Dale, I still have to come to turns with signals and one day will spend more money to put the correct signals for the correct location. What you have done and shown us is amazing, its a proper train control system on a smaller scale, congratulations and what an effort.
one question: how can one person oversee all the changes made by the computer signal operation which I assume have different windows to look at what is going on, in the end it is up to the person who is at the controls physically to oversee everything works fine and is on track. unless you have certain amounts of monitors whereas you can watch all the operations and movements and signal changes taking place.
I assume this code configuration has more to do with being authentic than what you need personally to see what's going on

John

Edited by user 09 January 2016 06:03:34(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

These were a Christmas present to me from my son this year and I have had my head buried in them ever since. While I have a reasonable understanding of German signalling principles and they haven't taught me that much at a basic level, I have picked up a lot of details such as track and point numbering and also a lot about the history of signalling in Germany and some of the underlying principles. For someone whose German is pretty basic, these are to be recommended.

On the other hand, if your German is good, you cannot beat the 4 MIBA Reports on "Signale". The first three by Stefan Carsten cover principles and the layout of equipment while volume 4 covers modelling.

Hi Dale,

Thanks so much for posting your progress here and the other posts about the Viessman 5211 (k83 type) kits.

First question is, do you have photos of how you have the light signals on the same post... I read your post carefully and watched your short animations a number of times and I am unclear about how you have multiple distance signals working with multiple main signals. How would the driver or the signal know which main signal it is indicating. Does that change depending on the availability of the track, and/or does the driver just trust that the signal would be for any of the possible main signals it is about to encounter on the available track. I know of course, this is functioning automatically, but just to imagine how the prototype would correspond to the lokführer's/driver's decision making process with the model and visa versa.

Secondly, I like the idea that the lights dim off slowly as with the prototype, when you use the V-5211. So, a more general question: I was wondering if this could be achieved with K83 or M83 by using a capacitor before the power source of the bulb, without messing up the signal.

Thanks again for posting your work. Great to see how things onscreen can correspond to the actions in real time.
Do you use VB for your programming or something else?
- Mark

Well I have through a friend from Berlin (Bernd) got circuits board made up to simulate the fading in and out of signal lights and I'm chucked with it, there is a restrictions what I can do at the moment, either red-green or yellow to green to red, no shunting signal or any other combinations have been designed as yet but I can't see any reasons why distance signals cannot be operated in the same manner.

I'm slowly in the process of putting all my electronic modules together which include:

1.) reflective coupler module
2.) braking module
3.) Signal fading in-out module
4.) a slow tongue K-track turnout operation via an ESU servo motor coupled to an ESU Switch Pilot servo module

its slightly off topic but I've included the whole parcel.

John