Here is my review of systems from Video Plus and the Model Railroader Website. NCE Powercab gets an A+ this system has plug and play components and supports JMRI and the Raspberry Pi all you have to do is remove the chip and place it in a Raspberry Pi or the board NCI provides and hook it to a computer and do the programming. Digitrex gets gets a B it is a big system and is for larger layouts. MRC gets a C- their system does not support JMRI and is very expensive, ESU Easy DCC gets a D although it is easy to use it is hard to program and your locomotives are stuck in a default address. It does not support JMRI and the control is not from a throttle it is touch related. Lenz Bachmann Easy Command gets an F it does not support JMRI and the voltage is over 3 amps which can fry decoders and motors in some N,Z, and HO locomotives. The instructions are also misleading. If you use this system and you got analog, decoders that are not Bachmann, or anything N Scale or Z Scale you are at risk of blowing up your locomotives. Don't do it get a NCE Powercab or a Zephyr with a locomotive that has the decoder preinstalled don't blow up your locomotives on cheep systems.
While I wouldn't "get what everyone else in your area has" without making sure that fit my needs, it IS worthwhile to consider what local people use. No matter what DCC system you have, none are completely intuitive. While you can search forums and the 'net for answers to specific problems, if there are two or three local users with the same system, chances are they have an answer for you that will be quicker and more responsive. And if you have a potential hardware problem, nothing beats being able to borrow components to swap them out and pinpoint the failure. I've taken my command station, boosters and throttles to friends in order to do this kind of troubleshooting for them, and vice-versa. If someone has an engine that is acting wacky and we both have the same DCC system, it's pretty easy to cross-check on whether the problem is the engine or the system. Sometimes it is hard to tell. So I WOULD investigate what local users have. It shouldn't be the controlling factor in a decision, but should carry some weight. John C.
It is always important for decide what your needs are before looking at manufacturers. Break it down by how many locomotives you are planning to have running, other things like stationary decoders etc. Once you have all your requirements, now look at the different systems and find the one the works the best at satisfying your requirements. Give it some thought because you do not want to be constantly changing every couple of years. As an example, I started out using a Digitrax Super Chief System because they had additional devices that I needed for my first layout and for the NTrak group that I was a member of. When it came time to build my retirement layout, I had to drop Digitrax because it did not have the ability to control all of the accessory devices needed. So that layout was built using the ESU ECos system. The limitation of number of locomotive slots and turnouts did Digitrax in. I still use Digitrax for my NTrak modules.
I tried and it did not work, but I do not care because I dumped Digitrax and moved to the ESU ECos system.
I am using Asymmetrical (ABC) with the Digikeijs (Loco-net) system and using the ESU decoders with JMRI. Easy setup in JMRI as no programing is needed. Will be showing this soon with a ABC module for multiple block stopping. ABC will be used for automated block control of several trains on one track for collision avoidance control.
