Computer use with DCC

[Anonymous]

I will soon be converting to DCC using Digitrax's Zephyr and have heard a lot about "computer control" for DCC systems.

What exactly does the computer control software do?

If you use computer control on your DCC system is there specific software, by manufacture, that MUST be used for their system only or are there 3rd party software packages to choose from?

[cacole]

We use DCC on a 20x40 foot HO scale club layout, but not computer control. People use computers to control such things as signal systems, etc., but that's something I can certainly live without. I do use a computer to program decoders, maintain a database of my trains, and visit this forum, but that's the extent of my computer use in model railroading. I have heard of people who have computers programmed to run their trains automatically, but to me that's taking the fun out of model railroading. And you certainly don't have to use a computer to control DCC systems -- they have their own microprocessors buiilt in already. You will not need to connect a computer to the Digitrax Zephyr in order to use it.