Thought I’d start a thread on my hacking at DCC. I finally got a DCC++ base station working, and have used it to play around the DecoderPro in JMRI, and to see what these DCC decoders are capable of.
Here’s a quick video showing the DCC++ base station.
Well done, Bob – keep us posted on your progress.
dave
After watching that clip; I felt cheated…shouldn’t we have at least seen some action…at least a wisp, or a small cloud of “Magic Smoke”…or did Mr. Ames forget to give you the code needed ?..!!!
Fred Mills
So cool, Bob! Yeah, keep us posted!
You’ll never go back once you have had DCC
What does the ++ mean?
The code for the Arduino is a variant of a language called “C++” so DCC++ is sort of a play on words (or letters!)
dave
Thanks for the feedback. I did manage to get outside last weekend, plug in a few things, and get DCC (and some detection, but thats another thread) working with my old Prodigy Advance that I have for my n scale stuff. I had the track from the yard exit at Burke, all the way down to the switch off to Pearce, working fairly well, with one rail on one switch that somehow I had insulated on both ends. But the loco did its thing. This is SS track that has been down for about 18 months, all I did was run a swiffer over the rail tops to clean em a bit. Not too bad.
Yea, I like my stainless. Cleaning it is just so easy.
I like my Brass and Aluminium, I never have to clean it…
Fred Mills(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
David Maynard said:
Yea, I like my stainless. Cleaning it is just so easy.
Fred Mills. said:
I like my Brass and Aluminium, I never have to clean it…
Fred Mills(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
This thread is not going there.
Bob McCown said:
David Maynard said:
Yea, I like my stainless. Cleaning it is just so easy.
Fred Mills. said:
I like my Brass and Aluminium, I never have to clean it…
Fred Mills(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
This thread is not going there.
Lucky you, I can never control them on my threads!(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-undecided.gif)
Jeeze… maybe track vs. battery postings should be classified as politics and banned specifically, it sure seems to be as emotional as politics. (and this is the DCC forum)
Oh, I started with stainless rail about 10 years ago, when I was told that DCC could never work outdoors.
Bob, glad you are having fun, there’s so many things you can do and experiment with, another facet of the hobby to be explored.
And for the future of the hobby, anything computer driven is more likely to catch the fancy of the younger generations.
Greg
Could this in theory be used as an on board DCC command station? I’m thinking Protothrottle applications here.
Craig Townsend said:
Could this in theory be used as an on board DCC command station? I’m thinking Protothrottle applications here.
Possibly? Im not well versed in how this thing takes in commands, but I’m sure that you could hack the code to listen to commands through some other medium, like a RX of some flavor like Martin is doing.
Me, I am using it currently just to play with JMRI programming of the decoders. At least for now. 
There is a library version of DCC++ that is intended for this type of application. It would be pretty stightforward to map the Protothrottle to DCC++. I personally have no interest in the PT, so this project isn’t on my list.
It’s on mine. Well, if I can get a Protothrottle- they are rather scarce at the moment. Supposedly after Nov 11 or so.
Not to derail the thread too much, but it sounds like ISE just finished production run number 2. The first batch was 250? And it sold like hot cakes, this time they did another 200 or so.
I’m waiting and saving my money to buy a Protothrottle and associated stuff. May end up selling stuff just to pay for it. 
Bob,
I have looked at DCC on and off over the years. However I’m curious as to why the switch and did you not like the Revo system you have been using?
" Rooster " said:
Bob,
I have looked at DCC on and off over the years. However I’m curious as to why the switch and did you not like the Revo system you have been using?
Nope, I like the Revo just fine, I just wish they’d built it where the settings are stored in the loco, not each throttle. But that’s the subject for another thread. The other downside is RX + sound cost.
Since I need to replace most of my track anyway, for me it made sense to go with SS and get the ability to do block detection, even with battery powered locos. At first, Ill only be using DCC for detection, and an already-set-up train that I can have tucked in the shed to show when people come by and “Want to see a train”.
