SOUND DECODERS

If you have sound decoders in two or more engines will all be able to make sound while going around the track at the same time. Thanks Ron

If you have a sound decoder the sound files are contained in memory in the decoder. So it depends on what you have programmed to happen with the decoder as to what happens. In general engine noise will be heard based on your engine speed but anything that is programmed to happen with the press of a button will only work if the address of the loco in the active address on your controller so if you are running several engines you will have to change active address to turn the bell on or off on a particular engine and to blow the horn etc. If you have a cab control for each engine then you have a dedicated link to your engine from that cab and you just have to press the appropriate button on the appropriat controller to get the appropriate engine to respond to the command and play the sound byte through the speaker on that engine.

I think you need to get a book or several books to read at this point. This book is available from Amazon
The DCC Guide by Don Fiehmann and it is about 20 bucks. This is the way to start with DCC. After you have read the book then we can fine tune the information for N or Z use.

More books

Digital Command Control - the comprehensive guide to DCC by Stan Ames, Rutger Friberg & Ed Loizeaux; 144 pages
DCC Projects and Applications Books 1 & 2 by Mike Polsgrove
Digital Command Control for Your Model Railroad by Lionel Strang

You can visit this internet store (www.dcctrain.com/) as it shows just about every manufacturer there is in DCC and DCC-Sound. I am not suggesting you make your purchases there but it is one of the most comprehensive inventories of DCC parts and books etc. that I've seen in one place.

At present you a bouncing around with no real grasp of what DCC is and you are like a kid in the candy store and can't decide which candy stick you want. I am not trying to be mean or nasty but just suggesting that you read about DCC and find out what it is intended to do and how it is done. Do not worry to much about what each manufacturer's individual part or piece does at this point in time but you need to get a proper feel for the concept and then things will have more meaning to you. You need to learn a bit about the language or terminology before it will start making sense. This is the approach I took before I started asking questions specific to Z or N scale and I have an electrical/electronic background and then things start to make more sense and you get a feel for the bigger picture.

cheerz Garth


Cheerz Garth

I'm sorry I thought the forum was for asking questions. I really got alot out of what everyone said. I also enjoyed the conversation. I guess my welcome is warn out with questions. I'll find a book. Thanks Guys Ron

garthah wrote:

I think you need to get a book or several books to read at this point. This book is available from Amazon
The DCC Guide by Don Fiehmann and it is about 20 bucks. This is the way to start with DCC. After you have read the book then we can fine tune the information for N or Z use.


cheerz Garth


Cheerz Garth

No you have not warn out your welcome Ron. I am just saying you might do some reading at this point and it would help you get a better picture of the system. All I can say is I got the impression that you were missing so much information and I am concerned that you will start with not enough information and make decisions that you might not make otherwise and spend some bucks and feel you got burnt coming out of the chute. I was amazed when I first visited DCC Train web site at the variety of manufacturers out there and that there is more than 1 DCC system though here in North America the vast majority are NMRA compliant systems.

Maybe it is just the way I approach something as I need more detail before I start making decisions that cost bucks. I read two of the books on that list I gave you and then chatted with the guys here and that is how I made the decision to go with NCE Power Cab and TCS decoders rather than Digitrax which is the way my local Hobby Shop wanted me to go. My LHS was focused on HO and a bit of N and had no Z experience and felt they knew what was best for anyone going DCC including Z and after reading and talking here I came to a different solution as to what was best for Z and for me and so far have not been disappointed.

The local HO/N club is all Digitrax and it works fine but at a higher voltage than what I am using and after seeing some of the problems that crop up in HO in DCC that high voltage would be detrimental to Z. Some of the new guys at the club have now gone the NCE route after seeing my system and seeing it in operation on N-scale and Z-scale.

I have just completed my second train show using DCC for my Z layout and I ran a double track main line with two trains running for over 6 hours each day with no problems and have now 8 engines converted to DCC and am looking at up grading to NCE Power Pro when I expand the show layout.

cheerz Garth


ron222 wrote:

I'm sorry I thought the forum was for asking questions. I really got alot out of what everyone said. I also enjoyed the conversation. I guess my welcome is warn out with questions. I'll find a book. Thanks Guys Ron

Your setup sounds fantastic! My local Hobby shop also sells Digitrax and pushing it. I liked all I have read on NCE Power Cab but its not sold locally. I would like to use either for Z and N but you say Power Cab is better for Z and N so I'm thinking of going with NCE. Now I hear Surroundtraxx is coming out with their system. Alot going on in this head. Thanks Ron

garthah wrote:

No you have not warn out your welcome Ron. I am just saying you might do some reading at this point and it would help you get a better picture of the system. All I can say is I got the impression that you were missing so much information and I am concerned that you will start with not enough information and make decisions that you might not make otherwise and spend some bucks and feel you got burnt coming out of the chute. I was amazed when I first visited DCC Train web site at the variety of manufacturers out there and that there is more than 1 DCC system though here in North America the vast majority are NMRA compliant systems.

Maybe it is just the way I approach something as I need more detail before I start making decisions that cost bucks. I read two of the books on that list I gave you and then chatted with the guys here and that is how I made the decision to go with NCE Power Cab and TCS decoders rather than Digitrax which is the way my local Hobby Shop wanted me to go. My LHS was focused on HO and a bit of N and had no Z experience and felt they knew what was best for anyone going DCC including Z and after reading and talking here I came to a different solution as to what was best for Z and for me and so far have not been disappointed.

The local HO/N club is all Digitrax and it works fine but at a higher voltage than what I am using and after seeing some of the problems that crop up in HO in DCC that high voltage would be detrimental to Z. Some of the new guys at the club have now gone the NCE route after seeing my system and seeing it in operation on N-scale and Z-scale.

I have just completed my second train show using DCC for my Z layout and I ran a double track main line with two trains running for over 6 hours each day with no problems and have now 8 engines converted to DCC and am looking at up grading to NCE Power Pro when I expand the show layout.

cheerz Garth


ron222 wrote:

I'm sorry I thought the forum was for asking questions. I really got alot out of what everyone said. I also enjoyed the conversation. I guess my welcome is warn out with questions. I'll find a book. Thanks Guys Ron

ron222 wrote:

Your setup sounds fantastic! My local Hobby shop also sells Digitrax and pushing it. I liked all I have read on NCE Power Cab but its not sold locally. I would like to use either for Z and N but you say Power Cab is better for Z and N so I'm thinking of going with NCE. Now I hear Surroundtraxx is coming out with their system. Alot going on in this head. Thanks Ron

Like some other have commented for me to restrictive and I believe a bit of waiting for it and we will have viable sound in Z also without the expense and the hassles of Surroundtraxx. Speaker technology is what is most needed to do it. Soundtraxx might be the answer for some show layouts in museums where the speakers can be mounted outside the enclosure but for the average layout at home or a show I do not see it.

cheerz Garth