DCC and DC questions.

[Electronicguy2003]

Hi all, had Hornby for a while but now want to get into it all. I currently have a Pennine Express set which I belive is 12V DC? Im interested in a Virgin Pendolino train I have seen on eBay which says its DCC ready. Am I right in thinking I can just plonk this onto my current track and away it goes?

I've also connected my Dad's few decades old Western Courier set together with mine, I noticed his controller (which I prefer and have been using) is 14V not 12V. Will this cause any issues with my locos?

 

[2e0dtoeric]

DCC READY merely means it is fitted with a decoder SOCKET which has a blanking plug in it, so it is just a dc loco, but ready for conversion by fitting a decoder - no re-wiring required.

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Controller - you don't say which ones, but as they are both intended for the same job, and providing you don't run your trains like slot cars, there will be little difference. The AMPS are more significant, the bigger the number, the more power it creates.

If you are as electronic savvy as your i/d suggests, you will already know this!

[Electronicguy2003]

Haha, yeah I do a lot with electronics, just Hornby- wasnt sure about any circuitry that may be damaged lol.

 

This is the 12V controller with my Pennine Express

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/standard-train-controller.html

This is the 14V controller with my Dad's Western Courier set

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Hornby-R912-Controller-lot-b/263970061089?hash=item3d75d77b21:g:O7gAAOSwzUxbs87Q:rk:2:pf:0

[Chrissaf]

Both of those controllers are very low power ones. The first link is Hornby's current basic R8250 train set controller it has a maximum current output of about 500mA. The second link is a much older R912 controller. The power output for the R912 controller is rated at 1.1VA......this means that the maximum current output is variable subject to the output voltage. The Ohms Law maths suggests a current of about 92mA at 12 volts and 183mA at 6 volts.

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Even though based upon paper specifications, the R8250 is the more powerful of the two controllers. Forum posted history tells us that this controller is only really good for the train set it came with. It is prone to overheating and shutting down until it has cooled off. This 'shutting down' issue gets reported time and time again on this forum.

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Personally, I would invest in a more powerful and more capable controller to use with your proposed Pendolino. You should really be looking for a DC Analogue controller with a current rating of at least 1 amp per controller output. The Hornby HM2000 for example is a twin controller with an aggregate current rating of 2 amps.

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As Eric has already stated, DCC Ready means that the loco is in effect a DC Analogue loco from a controller perspective, that can be updated to being fully digital DCC by installing a DCC decoder into its socket in conjunction with updating to a DCC specific controller.

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If you search the forum for Pendolino, this loco gets a high degree of issues raised regarding derailments. Based upon forum consensus it really does seem to need and prefer a layout with minimum 'Radius 3' curves. Radius 3 is a curve with a radius of 505mm (diameter 1010mm [39.8 inches] between track centres). If your current layout is based upon Radius 2 curves, then you might just experience derailment issues if you do purchase a Pendolino. For more information on Hornby track geometry see the link below.

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https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/hornby-track-planner

[Chrissaf]

@Electronicguy2003,

I have removed your full re-quote of my previous reply and reposted your added text below as a quote. Obviously you used the 'white arrow in blue button'. It would be appreciated if you didn't use the 'White Arrow in Blue Box' button when just making a basic reply, particularly when it is posted directly below a long post that it is re-quoting. The blue button is not a 'Reply to this post button. It is best to write any reply you want to make in the 'Reply Text Box' at the very bottom of the page and click the Green 'Reply' button.

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Not having a go, using the blue button is something all relative newbies on the forum seem to do for some reason. I blame the forum SW developers for putting it there, just where a 'Reply' button is expected to be. We have campaigned to the forum administration to have it removed so far to no avail.

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Below is the text that E...guy2003 added to the blue button re-quote:

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"Yeah I say the last controller from my Dad's set is a good couple of decades old."

[96RAF]

If you hover over the blue button it says ‘Quote this post’, which is exactly what it does, quotes ALL of it. 

Rob