OK, now make it double track and bi-directional signalling - my little main line stretch had some previously unused bits of my brain aching! It's a little like doing sit-ups, not great fun in itself, but those muscles look good after. :-)
It's ok, I run Thomas up and down the line once every couple of hours!
Um, yes, we do. You can have independent control while being totally ignorant of blocks, common rail, toggles, rheostats, voltmeters, etc. You do have to know how to operate a DCC system, but that's spelled out in the admittingly poorly written instruction book. So you can't have total ignorance, but you don't have to know how to wire a cab to get independent control.
Is it me, or does that not make any sense?
Paul A. Cutler III
************* Weather Or No Go New Haven *************Captain Handbrake @ ACL.com wrote on Thu, 03 Mar 2005 05:29:47 GMT:
CH> for most of us, our hobby is model railroading, not electrical CH> engineering. That even seems to include the professional electrical CH> engineers among us.
For sure, setting up toy LAN integrated in our toy trains is much more of a hobby for 'most of us'. And which is more important, this experience is much more helpful for us in usual life than knowledge on how to connect two wires together. Because we can always get a qualified electrician to do this boring household job for us :)
Dave.
A small boat anchor to replace the rusted out XT case perhaps?
Which is why I don't do it on my old Macs. My first real computer was an Apple IIC, and I kinda got used to something that was stable, call it a nostalgia thing.
Hmmm. Tried POV-Ray on any version of windoze? I'll guarantee a crash before frame 250 on a long animation. I've heard that a Mac will complete it, but Linux in a good machine is much faster.
Don't care for Canon, never did like the way they feel, and won't buy Sony under any condition. Got a couple of cheapie Aipteks, been thinking about putting one in a gon and sending it around the track, it'll store about a minute of low res video. (Serif screwed up, sent me the wrong camera, twice. Freebies to me.)
Software, most of what I do is color correction, get the red out, and even Irfanview does that pretty well. Photo Plus if I have to do any more than that or want to set transparencie in a .png.
Actually, all I want is a digital with the resolution and features of a Crown Graphic, at $100 or less. ;^))
Greybeard.
CNC machine operators are viewed as "easily replaced", "grab a warm body off the street, show him how to load it, show him the cycle start. If it screws up, fire him and grab another body." You don't do that with a good toolmaker that doesn't need the computer to do the thinking for him. Yes, I know a lot of "toolmakers" run CNC machines, but the local toolshop has gone through four in the last year, trying to find one that can run a manual machine competently. It's the oldest tool shop in town, probably the smallest, but also the busiest.
Greybeard
Bi-directional absolute/permissive automatic block signaling with tumbledown is not a simple project. It is even more dificult on a model railway because of the necessity to power the trains by applying voltage on the tracks in addition to that needed to operate the signal system. Even though I do not like DC/block/cab control, I do like to see the signals operate in a prototypical fashion. I am willing to do the necessary, but only until a better way comes along that dumbs down the system for me, but still works the way it is supposed to. If I can ever buy DCC signals that work as I want them to, I'm gone from the drawing board. Digitrax has signals, but they are not quite what I want. Basically, they are traffic lights for trains.
CH
Must say something about the amount of power u need to have effect of polaritie. Answer, not mutch. Take the test at home.u take a stick of glass,rub over it with a woolen piece of cloth. let the water tab run slowly and go with the stick slowly towards the water. U shall see the water bends,without a lot of energy.
I don't trie to claim that DC tracks atract more dust then AC But its for sure DCC atracts more then DC. That dust doesn't need more kinetic energy to atract doest is also proven by stuff u can buy in the stores. But can't remeber them anymore,but once in a while u see those things on TV
"Daniel A. Mitchell" schreef >> I don't think the charge is strong enough, but I could be wrong. Has >> anyone
(text deleted)
FWIW, I've got a Sony "cybershot" that I like pretty well. Takes decent photos, and the software automatically loads and the pics are already .jpg format.
If I need to do any editing, Adobe's "photo delux" came free with my first HP scanner and does everything I need to do.
Don
-- snipped-for-privacy@prodigy.net
Cap, have you looked at the CTI hardware & software. It is an independent (from DCC) network that can be programmed to do whatever signaling you want, including bi-directional and tumbledown - which is fun to watch. Detection can be via track current (DC or DCC) or other ways. Not a difficult job.
No, but I will go have a look see. I don't plan to put signals on anything of mine, because there were none on the prototype I model. however It might be interesting to do a couple of modules for the roundy round guys to play with.
CH
Are you aware of the fact that the staff system of block control was used in Minnesota on unsignaled trackage on - I think- the DM&IR?
What railroads ran through Waseca from 1925 - 1985?
No I wasn't; interesting.
Regarding trains through Waseca - I know the M&StL ran N-S through there; my wife recalls riding the Doodlebug both to Iowa and to the Twin Cities when she was a teen. She also recalls seeing Dewey and Truman when they did their whistlestop tour going through E-W on, I believe, the CNW. I'll do some research and see if I can find what ran there earlier.
Bob
On Fri, 04 Mar 2005 12:21:57 -0600, Greybeard claims:
Oh, I know what you are saying. I have three Pro Nikon 35mm SLRs which I thought were pretty good. When I went digital, I bought an Olympus E-10, and have been getting the pics I want, with the ease of use of an SLR. For my wife's birthday, I got her a Nikon Coolpix
2100, and the thing is too small for my fingers and not very user friendly. By the way, the three Nikon F-3 HP 35mm could not be traded in since it seems that nobody is buying used film cameras anymore. I am giving them to friends this summer.Yep, an upgrade would be in order especially if you are using high res pics and Photoshop. Another helpful application is LView Pro, which uses less resources than the hungry Photoshop. I think there is a Mac version(?). .
Cordially, Ken (NY)
email:
The main difference is people are comparing cheap reostat DC controllers with DCC. Comparing quality DC controllers with DC shows no measurable difference from what I can tell.
There is a device that has been used on DC for years, RELCO. Therefore if this is used the above DCC mythical advantage no longer exists. The problem is the digital signal on DCC can be affected by poor wiring to a greater extent compared to DC. With DC poor wiring results in voltage drop and slower speed. With DCC poor wiring results in unwanted capacitance, rounding the DCC signal, if bad enough the decoder does not respond to new commands.
Use your dictionary expert.
You said you would not respond to my posts. Caught out lying again. Well expert, what are the big DCC advantages when you have a layout that uses signals as the authority for trains to proceed.
I don't recall saying my way is the best system for all or superior in every respect. All your words.
However DC has some advantages, one is cost, another is it's easier to build your own. Another advantage is there is no need to program anything, although you can go down this path if you wish. At the moment DC is still easier to do if you want in cab signalling. There is no technical reason why this cannot be done using DCC if you have a computer connected up your system, or when duplex communication is implemented. I don't know of any DCC manufacturer doing it yet, been done using DC for years.
See
Terry, You make some good points for the use of DC just as others make good points for DCC. But I don't see an advantage to using DC because it tolerates poor wiring better. Why would anyone want poor wiring for anything? Bruce
Unfortunately, my dictionary doesn't contain this phase. And, even if it did, it wouldn't include your own peculiar definition of it.
What's your problem, can't answer for yourself? No idea what you meant when you wrote "properly signalled"? Perhaps you should throw this question to Big Bad Boob, or the Prototype Prefect, since they seem to speak for you these days.
Responsibility for obeying the signals is placed entirely on the driver
- just like real life - not a half-arsed collection of electrical junk cobbled together by a wannabe electrician.
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