It is a good idea!

I will buy one myself.

Because when there are visitors I like to explain all the activity they see from the living room through the Plexiglass (showcase).

When I talk to them I can change the activity of the trains with the remote.
So I don't need to walk to the control system inside the train-room.

Maybe there are already ESU Mobile users on this forum who want to share their experiences with us?

Regards,

Timaximus

Allrighty then!!!

sounds like milk and honey, this is the device i was longing for... a remote control which is able to connect to a 'classic' 6021 and not IR based as the old Märklin one. And a real 'mobile' one and not the pseudo one that comes with the new starterpacks from mother M. I think i will start selling these via ebay, so the price of the ESU mobile station is a little bit lower at the end.
And no need to buy an IB with loco.net and so on.
Greetings to all of you around the world
A happy Alfred.

The advantage of this device is the display I think.
Compared to the Uhlenbrock IRIS without a display you don't have to guess if the button is pushed correctly or not.

A disadvantage is that accidental push effect as Sander described.
Because it is not good for the engine to switch from direction when running at full speed.
But with a bit of exercise.

Nevertheless I want one .

Mikael,

I think you're right. A lot of people don't even know the device exists. The promotion of these Mobile controls isn't optimal. This is probably due to the fact that there have been some legal issues for use in a lot of countries (radio frequency troubles and such)
This problem is solved for the EU since february 2004. ESU is starting promotion again this year I guess...

Hello all,

I am using a mobile control with a 6021, great setup and works fine.

@Steen:
I checked my manual for you and indeed it says it only works with Motorola protokol.
However the German language FAQ at ESU says it a little different: Mobile Control with Intellibox: connection via I2C bus, that means you are limited to the functions of the Marklin digital system, i.e. 80 adresses, 14 speed steps and 4+1 functions.
So totally clear to me it is not (I am not familiar with the IB), maybee one of the forum members owning both the IB and the MC can test this for you.

Greetings, Tony.

On second thoughts, can you control a DCC lok with a Control 80F via the IB??
I guess if yes, the mobile control should also work, just guessing!!!!

Grtz, Tony

I haven't checked whether it works with DCC when coupling it to the IB, but I interpret the text on the website in another way: IF you choose to connect the Mobile Control with the I2C-bus the functionality is limited to the regular Märklin Digital functions + the so called comfort functions. (Like Symbols, Loko names.)
I guess IF you choose to connect with the X-bus, the DCC functionality will be maintained. (An extra argument for that is that the Mobile Control functions also with the Fleischmann Twin Center, which is almost the same as an IB, except it doesn't have the Motorola feature, so if it's impossible to use DCC there's nothing left for Twin Center users.
Just a tought...

Hello All,

Sander, sorry to correct you, but the manual of the mobile control clearly states: do not connect the MC to the Intellibox via the cable, only via the I2C connection.
The reasen they give is the cable connection of the MC is X-bus and the cable connection of the IB (and F* twincenter) is Loconet.
These two use the same plugs, but use completely different electrical connections, and connection of the two results in serious damage to the IB and the MC.

So, everybody, please read the manual very careful before using this apparatus via the cable to prevent serious damage.

Greetings, Tony.

Did you know reading is an art? I know now
Why? because now I have read in the manual: the I2C bus has to be used when the baseunit of the MC is used with: 6021, IB, F*Twincenter !!!

Greetings again, Tony.

Lots of misunderstandings here, some corrected and some not I think. I'll give it a try.

The control has two connection possibilites: Lenz X-bus or Märklin I2C-bus. As there currently is no adapter deliverable between X-bus and LocoNet/Intellibox, the only way to connect the control to Intellibox is via the I2C-bus, which is, the connections on the side of Intellibox, and Märklin white boxes.

This in turn means that only commands that can be sent through this bus are available. Meaning, 80 (possibly 256) adresses, 1+4 functions and 14 speed steps, and no absolute direction. But this has nothing to do whether the Intellibox sends Motorola I, Motorola II, DCC 14, DCC 28, DCC 128, Selectrix or whatever. You can perfectly well use the control to run a loco with DCC28; the 14 speed steps are translated to every second of the decoder I think, and functions above f4 will not be executed. Absolute direction will set from the Intellibox; which keeps track of the diretion changes from the controller etc.

I don't own the control, as I'm quite happy with my Daisy with spiral cable, but the above description is a very clear deduction from how the Intellibox works; it's nothing new having a controller connected to the I2C bus, in the IBs point of view.

Regards,
Lars

Can't wait to get mine. I am in the process of re-designing my home grown train control software to allow me to hand drive one train and have the ones under computer control react to it. That way I can concentrate on one train and still have a number of them running without fear of collisions. My decision point now in the software development is whether I am going to allow myself to drive a train past a red signal and if so, how I will make the other trains react. (Basically, how much do I trust myself! )

... lil' Grandson will have fun with you

John

Wow ! Ron - you see me impressed, again ... [:p]

John