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Anyone with Trix DCC experience?

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  • Member since
    April 2009
  • 239 posts
Anyone with Trix DCC experience?
Posted by trainsBuddy on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 10:08 PM

I just acquired my first Trix HO engine with built in DCC/Selectrix. It's a double PA diesel in Union Pacific. DCC options are far and few between, but some still manage to confuse me.

Can anyone explain what following CVs do, description taken from the manual:

CV29: bit 2: 0 - Operation in DCC only with braking section - what's braking section?

CV49: value 0-3 - Pulse width for motor control 

CV50: value 0-3 - Rule variant

There is no factory reset code specified, so I'm careful about what I modify. Aside from these the only CVs that are available are acceleration/deceleration rates, long/short address, maximum speed, EMF motor control (I assume this is cruise control) and motor/lighting polarity (I guess it's mainly for DC operation). So as you can see, MTH dcc will run circles around this Trix.

Overall I'm happy with the loco, albeit noisy. There is drawing of speaker in the manual, and chassis have cutout for it, but I'm not sure where I would get decoder for it. There doesn't seem to be a DCC socket anywhere. I must admit I marvel at the hardware design though, unit is made with maintenance in mind - it's really easy to remove the shell with reliable mechanism of attaching it to the frame. No bending of clips and stressing shell like you have to do with Proto 2000 diesels.

"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything." - Charles Kuralt
  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Teaneck, New Jersey
  • 136 posts
Posted by rxanand on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 9:35 AM

Braking section - Marklin and Trix use this system by which if you feed pure DC into the locomotive, it will start slowing down. European modelers use this feature to stop trains automatically at signals.

My suggestion is that you consider using DecoderPro (JMRI) to program your locomotive. It already knows about Trix decoders. I have a Trix hercules Diesel that I programmed via DecoderPro.

Anand

Slowly building a layout since 2007!

  • Member since
    February 2007
  • From: Christiana, TN
  • 2,134 posts
Posted by CSX Robert on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 10:55 AM
rxanand
Braking section - Marklin and Trix use this system by which if you feed pure DC into the locomotive, it will start slowing down. European modelers use this feature to stop trains automatically at signals.
It's not just Marklin and Trix and European modelers. Most decoders support the "Brake on DC" function, including Digitrax, TCS, and NCE.
  • Member since
    November 2006
  • 311 posts
Posted by Harley-Davidson on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 11:41 AM

By experience, I feel that TRIX operates better in a Selectrix system, than in DCC. The guys at Marklin/Trix must learn to much to understand DCC in NMRA terms.

  • Member since
    April 2009
  • 239 posts
Posted by trainsBuddy on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 1:35 PM

So how does "braking section" applies to DCC, because it's specifically listed for DCC only operation. Is it the feature when the engine is moving and I set Zephyr throttle direction to brake and engine slowly stops?

"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything." - Charles Kuralt
  • Member since
    February 2007
  • From: Christiana, TN
  • 2,134 posts
Posted by CSX Robert on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 2:17 PM
It is a section of track that has DC applied to it instead of the DCC signal. When the engine encounters this section of track it will bring the engine to a stop using the deceleration setting in CV 4. This section of track would usually be switchable between DC and the DCC signal by a relay so that a red signal would apply DC and stop the train but a clear signal switches it back to DCC so the train can continue.
  • Member since
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  • 239 posts
Posted by trainsBuddy on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 2:26 PM

 Oh wow - that's really impressive. I didn't know that can work like that. So you say most decoders have this function? So what does it take to implement such system on home layout, with one train running with priority and than all other obeying signal lights?

(I imagine having all trains being able to work with signal lights they'll need to be controlled via computer program with track sensors - correct?)

"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything." - Charles Kuralt

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