DCC Decoders

[Rich123]

I recently had problems with some of my locos stuttering. I took them in to be looked at and was told that I had fitted them with cheap decoders (no names) and this caused the problem. Two chips were replaced and the others were reset. I was advised to change the others, but I have 35 to replace. A few of my locos are fitted with Bachmann and Dapol decoders which, I was told, are OK. I was also told that Lenz and Zmo were good decoders. I had a look on line and some people recommended Zen black and Gaugemaster's Ruby decoders. Does anyone have a preference?

[bob hughes60]

Zimo and Lenz are my choice, though Zimo seems rare with supply problems?

[centenary]

DCC Concepts make decoders for Rails, Hattons and Gaugemaster as far as Im aware. I guess it depends whether you want to pay a premium for for your decoders that have features like ABC and Constant Braking Distance or a budget brand that just does what it says on the tin. Zen Black, ESU LokPilot and Train O Matic seem decent choices. Some Bachmann decoders which are made by ESU also have ABC braking.

[Roger (RJ)]

A lot of my modern, super detail, models are fitted with the basic Hornby decoders and I'm happy with their performance. I have a couple of Older Bachmann decoders (36-553 & 36-554) which are ok but nothing special. Older models have Lenz or Zimo fitted which work well with older motors. I'll probably use more zimos in future as these are exceptionally versatile with superb smoothness of operation.

[Richard08]

The only one (out of the whopping three) I have a problem with is the Dapol Imperium , the slightest interruption and it 'resumes' at what ever the controller was set to - when say starting to move away with the controller set to 14 as 'target' speed, even the tiniest glitch will see it suddenly set off a the full 14. Really annoying and potentially destructive, but there appears to be no way to add stay-alive that I can find. The other two, Zimo and ESU, don't do that (the Zimo has no stay-alive, but it just starts over from scratch, much safer). When an engine (with all bells and whistles added) cost £850, this is a big issue on an end-to-end layout. Any future decoders I might use will have to have stay-alive as a fundamental requirement.

[Bigmet]

Worth exploring the CV set of the Imperium decoder, to see if this 'restart after power interuption' is settable to your 'restart at speed step 1' preference.

I tried every decoder on the market on adopting DCC, and the only two brands that got my full approval were Lenz and Zimo.

I have never yet found 'stay-alive' to be necessary in over 20 years with DCC. Competent and properly adjusted pick ups and soldered joint wiring, with a rail head cleaning routine: and the current gets through (quite a lot of RTR OO needs replacements, alterations and adjustments made to pick up and wiring arrangements.) Sold on the Lenz USP1 I purchased during my early trialling phase as 'not required'..

[Dad-1]

Hi Rich123,

Your first sentence has me thinking ?
It was inferring that the locos had been behaving well before.
Like many by choice I now use Zimo and Lenz, but quite honestly I have VERY little
problem even with the Daisdcc decoders off ebay. Like Roger(RJ) I have mostly
Hornby R8249 decoders in my older locomotives and they work fine in MOST* situations.

So is your trouble really dirty pickups ? I could hardly get my Heljan Class 47 to run, yet
when last used was fine. The problem turned out to be grease that had crept down the
wheel backs making pick-up very iffy. So cleaning track head (and inner edges), plus
wheels in not always enough.

My only difficult traction had Hornby decoders and when replaced with top Zimo the
tendency to stutter vanished. I also once had trouble with a 21 pin Bachmann decoder
where the back EMF factory settings wouldn't work with my Bachmann small motor
steam locomotive. Bachmann have recommended back EMF settings on their web site,
which would have been O.K IF you had a better DCC controller. Both the Hornby Select
and the Bachmann EZ command can't get to those CVs.

Out of interest what locomotives are causing difficulties ? Not all locomotives are equal !!

Geoff T.

[Suzie]

I recently had problems with some of my locos stuttering.

This is often a problem when the command station is doing 'zero stretching' so that you can run a DC loco on a DCC system. Before you get too carried away make sure that if your command station can run a DC loco that this is set to stop.

I took them in to be looked at and was told that I had fitted them with cheap decoders (no names) and this caused the problem. Two chips were replaced and the others were reset. I was advised to change the others, but I have 35 to replace.

It is usually some (not all) of the cheaper decoders that do this. Decoders that don't like 'zero stretching' have been well documented.

A few of my locos are fitted with Bachmann and Dapol decoders which, I was told, are OK. I was also told that Lenz and Zmo were good decoders. I had a look on line and some people recommended Zen black and Gaugemaster's Ruby decoders. Does anyone have a preference?

Zimo every time. You cannot go wrong with a Zimo decoder, and the basic ones are very well priced making them the best value decoders by far. The only problem will be if Zimo don't make one that fits the socket in your loco (or they are out of stock due to their ever increasing popularity).

[SRman]

At risk of duplicating what has gone before, my decoder brands of choice now are ESU, Lenz and Zimo (alphabetically, in no order of preference). There are some truly tiny CT Electronik decoders in specific installations like the Bachmann Wickham trolleys.

For sound, ESU and Zimo, although I have dabbled with Hornby's TTS for a few items.

I have plenty of other brands still in use, with some being better than others, but most of the Hornby decoders have been relegated to function only status due to their poorer abilities to handle larger power draws, and also their electrical fragility (I have lost the magic smoke from a few over the years!). As I replace older decoders, I stick to the ESU, Lenz and Zimo brands now, but still have a few really old decoders in use that don't have BEMF facilities. Those are hard-wired so it's a bit of a faff to change them, but I will have to bite the bullet eventually, but my current policy is to replace decoders with sound ones, seeing as my preference is to run sound locos and units (but not with all of them playing at once, that just becomes noise!).

[Peterm]

Whether you're going sound or non sound, I recommend Zimo decoders. I have Zimo's in all but one of my loco's and that's because I couldn't get a sound file for it that would work with Zimo. The smoothness and adaptability is second to none. As a belt and braces man I use small stay alives from Lais DCC. They ain't the cheapest, but worth paying for.

[RAF96]

. Both the Hornby Select and the Bachmann EZ command can't get to those CVs.

The Select at version 1.6 can write to all CVs 1-255 for any supported value 1-255.

[Dad-1]

Ahh RAF96,

A point well wort mentioning. I'm still running one on Firmware 1.0 !!
If memory is correct firmware 1.4 is the most upto date I have in the
5 I still use.
I must admit that once I got my Digitrax Zephyr all my programming is
done on that, although the Selects are in frequent, almost daily use.

Geoff T.

[Bigmet]

...My only difficult traction had Hornby decoders and when replaced with top Zimo the tendency to stutter vanished...

My experience with Hornby decoders is limited to three examples which came DCC fitted on new purchases, because these were offered at significant price reductions.

The performance in the slow speed range was poor, what I would describe as 'granular' jerkiness rather than smooth progress. With the decoder removed, the mechanisms performed more smoothly on resistance controller DC at the same speeds! In other words, the Hornby mechanisms outperformed the Hornby decoders. I fitted Lenz standard decoders in all of them, very smooth performance was then delivered as expected: Zimo would have been equally good, but at the time cost £2 more; DCC is only a utility after all, and a saving is a saving. (Zimo's go in locos with less refined mechanisms that need more persuasions from their many CV adjustments than the Lenz provides, to knock off the 'rough edges'.)

[RAF96]

Ahh RAF96,
A point well wort mentioning. I'm still running one on Firmware 1.0 !!
If memory is correct firmware 1.4 is the most upto date I have in the
5 I still use.
I must admit that once I got my Digitrax Zephyr all my programming is
done on that, although the Selects are in frequent, almost daily use.
Geoff T.

These are the Select updates in brief.
Version 1.0 - Initial release. Point and accessory addresses start at 60 in order to use all groups of four up to last address 99. Able to control functions 0-4.
Version 1.1 - Point and accessory addresses now start at 61 through 99 to accord with NMRA addressing groups. Users upgrading from v1.0 should readdress all their points and accessory addresses to the new system. Able to control functions 0-8. Able to program on the main (POM).
Version 1.2 - Improved throttle interface. Changes to setting up default direction switching. Resume operations after a power down/restart. Fix for a bug that puts an R8247 PAD into port flutter possibly leading to failure of that device.
Version 1.3 - Programming improved for ESU Loksound v4.0 sound decoders.
Version 1.4 - Minor update to correct function control issues.
Version 1.5 - Major system upgrade to extend function range 0-28 in support of sound decoders. Change to function methodology. User manual updated.
Version 1.6 - Major system update to allow CV’s to be changed and provide improved overload protection. Addendum to the user manual produced.
Note that v1.6 is functionally the same as v2.0 installed on late 2019 facelift versions of the Select.