Thanks for posting that. I have a feeling that few know how far DCC-EX has come with all the work the around-the-world team has accomplished. It can be as simple as connect to the tracks and run using a phone throttle or using a number of commercial wireless throttles. Or build your own for under $50 that can do the same or more than a commercial throttle.
One can build a command station for under $70 using 3 boards that plug together. One for the Command Station, one for the track power and one that gives you WiFi connections to throttles. Plug the boards together....connect to your computer with a USB cable....go to the DCC-EX website and use their 'auto-installer' software to put the command station software on the command station. As they come out with new features update it whenever you feel like it. You can do all of that in less than an hour and be running trains with it.
Don't want to do that then spend $120 on the new pre-built DCC-EX command station. Plug the power in and connect the track wires and you are up and running.
I just ordered about $75 worth of parts to add to my DCC-EX command station so that I can run DC trains on it also. I'm going to use them to change out the 4 DCC boosters and 8 circuit breakers I now have for 8 DCC power districts. I'll then have 8 power districts that can run either a DCC or a DC train on it with a phone throttle or one of my other wireless WiFi throttles. This means I won't have to put decoders in lots of DC locos I now have and will be able to also run them on any district of the layout with my wireless throttles for a couple hundred dollars less than what I paid for the DCC boosters and circuit breakers.
The
DCC-EX crew with their open source software have changed the DCC & DC world bringing them together on the same layout.
Sumner
