This DCC course with Mick Moignard covers the choice, installation and setup of DCC (Digital Command Control) decoders from a finescale perspective in locomotives and rolling stock, with a leaning towards sound. The course is aimed primarily but not exclusively towards newcomers to the DCC or DCC Sound world, who want to explore how DCC and DCC sound-equipped locos can enhance the operational realism of their railway and come away with at least one working DCC locomotive ready to go.
Via some short talks and hands-on demos, we wll look at such topics as:
- How to choose decoders for your locomotives and the needs of different scales
DCC Installation options, plug-in and hard-wired- Speaker choices for sound, and placement in the model
- Decoder installation hints & tips, inclding the use of keepalives and adding LED lighting.
- Decoder and locomotive setup – covering address programming, function mapping, lights, sound selections, volumes and much more
- Using decoders in rolling stock to operate lighting and sound.
We’ll explore DecoderPro. This is a free open-source computer program which makes the programming of today’s more complex decoders simple, easy and enjoyable. In addition we can look at new opportunities such as Bluetooth control of locomotives, as offered by Soundtraxx and Hornby.
As with all Missenden courses, the intention is to give you time and space to work on your own projects, and encourage you to call on the expertise of not only the tutor but also the other attendees. There’s no electronics knowledge required for this course. The nearest you will get to electronics is soldering wires together. What we won’t be looking at is making your own sound projects and loading them in to decoders. That’s, potentially, one for another day, or a discussion at the bar!
