All guides
Everything on the site, grouped by topic. Pillar pages give the overview; the posts underneath go after one specific problem.
Getting started
What DCC-EX actually is, what you need to buy, and how it stacks up against commercial systems.
Getting started with DCC-EX
What DCC-EX actually is, what it costs, and how an open-source command station compares with a commercial DCC system.
Command station hardware
Motor shields, microcontrollers and power supplies — what works, what burns out, and why.
Choosing DCC-EX command station hardware
Motor shields, microcontrollers and power supplies for DCC-EX — what the specifications actually mean once there are locos on the track.
EX-MotorShield8874 vs the L298N motor shield
Why the classic L298N motor shield struggles with DCC, and what changes when you move to a purpose-built DRV8874-based board.
Rocrail integration
Wiring Rocrail to DCC-EX over TCP, running it as a service, and reaching it from anywhere.
Rocrail and DCC-EX
Connecting Rocrail to a DCC-EX command station over TCP, what the client pieces do, and the settings worth getting right the first time.
Running Rocrail as a systemd service
A systemd unit that starts the Rocrail server at boot, restarts it if it dies, and runs it as an unprivileged user.
Reaching Rocweb from anywhere with Tailscale Serve
Put Rocrail's web client behind proper HTTPS on your own private network, without opening a single port to the internet.
Decoder programming
CV tables, speed steps, and the settings that catch people out.
Decoder programming that actually matters
The handful of CVs worth understanding properly — addresses, speed curves, momentum and CV29 — and how to recover when a decoder stops responding.
128 vs 28 speed steps (and why it's really 126)
Jerky throttle response and flickering lights mean the decoder and command station disagree about speed steps. Here's the fix.
Network troubleshooting
Finding a command station that has moved, and keeping it findable.
Network troubleshooting for DCC-EX
Why a WiFi command station stops answering after a router reboot, how to find it again, and how to stop it happening a third time.
Finding your DCC-EX command station's IP with avahi-browse
Your command station changed address after a DHCP lease change. Here's how to find it in about ten seconds using mDNS discovery.
Points and accessories
Servo-driven turnouts, and the accessory hardware that hangs off a command station.
Controlling points with SG90 servos and a PCA9685
Servo-driven turnouts on DCC-EX for a couple of pounds a point — the wiring, the config lines, the paperclip linkage, and the mistake that cost me a board.
3D-printed accessories
Mounts, enclosures and layout hardware printed on a Bambu P1P.
3D-printed accessories for DCC layouts
Printing mounts, enclosures and layout hardware for DCC gear — material choice, tolerances, and the heat problem nobody mentions.