# Best DCC startup system?



## Canadian GP (Dec 16, 2014)

Hopefully going to my first train show on Sunday and I'm planning on picking up a starter DCC system. Opinions are greatly appreciated but keep in mind I don't know squat about DCC. LOL

PS, should I avoid used equipment completely?


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## CV-62 (Dec 9, 2018)

Canadian GP said:


> Hopefully going to my first train show on Sunday and I'm planning on picking up a starter DCC system. Opinions are greatly appreciated but keep in mind I don't know squat about DCC. LOL
> 
> PS, should I avoid used equipment completely?


Never avoid good used equipment if the price is right. Let others take the initial hit. Hint, I do not buy many new vehicles. 

NCE & Digitrax are the two leaders. I would suggest you do what I did a few short months ago when I knew very little of DCC. Use your search engine of preference and do your homework. Both systems have their pluses and minus as compared to each other. Figure out which is best suited for your needs. For me it was NCE.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

If you belong to, or plan to join, a local club find out what they use and get the same system. Then you will have plenty of help when problems arise.


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## Odyknuck (Dec 31, 2015)

NCE Is by far a moee user friendly system. Their starter set us around 150 bucks and goves you the ability to run mutipal trains right out of the box in a very short time. The controller is also a fully functional decoder programming tool.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## Railtwister (Nov 5, 2015)

I’ve had Digitrax, Lenz, Atlas, and most recently NCE’s PowerCab. I think the best entry level system is either the new Digitrax DCS52 or the NCE PowerCab. If I had it all to do over again, my choice today would probably still be the NCE PowerCab, even though the DCS52 has some very attractive new features. Both are excellent units!

Bill in FtL


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

NCE Powercab. It will allow complete control of your decoder's CV's and allow you to run up to six locomotives. I'm currently running three with a fourth on the way.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

As usual, folks here are overlooking some good options. Specifically, MRC offers excellent systems that are fully competitive with anything offered by Digitrax or NCE, and for my money and preferences, I think the basic design and user interface on the MRC products is superior to the others, but this is a subjective evaluation, and everyone needs to decide that for themselves. 

Currently, both MRC and Digitrax offer a plug in module that allows the use of Apple and Android devices as throttles. To my knowledge, NCE does not offer any similar functionality at present.

Another option is Bachmann. They offer a basic system (EZ Command) which is easy to use and inexpensive, but very feature-lìmited and not expandable (the others are all highly expandable). Interestingly, I cannot recommend Bachmann's full-featured system (Dynamis) -- the interface stinks, commands require a lot of button mashing, it uses IR instead of radio control, and it is not expandable without a very expensive "Pro Box" upgrade.  I bought one for my son, and ended up selling it and buying an MRC Prodigy unit instead.

If you are going to a good sized train show (Amherst in Springfield, Massachusetts), you may get the opportunity for a hands-on test of more than one of these systems. I would encourage you to try them and pick the one that feels best to you. You may also find some good deals, but beware: I have seen vendors mark down exceptionally high prices to slightly above MSRP and call it a "show special". One vendor even had the chutzpah to do this within 20 feet of the MRC booth, where the list prices were plainly marked. So know what you should expect to pay before you go.

As far as used equipment, absolutely consider it. This stuff is solid state and built to last. Just make sure if you buy from a private seller, that they will guarantee that it is in good operating condition and wil take it back if not.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

All of the DCC systems suggested are quality products,
dependable and easy to use.

There is one more that is a little less costly but still
will run 2, 3 and more trains at the same time.
It's the Bachmann EZ. If you plan a simple layout
it may be what you want. However, it lacks the
ability to 'fine tune' the decoders. This isn't 
really required by many modellers but some
enjoy it.

A quick primer about DCC. Any DCC system will
run any DCC loco regardless of brand.

The controller puts a continuously 'on' 14 volts
of modified AC on the tracks. It also sends
digital signals thru the tracks to decoders in
the locos. You can run 2, 3 or more trains at
the same time, each individually controlled
by use of 2 or 4 digit 'addresses'. You can even
have one train going clockwise, another going
counter clockwise on the same track. The
magic of DCC.

And the lights don't go out or dim when you
slow or stop.

Don


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

I have read a lot about most of the DCC systems out there. Some can be quite affordable, however they don' t have the features you will quickly grow to understand and want. So ya end up going back out and buying another system that does all the things you now understand. So you have paid for a cheap system and you also paid for a good system and now ya can't do much with the cheap system except maybe sell it for pennys on the dollar. All because some guy on the internet said you would be fine with the cheap MRC or Bachman system. Do ya know of any clubs that use those? The FBI calls that a clue.
On the other hand, if you're buying something to just make some trains go around the Christmas tree or for the kids to play with, stick with the cheap system.


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## Railtwister (Nov 5, 2015)

The Texas On30 Outlaws modular club started out using Bachmann EZ Command DCC, and used it successfully for several years. They have since switched to an NCE System. In Florida, the Echoes modular group started with Digitrax and still uses it, and the On30 Renegades are still using the Lenz 100 we started with many years ago. My local hobby shop stocks the MRC system, but MRC has only recently released their source codes to JMRI, allowing it to be compatible with DecoderPro. Prior to that happening, I stayed away from MRC because it seemed like they were always out of stock, and/or kept dropping and releasing new products, both in their DC and DCC lines, and too quickly stopped supporting older products. I never considered Bachmann’s DCC because of its limited features, though I did buy a couple of E-Z App BlueTooth locos to operate with my smart phone, since they will operate fine on an existing DCC layout without interfering with that system. I was very impressed with the BlueTooth system, and I sure hope Bachmann hasn’t lost interest. The only problem I see with BlueTooth is the limited choices available, and the lack of plug & play boards that the modeler can install themselves into a DCC ready locomotive equipped with an eight pin plug. So far, of my various DCC systems I have purchased since 1993, I have been the most pleased with my NCE PowerCab, which remains my best recommendation as an entry level DCC System.

Bill in FtL


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

I, too, use the NCE Powercab and have no hesitation recommending it.


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

Canadian GP said:


> ... Opinions are greatly appreciated but keep in mind I don't know squat about DCC. LOL


I use Digitrax. He uses NCE. She uses Zimo. This guy over here uses Lenz. I know a guy who really likes his Easy DCC, and another guy swears by his CVP. There's a dealer for Roco in the next town who does a booming business.

So....there ya go. Figure out which systems offer you what you need today, and are likely to need in a year. Is your system easily expanded if you need to add capacity to it?



Canadian GP said:


> PS, should I avoid used equipment completely?


Probably, unless you KNOW you'll have recourse if things go wrong.


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## DavefromMD (Jul 25, 2013)

I did extensive research when I converted from DC to DCC. I chose the NCE Powercab because it walks you through the programming process for setting up a locomotive to run - you don't have to know which CVs set what. It does allow you to program CVs directly which you most likely will have to do with sound locomotives to adjust things.

The manual is also user friendly and clearly explains things.
It can be downloaded and viewed here:https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201565799-Power-Cab-Manuals
Select the Power Cab v 1.65 Manual


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## Rabman (May 30, 2018)

Are you familiar with basic electronics? Like plug one board in to another and scrape through a wire trace on a pc board? 

Are you computer literate?

Do you have an old PC available? Nothing fancy. 

Do you want to save a few hundred dollars?

Do you want to run your throttles from a phone or JMRI interface on a computer?

Do you need only to run less than 4-5 locomotives at the same time. 

If you answered yes to those questions, then look at an Arduino based DCC plus plus set up. 

I implemented this set up and am quite happy with it. Worth a look as it is an inexpensive way to get in to DCC.


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

Rabman said:


> Are you familiar with basic electronics? Like plug one board in to another and scrape through a wire trace on a pc board? ...


He did say he doesn't know squat about DCC but I'm sure he's impressed with your resume.


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## Rabman (May 30, 2018)

D&J Railroad said:


> Rabman said:
> 
> 
> > Are you familiar with basic electronics? Like plug one board in to another and scrape through a wire trace on a pc board? ...
> ...


Being familiar with DCC and the list I provided are two separate things. You can be knowledgeable with electronics and computers and know nothing about DCC as an example. 

I was trying to give him another option other than off the shelf. Sorry for offending you. It’s not meant to be a resume, but a list of things for him to consider - to go in with his eyes open if he chooses that route. 

Just so I am clear, I didn’t appreciate your snarky dig!


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

it makes a difference if a local club uses the system, it's a easy place to go to for help ...


in my case, no local club, or recommendation...
so i went with MRC, easy to set up, the manual's on the back of the handheld, good enough !


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

CTValleyRR said:


> Currently, both MRC and Digitrax offer a plug in module that allows the use of Apple and Android devices as throttles. To my knowledge, NCE does not offer any similar functionality at present.


I didn't know much about DCC either when I got my NCE Power Cab. If you're interested in using phones or tablets as additional throttles (controllers) I believe JMRI (a computer program you can download free) allows you to do that with NCE.

You may not no about JMRI, neither did I when I started. There is a lot of information about it on the web including YouTube videos. 

Just something for you to think about doing in the future. Good luck!


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