Digitrax Chief Starter System

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What is DCC? Getting Started with DCC A Starter System Mobile Decoders Command Buses How DCC Systems Work Making Your Own DCC Components Decoder Installation	The best way to get started with DCC is to buy a starter system. This way, you get (nearly) everything needed to get a model running under DCC control, and it will all work together without problems. In many cases the cost of the starter system will be lower than the costs of the individual components. A typical "high end" system is the Digitrax Chief system. The starter set (photo below) consists of: The command station /booster (top left): this is the "main" controller. It takes commands from throttles and applies power to the track with encoded DCC command packets. A Throttle (top right): This is the hand-held controller used by operators to control the layout. The Digitrax controller has two control knobs and can control two locomotives at the same time. It can plug into the command station, or as an optional extra can use an infrared link (like a TV remote control). A decoder (bottom left): this is the unit which needs to be added into a model locomotive. With Digitrax you can choose which decoder you want with the starter system: I chose an "N" gauge decoder because they fit better into small "OO" gauge models. A video (not shown): this shows you how to get started and use the system for the first time. Manuals (not shown): these tell you how to install and use the system. It is probably fair to say that the manuals are Digitrax' poorest component. A decoder tester (not shown): this is little more than a bi-colour LED but can be useful when testing a decoder installation. What Else is Needed? The major omission from the Digitrax (and other) systems is an AC power supply. The system needs 12-18V DC or AC input rated at 5A continuous. At a minimum an external transformer is needed; ideally it should have a circuit breaker in case of wiring faults. The Command station is itself well protected against shorts on the layout itself. Most users will quickly need more mobile decoders, since one is needed per model locomotive. If you want to control points and signals from the DCC system, accessory decoders will be needed. These connect to the DCC track signals and control point motors, DC motors, relays etc. A typical accessory decoder will control 4-8 points. For large layouts with multiple operators, more throttles will be needed. Two of these can all plug into the Loconet sockets on the front of the command station. If more are needed (or if you want to plug them into sockets around the layout) then the Loconet wiring will need to be extended. This requires 6 pin RJ12 US-style telephone connectors. These can be bought and installed yourself. Alternatively, ready-made connector panels are available to install around the layout; one of these allows Infra-Red control using the throttle shown above.
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