Selectrix decoders

[Bernard]

Time for a new decoder question. Some members, like Martijn, have mentioned Selectrix decoders. Being from the US, I haven't heard of these decoders. Who makes them, where can you purchase them, and what are the pros & cons of them?

[Martijn Meerts]

They're made by Trix (now owned by Marklin), Rautenhaus and Müt. You should be able to get the Trix ones at any store that also sells Marklin, or at European online stores. Rautenhaus and Müt might be more difficult, but lokshop.de should have them.

Advantages are that they are the smallest decoders you can get for N-scale. They're about the same size as most other small decoders, but they only have components on 1 side, making them a lot more flat than others. The new ones also support both Selectrix (Trix's own digital format) and DCC. I find that Selectrix is still one of the most reliable digital systems, especially for N-scale, since that is what it was designed for.

Disadvantage is that the original Selectrix system is discontinued, and Trix is switching to DCC. Rautenhaus and Müt still make Selectrix stuff, but for how long is unknown. Another disadvantage is that the decoders lack a lof of the functionality that most other DCC decoders have (such as light effects, short circuit detection, speed curve editing, etc)