Everything on model trains, model railroads, model railways, locomotives, model train layouts, scenery, wiring, DCC and more. Enjoy the world's best hobby... model railroading!
2 Responses to Choosing the Right DCC Decoder
Leave a Reply
SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION
Download Your Free Catalog
Use Tiny Railroad Micro Controllers
Model Train Help Ebook
Vernon,
1st a few decisions to be made. Sound or not. DCC only or DCC & DC compatible. Then you need to determine the amperage draw of the loco. Then how much room do you have inside the shell? Once these factors are established you can start looking for decoders that fit the criteria. I model in HO scale and have good results with Sound Trax both the Economy and the full featured Versions.
Allen
Vernon;
Allen’s reply comes close to nailing what you have to do. When determining the amperage draw make sure you are recording the draw at full throttle with the motor stalled.
The other thing to consider if your Ho locos are not too old is to check Sound Trax or Digitrax’s website. Both allow you to search for the appropriate decoder for a given loco. You don’t have to use their specific recommendation but the recommendation will tell you what the requirements in amperage for the loco are. I have used this method to find decoder requirements for 30 year old locos when I converted to DCC.
Space can be limiting especially in smaller locos. If you need to though you can modify the weight under the shell to give you more room. From my experience this is something that is more common when you are adding sound.
Good luck.
Bill