I saw a Dynamis for around $100 online the other day and thought about getting it. I have an EZ Command now and have been happy with it. Since my room is only 10ft by 10 ft. and the layout is small it seemed like an ok upgrade. If I had plans of joining a club or a much larger layout I might go something else but I do not see that happening in the near future. I'm interested in ease of use and quality of the product.
RMax
Weatherboy12 Ok thanks. I recently recirleved the dynamis system as a gift. I am relatively new to dcc. So would i be better off selling it and getting another system?
Ok thanks. I recently recirleved the dynamis system as a gift. I am relatively new to dcc. So would i be better off selling it and getting another system?
Weatherboy,
Okay, now that we have a better picture of your situation: Given that the Dynamis was a gift and - unless someone is willing to give you at least $100-$125 for it, I would just go ahead and use the Dynamis and enjoy it. Play around with it and get your feet wet but do NOT put any additional money into it without seriously considering whether monies could be better well spent on a better DCC system, as those previously mentioned.
Even if you don't stay with the Dynamis, you can still learn a lot about DCC in the process. I started out with the E-Z Command, which is much more limited than the Dynamis. Even for the year that I had it, I enjoyed the E-Z Command and learned a lot. That gave me time to explore DCC, as well as look at other DCC systems and determine which one I wanted to go with next, which turned out to be the NCE Power Cab.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
From what I've seen of the Dynamis it's a dead-end system. I use a Digitrax Zephyr myself. Everything made to work with virtually any Digitrax system will work with any of their systems. The same can't be said of the Bachmann product.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
I am not sure by what you mean by 'intermediate model railroader'? Tou might want to read the reviews in MR(they used it on their 'Beer Line' project layout). Right now the MSRP is around $350, the 'street' price is around $180, and I see one large dealer trying to close them out for $120.
The base system has a 2.5 amp capacity and will control around 40 engines. All of this is more than enough for most home layouts. What I do not like is the two handed 'tablet' throttle. And expanding like adding another throttle can get expensive.
The Digitrax Zephyr Xtra, and NCE Powercab can be had for under $180 street price, and have lots of expansion capability(I have not seen 'cleaence' prices on these). These are the two 'big' DCC brands in the US, and the service is quite good on both.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Digitrax and NCE both have good starter systems. I use the NCE Power Cab. One operator. I can get the SB3a booster if I need more power. Have not needed it so far.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
I would not recommend the Dynamis. There are issues with the infra red. Some people have issues if they have florescent lights in the train room. I have seen a few discussions on this issue.
I would recommend doing a Google search for: bachmann dynamis infrared fluorescent
You can also ask at the Bachmann forums which are active. There is all kinds of info there, manuals, DCC documents, etc.
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php
I don't think I'd recommend the Dynamis to anybody. It has a limited, and very expensive, upgrade path, isn't especially user-friendly (with the odd throttle design), and you may have a tough time unloading it if/when you find it doesn't suit your needs. If you'd like to get your friends involved with sharing throttles among different layouts (and thus cutting costs since each person won't have to purchase as many), you could have difficulty getting others to invest in an oddball system like Dynamis. You're also likely to have a small or non-existant local user base to help with troubleshooting.
NCE or Digirtrax are far better options for cost and expandability, followed by Easy DCC and MRC's Prodigy systems.
Rob Spangler
The Dynamis is expensive to start with and expand. One problem is it's infared signal which is line of sight. If you want wire less, than either NCE or Digitrax has that capability. I have a Digitrax system. To have wire less on it you buy the wire less throttle (UT4x or DT402X) and a UR9X recever panel (the R throttle takes a UR91 the D throttle takes a UR92). Or you can get the Zypher, add walkaround throttles to it either tethered or wire less. The tethered throttles take a UP5 panel to plug into. Joe
Bachmann is aimed and the circle under the Christmas tree crowd. There are several starter systems that can easily grow with you. Bachmann is not one of them. My personal preference is Digitrax, but there are several others.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
I'm not sure what you mean exactly by the term "intermediate". Personally, I think you're better off either going with either a NCE Power Cab or a Digitrax Zephyr Xtra:
While I'm a fan of the Bachmann E-Z Command (given that it's bought for <$50), I'm not a fan of the Dynamis. I think you can spend your money more wisely with the other two units mentioned.