License: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
For commercial use, please contact us at hey@loco.engineering with a description of your project and how you intend to use it.
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DCC (Digital Command Control) for model railways operates on a basic principle—a command station sends messages to DCC decoders via two wires or rails. Unlike most wireless systems, it doesn't involve encryption, authorization, or acknowledgment packets. However, updating the logic on DCC decoders remains a challenge, as it can't be done directly from a laptop or mobile phone without a command station. DCC decoder logic is typically predefined by the manufacturer, only allowing users to toggle certain features or outputs.
For example, if you want to test a new level crossing signal before installing it on your layout, you need to program decoders and sometimes use additional proprietary modules just to get the signals working (as seen in the Viessmann 5057 manual). The core concept behind SimpleDCC is to streamline DCC by enabling direct programming and control of DCC decoders from a browser on a computer, mobile phone, or tablet. A SimpleDCC decoder connects to a laptop or mobile device via Wi-Fi, USB, or even Bluetooth, eliminating the need for a command station. You can add custom logic to any decoder or use our DCC templates. The project is open-source (though a special commercial license is required for commercial use—contact us for more information).
WCC (Wireless Command Control) is an open wireless system for operating model railways, LEGO® trains, RC cars, and other models or toys. WCC can run on DC, AC (including tracks with DCC), or battery power and requires only one essential hardware component:
Additionally, unpowered NFC stickers can be used optionally to provide more interaction possibilities.
WCC consists of:
The main difference between DCC and WCC lies in how messages or packets are transmitted. WCC messages are sent wirelessly, eliminating the need for wires, while DCC packets/messages are delivered through tracks or wires. Furthermore, WCC enables two-way communication between decoders, allowing trains, cars, and accessories to send messages directly to each other. Unlike DCC, WCC doesn't require a command station at all.
For more detailed information about WCC, please visit https://loco.engineering/docs
The main differences are:
You don't need to understand DCC's inner workings because the decoder's logic can be set in the web app without additional programming tools.
There's no need to study lengthy manuals. SimpleDCC performs actions (e.g., changing semaphore aspects, turning lights on/off) without strictly adhering to often ambiguous DCC protocols. You can view all messages received by a SimpleDCC decoder in your browser (with options to group and filter them), and define the decoder's response to received packets. In our experience, this greatly simplifies working with DCC.
SimpleDCC decoders are compatible with virtually all command stations and DCC protocols (with mfx support on our roadmap). Even if you don't understand a DCC packet's format, you can still assign actions to it. For instance, Märklin Mobile Station sends accessory DCC packets in a non-standard format that most accessory decoders don't understand, but with SimpleDCC, you can assign actions to these packets as-is.
SimpleDCC/WCC decoders can control trains, vehicles, and layout accessories like signals and turnouts without needing to know the specific types connected. With a traditional decoder, changing a signal aspect requires finding the correct command to send from the command station. With SimpleDCC/WCC, the user defines what action should occur when a specific DCC packet is received. You're not limited to predefined signal aspects or features set by manufacturers like Pico or Marklin. Instead, you can create virtually any state and action you need. No programming is required, but for advanced users, the source code is available for full control over the decoder's behavior.
You can control almost everything with SimpleDCC/WCC from a command station or web browser, including RGB addressable LEDs, NFC readers, Hall sensors, servo motors, DC motors/single solenoids (an external DC motor driver is required) and more.
Steps below are tested with ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 modules. All Loco.Engineering boards are shipped with the default firmware that's why you shouldn't upload the firmware manually.
In case if you use Loco.Engineering decoder and don't see any logs in Arduino IDE, use the follow settings (Top Menu -> Tools -> ...)
if (DccProcState.Flags & FLAGS_DCC_ACCESSORY_DECODER)
{
// and this isn't an Ops Mode Write or we are NOT faking the Multifunction Ops mode address in CV 33+34 or
// it's not our fake address, then return
if ( (CmdMasked != 0b11100000) || (DccProcState.OpsModeAddressBaseCV == 0))
return ;
uint16_t FakeOpsAddr = readCV (DccProcState.OpsModeAddressBaseCV) | (readCV (DccProcState.OpsModeAddressBaseCV + 1) << 8) ;
uint16_t OpsAddr = Addr & 0x3FFF ;
if (OpsAddr != FakeOpsAddr)
return ;
}
// We are looking for FLAGS_MY_ADDRESS_ONLY but it does not match and it is not a Broadcast Address then return
else if ( (DccProcState.Flags & FLAGS_MY_ADDRESS_ONLY) && (Addr != getMyAddr()) && (Addr != 0))
return ;If you use your own version of NmraDCC (the repository includes the default version of NmraDCC when you download or clone the repository), you should comment the code above otherwise the decoder will be able to handle only accessory packets.
Feel free to contact us at hey@loco.engineering if you have any questions or feedback.