Hornby Elite DCC - some comments

Methinks that's the general idea :o)

(kim)

"kim" wrote

Cynic! ;-)

John.

Oh good I'm pleased theyre out - or is this just from sets ! I finally weaseled the cash to order an Elite last week - cant wait.

As a programmer (a person really, but do some programming) but not a DCC expert, I immediately wonder if thats because the decoders should be set for

Simon

In message , simon writes

Aren't decoders supposed to be plug-and-play? If these aren't, then it will seriously damage their sales.

"simon" wrote

I for one am not 'having a go' at Hornby, but people on here have asked for information on the new Hornby systems, and as a result I've posted information from elsewhere which I've thought was relevent.

If others have found a problem with the Hornby product (or anyone else's for that matter) then it needs reporting, if only to stimulate sensible debate.

John.

simon wrote: [...]

Or google on "NMRA DCC".

Would be a bit limiting having all your locos responding to commands for address 3 ! Is it what means grin. Depends whats meant by plug n play in this context then.

Simon

Yes I was stimulated to ask for some additional info, based on the answers can decide if should suggest Hornby have been naughty or give purchasers the additional info so they can use other decoders with these systems. Theres a big difference between cannot use other decoders - the conclusion reached thus far - and the additional programming step to set the decoder to

Simon

Care to translate that last bit into English for us Simon? :o)

(kim)

THREE!

(tv joke)

In message , kim writes

Are you saying that BBC3 is a joke?

Queens, US, pidgeon, estury do be specific !

If variety of commonly purchesed decoders dont work with hornby DCC when set to address below 59 then hornby naughty.

If variety of commonly purchased decoders do work with hornby DCC when set to address below 59 as long as also set to 2 digit addresses then purchasers (and would be ones) can be given extra info.

thats how I understand it...

Simon

"simon" > wrote

Shouldn't any decoder with an address set to a *higher* number than 59, or

That is certainly the case with the Lenz Compact.

John.

No, definitely not. If a decoder has a short address of, say, 100 then CV1 should read as 100, regardless of what system you read it on, otherwise the system is not working correctly.

There maybe a caveat for Lenz decoders. Lenz command stations do not allow access to the full range of short addresses (1 - 127). It may be that their decoders also restrict what can be set as a short address in CV1, and default to 3 if you try to set an address higher than 99. In that case there's no problem since CV1 really does contain 3.

I'll have to take yoour word for it, but if it really is the case that the Lenz compact reads 3 from, say, a TCS decoder set to short address

Similarly, if the Hornby unit read 3 from any decoder with a short address greater than 59 then it would not be working correctly. The restriction to 59 is a command station restriction and it would be plain stupid if it applied to their decoders as well.

MBQ

wrote

The Hornby Elite and Lenz Compact will not read an address as high as 100, and in every case where I've had a visiting loco with an address greater than 99 my Compact reads it as '3' at least on the programming track and allows me then to change to address to one of two digits. That's what I meant to say in the first place, but perhaps didn't say it very clearly.

John.

Tis one of those things every programmer enjoys, how do you tell people that the value is as per default without confusing them and causing problems. the cop out is just refuse to read it. However displaying a value of 3 may make some people think it is set with address 3 - fair does really. May be better to have a special symbol like >99. Still its good it will allow it to be changed.

Cheers, Simon

Well played chaps! I just knew that I should not have abandoned my studies of boolian logic, esoteric maths and fourrier analysis , plato and the london underground at first degree level! Now I am condemned never to comprehend how dcc makes my trains run.

You appear to have ignored Reverse Polish Notation !

Simon

Not to mention the "laws of Bistromathics". If you don't get it, read "The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" trilogy by Douglas Adams. I think it's explained very well in the first book. ;-) Badger.