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2,910 Posts
DCC is very confusing. It's clear enough how it works in principle, but every manufacturer seems to give its products different fancy names, and the HO stuff isn't appropriate for large scale, and it's hard to know which is which. .
I'm currently using track power with remote control. I have some locos running Aristo's 75 mhz. train engineer, and some running QSI/airwire. I can see the advantages/appeal of DCC with what the QSI airwire system can do, and I've been thinking about going to full-on DCC.
So first, can I convert to DCC and continue to use the Airwire throttle? It wasn't cheap. Airwire makes, it seems, all the components needed for DCC. If I want to keep the Airwire throttle do I have to use airwire's command station/boosters etc.? Are they any good?
Second, the real advantage of converting to full DCC, for me, would be the ability to easily do reversing loops and switches. I've been thinking about making a wye or a loop for a while now, but want it to be automatic and to be honest I don't really entirely understand how to wire/control a reversing loop for automatic operation. We invite a lot of neighbor kids to ruin on our layout and I'd want something that was basically invisible. Controlling switches with a wireless throttle would be cool too.
Third, we have a lot of buildings and cars lit with leds via track power. Would going to DCC interfere with that? I don't think so but I want to make sure.
Thanks!
I'm currently using track power with remote control. I have some locos running Aristo's 75 mhz. train engineer, and some running QSI/airwire. I can see the advantages/appeal of DCC with what the QSI airwire system can do, and I've been thinking about going to full-on DCC.
So first, can I convert to DCC and continue to use the Airwire throttle? It wasn't cheap. Airwire makes, it seems, all the components needed for DCC. If I want to keep the Airwire throttle do I have to use airwire's command station/boosters etc.? Are they any good?
Second, the real advantage of converting to full DCC, for me, would be the ability to easily do reversing loops and switches. I've been thinking about making a wye or a loop for a while now, but want it to be automatic and to be honest I don't really entirely understand how to wire/control a reversing loop for automatic operation. We invite a lot of neighbor kids to ruin on our layout and I'd want something that was basically invisible. Controlling switches with a wireless throttle would be cool too.
Third, we have a lot of buildings and cars lit with leds via track power. Would going to DCC interfere with that? I don't think so but I want to make sure.
Thanks!