I’m sure someone will take the above as a serious question and feel a need to explain the reason for the change to all of us of less tech. savy!
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
Where did you see the ancronym "ADC"?
It could mean a number of things, including Analog Direct Current. The terms DC and DCC could be confusing so it may be an attempt to lessen confusion.
The typical meaning in the digital world is analog to digital converter, a device that converts an analog signal to digital values.
betamax Where did you see the ancronym "ADC"?
"I do not run DCC, i still use ADC".
NP2626"I do not run DCC, i still use ADC".
is there a difference between DC and ADC? is there such a thing as an ADC throttle?
i found nothing to answer the question when I googled ADC throttle and variations
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
NP2626 betamax Where did you see the ancronym "ADC"? "I do not run DCC, i still use ADC".
It would be really useful to know where that quote came from? I suspect it might have been right here on this forum? - tomikawaTT, aka Chuck?
But I do suspect Betamax is correct and the user is refering to "analog direct current", which would be differernt from my control system since I use digital direct current - my Aristo wireless throttles use square wave full voltage pulse wave modulation just like a DCC decoder to control motor speed.
Analog would imply simple varable voltage regulation of speed.
My control system had lots of letters and fancy names long before DCC came along - it was called MZL control by its creator in the 1970's, and is part of a group of control methods called "Advanced Cab Control", or ACC, by Paul Mallery.
On a related note, if anyone has seen the latest copy of Model Railroader, there is an piece about the control system on the Elmhurst Model Railroad Club - it is basically a digital touch screen version of my system, done with PLC's rather than relays.
But of course they still needed relays for the power distribution.
They are mixing DCC and DC at the same time - I could do that as well, just like they are doing.
Sheldon
Maybe it means Anti Direct Current
Jim
Another attempt to start a discussion. lol
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.
It was nice to hear about Sheldon's system again.
Joe
Here is one of the places I have seen ADC used. The referenced term is in the first paragraph of this thread:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/240200.aspx
NP2626 Here is one of the places I have seen ADC used. The referenced term is in the first paragraph of this thread: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/240200.aspx
If you read through that thread, you will see the OP isn't familiar with many terms used. I believe he came up with that on his own assumption of there being DIGITAL DC versus ANALOG DC ....
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
richg1998 Another attempt to start a discussion. lol Rich
Nobody should doubt how perceptive you are, Rich! LOL!!!
Analog Train Control. Sounds like something a LION would build. LION has Analog Automation on the layout of him.
Think of it like a subway train (no wait, it *is* a subway train). The power is always on, the LPP driving the train slows down and then stops at the stations. How did he do that what iwth no computers, no throttles, no brakes, no reversing switches? Sub stations (ok, I only have one 10.2 volt x 10 amp regulated power supply) keep track power steady. Left rail is GROUNDED, right rail gets the power from the sub station, just as if it were the third rail in the city.
The Power rail is gapped, and the gaps bridged with 5.1 ohm resistors. The train slows down as it approaches the stations. The last gap is not bridged, so the train stops. A time clock pulls a relay across the exit gap and the train starts, it picks up speed as it crosses more bridged gaps until at last it is drawing full voltage again.
That'a all it is. Real simple. LION just watches the trains of him run and run and run. Him operates the tower at 242nd Street. Just that, nothing more.
Well, him did add hundreds of relays, but that is for the signal system, and it will prevent the clock from releasing a train if the next station down the line is already occupied, but that is a different system entirely.
Did I say that there was no reversing switch? Subway trains do not go backwards, the signal system does not permit this, and there is another train only a few seconds behind yours. And a T/O who backs his train without permission is also without a job.
Anyway. The LION likes what him built, and so him never gets tired of telling you about it. As far as ADC goes, LION been building trains for 50 years: Hime never herd of it. But then the only herds him is interested in is of Wildebeests.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Yes, I believe I too have had conversations on this forum with that poster and he is refering to "analog direct current".
Why does my spell check only work on some parts of this forum/web site?
Looks like someone who is getting into "analysis paralysis", where the more study is done the more confusing it becomes.
Making up your own terminology doesn't help either, as it just confuses the issue and adds more confusion later. Analog DC is an oxymoron, as DC control is by its very nature analog. Digital DC just adds to the confusion, as the two technologies are mutually exclusive.
Whatever he wants, it looks like a custom solution...
Mark R. NP2626 Here is one of the places I have seen ADC used. The referenced term is in the first paragraph of this thread: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/240200.aspx If you read through that thread, you will see the OP isn't familiar with many terms used. I believe he came up with that on his own assumption of there being DIGITAL DC versus ANALOG DC .... Mark.
The only reference I can find for ADC with reference to our hobby is "Analog to Digital Converter" ....
http://www.susa.net/wordpress/2012/10/picmosfet-pwm-model-train-controller/
Perhaps PM Railfan misused the term.
Alton Junction
Hopefully this worth will provide some clarity.
ADC refers to nothing other than 'Analog Direct Current'. Not suprising most havent heard of this as 99% of us are model railroaders, not electricians. Ask an electrician what DCC is and he will be scratching his head. And before DCC ever became DCC.... what did you call it? You didnt call it anything because it didnt exist.
Analog DC, or the term rather, has been around for quite some time. I see quite often the ill-worded "old style DC" or "straight DC" all the time. 'Analog' refers to the waveform of the DC electrical signal and is an accepted word of description in the electrical trade. 'Old' and 'straight' arent as they have nothing to actually do with DC power. Matter of fact 'straight' would be a better description of the DCC waveform, not the ADC waveform. Power isnt measured in 'old style' or 'straight', its measured or viewed by its waveform. ADC is rolling waves (no straightness) while DCC looks like a cityscape (lots of straightness). But BOTH are DC.
In the case of Model Railroading we pretty much use a form of DC power. But which kind? There are many forms. For the sake of discussion among old and new alike, and for clarity, ADC or 'Analog DC' has been used for many decades that i can recall. Ever since i was taught to read scopes. As hobbyists, not electricians, we just call it 'old' or 'straight' dc and leave it at that being the "accepted" descriptive terms. And when an old term like ADC comes up - we question it.
Lest yee not forget, power is power no matter what form it takes. Analog power is natural. Man makes AC, and also.... DCC. Never assume when in the Model RR realm when talking about power that if someone says DC they are talking ADC. How do you know it isnt an ill worded acronym for 'digital current'. Or one keystroke didnt quite make it to the screen mispelling DCC. Or could be someones initials. Who knows?! Using ADC brings clarity. Like it was meant to do when it was first told to me.
ADC is not a new term or a misused term. I dont know when, where, or who first used the term. Been around since man has been measuring power. Prolly as old as VDC, VAC, ohm, amp, etc etc etc. and certainly older than DCC.
Douglas
NP2626 There, we have it! A definitive answer to the question! ADC is real and been in use for a long while. I can see the acronym ADC as being applicable and maybe even necessary, if there is such a thing as Digital Direct Current (DDC). Since I am firmly a Digital Command Control user and look upon all control systems as simply a means of operating my trains, the realm of DC operation is out of my jurisdiction and holds little interest for me. Good luck and best wishes to all you ADC and DDC users! Mark
Mark,
Which DCC system do you use?
Do you use wireless throttles?
Do you have any detection, CTC or signaling?
What about your turnouts, how do you control them?
Do you do much speed matching or consisting?
I have operated a lot of DCC layouts, some are better than others. But for me personally, signaling, CTC and prototype interlockings are very important. These things are equally complex with or without DCC, and with or without computerization.
My control system also includes ATC, or Automatic Train Control, just like the prototype had on many CTC controlled lines. If a train runs a red signal, it just stops.
My signaling, CTC and turnout controls work with DC or DCC and does not use computers.
Tell me about your controls.
Sheldon,
I have a Digitrax Zephyr, DCS50, the older version of the Zephyr purchased in 2002. I do not have any wireless throttles, at this time I do not have any type of detection, CTC or signalling. I hope to add signaling at some point in the future, we shall see if this ever happens. My turnouts are controlled by either Caboose Industries ground throws; or, Remote switch machines controlled from the old DC panel I still use mostly for this purpose. Some of my locos have been set for a top speed per the type of loco they are: switcher, road switcher; or road engine. I have only consisted my F-7 A&B units.
NP2626 Sheldon, I have a Digitrax Zephyr, DCS50, the older version of the Zephyr purchased in 2002. I do not have any wireless throttles, at this time I do not have any type of detection, CTC or signalling. I hope to add signaling at some point in the future, we shall see if this ever happens. My turnouts are controlled by either Caboose Industries ground throws; or, Remote switch machines controlled from the old DC panel I still use mostly for this purpose. Some of my locos have been set for a top speed per the type of loco they are: switcher, road switcher; or road engine. I have only consisted my F-7 A&B units.
Interesting, do you typically run more than one train at a time? Do you have any additional throttle ports hooked up? Did the older Zephyr support that like the new one does?
I am attempting to operate my trains with a Car Card system. At this point my operations are rudimentary and I’m not certain I am all that interested in operations. Still I am attempting to give the idea a shot. My set-up has the capability of running up to three trains at a time. However, I generally run one or two.
I have the same system - always has been fully expandable. I've added a DT400, a DT402, and a used DT100 to my system. Somewhere in a box I have a Jump throttle I made too. And I've added an extra booster. While my layout is non-existant for now while I design a new one and remodel the basement to have nice walls and a drop ceiling that looks nice, not like it's been through a minor war, I am planning to send the DT400 and DT402 back to be upgraded to radio so i can run wireless going forward. The nice thing about Digitrax is that if you buy the non-radio throttle today, you can send it in later and have it upgraded tot he radio version for the price difference. IE, the radio version is $200 and the non-radio is $150. I buy the non-radio, 2 years from now I decide I want to switch to radio, so I can send it back and for $50 they'll upgrade it to the radio version.
I rarely touched the Zephyr console after I got the DT400 way back when. On my previous layout, the unit was under the layout, not even easily accessible.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Been in the hobby since the early 1970's and never heard of ADC. Sounds like someone (not the starter of this topic) is trying to "coin" a new term.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I do see the acronyms DDC and DCC becoming very confusing!
I've had ADC since the 1970's. Mine is a pair of high quality ADC speakers made by Audio Dynamics Corp of New Milford, Connecticut. So there, it has been around for quite some time. BTW ADC is out of business now! My speakers still work and sound great!
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
I've edited my other post to make it more clear I didn't know who coined the term ADC
Thanks for the clarification Riogrande5761!
ATLANTIC CENTRAL It would be really useful to know where that quote came from? I suspect it might have been right here on this forum? - tomikawaTT, aka Chuck? Sheldon
Not guilty! I always spell out analog.
Maybe someone else decided to enshrine, "Analog DC," in a three letter acronym. As a believer in clearly understandable communication I would never do so. (I can think of a number of things that could be condensed into, "ADC," some of them unacceptable on a family-friendly forum. Apropos of which, think of the possibilities in FFF...)
EDIT - two other possibilities for the A in ADC: Ancient, Awful... (Note that I would never consider either applicable to DC control.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - analog DC, MZL system)