Your opinion? - DC or DCC (poll)

Started by petercharlesfagg, October 17, 2013, 06:39:53 PM

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silly moo

I wonder how many of us on this forum run DC and how many run DCC? It would be interesting to find out. At the moment I have both, DC to run at home and DCC to run on the club layout.

Sprintex

DCC only here ;)

Good idea whoever added the poll :thumbsup: Accordingly I've modified the thread title to see if we can attract a little more interest to the debate and the voting :)


Paul

GeeBee


Chatty

Any debate about DC v DCC usually winds up with hand controllers at 20 paces.

I have been involved with DCC since the mid 90's and have never looked back.  It has simply got better over that time.  It is its versatility that I enjoy.

Not sure whether loco's will come DCC installed as standard although a manufacturer told me a while ago it was getting to the point where it was just as economical to install a  DCC board as a DC board in a loco.

Most decoders, although I think one brand doesn't, will run DC and DCC.  If you are running DCC you can turn the DC function off.

Kind regards

Geoff
Have you hugged your locomotive today.

davecttr

I voted for DC because that is what i run, However!

I was considering converting to DCC but have dropped that idea and will experiment with battery powered radio control instead. I will still have individual control of the trains and smooth starting/stopping/slow speed running but dont need to convert all my locos. In fact if i was just starting to build the layout I would seriously consider having it entirely deadrail - no power to the tracks and no wiring.

oscar

DC, simply because I cannot afford to fit chips to 40-odd locos, especially as most are Poole Farish!

The pension won't stretch that far... :'(

Mr Sprue

Quote from: Sprintex on October 18, 2013, 04:45:07 AM
Quote from: GeeBee on October 18, 2013, 12:09:40 AM
For alternate energy sources many years ago National Semiconductor were experimenting with nuclear powered Ic's they called them fission chips, it made an article in the New Scientist magazine dated 01/04/1983 I worked at TMC at the time we were all quite impressed.


I am going to keep under cover now
Graham   :sorrysign:  :sorrysign: :bounce:  :-[

Nice try, but no-one took the bait ;)


Paul

I think that would be pretty cool watching a glowing loco in the dark running round a layout, no need for lighting!

There again don't the Japanese now have nuclear aided chips in their model loco's?  8)


Crackerbill

I vote for DCC simply because I run DCC.  I do believe I enjoy the whole concept better than I did with pure DC, however I would not attempt to influence anyone to change.  It must be a personal choice.

My great worry for the future of our hobby is the spiralling costs!!!  Also where are the younger modellers??  For example look at he average age of the members of this Forum!!

Oops get off your soap box Bill
Sorry, got carried away there

Sprintex

Quote from: Chatty on October 18, 2013, 08:44:50 AM
Any debate about DC v DCC usually winds up with hand controllers at 20 paces.

I don't see why it should, we're not debating which is "better", the point of the thread as started by Peter is to gauge people's opinions on whether they think we are moving towards a digital-by-default scenario with regards to new locos ;)

The poll was added to get a feel for how many people are running DC, DCC, or both :thumbsup:


Paul

Newportnobby

Quote from: Crackerbill on October 18, 2013, 10:53:28 AM

My great worry for the future of our hobby is the spiralling costs!!!  Also where are the younger modellers??  For example look at the average age of the members of this Forum!!


Yeah - us youngsters certainly feel outnumbered :angel: :whistle:

Agrippa

Being a bit of a numpty regarding DCC, why the extra cost when far east factories must be able to churn out chips
by the billion. With most  other consumer electronics you get more and more features for little extra cost now,
eg smart TVs , £99 tablets etc.


Nothing is certain but death and taxes -Benjamin Franklin

Papyrus

I'm with Oscar on this one. I'm just coming back into N gauge after an enforced break of 20 years and the new layout is in the advanced planning stage. (I have obtained the necessary permissions from the domestic authorities.) I will need a new controller too, so I seriously considered going DCC until I started doing some financial calculations. The cost of a chip for each loco would be prohibitive (even assuming I can fit one to each - some of my smaller tank locos don't appear to have enough room, but that's another story). Add in the fact that a good DCC controller costs 3-4 times as much as a DC one and it's a no-brainer. The domestic accounts commission would throw a wobbly... I don't mention the fact that a new £3000 flute came into the house last year - I'm saving that for when I really want something!

Chris

tim-pelican

Only coming in to the hobby a couple of years ago, DCC from the very start was an absolute no-brainer.  I do completely understand why people with an existing collection of locos have to look hard at the cost, though.

EtchedPixels

Quote from: Bealman on October 18, 2013, 04:13:03 AM
Strikes me as being a bit unfair on the DCers who are inevitably going to have to pay more for a loco which contains something they don't need... the Peco Collet being a case in point... it is expensive.

It was Peco it would have been anyway. The cost of decoders is actually quite low in bulk for pre-fitting. Much of the cost of a shop bought decoder is
- instruction sheet
- little box
- shipping
- dealer markup
- return handling
- number returned due to mis-installations

Alan
"Knowledge has no value or use for the solitary owner: to be enjoyed it must be communicated" -- Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden

Dr Al

Quote from: EtchedPixels on October 17, 2013, 09:47:20 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on October 17, 2013, 08:47:32 PM
Isn't there already a chip that when fitted will either run on DC or DCC? The Peco Collett I have does!

All chips are supposed to but the cheap Bachmann one seems not to support it.

It works with clean DC but not with some of the funky pulse controllers.

I've seen running DCC chipped locos on DC that performance is never generally as good.

May be due to using Gaugemaster DC controller which is PWM I believe. Wouldn't have classified these as particularly odd or funky controllers though!

Either way, DC or DCC are not going to die out any time soon IMHO so not sure there's really much of a debate to be had. Even if loco came DCC chipped only, with no DC, it's relatively simple to remove and wire the motor directly to the pickups to make DC friendly.

Cheers,
Alan
Quote from: Roy L S
If Dr Al is online he may be able to provide a more comprehensive answer.

"We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces."Dr. Carl Sagan

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