A DCC PC Emulation?

[Luther Brefo]

Good morning,

After another sleep-less night, I've thought too much into a random idea that popped into mind about 30 minutes ago when I looked over at my laptop and realized that it had been sitting there idle for about 3 hours while I was playing Total Annihilation (very good game form the 90's) on my brother's desktop.

Okay, I was just wondering if it is at all possible to have a PC running Windows emulate a DCC Command Station. I know that a PC cannot be used as a booster as that would be way to much on the electrical side of things (ie. power supply goes kaput) but if I have been reading correctly, a command station just creates the signal which is then amplified by the booster to the tracks. Now, can software do the job of the command station?

I suppose that if it could, it could transmit over USB to an attached booster and then from there it goes to the track.

[boblenon]

sure you could emulate a DCC command station on a computer - i think JMRI has something to emulate a DCC system without the booster for testing. I think the software part is fairly easy - its sending it to the rail thats hard. Gotta output the signal to some box - which has to send the signal accross the rail.

Youd have to pactize the data (as per the DCC spec) and easily send it out the serial port to a box which would then encode the signal to a ~14v bus (as opposed to the +/-5V of the serial bus.)

Im not sure but it may also be bidirectional -but i dont think it is - thus the existance of Loconet or cab bus or ... ect. Which you still have to worry about - you could use the MS100 to connect computer to loconet then talk/listen to it from the DCC emulator.

[Luther Brefo]

Supposedly this can send DCC commands, not just programming commands. What do you think?

http://www.sprog-dcc.co.uk/

[boblenon]

It sounds essentally like that.

The software is JMRI - which you're not paying for (its free) - so essentally you're paying for the device to hook up to a com or usb port to drive a layout ... which deffanitly has some drawbacks - running 2-3 locos (without additional booster); not to mention you'd be tied to running trians from the computer. Additionally, i would be catuious about using one unit to run trains and tortises (seeing how the computer is the throttle, hand throw switches are not going to cut it ...). There might be too much draw, but maybe not. But perhaps two seperate buses - or an additional booster.

Also, considering it costs 40 or 50 pounds ... thats ~$70-90 - more, after shipping it to the us i bet.

[Luther Brefo]

It sounds essentally like that.

The software is JMRI - which you're not paying for (its free) - so essentally you're paying for the device to hook up to a com or usb port to drive a layout ... which deffanitly has some drawbacks - running 2-3 locos (without additional booster); not to mention you'd be tied to running trians from the computer. Additionally, i would be catuious about using one unit to run trains and tortises (seeing how the computer is the throttle, hand throw switches are not going to cut it ...). There might be too much draw, but maybe not. But perhaps two seperate buses - or an additional booster.

Also, considering it costs 40 or 50 pounds ... thats ~$70-90 - more, after shipping it to the us i bet.

Not worth it in the end?

[boblenon]

unless you really want a do-it-yourself approach; which will severly limit opperations on the layout - how can multiple people run?

Granted, it does seem like an interesting challenge - but look forward - what if (or when) you build a different layout this might be insufficent for your needs. Not to mention you dont have flexibility - your always stuck running the layout from one point.

Id just get a DCC system - sure itll easily cost $30 more; but youll be able to do far more with far less hassle. (and perhaps you'll still be stuck running the layout from one point - but I think all DCC systems have some sort of throttles ... so you at least add them on later)

[Luther Brefo]

unless you really want a do-it-yourself approach; which will severly limit opperations on the layout - how can multiple people run?

Granted, it does seem like an interesting challenge - but look forward - what if (or when) you build a different layout this might be insufficent for your needs. Not to mention you dont have flexibility - your always stuck running the layout from one point.

Id just get a DCC system - sure itll easily cost $30 more; but youll be able to do far more with far less hassle. (and perhaps you'll still be stuck running the layout from one point - but I think all DCC systems have some sort of throttles ... so you at least add them on later)

Digitrax or NCE it is...

You've raised some very good points there...

i wonder if the CE, CS, IT, and or SE departments at RIT would be interesting in working on a PC Network Run DCC System such that, Digitrax and or NCE throttles can be used such that it runs in a server client setup with the cabs being laptops and or desktops, Mac or PC running the trains and simulating the scenery of the layout....oooh


There's another idea...

Patent Pending...

[Chris Stilson]

Well they already have something similar to that where you can take your PDA and with a cable and software you can turn it into a throttle.

But if you look at the RR and co software it does have throttles involved so that you can contol the loco's.

Chris

[boblenon]

yea i think rr&co has got some DCC over TCP/IP thingy ... so you can have one computer connected to a layout and it would act as a DCC server for several other computers over a normal layout ....

[Luther Brefo]

i see some head way has been made into this...that's good news... but have any of them thrown a virtual simulation based on a 3D environment into the mix?

Just imagine...sitting at one's desk/cab and running any train on the layout from the "engineer's seat"

[Cyrus]

been there done that. theres a plug in for trainz that does that. I looked into it a few years ago. it will take a video stream and put controls on the screen and you can control it from there.

[Luther Brefo]

been there done that. theres a plug in for trainz that does that. I looked into it a few years ago. it will take a video stream and put controls on the screen and you can control it from there.

Dang...where is this plug-in of sorts?

[Cyrus]

I cant find it now, but I'll look harder