Controlling DCC from computer?

Richard Tobin · 2009-12-29T15:57:34+00:00

I (or rather my children) have a Hornby DCC railway set. You'd thinkthis would be ideal for controlling from a computer, but it appearsto be rather expensive...The "Select" controller provided with the set has an RJ-12 socket forconnecting to other controllers, and apparently uses XPressNet, whichruns over RS-485. The "Elite" controller, which has a USB port, costsabout 150 pounds.The computer I'm planning to use (a Mac) doesn't have a serial port,and USB-to-RS-485 converters appear to also be ridiculously expensive.Furthermore, the JMRI website implies that the connector on the"Select" may not be fully compatible with other manufacturers'equipment.Is there a cheaper solution? Are there reasonably-priced compatiblecontrollers from other manufacturers?As for software, it appears that JMRI might work, but I wouldn't mindwriting my own.-- Richard

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simon 16 years ago

Cheers, Simon

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cjlangdon 16 years ago

This has NOT been my expereince. I have been a member for nearly 20 years and MERG gives good value for maony. MERG offers a great deal of help for those who wish to use and understand electronics to improve the realistic operation of their model railways. How else would their membership increase every year?

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simon 16 years ago

This has NOT been my expereince. I have been a member for nearly 20 years and MERG gives good value for maony. MERG offers a great deal of help for those who wish to use and understand electronics to improve the realistic operation of their model railways. How else would their membership increase every year? ==============================

Forgive me for pointing out the obvious but if you've been a member for nearly 20 years then it wouldnt be your experience :-)

Cheers, Simon

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