Tech Support>DCC>DCC Compatibility & ConformanceDCC Compatibility & Conformance In the Beginning Prior to DCC in the early 1990s each command control system manufacturer set their own standards. The arrival of DCC and the NMRA DCC standards set the stage for the future of model railroad command control. The DCC standard allowed many companies to make decoders and/or control systems that were compatible. The NMRA used the term interoperability as one of the main features of the DCC standard to allow a decoder from one manufacturer to operate with the command station/booster of another manufacturer. The intention was for you to be able to go into your local hobby shop and buy a decoder from one company and a control system from another company and expect them to all work together! Conformance To
assure the conformance of systems and decoders to the NMRA DCC standard,
there is an NMRA Conformance & Inspection Group that will test a product to
verify that it conforms to the DCC standard. When the product passes the
tests, it is awarded the football-shaped logo to display signif Compatibility The success of DCC has prompted many model railroad companies to jump on the DCC “band wagon”. These companies have had to play catch-up in a rush to get their products to market. As a result, they may have failed to completely perform the interoperability stage of testing feeling that conformance to the standard was sufficient. This could be compared to manufacturing a TV set and not doing FCC tests. Thus the problem of interoperability can happen. The product may conform to the DCC standard yet fail to be totally interoperable with all DCC systems. Some of these problems may stem from different interpretation of the DCC standards. There is a resolution option for DCC suppliers through the NMRA DCC Working Group. This group has members from the NMRA and DCC manufacturers. They meet a couple of times a year and also communicate over the Internet to work out DCC related problems. When a DCC product is sold that is not totally interoperable, it leads to significant frustration for the modeler. Some of these incompatibilities are minor. Some are bad enough that a decoder appears to be defective. Most of the DCC system manufacturers have had to modify their software designs to overcome incompatibilities with some decoders. The complaints about incompatibly have been heard ... when a company’s reputation is at stake, they listen. One of the ways to get the latest product information is to check out the Internet user groups. There is a group for each of the DCC manufacturers. Summary We by no means infer that any DCC manufacturers are producing substandard products. DCC has been an evolving process, and just as modelers have learned the ropes, manufacturers have learned how to improve their products for interoperability. Advances in technologies such as smaller electronic components and advanced manufacturing techniques have all played a role in this. TRACKSIDE SALES is committed to the education of our customers. Please contact us with any questions you may have about any DCC conformance and compatibility. Our Gold Level of customer service will guide you to making the appropriate choices for your modeling requirements.
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ying
it has passed C&I tests. This protects the modeler by assuring the product
is in conformance with the DCC standards, but conformance
does not always mean the product will be compatible with all other DCC
products.
