# Two Useful Web Sites



## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

This month’s Model Railroader’s, “Ask MRVP” (Ask Model Railroader Video Plus) provides a couple of web sites that I think many may find valuable.

*DCC Basics*

https://sites.google.com/site/markgurries/home/dcc-basics

And that site has a link to this site...

*Stay Alive for Decoders*

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/mainnorth/alive.htm


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Mark Gurries is a bona fide guru in this space, and the link on adding keep alive caps to decoders is the most comprehensive I have seen.

Good stuff Dwight (of course we expect no less ha ha!)

Greg


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

Chuckling to myself that the name of this thread is a bit ironic: I don't find it too useful because all I get is a screenful of HTML. I presume I have a setting on my computer mis-set but so far I haven't been able to get the optusnet page to show up in anything but code. Could someone tell me the magic setting?

JackM


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmmmm... it appears to be an IE thing. I normally use Chrome and the page rendered fine. But I just tried it in IE and I get the same result you do - just HTML. The short answer to your question is to download Chrome and view it that way.

Okay, just tried it again with IE. After clicking on "Compatibility Mode" it renders fine. Too bad Microsoft has never figured out how to make their browser smart enough to enable "Compatibility Mode" automatically as required.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Zimo has a keep alive circuit that includes a choke coil to reduce the load on the digital signal.
And in Large scale a 10,000 UF capacitor is good, super caps of over 1 farad are better.
The new zimo MX699 style decoders have super caps on the decoders, no keep alive is needed.


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

Dwight - Thanks...I'll give Com-mode a try (never did understand what that is). 

JackM


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

JackM said:


> Dwight - Thanks...I'll give Com-mode a try (never did understand what that is).
> 
> JackM


Neither did I, but I suspect that Microsoft (in their infinite wisdom) coded IE with less regard for then-current standards. As IE continued to develop, more attention was devoted to adhering to said standards, and that broke some of the older code. So Comp Mode was added as a "feature" (work-around fix) which forced IE to act like an older version of IE. I find it all very confusing.

Be that as it may, what I don't understand is how Chrome, and other browsers, can adapt automatically to display pages correctly while IE can't. Switching from IE to Chrome solved all these bothersome issues for me, and I've never gone back.

BTW, MLS (this site) had similar issues once upon a time, and users were forced to use Comp Mode to view MLS correctly. Just a piece of now-useless trivia.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Could it be that IE was always a showplace for unique functions that microsoft invented to try to corner the browser market, while other browsers embrace compatibility.

Or could it be that microsoft is so arrogant that they thought they could control the browser market?

Or could it be p**s poor programming/coding?

Take your pick, ha ha.

Greg 1,077


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