# DCC and JMRI newbie



## JPCaputo (Jul 26, 2009)

Hi everyone.

I am completely new to DCC. I just assembled a MERG DCC command station, booster, cab, and usb adapter. I modded the booster to handle 24V. I am new to DCC and JMRI.


So far i have an accessory decoder, as well as a Digitrax HO scale decoder. 

I would like some suggestions on what to do to try out to show what the capabilities of DCC are, like run multiple different things at the same time.
Also with how to accomplish that stuff on jmri, or the handset by selecting numbers, and the rest.


This is for a school project (i was able to get credit for doing a project ive wanted to do for a while)


Thank You in advance


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By JPCaputo on 10 Apr 2012 10:55 PM 
Hi everyone.

I am completely new to DCC. I just assembled a MERG DCC command station, booster, cab, and usb adapter. I modded the booster to handle 24V. I am new to DCC and JMRI.


So far i have an accessory decoder, as well as a Digitrax HO scale decoder. 

I would like some suggestions on what to do to try out to show what the capabilities of DCC are, like run multiple different things at the same time.
Also with how to accomplish that stuff on jmri, or the handset by selecting numbers, and the rest.


This is for a school project (i was able to get credit for doing a project ive wanted to do for a while)


Thank You in advance 


Cool--I'd love to see some info on how well MERG works.

Your question is kind of broad, but I'll make a start, and hopefully I'll be corrected if I'm wrong. JMRI is composed of a couple programs. The first is "decoder pro." This is what you use to program mobile decoders. I'm not sure it can program accessory decoders. Decoder Pro has a library with profiles for the various decoder models and brands, and once you identify, either automatically or manually, the decoder you want to program, JMRI sets up a configuration file that includes all the programmable the features of the decoder in graphical form. It's really great, and very intuitive for the most part.

The other piece, which I've never tried to use, is called "PanelPro." It makes a digital analogy to a control panel, and you can draw your layout and divide it into blocks and operate switches and etc.

The complicating part with automation remains sensing the loco/train's position. How does JMRI know where the train is? There really isn't a good solution to this problem, IMHO. Digitrax has a "transponding" feature which I've never tried--it's supped to enable a DCC station to find the location of a train. There's a new protocol, called "railcon," which I've never messed with either, which tries to do the same thing. To really automate a layout, with multiple trains, you still need to have sensors of some type wired into place, and the layout divided into blocks.

For an intersting take on how hard automatin is, take a look at the website for "Miniatur Wonderland," the multi-million dollar HUGE layout in Hamburg, Germany. They talk at some length about how they managed to automate it, including using scanner mounted in the ceiling to detect motion and movement. They ended up developing their own control system.

The guy who knew the most about DCC automaton was Bob Grosh. But he hasn't posted here in a long while:

http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/afv/topic/aff/34/aft/77649/Default.aspx


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Also try here, Bob's blog. Has not been updated in quite a while: 

http://the-ally.blogspot.com/


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Your questions are pretty basic. If you want to know how to run multiple trains, you need to open JMRI, and open a couple of throttle "windows" on the screen. Since you apparently don't have any decoders in any locos, then all you can do right now is imagine that using the throttles will have trains move ;-) 

Time to outfit some locos. 

You might want to see if you can program the accessory decoder you have, you should at least be able to put it in service mode (on programming track) and read back cv7, the manufacture id. 

Regards, Greg


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## JPCaputo (Jul 26, 2009)

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll give it a run this weekend and report back.


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## JPCaputo (Jul 26, 2009)

I got the MERG system running. I am able to control a couple locos from the handheld as well as from jmri no problem.


It seems to work well. For about $200 US I built the whole system handheld, command, booster and USB adapter. Make it about $230 including MERG membership. I did my own pc-boards and sourced my parts except for the usb adapter and it came to about the same cost as ordering the kit. It takes about 1 week to receive the kit from england out here in vegas. 

Currently they have the 10 amp booster kit in the works, but it is fairly easy to make your own pcb for it. 


I had some troubles due to the euro-us resistor code conversion. Now with everything ironed out, it runs well. Fairly simple to use. After debugging i was able to pick up the control and go. The only problems i had are the ones i created myself.

The decoder i thought i fried i ended up putting it to a different address and did not find it untill i debugged my cmd station.


For pictures and descriptions of the system, the MERG website is www.merg.org.uk (i dont know how to link it so a copy and paste will work).


They also have block detection and many other fancy advanced DCC stuff available at reasonable prices. 


For my first adventure into DCC it seems to be good now i found all the mistakes i made and the system runs well.


The kits i bought from them are good, with a put chip A into hole A, kind of instructions.


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## JPCaputo (Jul 26, 2009)

I've seen in the MERG kit shop that they have block detection kits. That from what I can tell they feed back via can bus to jmri.


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