Which DCC Manufacturer is your favorite?


Which DCC Control System do you prefer?

  • NCE

    Votes: 15 42.9%

  • Digitrax

    Votes: 15 42.9%

  • Lenz

    Votes: 2 5.7%

  • MRC

    Votes: 1 2.9%

  • Bachmann

    Votes: 1 2.9%

  • NCE POENIX

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • ESU

    Votes: 3 8.6%

  • TCS

    Votes: 2 5.7%

  • Other

    Votes: 1 2.9%
  • Total voters
    35
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I tried the TCS CS-105 system for a week on my layout. It was a loaner. Very nice unit and capable of a few things that I couldn’t test out yet because the layout isn’t complete. There is one in stock at Iron Planet Hobbies.

There is so much that the more modern DCC systems like TCS and YaMoRc can do for the layout then the still very cableable NCE and Digittrack systems can. But basically you want the DCC power to the track and for that they all can do it

I want WiFi though to communicate to my throttles and I am using the NCE PowerCab with a wifitraxx module to achieve that

Great topic
 
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FeatherRiver said:
I believe that is correct, e.g., Power Cab Starter System.
The Starter system is far less expensive but it can only run two locomotives due to the power consumption.
Pro Cab can handle more active (running) locomotives as it is a 5 Amp system.

There is also a NEW model of NCE Pro Cab coming soon. [NCE Power Pro PH5 and PH5r]

One other thing I want to mention here - which was triggered by PMW's statement above, e.g., " ...I'm not taking sides ...":
Even though I am "sold on" NCE Equipment, I want everyone on this forum to know I am not taking 'sides' either; and I am not getting a financial "kick-back" from NCE!
I just simply believe NCE is great equipment - from every perspective that is important to me.
However, ultimately it comes down to individual choice!
If we all "fell in love" - so to speak- with the same DCC equipment manufacturer there would be no other company making these products.


Hi ! Thanks for your reply!
Looks like you made the right choice (for you) as you are pleased with your Digitrax equipment! And ultimately that is what counts!
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I currently have the PowerCab and the amp meter says it puts out 1.8 amps. I have run 5 diesel locomotives with sound without any issues on a layout that measures 340’ of mainline and a 48’ staging yard. We have experimented to see where the limit is. We did get 8 diesels running but the 9th taxed out the system.

I have tested a 10 amp “Brutus” powered NCE pro Cab Wireless system with 3 PT’s and 7 cell phones and 23 diesels with no issues on the layout. That was all we had… The cell phones are connected to the layout and either NCE system with a WifiTraxx module and a router in the train room. Without the router the WifiTraxx module alone can handle 4 cell phones or the TCS WiFi throttles.
 
On other layouts I have operated digitrax, Lenz and MRC. I had Lenz on my previous layouts and have some digitrax stuff that was given to me off a deceased person's layout. That said I found the MRC system the easiest system to become quickly familiar with. The module group I recently joined uses NCE so I will try this system out.
 
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PMW said:
I've only used NCE so I'm not taking sides but it sounds like that's the Power Cab starter system. It probably only runs 2 locos or so but I think it's only about $150. They make 10 amp systems as well. I don't know how much those are.

I've never used Digitrax but I know they are popular (including my local mrr club) and I suspect they're great. I bought the NCE starter system because it got my small layout going and I knew I could expand. I've gone up to a 5 amp system now.
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My friend started with a Digitrax Zephyr 1 amp system and ran 10 locols, that's why I couldn't believe how week the NCE system was and stayed away from them.
 
CambriaArea51 said:
My friend started with a Digitrax Zephyr 1 amp system and ran 10 locols, that's why I couldn't believe how weak the NCE system was and stayed away from them.
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The nce power cab is a two amp system. I am not knowledgeable about DCC systems. Can anyone explain this? Seems to me 10 locos would draw more than an amp in any scale.
 
I started out with Digitrax many years ago, and chose it for one reason: it was cheap! Half the price of an NCE system at the time, but it also had its drawbacks. It was a bear to program, where NCE was much more user friendly. Keep in mind this is in the 1990's before JMRI, and before sound decoders. Simple mobile decoders were like fifty bucks each. Most of the modeling community where I lived used Digitrax, so you had a built-in support group, which is really important. Several years later I moved and joined my current club, who were NCE users. Once I got situated with them and learned the NCE system, its user friendliness won me over, and I sold off my Digitrax system. I don't want to turn this into a Digitrax vs NCE debate. There were things about both systems I liked. As far as power goes, the idea that NCE is "weak" isn't exactly true. The Powercab is a 2 amp system, the Zephyr is a 3 amp system. The two companies had different goals when they designed their systems, but even two amps is enough to run more than two locos. The Zephyr can actually be used as a command station and serve as a base for running a larger layout by adding additional components. The Powercab wasn't designed for that. Its expansion potential is limited. Assuming a half amp draw, a Powercab can handle four HO or eight N locos. If you're a small HO layout guy, how often will you run that many locos at once? Will you ever run 10 locos by yourself? I gave up on building a home layout when I joined my club. The layout is huge, over 4,000 square feet and 27 scale miles of track. We have one of the largest, if not the largest NCE systems in the country, and we're never short of power. 😁 I do have a Powercab at home that I use to test locomotives. In the old days, the Powercab was one of the only systems that had enough power to program sound decoders without using a booster. Now we have separate programmers and can do it off the home computer. We've come a long way!
 
I've had a Digitrax system for about 20 years, a few years ago, I decided to buy an ESu Command Control system. Two things I didn't like, making it a deal breaker for me. I found the throttle to be very forward heavy, always felt like it was going to fall out of my hand. The other was, I can activate functions on the Digitrax throttle by feel, can't do that with the ESu throttle. So I'm back to Digitrax. Having said all of that, since we are currently back to living in an apartment, I've been playing with the DCC-EX control system, mainly has a side hobby. I wanted an actual throttle for the system, and I purchased the TCS UWT-50, I can not say enough good things about this throttle. It is a nice size, well balanced, I can control functions by feel. One feature I really like, is it pulls the locomotive information from JMRI, so instead of just showing the engine number, the display will show, for instance, UP 6103, or NCRC 5315. My decoders of choice though, are Esu.
 
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boatwrench said:
On other layouts I have operated digitrax, Lenz and MRC. I had Lenz on my previous layouts and have some digitrax stuff that was given to me off a deceased person's layout. That said I found the MRC system the easiest system to become quickly familiar with. The module group I recently joined uses NEC so I will try this system out.
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Hello!
Just read your post. You mentioned "NEC". Did you mean to say NCE?
I searched "NEC" in the search engines and nothing came up ......so am wondering if NEC is a "typo".
 
Heads up everyone: I just updated the POLL for this Thread. It now has 9 selections.

I wanted to "delete" the option "other", and replace it at the end of the list.
However I couldn't see how to do this when I clicked on the "Edit" button for the POLL.

Does anyone know how I can accomplish what I described in the above paragraph?
 
BTW, I have declined to vote since I don't have a 'preference'. I only have experience with Digitrax, and cannot logically compare it to any other system since I have none. Ergo, no ability to compare means no ability to discriminate between two or more choices. Ergo, not able to state a preference.
 
I’ve had Digitrax from the beginning. (Their beginning.) Being able to run two trains with one throttle is a huge plus. Mu’ing is a breeze. Select one loco or consist on left throttle then select a loco or consist on the right throttle hit mu then the plus button.
 
I bought the Bachmann EZ Command years ago just so I could start prepping for a DCC transition. As I have yet to progress far enough on a layout to upgrade I still use it for testing what I do get done. Hopefully soon though, and lots of little tidbits of info here to consider…
 
Selector said:
BTW, I have declined to vote since I don't have a 'preference'. I only have experience with Digitrax, and cannot logically compare it to any other system since I have none. Ergo, no ability to compare means no ability to discriminate between two or more choices. Ergo, not able to state a preference.
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Good point!
 
CambriaArea51 said:
My friend started with a Digitrax Zephyr 1 amp system and ran 10 locols, that's why I couldn't believe how week the NCE system was and stayed away from them.
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Yup I had that same experience I had as well....I tested NCE about the time Digitrax came out with the DCS50 Zephyr. When I saw that it could handle multiple locos simultaneously at that time I was sold on the DCS50.
 
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Alcomotive said:
Yup I had that same experience I had as well....I tested NCE about the time Digitrax came out with the DCS50 Zephyr. When I saw that it could handle multiple locos simultaneously at that time I was sold on the DCS50.
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Not sure what your saying. I said the Digitrax handled 10 engines where the NCE could not. The Digitrax was a better value than the NCE.
 
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