pmrossetti
Member
thank you
as above
as above
A quick explain of DC, DCC, DCS?
- Thread starter pmrossetti
- Start date
Rotorranch
MRR Refugee
Very simply put.
DC: Also known as "analog". Like a standard train set. Can run one train (cab) per controller/power supply (throttle). Needs layout wired in segments (blocks) and multiple controllers to run multiple trains at the same time. Good system, but basic. Supports basic sound. NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) compliant.
DCC: Digital Command Control. Does NOT require wiring a layout in blocks. Can run multiple trains at the same time from one control unit (throttle). Can add multiple throttles for multiple "engineers". Very good system, but requires a little technical savvy. Supports advanced sound. NMRA compliant.
DCS: Something off the wall that MTH came up with. Not really compatible with anything. Only found on MTH trains. I wouldn't worry about it, and avoid it. Not NMRA compliant.
For more info, use the forum search function, and read the info.
Rotor
DC: Also known as "analog". Like a standard train set. Can run one train (cab) per controller/power supply (throttle). Needs layout wired in segments (blocks) and multiple controllers to run multiple trains at the same time. Good system, but basic. Supports basic sound. NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) compliant.
DCC: Digital Command Control. Does NOT require wiring a layout in blocks. Can run multiple trains at the same time from one control unit (throttle). Can add multiple throttles for multiple "engineers". Very good system, but requires a little technical savvy. Supports advanced sound. NMRA compliant.
DCS: Something off the wall that MTH came up with. Not really compatible with anything. Only found on MTH trains. I wouldn't worry about it, and avoid it. Not NMRA compliant.
For more info, use the forum search function, and read the info.
Rotor
ICG/SOU
HO & O (3-rail) trainman
DC = direct current. Track voltage is rectified via a power pack, and adjustable via a rheostat. In English, track voltage is at zero until you turn what is essentially a dimmer switch up, giving more power. The motors in locomotives start to turn faster as you give more throttle. When you turn the throttle down, you slow the motor down. To change direction, a switch changes polarity to the track, so the locomotive will go the opposite way.
DC is the old way of playing trains. It only allows for one locomotive at a time in an electrical block.
DCC = digital command and control. Track voltage is in DC, but unlike just regular DC, track power is constant (12v to 14v in HO scale, sometimes higher). A small computer chip (called a decoder) is installed in the locomotive, as the DC voltage has an embedded digital signal. That signal allows the command station to talk to either one or all locomotives on the layout, at the same time, and give them independent commands. For example, you have 3 locomotives on the layout, two running in a two-unit lashup (two locomotives together), and one other in a yard. You can run both independently because you programmed an address unique to each locomotive, and therefore run more than one locomotive at once. The standards for the DCC signal were dictated by the NMRA, so that one company's trains would play with another company's, as long as that company followed the standard.
DCS = a proprietary form of DCC that is unique to MTH trains. MTH designed and ran DCS for their O scale stuff, but have branched off into HO. DCS is not fully compatible with DCC (and vice versa) and trying to get the two to play nice together often results in frustration.
DC is the old way of playing trains. It only allows for one locomotive at a time in an electrical block.
DCC = digital command and control. Track voltage is in DC, but unlike just regular DC, track power is constant (12v to 14v in HO scale, sometimes higher). A small computer chip (called a decoder) is installed in the locomotive, as the DC voltage has an embedded digital signal. That signal allows the command station to talk to either one or all locomotives on the layout, at the same time, and give them independent commands. For example, you have 3 locomotives on the layout, two running in a two-unit lashup (two locomotives together), and one other in a yard. You can run both independently because you programmed an address unique to each locomotive, and therefore run more than one locomotive at once. The standards for the DCC signal were dictated by the NMRA, so that one company's trains would play with another company's, as long as that company followed the standard.
DCS = a proprietary form of DCC that is unique to MTH trains. MTH designed and ran DCS for their O scale stuff, but have branched off into HO. DCS is not fully compatible with DCC (and vice versa) and trying to get the two to play nice together often results in frustration.
pmrossetti
Member
Selector
Well-Known Member
Yes, but....DCC still requires gaps in the rails in places, still requires reversing polarity to the rails for reversing sections, and you must learn to adjust the numerical values in the decoder's outputs in order to get the most out of the technology. For some, it is a struggle. For others, a bit of a learning curve, but then they never look back.
One advantage that DC has over DCC (and I am a diehard DCC user) is that the rails don't have to be so clean, and the numbers of feeders can be somewhat fewer. DCC requires a minimum signal to noise ratio or the digital short detection circuitry won't recognize when there is a problem. It generally means the rails must be quite clean on their running surfaces, and also you may need a few more pairs of feeder wires soldered to the rails.
