Control of Accesories

[ericboone]

Given that I will have a DCC system for control of trains, is it more cost effective to control accesories such as signals, lights, and turnouts with a DCC system or is another system like Bruce Chubb's CMRI more cost effective? Keep in mind I think I will want to keep occupancy detection as part of the DCC system since it appears that the new decoder transmission protocol will lead to the ability of the DCC system to know which block a decoder is in.

[Anonymous]

You might wan to stick with using Dcc or some other means of controling these items. I have done a lot of research on Bruce Chubb's Cmri system, While it has tons a possibilities it is also very expensive to get into if you buy pre-tested boards. you can also build your own and save some cash but get ready to have a crash course in electronics.

FAdkins
Modeling The Rock Island Lines

[rrinker]

I'm doing just the opposite. I WAS going to use DCC for everything. But have you seen how much a Digitrax SE8C costs to run your signals? ANd switch machine decoders aren't exactly cheap, either, NCE Switch-its are about the least expensive, but it adds up quick. Plus changing to 'switch mode' while runnign a train just to throw a switch is cumbersome. Not to mention how is everyone going to know what the address of that upcoming siding is? A larger than scale signpost with the number on it so the operators can read it?
The C/MRI stuff isn't very expensive, and assembling the kits isn't really any harder than putting together a mid-level freight car kit, assuming you have some common sense when it comes to soldering. And there are alternative components that work with C/MRI. For example, I hightly doubt I will be using Bruce's DCCOD for detection, at $18 a block. Rob Paisley has a similar circuit that costs all of $4.40 per block that works much the same way and has an output that will plug right into the C/MRI input.
There's tons of third party options for Digitrax Loconet, as far as input and output cards, but none are inexpensive. Even adding int he cost of the extra wire to run from node to node for C/MRI, it usually comes out as being the lower priced option. Considering the incredible flexibility of C/MRI, it's just a bonus that it costs less than an all-DCC system.

--Randy

[cwclark]

here is a website that has step by step instructions on how to build cheap train detection circuits..they will work on DC, command control, or DCC ..(I build 8 of them and i believe the total cost was $130 so that's about $16.25 each...it took me about 2 hours to build each circuit http://www.gatewaynmra.org/detection1.htm ...Chuck[:D]