DCC + Analogue

[Epicrail Class 47]

Bachmanns EZ command DCC controller Has the ability to plug an DC controller into the EZ command station to run both on the layout. Can Hornby elite do the same with a Hornby Analogue Controller?. 😎

[96RAF]

short answer - NO

long answer - if it were possible how would you presume to connect the two controllers together electrically without making smoke I.e. which DCC connection point to which DC connection point.

[Chrissaf]

Bachmann's EZ command DCC controller Has the ability to plug a DC controller into the EZ command station to run both on the layout.

.

Not in the way that I think you have interpreted the Bachmann feature to be used.

.

Let me explain.

.

I have just finished reading the EZ Command station manual. Unfortunately, it is not well written and gives the impression that there is some form of 'pass through' from the DC Analogue controller to the track. There is no such 'pass through', there is no DC power passed through to the track......only DCC compliant power is connected to track..

.

The true answer is actually in the manual (see pasted extract below), but in order to understand the true meaning of what is written in the manual it is necessary to already have an understanding of the DCC track protocol and how it works. The Bachmann manual makes no attempt to try and explain this adequately.

.

Some background preamble.

.

In the early days of DCC, manufacturers included a technical DCC feature called 'Zero Bit Stretching'. I could spend a page and a half explaining how this works and why it was introduced, but that would just bore the average reader. Google 'Zero Bit Stretching in DCC' if you want more info.

.

However, most manufacturers are disabling the 'Zero Bit Stretching' feature from their DCC controller functionality as it is not recommended and has the potential to damage DC Analogue locos.

.

Anyway...back to the plot.

.

The Bachmann EZ Command centre controller is an old design and still has support for 'Zero Bit Stretching'. Bachmann document this feature in their manual as 'Address 10'.

.

Bachmann manual extract:

.

/media/tinymce_upload/390f9a7ed4b4dcfa11273e212bbf9e4d.jpg

.

Now the manual extract above is saying that 9 x DCC locos can be controlled using DCC Addresses 1 to 9 and a 10th loco (DC Analogue without a decoder) can be operated on the Address 10 (Zero Bit Stretching) setting.

.

Now the manual extract above goes on to say that if you plug in the Bachmann 36-560 DC Analogue controller to the EZ Command centre as per the image below:

/media/tinymce_upload/47c8f7c510cd386a489f57dcbebc19a2.jpg

.

Then the EZ Command station can release Address 10 to be used for a 10th DCC Decoder fitted locomotive and the attached 36-560 DC Analogue controller knob can then take over the operation of the 'Zero Bit Stretching' function within the EZ Command centre so that you can now have 10 x DCC fitted locos and 1 x Analogue. The DC Analogue loco is still being powered by DCC track voltage using 'Zero Bit Stretching', it is not being operated by DC power on the track nor the DC output of the attached 36-560 controller.

.

In effect, the EZ Command centre controller is using the 'Zero Bit Stretching' feature that is allowed to function within, but not officially supported by the NMRA S-9.1 standard, but controlling this DCC feature using the 36-560 Analogue controller purely as an additional control knob.

.

This use of the external Analogue controller is totally proprietary to Bachmann. Other brands of controllers may or may not support a 'Zero Bit Stretching' feature (Hornby Elite and Hornby Select do for example) but not in the same way as the Bachmann EZ system does it. This 'Zero Bit Stretching' feature is also known by most controller brands as 'DCC Address Zero' and not Address 10 as referred to by Bachmann.

.

If you search this forum for 'Address Zero' (post content search, not title search) you will find many posts and threads devoted to reasons why it should not be used. Even in the Elite and Select manuals, Hornby state that the feature (Address Zero in the case of Hornby) should not be used and that fitting a DCC decoder is the recommended DC Analogue loco support path to take.

.

Elite manual extract

/media/tinymce_upload/bc1bdcbe6ad4668da56541db1b354fbd.jpg

.

Select manual extract

/media/tinymce_upload/7625200b9db73269d1d8fba83105b764.jpg

.

[96RAF]

You will also find that a Select v1.6 even boots up into DC running disabled mode as default. If you really want to risk it you can re-enable DC running by carrying out a unit reset and picking that option.