Programming Decoders???


S

Screwjack

New model railroader here
Been reading a lot about DCC lately, one questions I can not seem to find an answer to is this;

Can you program any decoder with any DCC system? For example can you program a Soundtraxx Tsunami decoder with a Digitrax or an NCE system?

Thanks...:D
 
You can program any DCC Decoder that is NMRA compliant on any system. Occasionally there may be a few issues but overall they will work.

Keep in mind that you will most likely need a programming track booster when working with voltage hungry sound decoders...
 
DCCinstalled;Thanks for the reply. I thought if it were possible a booster might be needed for the sound decoders, I suppose due to the capictors they have???
 
The capacitors are part of it. They just have more circuitry in general that needs to be energized before they are fully powered up.
 
I will add that some systems are more capable than others as they arrive at your door. My old Clunk, the Super Empire Builder from Digitrax, has no problems whatsoever programming any decoder that I have either on the main or on the programming track that also acts as the lead to my turntable. I have two different decoders from Sountraxx, including several Tsunamis, Loksounds, and several versions of QSI. None of them seem to require a booster or a resistor when using the Super Empire Builder's DB150.

-Crandell
 
Crandell, well, yeah, when you get the super deluxe set, things work better. :) I think the SEB actually has a booster for the programming track built-in. It's the Zephyr that provides the most heartburn when it comes to "dnd" errors when trying to read back decoders on the programming track. If it could read back decoders on the mainline, it would make things a heck of a lot easier. I've been trying to come up with a way to trick the Zephyr into thinking the main is the programming track by running the programming tracks leads to a toggles switch and hve one route go to the programming track and the other to the main. My brother, who is an EE. has convinced me that such a trick would probably result in magic smoke from the decoder and Zephyr simultaneously so I think I'll just pop for the booster. :rolleyes:
 
Jim; Funny how that works, if you let the smoke out of the wires, they quit working:eek:, and trying to put the smoke back in the wires is the real trick:D

I guess from what I am reading here I will not have any problems. I have not pulled the trigger on a DCC system yet, but I have pretty much narrowed it down to (not trying to get a DCC preference war going):D NCE or Digitrax and I am now looking at the Super Chief Duplex since it is now available. So programming any decoders should not be a problem...
 
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