DCC controllers

[jsdranger]

I am looking for a DCC controller and from reading posts and asking questions i have narrowed down my search to the Digitrax Zephyr and the Bachmann Trains E-Z Command Dynamis Wireless Infrared Digital Command Control System

What i would like to know now, is which one is the better one and why?  all opinions are appreciated and will certainly help me make my decision that much easier hearing from the experts

On the one hand i like the digitrax zephyr because of the rotating handle (realism to me) for acceleration but is that one also wireless?  I like the E-Z command because it is wireless and it seems to be able to control many many trains simultaneously and offer 21 functions per train.

they are priced similarly, what are the real differences between the 2?

All information is greatly appreciated

[jerryl]

  I have heard more negative reports on the Bachmann that the Digitrax.

[Jerrys HO]

jsd,
I believe it is a matter of your opinion and what your long term plans are. I like the Bachmann line for a nnumber of reasons, one is I feel they have a good warranty on there products. I am using a ez command starter system till I have all my track work in place and operating smoothly then I plan on upgrading to the Dynamis system as it has more functionality than the basic command. Some controllers do alot more than others do. All I can suggest is go to there websites grab all the info you can. Also visit local railroading clubs and see what they are using .The local club by me uses NCE and they are happy. Whatever one you choose I am sure there always be someone to say why do you use that one instead of this one? Hope this helps a little.
Jerry

[Pacific Northern]

jsd,
I believe it is a matter of your opinion and what your long term plans are. I like the Bachmann line for a nnumber of reasons, one is I feel they have a good warranty on there products. I am using a ez command starter system till I have all my track work in place and operating smoothly then I plan on upgrading to the Dynamis system as it has more functionality than the basic command. Some controllers do alot more than others do. All I can suggest is go to there websites grab all the info you can. Also visit local railroading clubs and see what they are using .The local club by me uses NCE and they are happy. Whatever one you choose I am sure there always be someone to say why do you use that one instead of this one? Hope this helps a little.
Jerry

Your information on warranty is not correct

Bachmann Contollers - 90 days
Digitrax - All products - one year

[Jim Banner]

There is something you need to know about DCC systems, all DCC systems.  Digital Command Control systems consist of four separate parts:

(1) The Throttle.  This is the human/machine interface.  Put another way, it is how you, the operator, tell the DCC system what you want it to do.  A throttle can connect to the rest of the DCC system in several ways - by wire, by infrared signals similar to a t.v. remote, or by radio.  Wires are fine for a single operator because you can plug in at different locations.  For multiple operators, infrared is better because there are no wires to trip over.  For a large layout that runs through several rooms or for an outdoor layout, radio is the best choice because it works through walls and in bright sunlight.  Throttles must match the DCC system they are used with.  One exception - the Zephyr can use one or two extra d.c. power packs as auxiliary or "jump" throttles.  Every DCC system needs at least one throttle but some systems can work with many throttles.

(2) The Command Station.  This is the "brains" of the outfit.  It translates throttle commands (knob turns, button pushes, and switch settings) into digital commands in the proper form for transmission to locomotives and accessories controlled by DCC.  It keeps track with which throttle is associated with each decoder address and what commands were last sent to those addresses.  If the DCC system is capable of operating a locomotive without a decoder, the command station modifies the digital commands so that the one locomotive will interpret them as a dc voltage.  A DCC system can have only one command station.

(3) The Booster.  This adds OOMPH to the signals from the command station so that the DCC signals can provide electrical power to the locomotives and accessories to run them in addition to the digital information that tell them what to do with the power.  Boosters have at least one output which can be connected to the track.  Some have a second output which can be connected to a programming track, allowing you to program one locomotive at the same time you are running others.  A DCC system must have at least one booster.  Large model railroads often have several boosters.

(4) The Decoders.  Decoders receive both electrical power and digital commands from the track.  The electrical power is used to make the locomotives go and may operate turnouts and other accessories.  The digital commands are interpreted in the decoders to apply the electric power to cause the actions you specified using the buttons, knobs and switches on the throttles, assuming of course that the decoder is sophisticated enough to understand those specific commands and the item controlled by the decoder can perform those actions.

In an introductory or basic DCC system, the throttle(s), command station and booster are usually combined in a single box.  External throttles and boosters can be added if necessary.  Generally, there is a limit to the number of throttles a particular command station can work with at one time.  If it is two, and all you need is two, then there is no need to spend the extra money to buy a system that can work with 20 or 50 or 120 throttles at once.  Keep in mind that even if you have only one throttle, you can still run several locomotives at the same time.  It is just a matter of using the throttle to set one in motion, then switching the throttle to a different locomotive  and setting it going.  But if you have friends or family who would like to run trains with you, you should plan on having a throttle for everyone who is running a train.  This can quickly exceed the two throttle limit of some basic systems and, with the exception of the two jump throttles allowed by the Zephyr, can become expensive.

What you need in the way of a booster or boosters depends mostly on how many locomotives you want to run at one time and how much power is used by accessories.  Modern H0 locomotives typically draw about 1/2 amp each if silent, or about 1 amp with sound.  Older locomotives tend to be less efficient and may draw about 1 amp even if silent.  Lighted passenger cars can draw anywhere from about 1/8 to 1/2 amp each depending on the number and type of lights.  Turnouts draw around 1/2 amp for all of them, no matter how many you have, as long as you operate them one at a time.  If you exceed the current ("amperage") rating of the booster in a basic set, you will have to either run fewer trains and accessories or add an external booster.  Then it becomes important to know how the external booster connects to the command station and to the track.  If it connects between the track output of internal booster and the tracks themselves, then the total current available is simply the output of the external booster.  But if the external booster connects between the command station's digital bus and the tracks, then the total current available for the layout is the sum of the currents from the internal booster and the external booster.  Small point but a large difference in available current.

If you are using decoders with sound, then there is also a question of whether a particular system can operate all of the sounds, how easily it controls sounds, and whether you really care.  The better sound decoders allow you to set a number of the sounds to occur automatically under plausible conditions, reducing the number of functions needed for a full set of sound.  But some (many?) people prefer to control all of the sounds personally so that they can play the sounds and run the trains in a most convincing manner.

Finally, there is as always the matter of cost.  More power to run more trains and accessories adds extra cost, particularly when you start adding external boosters.  Extra throttles are usually expensive with infrared throttles generally costing more than wired ones and radio throttles costing even more that infrared ones.  Fortunately, external boosters and extra throttles can generally be added as the layout grows and they become more of a necessity than a luxury.  This does not reduce the overall cost but does reduce the sticker shock at any one time.

I think that before we talk about which system is best for you, you should make some decisions about where your layout is likely to go in the next few years.  I realize that that will probably involve making some guesses at this point.  But the results should still help you decide what system is best for you.  I could go on for pages about why I think system A is better than system B for my circumstances, and someone else could go on for pages about why he think system B is better than system A for his circumstances.  But would either of us be telling you which system is best for your circumstances?

Jim

[Doneldon]

jds-

Some version of your question seems to show up on this board a couple of  times per week. Unfortunately, we don't have answers for you, only our opinions. These opinions are colored by our own personal experiences and biases which you must remember as you weigh what you hear.

The simple fact is, there is no best or worst DCC system. Every system at every price has both advantages and disadvantages; in some cases, the prices themselves are advantages or disadvantages. I'm sure that everyone would be like to get the most versatile, the most powerful, the most reliable and the easiest system for the lowest price. But that's not going to happen so we must all look at the advantages and disadvantages and balance them with the costs of various systems. Some features will be worth additional cost; others won't be. Some systems may be out of our price range even if we'd be willing to spend the bread. And some systems might not provide the features we really want although their prices are extremely attractive.

In short, only you can decide which is the best system for you now and and in the future, and what you can or are willing to pay for a system. Jim Banner discussed in good detail many of the things you need consider and I won't piggy-back on that. I'll just remind you to keep your own counsel and make your own decision. You are, after all, the expert on what you need and want.
                                                                                                         -- D

[jward]

something to consider about the digitrax zephyr: any of the digitrax throttles will work with it. that includes the infrared ones as well as the radio ones. digitrax has a well thought out system of components with standard interfaces that can be used with any of their systems.

[jsdranger]

Thanks to all that replied.  there has been some great information provided, probably a little to much for me to take in all at once but it just shows me how much there is out there in the train hobby world for me to learn.

should be fun learning but even more fun building and running the trains

thanks