So I got the Bachmann EZ command DCC system for christmas this year. I'm very excited about having it, but I've noticed a small problem that I can't figure out. I want to add 2 more terminal tracks to the layout, but there's no way to do it seeing as how the EZ Command system has only 1 place to connect a terminal track to the controller. I don't want to drop the $200 for the 5amp booster for the EZ Command hecause I could just as easily spend $160 and get the Zypher Xtra. Does anyone have a good suggestion for how to hook up more terminal tracks to the controller? Would adding another regular (DC) controller to the layout for power work? Or can the trains only get power from the main controller (in this case, the Bachmann EZ Command). Please let me know what you guys think. Thanks!
Simply cut and splice wires. Don;t worry about the special connectors on the ends, so long as there is one on each end.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
@RRINKER
There's only one wire that can be spliced off of. I used to splice wires when I was able to use multiple wires. But this system only allows for one wire coming out of the DCC controller. I don't really know how to explain it.
It may look like a single wire, but it has to have two wires within it, one for each track, otherwise it would not make a circuit and nothing would run.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
Yes, it has a little plug in connector that connects to the EZ Command, and the other end matches the EZ Track terminal sections. Each terminal section probbaly comes with a similar wire, sinc even the Bachmann train set power packs have that connector now, or else it has the connector at one end and bare wires at the other. It's really all 2-wire cables. It HAS to be, you can't have a compete circuit with one wire.
Take the one fromt he EZ Command, and at some distance fromt he connector, cut the wires. You will now have, say, 4 total sets of wires hanging loose -= 3 from the track feeds, and one from the EZ Command. Connect one wire from each cable all together - 4 total wires. Connect the other 4 wires together. Now the single cable coming fromt he EZ will feed the 3 going to the layout.
@SIMON1966
It does have 2 wires in it, but the DCC controller only has one spot for that wire to connect to. The spot that it connects to looks like a headphone jack. It's not your common controller setup. I personally don't understand why they made it this way. I've spliced wires together to connect my accessories (crossovers and switcher tracks) to a separate power pack, but that still only required me to splice one wire into another to make it longer. The problem I'm having is that I only have 1 wire that can connect to the DCC controller. It doesn't matter if I splice that wire and make it longer because I still only have 1 wire that I can splice. I need to find a way to have multiple wires (at least 2 or 3) coming from the DCC controller or coming from other sources to feed into my terminal tracks.
The connector coming off the back of the E-Z Command is a stereo jack and the other end can be split into two wires like a lamp cord.
Solution: What you could do is to wire the E-Z Command to an Atlas slide switch, like the one pictured below:
The E-Z Command could be attached either to the left or right terminals and your separate track feeder pairs could come off the top three (3) terminals. That would work and cost you <$10.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Look at the end that goes to the track. There are 2 wires there. It should have a black plastic connecter on that end of it. Are you looking at that or where the power supply plugs into the controller? An electrcal circuit always need 2 wires to work. Think of the plug on a lamp. OK newer ones have 3,one is a ground. Joe
It's the exact same thing. Just two wires instead of 1. If you cut the wire say a foot fromt he plug that goes into the EZ, you cna strip the two wires you will see and splice others into this. You can connect 2 wires to make an extension, 3 wires to make a wye, or however many you need. Once you get beyond a cou0ple of wires, it might be neater to use a terminal strip, but it all works out the same. Don;t overthink this, it really is THAT easy.
See here:
Simply connect all the ends marked 'A' together, and connect all the ends marked 'B' together.
If you have more than 2 track connections, just keep connecting them.
@TSTAGE
Thanks for this tip. I don't mind going out and buying one of those because they are fairly inexpensive. Is there any other way that you know of to fix this problem? I have no idea why Bachmann decided to make the EZ command system come with a stereo jack instead of the regular connections...it really drives me crazy. I have several extension wires that I can use to connect to the other terminal wires as long as I can get them connected to the DCC controller. Thanks again for this post!
Thanks for going out of your way to draw that for me. I was having a hard time picturing what you were telling me. It makes a lot more sense now that I see it on paper. You're right, it probably is THAT easy. :)
anoles22 @TSTAGE Thanks for this tip. I don't mind going out and buying one of those because they are fairly inexpensive. Is there any other way that you know of to fix this problem? I have no idea why Bachmann decided to make the EZ command system come with a stereo jack instead of the regular connections...it really drives me crazy. I have several extension wires that I can use to connect to the other terminal wires as long as I can get them connected to the DCC controller. Thanks again for this post!
The EZ Command is ancient history. The beginning of DCC control for Bachmann.
What is your definition of standard connector?
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.
To make it all plug and play? It was originally intended to be sold as part of a train set, so you'd have an oval of EZ Track, a cable with the flat connector for the EZ Track on one and, and the headphone jack type connector for the EX Command on the other - plug it together, and off you go to run trains, mo possibility for the common mistake of having a loose strand of wire from one screw terminal touching the other, creating a short. No chance of connecting the track to the wrong set of terminals and frying the loco.
This ultimate ease of use does come, as you have discovered, at the cost of flexibility. That's why contrary to others I don;t recommend anyone start out with the EZ Command. It indeed is sending DCC commands to the track to run trains, but you assing locos to buttons, not give them addresses, which is typically simply the cab number on the loco, and the wiring supplied is useful only on a trivial layout where DCC really is just 2 wires to the tracks. You immediately have to resort to cutting and splicing if you need more feeds, which anything but a trivial layout pretty much requires. I wish no one had ever said all you need with DCC is two wires to the tracks. That doesn;t really work with DC on anything but a trivial layout, nor does it work with DCC.
@RICHG1998
I guess my definition of "Standard connector" is one that has the two prongs that have to be connected to the controller by screws. Am I just that off on the DCC era?
anoles22 @RRINKER Thanks for going out of your way to draw that for me. I was having a hard time picturing what you were telling me. It makes a lot more sense now that I see it on paper. You're right, it probably is THAT easy. :)
Or take that and couple it with the Atlas Connector piece - the A and B from the special connector go to the side terminals, and then the lines to the track go to the screws across the top. If you put insulated joiners in palces, you cna use that to actually shut off the power so that if you park a loco, you don;t accidently select it and run it through an open switch thinking you are controlling a different one.
This reply does raise another question for me. I just recently bought a Kato Burlington Northern SD40-2. It was DCC ready, and I just ordered the decoder for it. What I'm worried about is that the instruction sheet that came with the engine said that the engine could be programed for "2 or 4 digit addresses". Does that mean that the Bachmann EZ Command won't be able to program it because it "only assigns buttons to locos" or because it only has one button per loco instead of 2-4?
No, you can program it, the EX Commadn assignes addresses 1-9 to the decoder depending on which button you use. It's always using what are called 2 digit addresses - the two and 4 digit thing comes fromt he fact that the decoder is really a small microprocessor, and it means 2 hex digits or 4 hex digits, each 'digit' being 4 bits, 2 digits = 8 bits, or a byte. One bit is reserved for another use, so you really have 7 bits to work with, which allows a value from 1-127. EZ Command basically hard-codes an address to each selection button, so the loco on button 7 will have address 7 if read on another DCC system. Out of the box, the NMRA standards say the decoder should be address 3, so if you just plug in the decoder and do nothing else, you should be able to hit button 3 and run it. The EZ Command instructions show you how to assign a loco to a given button - 3 should be the last one used for an actual loco, since every new one will be using that address until programmed to something else.
It should be noted that while the EZ command has been on the market for a while, it is not exactly "ancient history" since it is still part of the current Bachmann product line. It was also developed with input from Lenz, the father of DCC, so while it may not be for everyone it fits a specific need and is very much a current system that even has a range of expansion options.
I think that it is rather interesting that both Digitrax and NCE have recently (within the last 6 months) released very basic DCC control systems as well. Some might conclude that Bachmann/Lenz recognized a market need for a "train-set" level DCC system before the so called big-boys in DCC.
Here is the Digitrax system, sold as part of Walthers Train sets http://www.digitrax.com/support/video-depot/waltherstrainline-railtech-train-set-quickstart-vi/wtl12-quickstart/
The NCE DCC Twin as previewed on Mark Gurries site
https://sites.google.com/site/markgurries/home/nce-info/nce-dcc-systems