Controllers

Steve Noble · 2007-12-04T21:55:04+00:00

I'd appreciate some feedback (sorry!) on currently availablecontrollers as I'm about to buy one for the first time in nearly 30years. I don't want to go with DCC for a couple of reasons that I'llmention at the bottom.At first glance the Gaugemaster feedback controllers look attractiveto me, partly because I have some tight curves and a hill and like toleave a train running while I do some shunting. However I wonder ifanyone has tried them and whether, as I've heard for some feedbackcontrollers, they do nasty things to your motors.On the Gaugemaster website it says that they are not suitable forcoreless motors or DCC ready locos. My stock is largely late 70s / 80svintage RTR so I guess this is not a problem. However it is possiblethat I will be tempted by the vastly improved modern stuff. I assumethat none of these have coreless motors but many of them are "DCCready". I'm not quite sure what "DCC ready" actually means - is itpossible to easily make them DCC unready?My reasons for not wanting to go with DCC are first that I like havinglots of wires. I'm not the most talented of modellers but being amathematician, having wires everywhere is quite cool! Second becauseof its situation, my layout is only run about 5-6 times a year andwill probably have to be dismantled for a very long time in a fewyears so it's not worth the cost especially as I have many locos.All advice would be very welcome.Steve

Dec 04, 2007 27 Replies

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Nigel Cliffe 18 years ago

When it comes to the networks, the two main ones; XpressNet (Lenz) and LocoNet (Digitrax), my observations of interworking are:

XpressNet - Lenz, Roco, ZTC(?). Not many aftermarket boards.

LocoNet - Digitrax, Fleischmann, Uhlenbrock. Several aftermarket small makers, eg. CML electronics "control tower" for producing a layout mimic diagram. Fremo Fred DIY throttle.

There are probably loads more to add to the lists.

- Nigel

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Nigel Cliffe 18 years ago

Another little link on Jump Throttles:

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Which has the simplest possible voltage divider for a jump-throttle.

10k-ohm resistor ought to last at least a couple of hundred hours on one PP3 unless its put in a drawer and left on by mistake. (Or my sums are wrong!)

I'm sure someone with knowledge of short distance radio or IR circuits could make it wireless without much difficulty or complexity.

- Nigel

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Jeff 18 years ago

No perfectly correct, a 10k load will pull about 1mA or slightly less as the battery voltage droops. A PP3's capacity varies a lot with brand but should be at least 250mAH, and over 1000mAH for a lithium type, so anywhere from

250 to 1000 hours!!

Jeff

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Nigel Cliffe 18 years ago

Ta, glad my mental maths are correct...

I've now got interested in whether one could make an ultra low cost wireless version :-)

- Nigel

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Wolf Kirchmeir 18 years ago

Only if you can get ultra-lowcost bits and pieces. DIY electronics is becoming a niche hobby, not the viable alternative to purchase that it used to be.

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Nigel Cliffe 18 years ago

I know. Its been a continual drift for most of my adult life; as a teenager, some of my friends built their own stereo amps, cassette electronics, etc. By the time I was in my 20's, it was scarcely economic to do such; I looked and thought about it, then went to the local hifi dealer (though now I'm mid 40's, I have one friend who still builds audiophile grade kit, his latest power supply project must have cost several hundred pounds).

I appreciate that the solution today will be to either buy commercially or canibalise kit sold for other uses (eg. cheap R/C gear).

- Nigel

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Paul Boyd 18 years ago

Nigel Cliffe said the following on 08/12/2007 14:12:

At 41 3/4, it looks like we've had almost parallel lives! I started in electronics when I was 11. I rarely even make my own leads now because they're cheaper to buy complete, never mind anything like amps! I also built my own amp, cassette deck electronics etc in my time. I even built a ZX81 from a kit when I was at school!

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