Wich Dcc brand to choose


julienjj

Noodle is good
im starting my first layout, but im wondering wich dcc controler to take
any suggestion?
i need something that will last long and dosent cost too much, since im on a buged
 
Either Digitrax Zephyr or NCE Power Cab starter kit would work fine for what you need. What country are you in? That may influence what you want to use for DCC?
 
Im in canada, so yes disponibility of product may influence ( i dont want to wait a long time with shipping)
i do plan to have a lot of of remote snap switch how are they controlled under DCC ?

correct me if im wrong but
here what i did understanded about dcc
-the controller is plug into a kind modulator wich insert infos in the electricity to make loco move, power is plugged is this modulator
BUT i heard there is a kind of probe (called block detector?) but what the hell is it doing ?

just saa that the NCE cost 618$CAD, arent there less costly kit ? in fact i could get the power supplies quite cheap by myself
i do prefer to put more money in loco and in rolling stock than in electronic
 
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Do you have a local club in the area?
If so head on down and get some ideas in case you join up some day.
I like Jims choices as well.
 
Either Digitrax Zephyr or NCE Power Cab starter kit would work fine for what you need. What country are you in? That may influence what you want to use for DCC?

Do you have a local club in the area?
If so head on down and get some ideas in case you join up some day.
I like Jims choices as well.
I'll third that suggestion. I've had a Digitrax Zephyr for 4 years now, and had zero problems with it. It does everything the bigger systems do, plus it will "read back" when you program. That won't be important to you for the immediate future, but will be nice as your experience with DCC grows. Retail on the Zephyr is about $160 USD.
 
i was just reading about it, i really think it the best thing for me, but how much locos can you run using the 3.5 amp ?
 
You can easily run four locomotives with the standard Zephyr. Your biggest problem will not be power to run locomotives buying extra throttles because running more than one locomotive or consist on one cab is a real pain.

Since it sounds like you don't have much experience with DCC, some reading would be in order. It would be worth you time to read this DCC primer at http://www.tonystrainexchange.com/tonystips/dccprimer/index.htm. It's reasonably easy to understand, even though you're not a native English speaker. I actually had some idea what DCC did and how it owrked after I read Tony's primer.
 
The Zepher is a good choice, because of the points already made. Also until you upgrade all of your locos, you can run some of the Analog locos on Address 00.
 
look nice but about wice the price of the digitrax

what about upgrading my old EMD F9 loco? should i take the digitrax decoder ?
 
Im in canada [...]
just saa that the NCE cost 618$CAD, arent there less costly kit ?

That might be one of the Powerhouse or powerpro systems. you should be able to find a PowerCab system inexpensively, maybe $200CAD or less.
"Power Cab Entry level DCC starter set, with 14v/240VAC power supply"

You might try contacting this place, I think they are in Ontario, not sure what part of the country you are in.
http://www.customtrains-canada.com/NCE.html

Here is a listing that might help find more shops:
http://www.cwrr.com/nmra/Shopb-Can.html
 
udisco.com is the near house, that where i intent to get most of my stuff
righ i found it, its 25$ more than the digitrax, and i dont think it would fit my needs
1-power is weeker
2-you cant hook up dc throttle
6 train max....
 
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You might want to be sure to try them out.

I've heard many people say the NCE system is much nicer/easier to operate. They have told me that with Digitrax you are often combing through the manual to accomplish tasks but with NCE you just follow the built in menus.

Digitrax upgrades must be done at the factory whereas NCE you can do software upgrades yourself.

Most places have the NCE Powercab cheaper than the Zephyr starter set.
You should also check what is included, some starter sets include a couple of decoders and some don't.

http://modeltrains.about.com/od/electronicsdcc/tp/digitrax_upgrade_questions.htm
"everyone I know who owns a PowerCab says that they chose it over the Zephyr because of it's simple menu-driven user interface"
 
i have a question under this tpic also, if i buy the nce powercab, is there a certain type of decoder i have to use? all my engines have digitrax decoders, are these compatible with nce powercab?
 



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