DCC help

Prodigy is not well known to me, however, it should be able to use just about anyone's decoders (which is what they call the "cards" that go in each engine). Lenz, Digitrax, NCE, etc., all make and sell decoders (and systems, too). Provided they followed NMRA standards, any decoder will work on anyone's system. A good place to go shopping is

or for decoders and systems. I know Prodigy is cheaper, but the Atlas Master (made by Lenz) or Digitrax Zephyr systems are both very good entry level DCC systems for not that much more, but if you like MRC, go for it. BTW, certain kinds of engines already have decoders in them, while others simply have a plug. Older or cheaper engines don't have either, and require soldering skills. "DCC Ready" can mean different things to different companies, so ask around first to see what you need for each engine. Also, what scale are you doing?

Paul A. Cutler III

************** Weather Or No Go New Haven **************

Thanks,

I appreciate your answer. G is the scale.

There are many companies that make decoders, and all decoders are supposed to work with any DCC system. I have decoders by MRC, Atlas, Digitrax, and Train Control Systems.

Most any locomotive can have a decoder installed in it, but with varying degrees of difficulty. The easiest ones to do are generally labelled as "DCC ready", and there are many "plug and play" decoders designed to easily fit in specific locomotives. If you're a newcomer to DCC you may also look at the Atlas "Master" series of decoder-equipped locomotives.

Your local hobby shop should be able to set you up with information on decoder installation, or put you in touch with someone who does them. There are also numerous resources on the net for decoder installation notes, such as:

http://www.t> How do I equip the locos for DCC? Is there a company that sells cards?

I agree with Charles - don't buy Prodigy - they will be releasing the next generation of Prodigy which will include 128 speed step operation. The old system doesn't, and it's most noticeable in the lack of smooth transitions between speeds!