How does DCC work?

It is completely and utterly unnecessary to know anything whatsoever about the technology that makes DCC work. In the same way that you don't need to know anything about how a telephone system works in order to make a phone call, DCC is a consumer product where you just need to know which buttons to press. Leave the technology to the designers and manufacturers.

But for the naturally inquisitive, a few very basic points will give you a flavour of the thing...

• Power supplied to the tracks is alternating current (AC) rather than the direct current (DC) used in older systems.
• Full power is supplied to the tracks at all times, rather than the variable power used by older systems to control a loco's speed.
• Digital control signals are sent along the rails along with the power to provide instructions for individual locos.
• Small circuit boards (DCC decoders) are fitted inside locos to receive these digital control signals.
• These DCC decoders are listening continually for any signals that are addressed to themselves individually.
• When such signals are received, the DCC decoders will act on the instructions to speed up the loco, switch on lights, sound a horn or anything else.
• The DCC decoders ignore any control signals not addressed to themselves and carry on doing whatever they were doing before.

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