The TMWDCC project is a NMRA compatible Entry Level Command Station, that was written to fit the needs for a simple DCC system at Skövde Model RR club The Westergötland Nerikes Jernvägar in Sweden. It is based on the DCC-MB project and do run on both TMWDCC hardware and DCC-MB hardware. A big thank you to Michael Brandt for his fine project. Without it, this project would never have been born. A big thank you also to Andreas. Without his programming talent, this could never be done.
TMWDCC was originally written as an application to run on the DCC-MB driver, but with Michael Brandts permission, features have now been added to the driver.
As a Command Station (Operate Mode) you
can control your trains with up to eight walk around throttles, plus one IR throttle. The throttles are
unplugable while your train is running and when you re plug them at
another place along the line, you gain control over the train again.
You simply assign a loco to a throttle, select your direction and
turn the throttle knob and you are on your way. You can MU as many
locomotives as you like to a consist and have the locos MU:ed front to
front or back to back or in any other way you like, and you control
the consist with a single throttle. The Command Station uses 14 and 28
step mode. (128 step mode will be
added later) You can control the auxiliary functions (F0/FL-F4) from
the computers keyboard, and from the throttle. As a Programmer (Service Mode) you have full control of what you are doing. You can run the Programmer in three modes. Register mode, Page mode and Direct Mode. Which you select depends on the type of decoder you are programming. The decoder manual tells you what mode to use. You can read all registers (CVs = configuration variables) from your decoder and display the values on the screen, edit the values (full screen editor) and save the values to the locomotive or to the hard drive or floppy. You can open a locomotive file from your hard drive or floppy and edit the values and save them to a locomotive or to a drive. You can read or write single CVs, or copy all the CVs from one locomotive to another. TMWDCC knows what CVs your decoder supports. Could it be more simple to program a decoder. You have to have some basic skills in electronic kit building e.g. reading logic schematics, etching circuit boards, handle a soldering iron and so on. The layout you are going to control with this project have to be a layout that is OK to run with up to eight throttles. Not a big club-layout. You would like to run your railroad as a driver, not a signal man. You drive your train, and pay attention to signals, (if any) and you stop the train if the signal shows stop, or you pass it if you feel like it. No automatic starts and stops in this system. YOU control the trains. The computer and electronic only help you do that. (I would be very angry with my computer if I found out that it plays with my trains when I am not there.)You need a IBM compatible PC 8086/ 640 Kb memory/ and one or two game cards. Or better. (8086, 286, 386, 486 or a Pentium)
You don´t even need a HD, the command station can run from a bootable floppy. You need the TMWDCC hardware. That is a hardware that connects the printer port of your PC with the trains.You need the TMWDCC software. That is the TMWDCC program.
You need decoders in your locomotives. Any NMRA compatible decoder you can find. Perhaps you need accessory decoders or turnout decoders for controllng something on your layout. Back to main page