LCC Layout Command Control - NMRA

[bsteel4065]

Hi

Watching the 2015 National Train Show report by Cody Grivno from the Portland, Oregon there is a brief interview with Gerry Leone of NMRA about LCC - Layout Command Control. LCC appears to be a seperate but interfacing electronic bus highway that will allow command traffic for accessories, lights, signals, switch controllers, etc, etc. From what I understood, the purpose of which is to free up DCC for locomotive control and channel all other commands to LCC.

As someone who uses DCC to control all my switches and ultimately signals this is interesting news. However, I would like to know how the interface with DCC would work. Does anyone have anymore knowledge of LCC out there? I've searched the MRR forums and there is nothing I can find here.

Gerry Leone said that more information will be in MRR in the near future. So, for those interested, here's a few links I've found in advance....

http://openlcb.org/

http://www.dccwiki.com/LCC

http://www.nmra.org/index-nmra-standards-and-recommended-practices

Regards

Barry

     

[rrinker]

 This is a natural to use JMRI with. You already can easily combine two systems with JMRI, using one to control the trains, and another to control detection, signals, and turnouts. Several people do this using NCE for train control and a standalone Digitrax Loconet (no Digitrax command station needed) for detection and signalling. Or CVP Easy DCC for train control and a Chubb CMRI for signals and detection. The only real difference here is that the layout control system is another open standard like the rail side of DCC. Since there was never a standard for the control bus side of DCC, each system is manufacturer specific, although it's interesting that the one that is not free (Loconet - commercial product vendors must have their products certified by Digitrax and pay a modest royalty) is the one that has the most third party support.

                  --Randy

[Anonymous]

Anyone can join the LCC yahoo users group, there you will find contact info for the people who are developing, testing and providing the LCC standards to the NMRA for approval.  You can join and ask specific questions there.  They do seem to reply all to all of the questions asked.  I would reccomend not using your primary email address if it goes to your phone, you get some emails at late hours do to the worldwide spread of the group members.

 https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/LayoutCommandControl/info

Edit:  You can also post questions there and review questions previously asked by other members.

 

 

[rrinker]

 What's neat about this is it uses (unless they changed from what they originally were doing) a standard CAN bus, meaning all the interface chips between the bus and the various devices are all off the shelf components manufacturerd in the millions (ie - they are cheap). The custom part is interfacing that chip to drive say a signal head - which is not really all that complex.

 As i mentioned, having a second system for signals and stationary decoders alongside DCC for the train control isn't really new. The difference here is that second system in an NMRA standard rather than some company's proprietary system.

                        --Randy

[mlehman]

rrinker

This is a natural to use JMRI with. You already can easily combine two systems with JMRI, using one to control the trains, and another to control detection, signals, and turnouts.

I share Randy's and others enthusiasm for LCC. Seems a little mysterious right now as they do the roll out, but I think the pieces will start falling in place between that and, one presumes, the first LCC-ready products.

While I'm certain that LCC will interface with computer-based systems that are now common, if not quite all talking the same language, which LCC will provide, an important feature seems to be that you won't even need a computer to implement it. I suppose that means some sort of black-box command station thing, but so long as it's plug and play, it'll be something people will be comfortable using. Computers still bother some folks, although they're obviously a "dying breed" so to speak, but having a dedicated box that just relentlessly does its thing without the needs a computer requires is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

The LCC clinics from Portland are available on the convention website.