Bear with me for a moment, I've been thinking.
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What features would your ideal DCC system have? Feel free to invent new features if you want something that doesn't exist; just explain what it is please!
And let's leave price out of it, I'm sure you'd love to get your Lenzimotrax EZ Prodigy Maus 511 for a couple of quid, but it's not going to happen, then again neither is the system so on with the show.
What do I want?
Firstly I'd like it to be compatible with existing decoders, even if the system itself isn't NMRA compliant.
Get rid of the communications and feedback bus/net, it's not needed. A total of 3 wires is all it takes to control everything and not have shorts closing down the whole system (trust me on this, I've got it all worked out).
A proper bi-directional communications protocol, so that the decoders/stationary decoders, command station, block detectors, throttles/computer interface, and what-have-you are all communicating directly with each other.
Wireless throttles, whether it's done by radio, infrared, bluetooth or laser beam from Mars, I don't want cables everywhere.
While I'm at it a wireless computer interface would be nice too.
On the subject of throttles, something like a PDA with a speed control knob on it would be nice. Tabbed screens for Loco control, address selection, accessories, and programing would be better than dozens of buttons.
How about some decent signal & accessory control commands built into the communications protocol? Rather than just left/right, closed/thrown, on/off as it stands ATM.
I'm sure I could think of many other things but that will do for the moment.
Now, what do you want?
What features would your ideal DCC system have? Feel free to invent new features if you want something that doesn't exist; just explain what it is please!
And let's leave price out of it, I'm sure you'd love to get your Lenzimotrax EZ Prodigy Maus 511 for a couple of quid, but it's not going to happen, then again neither is the system so on with the show.
What do I want?
Firstly I'd like it to be compatible with existing decoders, even if the system itself isn't NMRA compliant.
Get rid of the communications and feedback bus/net, it's not needed. A total of 3 wires is all it takes to control everything and not have shorts closing down the whole system (trust me on this, I've got it all worked out).
A proper bi-directional communications protocol, so that the decoders/stationary decoders, command station, block detectors, throttles/computer interface, and what-have-you are all communicating directly with each other.
Wireless throttles, whether it's done by radio, infrared, bluetooth or laser beam from Mars, I don't want cables everywhere.
While I'm at it a wireless computer interface would be nice too.
On the subject of throttles, something like a PDA with a speed control knob on it would be nice. Tabbed screens for Loco control, address selection, accessories, and programing would be better than dozens of buttons.
How about some decent signal & accessory control commands built into the communications protocol? Rather than just left/right, closed/thrown, on/off as it stands ATM.
I'm sure I could think of many other things but that will do for the moment.
Now, what do you want?
