My wife is about to love watching the layout go. Will end up using either current sensors or reed switches and magnets. I don’t know why I thought this was so complicated
Thats super. I have always been tempted by automation with DCC and this hows how simple it actually is. And the fact that you can turn it on and off aswell is pretty handy
Hi Rob, I find your videos inspiring. It's been too many years since I did model railways, but you and one or two others have inspired me to get back into it again. We moved back to France at the beginning of the year, where I was diagnosed with cancer. I'm on chemotherapy at the moment and so watch your videos. Please keep up the great work you do as it's keeping me motivated to get started very soon on the track, which should be at home ready. Cheers Alan
Hi Alan, sorry that it's taken me so long to reply to this, I will explain in the next members video. Sounds like a you've been having a pretty tough time of it. I hope the chemo is doing its job and that you're back at home working on the layout soon. Thanks for your kind words. Please do stay in touch and let me know how you're getting on.
Hi, I finished Chemo for prostate cancer just over 12 months ago but will be shortly starting another session for a few months however i hope i'll be able to continue my dcc railway which i'm redesigning for version 2. I'm less of a modeller and more of a electronics and automation person, using Sprog III as a decoder and command station along with arduino's and various sensor boards etc keeping it a low cost solution yet something that can be adjusted and improved upon all the time. Hopefully it will keep my mind off all the other issues going on and like you say watching videos like these from Rob gives inspiration and motivation to get out to my shed and keep trying things, so keep up the good work.
Thanks so much for this Rob!! Just what I've been looking for! I'm planning to make an automated loop of pocket modules to display on my stand at the NEC next April, and my EX command station bits are already in the post to me. I can't wait to get started on this, it's going to be so fun, and thanks for these really helpful vids.
I’ve been following you for a few years and appreciate your work and honesty. For the past year or so, I’ve been working on my design and haven’t been having a lot of luck. I am a 100% Disabled Veteran and 2 years ago had a stroke. I wish you could put together another video that goes from start to finish of DCC-EX. I was trying to follow your last video but got lost. I”ll cross my fingers. Again, thank you!
Dcc ex is superb. I have a setup with 2 full circuits, a branch, 2 passing loops and an extra through line in the main station. The branch runs automatically with full semaphore signalling, the 2 main circuits operate their signalling and when the loops are set the signsl logic follows. I have used master and slave Arduino Megas and a load of sensors. It really is cool, doesn't use JMRI or any other proprietary 'stuff' and works really well. I'm now adjusting things so that rather than the trains operating the signals, the signals will control the train. DCC-EX is superb anx badly under publicised. Well done Little Wicket for this showcase.
Fantastic video Rob, what a crazy little system, definitely something that seems quite daunting but as always you've made it bite sized and seem very manageable. Perhaps something to try one day on my own layout. What a treat to see it all run flawlessly. You must be very pleased after that effort. Looking forward to more. Keep well.
It's all your fault Rob I got into this DCC EX stuff :) But I'm very pleased with my setup which also uses about 6 Hornby 7K TXS decoders which I really like....something else that is your fault :) I love the videos - especially the "Trainbow" one..I can see myself making an "accidental purchase"..unless I go for the new Hornby Black Prince first:) Keep up the good work!
nice, hope the dev team are looking at "Rpi Pico W", new automations would not need recompiling (guessing that is being done for the arduino), pico could "command" the arduino/motor board, arduino pins are 5 volt, Pico pins are 3.3 volt, need level shifter for serial communication between them
Thanks. This looks like what I'm looking for, but one question. Could you program this to Run automation at set times of the day for a set amount of time and then park the trains at set locations at the end, say a 20 minute run time? I need it to run automatically at set times of the day. I'm currently looking at DC to control this with programming power to turn on and off with sensors, that include weather sensors, for an outdoor track.
There is an additional piece of software from DCC-EX which is a clock. It runs on an additional Arduino that you hook up using the i2C bus to your DCC-EX base station. The two can interact and it opens up timed automations. For example, you could use this with a PCA9685 to run lighting sequences inside buildings if that was of interest.
Hi little Wicket, I love your videos very much and already have picked up a lot of information for my own DCC-EX command station. I have one question regarding the connection of the DCC power to the rails. At both end there are loops where normally the polarity of the supplied power needs to be changed to prevent a short circuit. How did you solve the problem? I understand that this is not really subject to your video but I would like to know this. Best regards and keep on doing well.
Hi! I use DCC40 gaugemaster reverse loop modules. I already had them, but they're not ideal. They use relays, so click and are slower than a digital solution. I don't show it in the video for simplicity, but I had to reduce the DCC-EX sensitivity to shorts.
My wife is about to love watching the layout go. Will end up using either current sensors or reed switches and magnets. I don’t know why I thought this was so complicated
DCC EX user here, love it, will never buy a mainstream system again.
Agreed. It's fantastic and only getting better
Thats super. I have always been tempted by automation with DCC and this hows how simple it actually is. And the fact that you can turn it on and off aswell is pretty handy
There's loads more you can do too.
Hi Rob,
I find your videos inspiring.
It's been too many years since I did model railways, but you and one or two others have inspired me to get back into it again.
We moved back to France at the beginning of the year, where I was diagnosed with cancer.
I'm on chemotherapy at the moment and so watch your videos. Please keep up the great work you do as it's keeping me motivated to get started very soon on the track, which should be at home ready.
Cheers Alan
Hi Alan, sorry that it's taken me so long to reply to this, I will explain in the next members video. Sounds like a you've been having a pretty tough time of it. I hope the chemo is doing its job and that you're back at home working on the layout soon. Thanks for your kind words. Please do stay in touch and let me know how you're getting on.
I will do Rob.
Hi, I finished Chemo for prostate cancer just over 12 months ago but will be shortly starting another session for a few months however i hope i'll be able to continue my dcc railway which i'm redesigning for version 2. I'm less of a modeller and more of a electronics and automation person, using Sprog III as a decoder and command station along with arduino's and various sensor boards etc keeping it a low cost solution yet something that can be adjusted and improved upon all the time. Hopefully it will keep my mind off all the other issues going on and like you say watching videos like these from Rob gives inspiration and motivation to get out to my shed and keep trying things, so keep up the good work.
Thanks so much for this Rob!! Just what I've been looking for! I'm planning to make an automated loop of pocket modules to display on my stand at the NEC next April, and my EX command station bits are already in the post to me. I can't wait to get started on this, it's going to be so fun, and thanks for these really helpful vids.
DCC-EX is a great system. I'm just starting to get into it myself. Thank you for the very informative video
Thanks for watching 👍
I’ve been following you for a few years and appreciate your work and honesty. For the past year or so, I’ve been working on my design and haven’t been having a lot of luck. I am a 100% Disabled Veteran and 2 years ago had a stroke. I wish you could put together another video that goes from start to finish of DCC-EX. I was trying to follow your last video but got lost. I”ll cross my fingers. Again, thank you!
Dcc ex is superb. I have a setup with 2 full circuits, a branch, 2 passing loops and an extra through line in the main station. The branch runs automatically with full semaphore signalling, the 2 main circuits operate their signalling and when the loops are set the signsl logic follows. I have used master and slave Arduino Megas and a load of sensors. It really is cool, doesn't use JMRI or any other proprietary 'stuff' and works really well. I'm now adjusting things so that rather than the trains operating the signals, the signals will control the train. DCC-EX is superb anx badly under publicised. Well done Little Wicket for this showcase.
Thanks Mike. Sounds like you're making really good use of it. Next level stuff.
Fantastic video Rob, what a crazy little system, definitely something that seems quite daunting but as always you've made it bite sized and seem very manageable. Perhaps something to try one day on my own layout. What a treat to see it all run flawlessly. You must be very pleased after that effort. Looking forward to more. Keep well.
Almost unbelievable. Thanks.
Love this Video. Thanks so much
Glad you liked it 😀
Very interesting. I'm on DC and too invested there to change but that was really informative, thanks.
DCC-EX will also work with DC I think. I'm not fully up to speed, but I have seen a video demo of automation being used with DC.
It's all your fault Rob I got into this DCC EX stuff :) But I'm very pleased with my setup which also uses about 6 Hornby 7K TXS decoders which I really like....something else that is your fault :) I love the videos - especially the "Trainbow" one..I can see myself making an "accidental purchase"..unless I go for the new Hornby Black Prince first:) Keep up the good work!
nice, hope the dev team are looking at "Rpi Pico W", new automations would not need recompiling (guessing that is being done for the arduino), pico could "command" the arduino/motor board,
arduino pins are 5 volt, Pico pins are 3.3 volt, need level shifter for serial communication between them
Thanks. This looks like what I'm looking for, but one question. Could you program this to Run automation at set times of the day for a set amount of time and then park the trains at set locations at the end, say a 20 minute run time?
I need it to run automatically at set times of the day.
I'm currently looking at DC to control this with programming power to turn on and off with sensors, that include weather sensors, for an outdoor track.
There is an additional piece of software from DCC-EX which is a clock. It runs on an additional Arduino that you hook up using the i2C bus to your DCC-EX base station. The two can interact and it opens up timed automations. For example, you could use this with a PCA9685 to run lighting sequences inside buildings if that was of interest.
What John said 👍
👍👍👍
Thank you!
👍
Does it work with all decoders?
Yes. Should work with all NMRA compliant decoders.
Will these sensors show up on JMRI?
Hi little Wicket, I love your videos very much and already have picked up a lot of information for my own DCC-EX command station. I have one question regarding the connection of the DCC power to the rails. At both end there are loops where normally the polarity of the supplied power needs to be changed to prevent a short circuit. How did you solve the problem? I understand that this is not really subject to your video but I would like to know this. Best regards and keep on doing well.
Hi! I use DCC40 gaugemaster reverse loop modules. I already had them, but they're not ideal. They use relays, so click and are slower than a digital solution. I don't show it in the video for simplicity, but I had to reduce the DCC-EX sensitivity to shorts.
@@LittleWicketRailway Thank you, thats clear now for me.
The AI thumbnail is not the one. 👎
I'm glad you've said that. I thought I'd let AI have a go, but I think I agree.
I agree