navygunner wrote:After the Beta and Laser disc purchases, I decided that keeping up with technology was not for me.
el-capitan wrote:I guess that is why DC will be around forever because... can motors will never go out of style.
Texas Zepher wrote: el-capitan wrote:I guess that is why DC will be around forever because... can motors will never go out of style.You realize of course that can motors aren't synonymous with DC. Generally that is sort of what Thomas Edison thought in the 1890s. I think that perhaps you are right as far as model railroads are concerned because it (DC) is the most trivial way to control them. I've also often wondered why the environmentalists aren't after us because we are wasting so much energy with all those potentiometers in power packs.
You realize of course that can motors aren't synonymous with DC. Generally that is sort of what Thomas Edison thought in the 1890s. I think that perhaps you are right as far as model railroads are concerned because it (DC) is the most trivial way to control them. I've also often wondered why the environmentalists aren't after us because we are wasting so much energy with all those potentiometers in power packs.
Yes I know that, I was just trying to point out that the components to make DC work have so many other uses in the world. The technology will be around for a long time. The technology is not specific to one use. Laser discs, beta and DCC decoders are pretty specific technologies that are much more likely to become obsolete when a better technology comes around. Copper wire, can motors and transformers will be around for a long time.
Check out the Deming Sub by clicking on the pics:
All this talk about old stuff and us DC users being old school and of all that jazz, but what about the light bulb? We have been using the same thing for a really large amount of years, since Edison first invented them back in the (1800'?). They still work fine, and new designs have always been on the surface, but have never been as mainstream as the original form. I like the old light bulb (DC) and want to wait a while too see what advances of the floresent and engery saving bulbs (DCC) before I make a change in my DC world.
-beegle55
I'm planning a new layout after a move to a new house. It'll be a double-decker, n-scale. I think I'm going to be sticking with DC, especially after reading all the different posts in both the "DCC Club" and the "DC Club," as well as some of the flame wars.
I'm not any whiz at wiring, but I'm willing and happy to learn. I like the thought of spending hardly anything, working hard with my hands, and having a product that works well and pleases me. The alternative is to buy DCC stuff, send all my engines off to be modified by other people, which will cost way too much money, and spend my time being annoyed at yet another computer. I have a computer and I think I'm pretty functional with it--but I don't want it to become a part of my hobby. (Yes, I'm one of those who prefers landlines to cell phones--because they SOUND better).
So far, each of the points made in favor of DCC has failed to resonate with me. Okay, they control all kinds of lighting effects and sound. Great. I don't care about lighting effects, and I truly dislike the sound effects. They sound phony and cheesy to me. The purist in me also wonders: when I can hear the engine, why am I not hearing everything else as well? I'm happier just imagining the sound, thank you.
I also don't plan on having more than two operators and will usually have only one, don't intend on running helpers, would get confused if I tried to run more than one engine at a time, and don't care about time spent on wiring.
This has been a great thread for me because it's helped me decide what kind of control system I want to buy--I think the MRC Control Master 20 sounds great.
Chaya--
Without getting into the various discussions of DC vs. DCC (which has already gotten me into some trouble in this thread), if you are going to go with DC, --and your reasons seem very sound to me--the Controlmaster 20 is a good decision, at least IMO. It's very powerful, and the walk-around throttle will extend (with phone wire) to 25 feet. The unit also comes with instructions on how to use it with multiple blocks, if you so choose. One thing it also has on the throttle is a 'Nudge' switch, so if you purchase a DC/DCC compatible locomotive, you can still run it comfortably in the higher quadrant of the controller.
I like mine. Very much. It gives smooth control, and plenty of power, in case you DO decide to run front-train helpers later. And the walk-around throttle gives you plenty of control on a standard home-sized layout.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
beegle55 wrote:All this talk about old stuff and us DC users being old school and of all that jazz, but what about the light bulb? We have been using the same thing for a really large amount of years, since Edison first invented them back in the (1800'?). They still work fine,
I like the Controlmaster 20 also. It's ability to plug into a number of modular phone jack recepticals on the edge of the layout is very handy.
But modular phone wire and jacks were designed to be pluged in and out only occasionally, when you move or buy a new phone. Under frequent use the phone wire tends to break and make intermittent contact right at the point where the jack is crimped on. It is an easy fix with a Radio Shack or Home Depot crimping tool set but it can cause a lot of confusion until you realize what is going wrong.
I'd like to see a similar throttle but with a radio link between the hand unit and the base unit.
I do have DCC (Digitrax Zephyr) but my layout will always have the abillity to switch to DC at the filck of a switch. I have some engines that I my never get around to converting, plus I like to test my new enignes on DC before converting them to DCC (I don't like using the analog option on the Zephyr).
el-capitan wrote: Dirty track is a pain and I also would like to weather the top of the rails on some of my lesser used sidings. While it would be possible to use batteries since I am in Oscale, the idea of recharging them all the time is not pleasant either. What would be cool is to have a recharging track, like next to a water tower or coal chute. You pull your engine up to the spot, set a timer and it recharges the batteries without taking them out. Has this ever been done before, like in G scale? It would lend itself to better prototypical operation. There also could be a "hybrid" battery system where the motor runs off the battery but the battery is being constantly recharged from track power. There would be no shimmies or shakes when going over a small section of dirty track.
One thing I find amusing is the references to being "childish". Aren't we all just a little childish here, after all, we do play with toy trains.
Sounds like it could do the trick for dirty track. It wouldn't solve my desire for top-weathered rail but that isn't to big of a need for me. Has anyone tried these? It doesn't really say what kind of distance the train can go without track power but I am guessing that it would be much less for my O scale stuff. I would really be interested in hearing if this works.
I have seen lighting kits for passenger cars that work great for DC. When the train pulls into a station the lights remain on because they are running off batteries that are charged by the track power. There is also no light flicker as the train travels down the track.
Beowulf wrote: I like the Controlmaster 20 also. It's ability to plug into a number of modular phone jack recepticals on the edge of the layout is very handy.But modular phone wire and jacks were designed to be pluged in and out only occasionally, when you move or buy a new phone. Under frequent use the phone wire tends to break and make intermittent contact right at the point where the jack is crimped on. It is an easy fix with a Radio Shack or Home Depot crimping tool set but it can cause a lot of confusion until you realize what is going wrong.I'd like to see a similar throttle but with a radio link between the hand unit and the base unit.
I agree with your statements about the telephone style plug. I bought a GML throttle at www.thegmlenterprises.com and have been really happy with it. The plug is a stereo headphone plug. It will last forever and there are only 3 wires to connect. I'm not sure how many there are on the phone plugs but I think it is more than 3. I have a fairly large layout so I am plugging and unplugging all the time. Same with my 6 year old son. These jacks are the way to go.
For wireless I have used the quest but I really hate the pushbuttons, especially for switching. If they made a model with a knob, I would probably buy it.
I have using a pair of GML walkaround throttles for many years and they are very reliable and troublefree. They make the running of my trains more enjoyable!
Cheers,