Another which controller question

[IanP]

Hi all, i know this proberly gets asked many times but i'm a bit torn between two controllers and need some help.

Ok, last year i bought the Dynamis, well i just cant seem to get on with it, ive had enough of it not getting any signal, and to be honest i'm not to keen on the joystick for the throttle.

So ive been doing a lot of reading on Gaugemasters prodigy and the digitrax super empire builder xtra, they are both around the same price give or take a tenner, so really my question is has anyone here got/used the digitrax and is it as good/better/not so good as the Prodigy? I do like the idea of twin throttles on the digitrax.

Ive been reading up on both but cant tell if the digitrax one can read cv's?

any help greatly apprecciated
Ian

[GROTLAND]

I'd be very surprised if the Digitrax can't read CV's. I know the Zephyr has no problems.
What about the ZTC 511 beast of a controller ; pick a second hand one up for £150 and they're being introduced again....I think....hope!

[IanP]

Thanks for that Grotland, i did think you must be able to read CV's it was only i just couldnt find it saying so on their website.

Funny you mention the ZTC, i do like the look of it and even been watching a couple on ebay, also found one on Olivia#s trains website for £150, but was a bit dubious as the went under.

[locoworks]

the empire builder CANNOT read back CV's!! only the zephyr and chief can read back CV's. for the extra 60 or 70 quid at UK prices i would get the chief over the empire builder. if you think the zephyr would have enough amps then that is not a bad option either as it has the jump throttle feature and can also have a DT40* plugged in to give it the same front end control as the empire builder and chief. but the cost of a zephyr with a DT40* is about the same as an empire builder anyway?? you could also go down the route of the empire buildr and a pr3 for programming as it can read back as a stand alone unit connected to a pc with decoder pro, but that is the same cost as a chief anyway, and the chief has better specs than an empire builder so it isn't quite as good on paper, but you do get on screen menus on your pc with the pr3. it is all down to what you 'need' now, and what you may 'need' later?? and the costs! whether to buy top of the line now in one hit, or spend a little more over time expanding to something close??.. but without a DCS chief command station in there somewhere an expanded empire builder or zephyr will always be lacking on some features that you may want later, or maybe never will? IF you go the extra mile and get a chief from the start, you won't need to update it to do anything that digitrax can do now check out this http://www.digitrax.com/forme.php , see how the empire builder has lower throttle number options and accessory decoder readback options!!, there are some things not listed like consists and route settings for point decoders that i think too are lesser spec'd in the empire builder. like i already said, for an other 60 or 70 quid get a chief and don't be thinking in a years time 'i wish i'd got that instead' i went the upgrade route with RC aircraft trannys and in 18 months i'd bought 3 trannys when the last one should have been my first purchase without spending £500 on the other 2 at all. and if you use fleabay you can save a few quid too, but having a local retailer responsible for any defects may be worth the extra just in case?

[sishades]

I have the DigitraxSuper chief with an ample amps of 8. It is more than enough for my needs. You will need to source a power supply as it does not include one.I purchased mine from Bromsgrove Models and they gave me a name of a company that makes the power supplies to order, 5 amps being the norm. You can also add access points around your layout for a tenner per panel. Well worth the money.

[Bigmet]

Take your time to try out every system you can, for the sort of money you are proposing spending. I am firmly of the opinion that buying a full system that can do everything is the best approach. I have read of people who had a Hornby select, then a Bachmann dynamis, and are now on another junior system which still doesn't remember decoder settings between sessions, or only keeps ten numbers in the memory stack, or can only operate 8 sound functions, or other limitations. The money they have spent on DCC could easily have bought them a full system which would probably never limit what they can do.

Extremely happy Lenz 100 user, best £220 quid I ever spent on railway modelling kit. Does everything without fuss, really efficient handset, very well built and neat looking equipment, superb documentation which makes operational capability very clear, faultless performance.

Oh, ZTC. Lovely operating interface. Limited functionality. Lotsa money at manufactureres retail price. If you want to drive just a few locos on a layout where only one loco runs at a time, and you like the interface, then it might make sense if it can be got cheaply. But otherwise poor value.

[IanP]

Thankyou very much everyone for taking the time to explain all the in's and out's, It's been very helpful.
Its definitely given me food for thought.

Bigmet, i know i have read very similar things as you say about the ZTC so yes i think i'll leave that one alone.

Locoworks, thanks for that, i didnt realise the Chief was only around another £70ish, thanks for the link. I dont have a huge layout (7'x4' that runs off in a L shape into 1'x2' into a quarry) i dont think i will be running anymore than 4 locos at the same time and its also N gauge, so you know have me thinking would a Zephr do me and add on a walkaround throttle to make it a bit easier in the quarry. only problem is in the near future i would like to add sound to one loco just so i can experience it, so do you thing the 2.5amp Zephr will be enough? That was the reason why i want to be able to read back CV's.

Anyway thanks all again.
Ian

[locoworks]

Thankyou very much everyone for taking the time to explain all the in's and out's, It's been very helpful.
Its definitely given me food for thought.

Bigmet, i know i have read very similar things as you say about the ZTC so yes i think i'll leave that one alone.

Locoworks, thanks for that, i didnt realise the Chief was only around another £70ish, thanks for the link. I dont have a huge layout (7'x4' that runs off in a L shape into 1'x2' into a quarry) i dont think i will be running anymore than 4 locos at the same time and its also N gauge, so you know have me thinking would a Zephr do me and add on a walkaround throttle to make it a bit easier in the quarry. only problem is in the near future i would like to add sound to one loco just so i can experience it, so do you thing the 2.5amp Zephr will be enough? That was the reason why i want to be able to read back CV's.

Anyway thanks all again.
Ian

IF you go the zephyr route you will need a DT40* throttle to access some of the higher functions used in some sound decoders, so you would be spending the cost of an empire builder anyway, so the other 70 quid for a chief would seem worth the spend now. also with the command station in the middle of the layout the DT400 would have enough flex to not need to unplug and relocate anyway, but you get a UP5 or UR90 in the box anyway ( the blurb says UP5, the picture on the DCC supplies page shows a UR90!! but they list a UP5 )so you could have another panel if you wish. with the chief, for the extra cost of getting the 8 amp version over the 5 amp may also be worth the spend now?. i can't work out why on sunningwells website as a stand alone purchase the 8amp command station mis only 16 quid more than the 5, but if you buy the full set, there is a 40 quid difference!! maybe?? just maybe?? there is a decoder ( that you won't need cos it will be the wrong type ) in the 8 amp set as it doesn't say there isn't like with the 5!!??. but you can get the 8 amp from dcc supplies cheaper than the 5 amp from sunningwell according to the prices on their websites!! sunningwells is 8 months old though. but the individual price difference at DCC supplies for command stations is 53 quid!!!??...also, although the systems are rated at 5 and 8 amps, and 2.5 for the zephyr, they will run on a less ampage PSU, but with less power available in the amps department. i run my zephyr ( it runs the test track/running in loops ) using a 1 amp supply from a hornby trainset, no problem. and that has run 3 N gauge loco's at once with no issues either. so you could run the chief with the PSU from the zephyr and maybe have enough juice? shop around to find the best price, but now you have said you want sound, i'd go the chief, make sure you get a DT402 in the box, and not an old stock DT400, the 400 doesn't have access to the higher functions either.

one more consideration, IF you are in a club?? what does everyone else use?? i went digitrax because the first guy to get DCC 10 years ago had digitrax . it made sense to get the same so we could use our own hand helds at running nights. it also helps with any trouble shooting if others around have the same kit. since then ( ours is almost a pensioners club, dyed in the wool DC till i die mentallity, not that i blame them really, technophobes ) 3 other members ( only around 20 -25 members ) have gone DCC, 2 went digitrax, one went ZTC ( he got sucked in at warley a few years back ) and he's sort of on his own when it comes to problem solving ( how it works type problems RTFM ), what i'm saying is that although digitrax would be my first choice ( i'm 100% happy with decission to use digitrax in the first place by myself ) if you have a club with 10 other people all with one or two other makes, it may be better to pick one of those makes IF, i stress IF!!!, it can do what you want it to reagarding sound functions, points read back, CV read back etc. no point in being the 'ZTC owner' of your club just for the sake of it....

[IanP]

Just a quick message to let all those that helped with advice know what ive got.......

Well after all the questions and reading up on different controllers i kind of had the decision taken away from me, My OH decided for me, because ive just recieved a pressie,

I got the NCE Powercab, with the pc interface and the autoswitch, ive been told its my birthday present which is in a couple of weeks.
I think now i dont have to spend the £250 odd on a set up i can use that to buy the booster to up it to 5amps, or even look at getting a loksound chip
Once i have it all set up i guess i'll have a dynamis on here up for grabs.

Anyway thanks again all