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Welcome to another DCC Edition of the SBS4DCC newsletter.

Happy Father Day!  

Well... belated by the time you get this...

My step-father introduced me to this hobby at a very young age.  We spent a lot time together building Athearn blue-box kits and rebuilding our pike to make room for longer mainlines and bigger curves for our ever-expanding fleet of Con-Cor, IHC, Rivarossi, AHM, Mantua, and Athearn passenger cars.  We also spent a lot of time touring the country by train and traveling to train shows and transportation museums.

Those were good times and great memories.

Life seems so much busier today than way back when.  Don't forget to make time to be a Dad, share a hobby, make a memory.  

Every year my life gets busier and busier too.  I think I have mentioned my three children at least once.  I juggle my time between family, church activities, a regular forty and this business.  I do it all by choice, make no mistake.  But as the kids and the business grow, I have to make choices about what I can accomplish because I cannot make more time.

One choice I will have to make is to temporarily cease quoting new decoder installation projects.  

Please don't be alarmed if you see the notice on my website.  All is well.  My family and I are healthy.  My day job seems stable once again.  SBS4DCC may actually stand on its own two legs this year thanks to all of you.

Please note this is temporary and I continue to work though my backlog of installs daily.

I am still averaging four installs a week but that is just not enough to keep up and keep everyone happy.

I have a lot going on right now with my family which must be my number one priority.  I am a Dad first.  My oldest starts High School this year and the youngest has found her "thing".  Add a monkey in the middle and you would think I was chasing my tail.

I have been asked to take on some additional responsibilities at my church which will require just a bit more of my time.  The Lord calls, ya know...  

I have seen a lot of growth and increased demand for my custom products which just take a lot time to make.  As it is stated, they are hand made... by me.  I don't make enough off of it to support all of the expenses of adding an employee and I have yet to find someone interested in doing it anyway.  So for now, its just me.

Finally, I have agreed to a project to convert an extensive collection of O Scale models to DCC and add light kits to a fleet of passenger cars for a local modeler.  In addition I have a number of projects for other local folks that require my attention.  We hope to have them all running in time for the 2016 convention here in our own backyard.  Tick, tock...

The sum of this is all good.  At the end of the day however, I am always out of time and always apologizing to someone for not having enough time.  So, for the short term, I won't be quoting any new projects.  I do hope you can understand.

I will continue all other operations as usual including production of the Backshop Flyer as well as adding some really cool new content to the site I hope you will enjoy.

All other matter at the Backshop are doing well.

You may have noticed some changes to my packaging for store shipments recently.

I continually look for ways to reduce cost, improve productivity, and provide better service.

One sensitive area is shipping and shipping costs.  It matters to YOU AND it matters to ME.  I review this line of the budget monthly because it is so important.  It is my largest expense after inventory.  I do not try to make money on shipping.  I do try hard not to lose money on it however.  I also try hard to provide fast service, accurate processing, and tracking information at the lowest price possible.

I can report to you that I have come within 5% of receipts to expenses for the past two years; one year up 5%, the other down 5%.

I am very excited about a BIG improvement I have made in this area recently.  I have finally found a shipping solution that integrates directly into my e-commerce service.  

The net result of this is improved order accuracy, tracking on all shipments (except maybe international... still sorting through that one), immediate posting of tracking information, and reduced shipping rates.

I have already lowered the base order handling rate based on the new cost projections.  
I anticipate being able to reduce shipping charges even further as the year progresses.

This IS good news.

Finally, I have been busy adding new content to www.SBS4DCC.com including a new how-to on installing a ESU LokSound v4.0 decoder with a really, really cool dual prime mover sound file in a Bachmann DDA40X that I am very excited about and some tech tips straight from the factory about how to connect the Soundtraxx 810140 Tsunami Current Keeper to Soundtraxx Tsunami decoders.

Be sure to check it out, no matter what scale you model.  Links to all of the new content can be found in this newsletter.

It really is a great time to be a... Digital Model Railroader!

So with that... All Aboard!

All the best, Bryan



Featured Product

The new NCE NH15/16-44 DCC Decoder is In Stock and ready to ship ...

New NCE NH15/16-44 DCC Drop-In Board Replacement Decoder

NCE has released a new decoder that will get every N Scalers attention. The newest model is the NH15/16-44 DCC Drop-In Board Replacement Decoder Plug and Play for the N-Scale Atlas H15-44 and H16-44

The OEM version of this model features illuminated marker lights that change color based on the direction of the locomotive.  The OEM decoder has been out of stock for years.

This new board from NCE fills a big hole in the N Scale drop in decoder market and is sure to be welcomed by all.

 

Features:

  • 1 Amp (1.25 peak) rating
  • Golden Glow LEDs are included and installed
  • Preprogrammed Front and Rear marker lights change color depending on direction 

Streamlined Backshop


New SBS4DCC Speaker Enclosure

Another hard to find item available directly from SBS4DCC...


Also available for my large scale friends...  SBS4DCC Ultra Bass Speakers.






New Pages Added To Tutorials, Tips & Tricks 

In between all of the stuff of life, I managed to get a couple of new pages of content added to the site recently.



I hope you will find it useful!


Ok, Ok... Not DCC But Noteworthy New Products

So... I'm not really doing an all-products newsletter these days but these new products are just too cool to ignore...






Plus, I note a lot of my customers are new or returning to the hobby.  I am now stocking the Kalmbach series of model railroad books as these are an invaluable resource to new and old modelers alike.

Kalmbach Books

and looky what I found...



Best yet, I am now working with a custom sound provider, DCCSound Team - USA, who has provided the closest sound file for the ESU LokSound v4.0 decoder I have found for a Zephyr, an EMD 8-567.  These two are a real pair of jewels.


Aux-Box

Aux-Box HC DCC Stationary-Accessory-Auxillary Decoder
 

The standard model of the Aux-Box has been discontinued.



Digitrax DCC PS2012 20 Amp DCC Power Supply
 
The Digitrax PS2012 20 Amp DCC Power Supply is now in stock at SBS4DCC.

This is one of those hard to find items that goes out at the worst possible time and can take weeks to get.  The PS2012 is available and ready to ship.



New ESU RailCom� Transmitter Unit

A RailCom� capable decoder is necessary for use with the RailCom� location detection. If you do not wish to or cannot replace an older decoder with a modern ESU V4 decoder then the ESU 54680 RailCom Transmitter Unit comes in handy: this small transmitter is installed in addition to the locomotive decoder or individually in a cab driving trailer and is simply soldered to the wheel pickups. Due to its small dimensions of only 11.0 x 9.0mm it fits in almost any locomotive and can then be programmed like any other DCC decoder. Of course, the module supports 2-digit and 4-digit addresses.

With an ESU ECoS you can employ RailCom� also in conjunction with (older or more recent) M�rklin� mfx� decoders: The ECoS will be able to generate the connection between the ESU 54680 RailCom Transmitter Unit and the locomotive decoder.


New ESU Contact Information

ESU, LLC has moved.  Growth in the North American market has led them to expand their facilities to better serve our collective needs.

The new phone numbers are:

Sales: 570-980-1980
Service/Support: 570-980-1981

The new mailing address effective immediately is:

ESU, LLC
23 Howard Street
Montoursville, PA 17754
.

 

Good luck ESU.  Keep on growing!


More news and new sounds from ESU...

ESU has announced several new products for delivery in 2015.

They have released two new sound files for the LokSound Select line of decoders including:

Fairbanks-Morse 6cyl 38D Files 73432, 73832 

Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 Files 73459, 73859 

And finally, ESU, LLC has advised me that LokSound decoders will no longer include a speaker in the package.  

This was a tough choice made to avoid a cost increase on the basic decoder.  I note that no other brand includes a speaker and I rarely use the model that was included so it's probably not a big deal.  I also note that my 

In other news, ESU has recently released version 4.4.17 of the LokProgrammer software.  I have been using for a few weeks with no issues.

Just a reminder...  Anyone can use the LokProgrammer software, even without the device, to calculate the required CV values for desired programming changes.  This is a really handy tool and so much easier than trying to read the manual and calculate the values from that text.  Simply download and install the software on your PC, open the desired sound file or create a new one from the default templates, make the desired changes to the file, then... and here's the key... simply select "Tools > Show Changed CVs" from the menu bar and the software will open a dialog box showing the values you would need to manually program into the decoder.  Really easy.  Very powerful.

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Grizzley Mountain Engineering

Grizzley Mountain Engineering Sound Cams

G-M-E has produced a line of Sound Cams for several years.

These cams are essential for top quality installs as they allow for perfect chuff timing of steam locomotive models.

SBS4DCC is committed to supporting large scale installations and is now stocking many models of the G-M-E Sound Cams.  Now you can have your cam and decoder too!


Kato Unitrack - 22-202-1 Analog Sound Box FEF-3 and GS-4 Heavy Steam Sound Card


The Kato Unitrack - 22-202-1 Analog Sound Box FEF-3 and GS-4 Heavy Steam Sound Card is due to ship any day so order your "container" today.

In-Cab Sound from the comfort of your home

The Analog Sound Box has been developed as a joint effort between engineers at Kato and Soundtraxx to craft a simple, versatile, and powerful sound system for use on non-DCC layouts. Completely self-contained, the ASB has a built in speaker and will allow modelers to enjoy an "In-Cab" experience while operating their favorite trains!

Using separate plug-in sound "containers", cartridges each with their own individual sound and programming sets (even including things like momentum!), the ASB is a "smart" device, not just making sounds but reacting appropriately to the actions of your locomotives by reading back-EMF from the motors. Steam locomotive chuffs will speed up and slow down according to the speed of the locomotive itself; not just the position of the throttle, making the sound a properly interactive experience!

The new sound system is in stock and ready to ship.


New TCS Motherboard Adapter Board


This motherboard is designed to replace the existing circuit board in a Bachmann Raymond 4-4-0. This board is designed to receive a WOW121 or EU621 decoder and provides an onboard Keep-Alive™ (KA2 style) for uninterrupted performance over troublesome tracks. This motherboard includes onboard resistors for all of the LED solder pads.



TCS 1619 IB-MB1-NC
Motherboard Adapter Board


TCS InterMountain-Bowser Motherboard Adapter Boards

Train Control Systems (TCS) has released a new series of Adapter Boards.


These motherboards is designed to replace the original lighting board in Intermountain and Bowser locomotives and will fit a wide array of other locomotives. However, it will require comparing the original light board as there are a few styles of Intermountain/Bowser motherboards which look very similar. 

Included on the motherboards is a KA2 Keep-Alive™ for smooth operation over troublesome tracks.  Pair them with a WOW121 for unparallelled sound and interruption free performance.

NOTE: this product does not function without a decoder. Pickup an EU621 or WOW121 decoder to use this product.

The new TCS InterMountain-Bowser Motherboard Adapter Boards is in stock at SBS4DCC and ready to ship.



 


TCS WOW101 Auxiliary Harnesses

These are replacement auxiliary harnesses for WOW101 decoders. 

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TCS WOW Speakers

TCS has introduced a new model speaker to their WOW Speaker line.  The new TCS 1553 35 x 16mm (1.37" x.63") Oval WOWSpeaker 1W is a conventional 16x35mm rectangular speaker that work great in many diesel hood units.

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TCS Axle Wipers

TCS has released a new line of Electrical Pickups to add or improve electrical power pickup on your models.


The new Electrical Pickups are in stock at SBS4DCC and ready to ship.



Tam Valley Depot
Tam Valley Depot DCC No-Buzz In-Line Servo Quieter

Tam Valley Depot has released the No-Buzz In-Line Servo Quieter to shush those noisy servos.  

Sometimes a servo will buzz or chatter continuously.  Some poeple find this very annoying. The No-Buzz In-Line Servo Quieter goes in line with the servo cord and quiets the servo.

Team Digital, LLC
 


 

CSC - Central Signal Controller

The CSC (Central Signal Controller) is uniquely suited to control the SHD2 (dual signal head decoder). It can also control indicators on a layout or a CTC panel such as block occupancy and switch (turnout) position. The CSC has build-in customizable logic to implement various signal schemes. This includes ABS, APB and prototypical grade crossing. It can receive switch command and sensor/block detection messages from the serial bus and/or switch and block state from the inputs. It uses this information to determine signal states with the built-in logic. The number of wires to implement a signal system is greatly reduced when using the CSC and the SHD2.

Board size: 2.2" X 4.0"

Features:
* Built-in logic for automatically controlling signals
* Control up to 10 SHD2 (22 signal heads)
* Configurable to model many signaling systems
* Computer not required for signal control
* Built-in signal configuration options

* 16 outputs for LED indicators and Tortoise™ switch machines for turnout control
* 2 outputs for small servos
* 16 inputs for occupancy sensors (block detectors), turnout state and push buttons
* Serial bus reduces system wiring
* Digitrax LocoNet� compatible
* DCC gateway to serial bus

Features differences from SIC24AD:
* Controls SHD2 dual signal head decoder
* Increased number of logic cells
* 16 input and outputs
* Support for 2 servos
* Ops mode addresses up to 16000
* Support for Digitrax SE8C
* Requires a tool like JMRI DecoderPro for custom programming

 

DCCBoost - DCC Booster/Command Station

The DCCBoost is a DCC booster to power track or accessories. It has three modes.
1. Basic DCC booster mode. The DCCBoost output follows the DCC signal input. If the input DCC turns off for some reason then the DCCBoost turns off.
2. Accessory mode. The DCCBoost output continues to send DCC power regardless of the DCC signal input. This keeps accessories from shutting down due to track short circuits or over current conditions (fault).
3. Command station mode. The DCCBoost converts switch and signal messages on the serial bus from the CSC (Central Signal Controller) to DCC packets to control the SHD2. It also powers the SHD2 and other compatible accessories.

The DCCBreak requires a 12 to 14 volt DC power supply. The maximum continuous operating current is 4 amps. The over current shutdown is about 4.6 amps.
DC power barrel connector is 5.5mm-x-2.1mm with center pin plus.

Board size: 2.38" X 1.88"

Features:
* DCC current booster
* Keeps accessories powered during system faults
* Command station for CSC/SHD2
* Short and over current protection
* 4 amp continuous operation

 
Trix


 


Trix Wheel Cleaners

The Trix Locomotive Wheel Cleaner is an outstanding brush system that cleans locomotive wheels for better conductivity and performance.

It uses electricity from your track through its wire brushes at the top of the tool to power your locomotive and rotate it's wheels.

This useful tool can help remove caked on dirt, dust, and debris that builds up on your locomotive's wheels over time.

Features:
  • Cleans both locomotive wheels and track
  • Brush can be lengthened by connecting brushes
  • Keeps your locomotives looking shiny and new
  • Necessary for any model railroad layout
  • Helps prevent television/radio interference
  • Improves conductivity
  • Easy to use
  • 2 rail DC or DCC

The Trix Locomotive Wheel Cleaners are in stock at SBS4DCC and ready to ship.

 
Flag Stop... 
 
What YOU See Is What I Have

 

SBS4DCC - Stock Status Information

 

Just a reminder that SBS4DCC features real-time inventory tracking.  If it says it is in stock... it IS...  I try to maintain a strong selection of DCC and Model Railroad products and try not to hide what I do not stock yet.  I appreciate the opportunity to provide catalog items when you can wait a few extra days as this makes a huge difference in my ability to grow and expand my selection.

 

Every now and then, I do run out of an item.  Backorders are accepted on many stock items and orders can still be placed for those items through the web store.

 

Don't see what you need?  I have a growing list of suppliers so be sure to ask about any product you need that is not listed on my site.  
 

SBS4DCC Products...


Finally! A small speaker that will rock your world.  

 

*
Four Sizes
*
Eight Baffles
*
Thirty Two Sweet Speaker Options
*

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SBS4DCC Varnish Lighting 

 

Bring your crack passenger trains to life with the brilliance and intensity of flicker-free LED lighting at an affordable price. 

 

*

Constant Non-Directional Design

*

Expandable Anti-Flicker Circuit

*

DCC-Friendly Design 

*

Adjustable Brightness

*

Z, N and HO Scale Models Available

*

 

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DCC Tools...
 
The ESU LokTester is a stand-alone DCC Decoder Test Station compatible with any brand of decoder or command station.
 
Connections:

Screw Terminal
Next18 NEM661
6-Pin NEM651
8-Pin NEM652
PluX NEM658
21MTC NEM660

Features:

6 Function LEDs
5-pole Motor
20mm Speaker




The MRT Accutrak II Speedometer is a free standing, battery operated scale speedometer for 9mm, N, 4mm, HO scales.  The Accutrack II provides additional clearance for double stacks, AutoMax and other limited clearance cars.

 

Its design is based upon infrared beams which create a "trap" zone through which the train travels.

Accutrak II Features:

Ideal for DCC speed matching DCC

 

Operates on 2 AAA batteries


 

Scale Selectable  - N (1:148 and 1:160) or OO/HO (1:76.4 and 1:87)

 

Display in mph or kph




Use this handy portable tool to keep your servos centered while you mount them under the layout.

The tool consists of a battery box connected to a small circuit board that continuously puts out a centering signal for the servo (1.5 ms pulse).

Keeping your servos properly centered while mounting is the key to making the servos work best.

The battery box has an on/off switch to save your batteries when not in use.

Everyone using servos for turnouts needs one of these.

Requires 3 AA batteries.

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RRampMeter is now marketed by DCC Specialties!

The only inexpensive device that accurately measures DCC Volts/Amps. Also measures AC and DC Volts/Amps.

Costs less than DVMs that cannot measure DCC. 

Ver I, II, & III rated at 6 Amps and Ver IV rated at 20 Amps.

Measures true RMS Volts/Amps, +/- 2%.

Suitable for all scales.

No batteries required.

Designed for Left/Right-hand use.

PCB length 5.63"; Enclosure length 4", width 2", height 1.25"

4 Styles Available
 
Adjustable contacts permit direct track voltage measurements for all scales.

DCC Links...



DCC Calculators & Reference...



Markers...

 

And don't forget I carry a fantastic selection of DCC products from all of the best manufacturers including CT ElektroniksDigitraxElectronic Solutions Ulm (ESU)Lenz,MRCNCEQSI SolutionsRoco Z21SoundtraxxTCS and Zimo.

 

Visit SBS4DCC today!