7mm Heybridge Basin

[RichardG]

I wonder how it knows…

Every time I try to find out something about DCC, I find myself looking at really elementary information or source code. There is little middle-ground material out there. So I will make a guess, the communications buses and their protocols take a lot of investment to create, and manufacturers share the technology.


This diagram from Roco suggests interoperability with ESU and Lenz handsets, so logically a Roco handset would operate to some extent with a Lenz controller.


Conversely, while the Roco show a path to update the firmware of their own handset, this looks like being proprietary to them.

I do know, while Roco have had a go at making a menu or a sort for CV29, it is easier to just add up the values in my head and plug in the result. It's a bit sad really, I've barely touched DCC for five years yet the bits have come back into retrievable memory.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

This diagram from Roco suggests interoperability with ESU and Lenz handsets, so logically a Roco handset would operate to some extent with a Lenz controller.

That's exactly what I do - use a mulitMAUS with a Lenz 100 command station. No issues.

 

[RichardG]

The command station was from a Roco trainset.

Dave I keep returning to your photo to study it. Please, given that the SPROG3 could drive a train, why did you include a command station as well? I am wondering if the SPROG is useful for programming but perhaps a little awkward for test running.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Please, given that the SPROG3 could drive a train, why did you include a command station as well? I am wondering if the SPROG is useful for programming but perhaps a little awkward for test running.

I've never used SPROG3 for test running as I found the earlier versions of SPROG did not always have enough power (which I think is resolved in SPROG3) to drive some early American decoders - QSI springs to mind. I find it easier to dial the rotary switch to the command station rather than dive through a menu, also I've found the switching between the SPROG3 programmer and test drive doesn't always want to talk and I end up closing and reopening it.

The SPROG3 is only there for non-ESU decoders as it replaced SPROG2 which gave up the ghost. I have a few HO locos with factory fitted Zimo decoders in which I have moved the functions around to match my standard on my locos where F0 to F9 are the same or similar functions depending whether it's electric, diesel or steam so I don't need crib sheets for each loco.

I've used the ESU Lokprogrammer to test drive locos as it's more user friendly with a couple of mouse clicks.