Potomac Module Crew's Railroad Shop - DCC General Notes
What is Digital Command Control (DCC):
Digital Command Control is magic. Well almost most. What digital command control is the sending electronics messages via the rail to the locomotive to control speed, direction and much more. Each locomotive has a decoder (that translates the messages into power setting) which has a unique number (like the locomotive number). This allows more then one locomotive to be on the same line and moving.
The power in the rail is AC which carries the signal at a frequency to the locomotive's decode which then decodes and convert the power to DC for the motor and lights. If the locomotive is an AC motor, then the decode does not convent the power.
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Getting started Digital Command Control (DCC):
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Suggested reading, web sites and groups on Digital Command Control (DCC):
- Books on Digital Command Control:
- Digital Command Control by Stan Ames, Rutger Friberg and Ed Loizeaux
- Model Railroading: DCC articles by Larry Pucket which have appear for a number of years.
- Model Railroader: DCC articles by a number of different authors.
- The Digitrax Big Book of DCC by group of Digitrax users. Published by Digitrax. This book applies mainly to the Digitrax system however, it can be apply to others systems in general principle of DCC operation including wiring, decoder installation and computer operations.
- Web Sites on Digital Command Control:
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