Selectrix compatability - NCE Powercab.

QUOTE (MunichDave @ 8 Mar 2009, 12:13) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>This morning we went to our local Model Railway second hand market here in Munich and remembering that I was trying to do this in Bayerische/German I had to walk away empty handed as I wasnt sure of my facts.

I have a NCE Powercab and one brand new N Guage Fleischmann 87077 Digital Steam Loco, and I wanted to purchase a new loco at the market today, I saw a nice Minitrix Krokodile with a Selectrix decoder that I liked but they guy on the stall was then trying to tell me that this wouldnt work on my DCC system.

Do the Minitrix Selectrix and Fliescmann DCC not work on the same system together ?

Thanks

Dave

Hi Dave,

If the loco is fitted with a decoder to NMRA standards it should work with your Powercab fine ..... though Selectrix decoders do not appear on this table of NMRA decoders manufacturers numbers .......... http://www.nmra.org/standards/DCC/mfgnumbers.html

QUOTE (MunichDave @ 8 Mar 2009, 13:33) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Upnick,

Thanks again, I think Selectrix would be covered by the 131: Trix Modelleisenbahn brand as all Minitrix Locos are fitted with Selectrix decoders I think out of the box, more reading and back to the list, will print it out for our next venture to Dachau next weekend.

Have a good week.

Dave

QUOTE (poliss @ 8 Mar 2009, 15:57) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I have a decoder fitted Minitrix Glaskasten which I bought from a German Ebay seller. The decoder is a multi-protocol Selectrix/NMRA DCC. Absolutely no problems running it on my DCC system.

Hi Dave /Poliss,

You learn something everyday with DCC

Good idea to have a copy of the NMRA chart with you Dave.

QUOTE (TWG @ 8 Mar 2009, 17:56) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I think that you need to be a bit careful. It is possible that the market seller was right; perhaps he knew that the loco had been purchased as a non-digital model and the previous owner had fitted a Selectrix only decoder. The Selectrix system is not compatible with NMRA type DCC and a Selectrix only decoder will not work with an NCE system. To run them both together you need a multi-format control system such as ECoS, Rautenhaus or the Uhlenbrock Intellibox.

Could you explain the difference multi format systems as opposed to the NCE powercab if the decoder install has been done well surely the powercab would be suffice to run it

QUOTE (upnick @ 9 Mar 2009, 06:24) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Could you explain the difference multi format systems as opposed to the NCE powercab if the decoder install has been done well surely the powercab would be suffice to run it
DCC is not the onbly digital control system. NCE will operate DCC only, however ECoS, CS2 and Veissmann commander will operate DCC, Motorola and Selectrix which are the most popular German digital systems. The most probable reason that NCE only operates DCC is that DCC is the predominant digital system in the USA with no other large players like Germany.

Most Trix locos with a decoder preinstalled will have a multi protocol decoder DCC/Selectrix. They are set to operate on the first digital system they are used on, so, if the previous owner used Selectrix then the decoder will be set to operate on Selectrix. A decoder reset would be neccessary to do this. The other option mentioned is that it may be a Selectrix only decoder. If that is the case it is unlikely to work with NCE.

Great explination and information Neil .... thanks for clearing it up

hey munich dave - i can help you out a little here being a german model and real trains fan.

certain newish/late model minitrix locos have a factory fitted multi-protocol decoder that can switch between dcc and selectrix operation. but not all of them are like this. some minitrix locos with a built in decoder are for selectrix systems only and will not work under dcc control. i

its a little bit like the fleischmann scenario where some locos have the twin decoder - they can work under fleischmann fmz or dcc control and can swithc from one system to the other. but some older fleischmann locos with fitted decoders are fmz only and wont work under dcc.

you need to ask the dealer to test the loco on a dcc controller and see how/if it responds.

i have the minitrix krokodil in green with the selectrix/dcc switchable decoder. i also have 2 x glasskastens from minitrix which have the switchable dcc/selectrix decoders built in. i bought them last year from the Marklin museum shop in germany and they assured me that these latest models hav the switchable decoders so i can run it with my fleischmann twin center in dcc mode. they tested them all for me and they worked fine in dcc mode.

some of the minitrix models in the shops are the older models with selectrix only decoders - they will not work with your nce system!. so be sure to check the type of decoder fitted and if in any doubt, get the vendor to test it with a dcc controller! - not the trix controller though - its trix systems/selectrix not dcc!.

by the way, what model shops in munich do you use and recommend ... i like the shop near to ostbahnhof ... come out of front of station, turn left and its about 200m on the right hand side - cant remember shop name or st name but i know how to get to it.

i used to like the big model shop that closed down - it was near to hauptbahnhof ... they gave discounts and seemed very friendly.
but i hate that shop on the corner called obletter - they have great stock - always seem to have anything i want or need in, but the lady behind the counter isnt at all friendly, she never acknowledges/remembers me even tho i used to go a lot ... they dont give any discount - even when i spent 600 euros - so i dont go there any more.

there is another shop called adler (i think) - tiny shop near the old town - the guy in there speaks excellent english - with an american/canadian accent. but he can turn on you!. he s generally very helpful but one day - i saw a trix loco in the display cabinet and asked to see it - he got it out, i liked it and bought it, together with a dcc decoeder which was supposed to be wasy to fit straight into a socket. when i got it to the hotel room ... i tried to fit the decoder and about a million tiny pieces fell off the loco whwn i opened it up and it was impossible to get this decoder into the loco, and put it all back together ...

so i took decoder back out, put the loco back together as best as i cud (and it wasnt v good!) and took the whole thing back - i asked him to fit the decoder for me as i cudnt do it!. as he opened the loco, all these tiny bits all fell out - then he tried to fit the decoder and the same nightmare began for him - he was cursing and swearing in german ... i patiently waited for him but it was almost 5pm and he'd been at this for about 1 1/2hrs by now and was furious with it. i told him that its no use to me in analogue/12v ... i need it to be dcc or i wudnt have bought it in the 1st place!. and according to the instructions a decoder can be fitted - doesnt say u can get it all back together once the decoder is inside tho lol.

i said to him can i get a refund then as it s no use to me - and i thought world war 3 was about to break out - he was shouting that he'd spent 2hrs trying to fix this thing (- to no avail!) and that he had sold it to me in good faith and the instructions show a decoder can be fitted - this went on and on - he said he cant refund something thats not broken - so we ended up arguing for about 30 mins then he gave up and gave me my money back but he was spitting feathers!.

anyways, he remembers me now when i go back ... and asks me if im going to buy another loco that needs a decoder fitting - so he makes light heart of it now - but at the time it was a different matter - i gave him the benefit of the doubt that we all hav bad days from time to time. btu he has a nice shop with lovely displays of models - i enjoy loooking at them - but dont get anything from him that needs his time to setup/fix!

im planning on revisiting munich soon - i always stay in the hotel blauerbock just near to viktualienmarkt ... very convenient to walk to everywhere from there!. yr lucky living in such a nice city!.

The responce to this is outstanding thanks ALL

@db ice 3 The shop near Ostbahnhof on Orleansstr is my local shop in fact if you look up in the direction of Rosenhiemer strasse in the direction going out of the town you see that big orange ball on top of the office block, I live across the road from there 10 mins walk from the MR shop. If your in Munich again a good shop with a bunch of nice guys in are on Gleis 11 or Platform 11 of the Hauptbahnhof.

The thread started because we wanted a second loco but not two expensive as we have been pushing it, and we went to one of these big second hand model railway markets it filled a flower wholesale sellers which is about the size of your average town bus garage, now at these markets you can get good prices as people sell up and dont know how to use ebay, but we had the problem that we diddnt understand the diffrence between DCC / Selectrix and aso NEM & Snittstelle only, now we do and thanks to the good guys on here are better educated for the big one at Dachau this weekend coming, the other problem is that you can test analog before you buy but there is only a Marklin setup for DCC.

But I have to own up now, since starting the thread and the boy coming home disapointed yesterday as there was 1000s of locos to choose from, its an analog dream and seeing the response from Poliss me and the boy went on Ebay last night, We catched a new condition Fleischmann 7238 Diesellok BR 218 blau/beige for 40 Euros which has a Selectrix decoder, we are 100% sure after this thread starts to close this will not work with our NCE Powercab, So I either put a DCC decoder in it which we havent done before or we sell it on.

My stupid mistake for not waiting for this thread to finish, anyway thanks again for answering my stupid questions.

Thanks

Dave

hey, yes the shop on orleanstr is ths one i like ... and i only discovered the shop at the hauptbahnhof on my last visit at new year and it was closed! ... cant wait for my next visit!.

the model railway market sounds like my dream weekend away! ... where (apart from asking you!) can i find out the dates and locations of them?

good luck with the loco u bought, if its an older model, you might need to do a little soldering to fit a new decoder, but lots of german locos have the "socket" so if it is a trix decoder, then unplug and plug in a dcc one and itll work fine with your nce powercab controller. esu are big in germany their decoders seem to be good/reliable - they make a lot of the sound decoders that are being fitted to many brands of ready to run models and that shop on orleanstr stock the decoders ... they might even be able to fit the decoder for you if they have a "service" facility. i wud ask them.

is the market in dachau on weekend of 14-15 march? ... if it is, i might come over!. do u know /recommend of a good cheap(ish!) hotel near to the market? )) uv just made my day about that!

QUOTE (MunichDave @ 9 Mar 2009, 19:44) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The responce to this is outstanding thanks ALL

@db ice 3 The shop near Ostbahnhof on Orleansstr is my local shop in fact if you look up in the direction of Rosenhiemer strasse in the direction going out of the town you see that big orange ball on top of the office block, I live across the road from there 10 mins walk from the MR shop. If your in Munich again a good shop with a bunch of nice guys in are on Gleis 11 or Platform 11 of the Hauptbahnhof.

The thread started because we wanted a second loco but not two expensive as we have been pushing it, and we went to one of these big second hand model railway markets it filled a flower wholesale sellers which is about the size of your average town bus garage, now at these markets you can get good prices as people sell up and dont know how to use ebay, but we had the problem that we diddnt understand the diffrence between DCC / Selectrix and aso NEM & Snittstelle only, now we do and thanks to the good guys on here are better educated for the big one at Dachau this weekend coming, the other problem is that you can test analog before you buy but there is only a Marklin setup for DCC.

But I have to own up now, since starting the thread and the boy coming home disapointed yesterday as there was 1000s of locos to choose from, its an analog dream and seeing the response from Poliss me and the boy went on Ebay last night, We catched a new condition Fleischmann 7238 Diesellok BR 218 blau/beige for 40 Euros which has a Selectrix decoder, we are 100% sure after this thread starts to close this will not work with our NCE Powercab, So I either put a DCC decoder in it which we havent done before or we sell it on.

My stupid mistake for not waiting for this thread to finish, anyway thanks again for answering my stupid questions.

Thanks

Dave