Whoever still drives analog today can use CTC to skip the digital model railway era.

The switch is much easier and more cost-effective than switching to a digital system.

What do you need for that?

• A power supply: For now, this can also be the old model railway transformer.
• A WiFi access point : For initial tests, your private WiFi will do. From around 20 modules onwards, you should use a dedicated model railway WiFi.
• One CTC-Loco-Module for each locomotive
• For turnouts and signals with double-coil drive (3 wires, standard in H0) either the CTC-Turnout-Module or the CTC-Multi-I/O-Board for up to 4 turnouts/signals.
• For turnouts and signals with motor drive (2 wires, standard in G scale) the CTC-Turnout-Module-G .
• For turnouts and signals with servo drive the CTC-Turnout-Module-G or the CTC-Multi-I/O-Board .

Parallel operation of analog locos/turnouts/signals and CTC locos/turnouts/signals is possible at any time. However, control is then separate via control panel and the CTC app. For the track section where the CTC loco is running, the control panel must be set to full throttle.

What happens to locos with digital decoders?

Digital decoders are replaced by corresponding CTC-Loco-Modules .

How do I get started?

The easiest way is to order a starter set from us to familiarize yourself with the new world of CTC. You can start with either a turnout, a loco or both.

In any case, you will receive a CTC-Router, the CTC modules and the CTC app. You don't need anything else, as your existing control panel takes care of the power supply. The CTC loco can run simultaneously with analog locos on the same layout, but requires its own control panel set to full throttle. The turnouts can be powered from the light connection of the control panel or a separate power source.

And how do I proceed from here?

There are several options:

• You gradually convert all locos, turnouts and signals to CTC and eventually achieve a purely CTC-controlled model railway.
• You only convert turnouts, signals and feedback devices to CTC and continue to run your locos in analog mode.
• You only convert your locos to CTC and optionally install CTC-IR beacons in the track, but continue to operate in analog mode.

If you don't have museum-quality locos that you want to keep in original condition, there is no reason to stick with analog from our point of view.

What happens to my feedback devices?

With CTC, this becomes much simpler: complex wiring or proprietary electronics are completely eliminated. Four classic sensors can be connected to the CTC-Multi-I/O-Board.

However, it's worth taking a look at the CTC-IR-Balise . Two of them can be connected to a CTC-Turnout-Module or CTC-Multi-I/O-Board. They enable the loco to determine its position and optionally receive a command (e.g. signal stop at 70cm distance). With the help of the CTC-IR beacons, simple automation is possible without any intervention from the app.

In all cases, the feedback information mentioned is transmitted together with the status messages of the CTC modules via WiFi.

For more information on automation, see the article Automated driving .