (acclerates/decelerates trains slowly and realistically).
Works very well for crawling my Atlas N scale locos.
but now I have Digitraxx stuff now although I did keep my 9500 for back up...
I am getting rid of my MRCs DCC Command 2000 with throttle if any one is interested. I dont expect much for it....I am think less than a 100 bucks like around 75 bucks....PM if interested....
I've corrected at least the most glaring errors now.
