DCC Musings

Part of the reason for this layout is to have a bit of a play with DCC.  For those not au fait with the terminology, this stands for Digital Command Control.  I'm not going to go into technical stuff at the moment, mainly because I'm learning what is possible as I go along.  My current kit consists of a Lenz Compact and a SPROG.  The Lenz Compact is a basic DCC controller, with a built in booster and once you've got your loco fitted with a DCC decoder it is all you need to get trains running.  It's a bit limited in terms of the output current and the number of functions it can switch, but it'll do for now.  The SPROG is a clever little interface that allows you to use your PC to easily adjust the settings of the decoder in your loco.  It can also been used as a mini DCC controller, but the current is limited and I've had difficulty when trying to drive both 33's with the sound and lights on.  The grand plan is to end up using the SPROG to switch points via an accessory decoder, and replace the Lenz Compact with something a bit 'meatier' to drive the locos.  At the minute the Digitrax Super Chief is the favourite, mainly because it has an additional set of outputs that can be used to generate a brake signal so clever stuff like automatic stopping at a red signal can be done.  Or so I'm told...