DCC Gen

DCC_Gen Digital Command Control Station

DCC_Gen is a simple DCC Command Station with PC comunications (protocol Lenz Xbus v.3) and a potentiometer to control speed. A simplier command station but with XpreesNet bus to have different throttles is NanoX.

You can control 16 locos simoltaneously, controls turnouts and signaling (even making routes), programming and reading

decoders on various DCC modes and connect to a computer to see the status of 128 feedback inputs and drive locos, all of this in a LCD screen with diferent menus and two languages.

Includes a fast clock from 1:1 to 60:1 if you use timetables, posibility of making routes and control all with an infrared TV RC5 . All at a lower price than any comercial Command Station.

It can control locomotives equiped with a DCC decoder on address 1 to 99 and one DC loco on address 0 ( In analog mode, the waveform is similar to a conventional PWM), but is a bit noisy, and is not recomended for a long time use. Not advised for ironless rotor motors (Escap, ; Faulhaber, Minimotor etc).

Supports 14, 28 and 128 speed steps, FL and F1 to F8 function

for locos, individual assigning names and steps,

up to 99 turnouts and 128 feedback inputs with S88 modules.
You can do up to 26 diferent routes, it has up to 255 turnout memory positions for it.

You can program DCC decoders in Direct, Paged, Register and PoM modes. With an auxiliary circuit you can read DCC decoders in Direct, Paged and Register modes.

Connect to the computer with a serial port at 9600 baud (Lenz v.3 protocol). I've tested with the programs Railroad & Co, Koploper and Windigipet for model railroad control and with DecoderPro and TrainProgrammer for programming and reading CV.

The only you need is a PIC 16F876 running at 8MHz, a potentiometer, 16 keys keyboard and two aditional keys for Emergency Stop and menu selection on the screen (2 lines LCD with 16 characters each), an IR receiver, a driver MAX232 and inverters, connect to the booster and power supply and you can control your locos, turnouts and DCC signaling, if you connect it to the computer and to the S88 feedback modules with their detectors, you automatize completely your layout.

To CV reading an auxiliary circuit is needed connected to your booster and gives a Programming track output where detects ACK pulses from DCC decoder (Thanks to Xavier Sanchez for his help in pcb desing and for the idea of adhesive silk). You can program in the main track or in program track but reading is only posible in programming track.

Maurice van Wanum send me a new ACK circuit more sensitive using the same parts.

To program the PIC use the file dccgen2D_16F876.hex if you use a PIC 16F876 or the file dccgen2D_16F876A.hex if you are using a PIC 16F876A, that are included here, due to the differences between both. Use a PIC programmer like estacion digital, with ICProg

Press here to see schematics and board in pdf

To build and troubleshoting you can follow this step by step

For a complete working information read the manual in pdf format of Adobe. Italian version can be downloaded here translated by Luca Dentella

This is the diagram conection of all modules of the command station:

If you build MiniDCC you can program the PIC 16F628 with the file dccgen628.hex to see all the posibilitys of DCC_Gen (you see the menu and the work of DCC_Gen). Here are the differences:

	MiniDCC	DCC_Gen_628	DCC_Gen
Simultaneous locos	4	8	16
Analog loco	No	No	Yes
Locomotive names	No	No	Yes
Functions	FL,F1..F4	FL,F1..F4	FL,F1..F8
Speed steps	14,28,128	14,28,128	14,28,128
Fast clock	No	Yes	Yes
Routes memory	123	127	255
Programming modes	4	3	4
CV Read	No	No	Yes
Computer	No	No	Yes
Feedback inputs	-	-	128
Languages	1	1	2
Infrared control	No	No	Yes
Potentiometer for speed	No	No	Yes

These are some of IR receivers you can use if you don't find the IS1U60. Pay attention to connection of your IR receiver!

Carlos Viva did a modification in the pot connection. Speed 0 is on the left and you can change the direction of travel with a switch like Lenz LH90 throtle.

Take a look to Collaborations section the contributions to this design that you have sent me.

DCC_Gen created by F.M.Cañada

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