????? DCC ready/equipped/sound in Class J ????? Plz help

[richG]

. . .
Some of you might look at the below link concerning DCC. Put the link in your Favorites folder for future reference. This guy is in Australia but uses many USA products. There are examples of what decoders are like. It is better than, I Heard and They Say. You have documentation.
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/nswmn/index.htm

Rich

The http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/nswmn/index.htm website  is very good if one reads the information correctly.
As the information provided is read, keep in mind my caveat -- If you have researched one DCC system or component (example- a decoder) and think all the others are the same ... you are mistaken!

You missed tthe point. I was only posting general DCC info. I did not specify a brand.  There are other links in the link I posted which leads to other brands, US products or over seas products. Some people never try or are not aware they can  search for possible answers to their questions. I have seen in different forums that some people have no clue what DCC is all about and can come up with incorrect ideas which might lead to buying the incorrect product for their application.
In one of the links, there is a photo of what a sound decoder might have in it, block diagram.

Rich

[lirrman]

I recently purchased Bachmann's new American Freedom Train GS4 locomotive.  It's advertised as DCC On-Board.  Since my 25 year old railroad is standard DC cab control, I contacted Bachmann to be sure this new loco would operate properly on my railroad.  I was assured it would run just fine out of the box with no adjustments.  However, it ran very poorly, had no pulling power and the headlight kept blinking off and on.  I contacted Bachmann (customer/technical service) again (different person this time) and then I was told I had to remove the on-board chip or PC board and replace it with the two dummy clips that came with the locomotive.  The instructions that came with the locomotive were a little "thin" on how to do this and finding the pin numbers on the plug was not easy.  Bottom line however, when the dummy plugs were finally installed it ran great on standard DC.  Based on two separate phone-call answers from Bachmann tech. service, I can only conclude the even Bachmann is having a tough time with all the different terminology and technology and needs to provide additional training for their customer service.
LIRRMAN

[Santa Fe buff]

Q: Can anyone offer advice in this area? Should I stay away from DCC locos until I know more about the system, or will I be fine with a DCC loco on a regular track?

A: DCC locomotives can run perfectly on DC track, but not AC. I have a DCC locomotive that ran on DC. It is very well okay, due to that DCC is based of DC current. But if you have an old terminal that uses AC, should be labled, then stay away from DCC, but DC can run on AC also.

Most, but not all,  locomotives with DCC decoder installed will run on DC power. To date, all locomotives with a Bachmann decoder installed will run on DC power.



Santa Fe buff you appear confused.

Here some facts,
Never run a model locomotive's DC motor with AC power you will ruin the motor!

DCC is square wave AC. However, a DCC decoder converts the AC to DC before it sends power to the motor.

Okay, so that man at the hobby shop was wrong, I was looking at an old On3 scale CP set, he said it was a locomotive that ran on DC and AC, he also said that DC runs with AC, I always get the wrong reasources! Like for a homework assignment last year! I got that one fixed, they may be more facts I have wrong.

[Santa Fe buff]

Well, it seems that for even just performance alone, (leaving out the sound, programmability, and load compenastaion abilities), that the DCC trains are the way to go. Does anyone feel otherwise?
Do the DCC locos seem to stand up to a regular DC loco in load pulling ability on a DC only track, or do they need the DCC, (I guess it's called a controller now, not a transformer), to reach their pulling potential. From what I've read, it seems that the DCC decoders eat up some of the power, leaving less for the motor.

I believe that some DCC locomotives are slower then DC locomotives. My Life Like DC F7 kickes it to my Spectrum by Bachmann DCC F40PHs.
I believe it varies with locomotives. My F40PHs, can pull a large load, not fast, but pretty good. My F7 pulls about 2-3 boxcars more. But much faster. Yet it spudders. Also, this is an acurate test, because my DCCs don't have any decoders on it.

[Santa Fe buff]

DCC decoder is a little computer chip ...

FYI
Click http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,5144.msg43937/topicseen.html#msg43937
And read the part starting with,
It sounds like it is time once again to explain the difference between a "chip" and a "decoder."  

Sorry, I meant it to be a comparison... "A DCC decoder is a little like a computer chip." I guess I should get back into the habit of proof-reading...

Decoders are chips... As to the fact they are computer chips with the job to decode and preform tasks. A worker is known as a worker, but we can call him by what his/she is, a human, so a decoder is a chip. A chip with the simple task. True, I know this, and it is very true.

[Conrail Quality]

Well, it seems that for even just performance alone, (leaving out the sound, programmability, and load compenastaion abilities), that the DCC trains are the way to go. Does anyone feel otherwise?
Do the DCC locos seem to stand up to a regular DC loco in load pulling ability on a DC only track, or do they need the DCC, (I guess it's called a controller now, not a transformer), to reach their pulling potential. From what I've read, it seems that the DCC decoders eat up some of the power, leaving less for the motor.

I believe that some DCC locomotives are slower then DC locomotives. My Life Like DC F7 kickes it to my Spectrum by Bachmann DCC F40PHs.
I believe it varies with locomotives. My F40PHs, can pull a large load, not fast, but pretty good. My F7 pulls about 2-3 boxcars more. But much faster. Yet it spudders. Also, this is an acurate test, because my DCCs don't have any decoders on it.

Speed is determined mostly by the gearing and the motor. To see if DCC really has an effect on speed, one would have to compare the same exact type of model. It's quite likely that your F7 is geared higher than your F40PH, and/or its motor has a higher RPM (rotations per minute).

Weight is the most important factor in pulling power. A heavier locomotive will pull more than a lighter one. While it is not as much of an issue in HO scale or larger, in N or Z scale, a locomotive with a DCC decoder often pulls noticably less than one without a decoder, due to the weight lost to make room for a decoder. Larger-scale models usually are heavy enough that the few ounces lost for a decoder doesn't have much of an effect on pulling power.

Timothy

[Pacific Northern]

Did not know that this engine was available with Sound/DCC installed