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jonquinn		#1 Posted : 06 September 2007 21:10:42(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,591 Location: Pennsylvania		has there been any news from Viessmann yet on when they plan to (finally) release the Commander to the market? maybe some of the people going to this modellbahn treff will hear some news (I see it is mostly/all marklin) - but maybe someone can find something out.
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jonquinn		#2 Posted : 07 September 2007 01:22:43(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,591 Location: Pennsylvania		well I hope they can actually do this someday soon. I won't be one of the first to jumpin and buy one, but I will wait for reviews to see how it compares against the Ecos as far as user friendliness or reliability goes. I will buy the Ecos or Commander because I want a digital control station that can run both marklin digital and DCC formats (for some US locos I plan to convert to 3-rail).
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jonquinn		#3 Posted : 11 May 2008 06:33:31(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,591 Location: Pennsylvania		I see some shops (like Plavnostruev) have the Viessmann Commander is stock now. So what is the opinion of those of you store owners or workers who have had a chance to try this piece of equipment out? Is it superior to Ecos in terms of ease of use of functionality? thanks
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Bigdaddynz		#4 Posted : 11 May 2008 07:07:18(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 17/09/2006(UTC) Posts: 18,772 Location: New Zealand		There was a rumour on the Marklin Bar and Grill recently that the Commander would get mfx before the Ecos did. Haven't heard of that being confirmed from anywhere else.
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Wissels		#5 Posted : 11 May 2008 15:57:12(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 03/12/2004(UTC) Posts: 92 Location: ,		Hello Bigdaddynz, yes the Viessmann recognized the Mfx locs, but there is not a specialised protocol to drive locs with a Mfx decoder, just only with 14 steps Motorola to drive them. And just only 5 functions on one adress. The Ecos is smarter here, you can automaticly use 9 functions with the last 4 functions on the next locadress. Greetings, Walter
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Goofy		#6 Posted : 11 May 2008 18:05:49(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 12/08/2006(UTC) Posts: 9,278		I suggest here that Viessmanns Commander is not really hot yet by to bying it.Just wait so far until information has been presented and you can see,if it is worth to buy it. Uhlenbrocks latest news about digitalsystem are Intellibox II,second generation that are perhaps more worth to wait for it...! Goofy "Waiting for the Intellibox II"
		H0 DCC = Digital Command Control
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plavnostruev		#7 Posted : 12 May 2008 02:42:37(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 18/11/2004(UTC) Posts: 756 Location: New Jersey, USA		Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by jonquinn <br />I see some shops (like Plavnostruev) have the Viessmann Commander is stock now. So what is the opinion of those of you store owners or workers who have had a chance to try this piece of equipment out? Is it superior to Ecos in terms of ease of use of functionality? thanks Hi Jon, I received German version short while back and just now received instructions how to convert it to English. Several more Commanders on the way in English already. I'll be sure to post a report, this is very exciting! Mike
		www.euromodeltrains.com
		WWW
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Wissels		#8 Posted : 12 May 2008 02:44:36(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 03/12/2004(UTC) Posts: 92 Location: ,		Hello Goofy, did they realy announced when the IB next generation is coming? Then already announced an update for the IB is there into 2 weeks they always say, the first announcement of 2 years ago, and it is still not there. I don't believe in them annymore, and also the reset bug is not fixed. Greetins, Walter
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jonquinn		#9 Posted : 12 May 2008 04:38:40(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,591 Location: Pennsylvania		I'm not any sort of digital expert, so how will these units (Ecos or Commander) work with mfx or fx locomotives with lots of functions, like the big boy, california zephyr or maybe the new catenary maintenance railcar? Is it as simple for all of them by entering two addresses - I know it should be possible for some, but is there a limit to how many functions? I thought I had seen notes about the catenary railcar about only being able to run all of the functions with the CS.
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mmervine		#10 Posted : 12 May 2008 04:56:15(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 30/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 1,894 Location: Keene, NH		John: I can speak for the ECoS. Currently Marklin is using ESU MFX sound decoders. If register 75 is set to the next sequential address, 9 functions are available. With my catenary vehicle, I set the adress to 69 and the secondary to 70 (the FX decoder for the plattform is 70). This gave me access to 9 functions. Unfortunately a couple of the F1-F8 functions are not used. One day I will try to reprogram the decoder and move some sounds to these unused functions. I hope this helps. r/mark
		Märklin C-track, Marklin Digital & ECoS, multi-era French & Swiss http://www.ete-ene.org/m...mervines-layout-gallery/
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Goofy		#11 Posted : 13 May 2008 22:12:14(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 12/08/2006(UTC) Posts: 9,278		Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by Wissels <br />Hello Goofy, did they realy announced when the IB next generation is coming? Then already announced an update for the IB is there into 2 weeks they always say, the first announcement of 2 years ago, and it is still not there. I don't believe in them annymore, and also the reset bug is not fixed. Greetins, Walter Hello Walter...! Uhlenbrock did this time presented an infoside in the link,that Intellibox II will been arrived out at year 2009. And it´s not only that,there is an picture of the new Intellibox II. But so far only one picture... [V] Goofy
		H0 DCC = Digital Command Control
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viragoLDR		#12 Posted : 14 May 2008 13:07:03(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 12/01/2005(UTC) Posts: 703 Location: ,		Intellibox2 is an interesting idea really, but I wouldn't compare it to CS/ECoS/Commander. It's a different kind of controller, aimed at a different user group. I'm still considering getting a Commander. I'll be in Kiel this saturday, where there's supposed to be a train store at the Karstad building that happens to be an official Viessmann dealer. Might have a look there.
		- Martijn (early planning : H0-scale Era I K.Bay.sts.b) (active planning : N-scale mixed late Era Japanese) (possibly something Z-scale as well ;))
		WWW
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Lars Westerlind		#13 Posted : 14 May 2008 22:20:58(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 19/10/2001(UTC) Posts: 2,379 Location: Lindome, Sweden		Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by Hemmerich <br /> Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by jonquinn <br />I'm not any sort of digital expert, so how will these units (Ecos or Commander) work with mfx or fx locomotives with lots of functions, like the big boy, california zephyr or maybe the new catenary maintenance railcar? Hi Jon, only with certain limitations. Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote: Is it as simple for all of them by entering two addresses - I know it should be possible for some, but is there a limit to how many functions? I thought I had seen notes about the catenary railcar about only being able to run all of the functions with the CS. Two MM digital addresses give you max. 9 functions (light and f1-f8). The catenary railcar consists of a "loco" which is equipped with a mfx sound decoder and a "maintenance platform" which is equipped with a dedicated fx decoder. In order to use it with a non-mfx central station like the commander (or ECoS) you'll need three MM addresses and still would not be able to control everything possible with a CS. Independent from any unconfirmed B&G rumors (which is no surprise) there is currently only one mfx system controller -&gt; the CS (and as a "starter" the MS). True of course, but reality could as well be described as: - all existing control equipment, CS, Intellibox, 6021, whatever, need at least two adresses to control the IMHO important functions: motor sound, bell, raising pantograph, working bridge etc. - third adress, or mfx, gives access to extra sounds as always. The ones available by third Motorola adress IMHO are very poor; should sound like sounds from workers working with the catenary, but I don't think it does. It sounds like recorded in some kind of mechanical workshop. I mapped the third adress for my car, but never use it. This seems to be the usual case with mfx; there ARE extra sounds sometimes available at secondary address, sometimes only with CS. But they are not very important, again, IMHO and with my limited experience. Some sounds are not good, some sounds are heard anyway randomly and spontaneously. I have never missed the CS so far, except perhaps when programming the new mfx locos; but I guess this is best done with ESU LokProgrammer anyway. /Lars
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David Dewar		#14 Posted : 14 May 2008 23:46:46(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 7,459 Location: Scotland		Why is it better to programme using ESU programmer and not the CS. Why spend the extra cash. David
		Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
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Lars Westerlind		#15 Posted : 15 May 2008 21:53:16(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 19/10/2001(UTC) Posts: 2,379 Location: Lindome, Sweden		I've not studied it David, but normally ESU would provide more thorough access, including the better user interface of a computer, and Märklin would provide the more restricted possibilities, with the benefit of easiness. As always, "better" is a matter of the user; for me "better" means more functionality and flexibility. /Lars
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David Dewar		#16 Posted : 15 May 2008 22:03:20(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 7,459 Location: Scotland		I usually programme locos while they are sitting on the track using the CS. So far it changes any CVs that I wanted to change. david
		Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
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plavnostruev		#17 Posted : 16 May 2008 08:29:08(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 18/11/2004(UTC) Posts: 756 Location: New Jersey, USA		Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by Hemmerich <br />Since this thread is mainly intended to discuss the Viessmann Commander and its current state, here's a link which describes quite fair the current (unfortunate) situation (German text). Needless to say, with a continuation of the "one man show", this product will barely succeed long term. http://kreativ-innovativ.de/for...42&i=1678&t=1678 Lutz, I am shocked by your post and insinuations about validity and long term prospects of Viessmann Commander! [:0] (gasp!). I mean, you, of all members here, you always demonstrated willingness to accept faults and imperfections in Marklin products, in particular in half baked CS when it finally emerged, and about that "unfortunate situation" as you say, when ESU dropped CS development and most of promised functionality was nowhere to be found and how it was slowly trickling in... I thought you would understand that Commander will, in time, deliver all the goods just like CS, errr, finally did... Why would you choose to add oil to a flame to instill doubts in minds of potential buyers of non-Marklin products - I will never know. [:o)] Not once did you ever came across as stodgy defender of all Marklin problems, not even once suggested superiority of Marklin wood uncouplers over generic brands, or such, so give The Commander a break, will you? I mean current situation with CS is much more "fortunate", except to say that there aren't any I can sell to customers at the moment.[}:)] Mike
		www.euromodeltrains.com
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viragoLDR		#18 Posted : 16 May 2008 10:27:14(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 12/01/2005(UTC) Posts: 703 Location: ,		Well, several people posting that the Commander isn't usable is hardly a reason for it to not succeed long term. I haven't seen the thing yet, haven't played with it either, but personally I've never seen the commander as a central to control large layouts, unless they allow for full computer control of the layout through the commander (something which up until now they've said they're not planning I believe.) What the commander is in my eyes, and the reason I'm considering buying one, is a system to connect to semi-permanent layouts. With C-track, Kato Unitrack and Tomix Finetrack it's quite easy to quickly set up a layout, with everything digitally controlled. Depending on where you build the layout, you could have it around for maybe a week or 2, or a month for example. After that you take it apart and build a different trackplan. For situations such as those I think the commander is actually quite interesting. For a large layout I would go for a more proven system such as Lenz Digital Plus or the whole Intellibox setup. I personally wouldn't use a commander, or a CS in its current state for that matter, for a large layout.
		- Martijn (early planning : H0-scale Era I K.Bay.sts.b) (active planning : N-scale mixed late Era Japanese) (possibly something Z-scale as well ;))
		WWW
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David Dewar		#19 Posted : 16 May 2008 14:09:33(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 7,459 Location: Scotland		ESU with their ECOS must be enjoying the fact the the Commander and the CS are not available at present. How Marklin can put up with ESU is beyond me. They sell their own version of the CS but are not able to supply M with CS. As for boosters...we can send men to the moon but cant make a toy train accessory. If I was in charge of Uhlenbrock I would be after the Marklin folk to let me supply their decoders and a new (Backwords compatible) version of the CS with the promise of good quality and a constant supply. The commander on paper looks OK but we have to see it first before making comments on how good/poor it is. Mike : As a dealer it must be most annoying not to have a CS to sell or any new mega start sets which I am sure would have been successful. David
		Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
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fvri		#20 Posted : 16 May 2008 15:06:44(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 07/10/2002(UTC) Posts: 773 Location: Zwevezele,		Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by David Dewar <br />As for boosters...we can send men to the moon but cant make a toy train accessory. Did we actually send men to the moon?[}:)] Today... I say a lot to my collegues the way we are working now in our firm we can never send anymore men to the moon and we are called a high tech firm. I also think NASA's Shuttle program proves it in some way. The days of Werner Von Braun are no longer... First impressions about the Commander by my dealer weren't that good! He was one of the first getting it in his store. Frank
		http://users.telenet.be/loccommander
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plavnostruev		#21 Posted : 16 May 2008 17:31:20(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 18/11/2004(UTC) Posts: 756 Location: New Jersey, USA		Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by Hemmerich I wonder that you're not shocked too that the Commander development progress (and thus success) is depending upon just one single resource, Mr. Fuhs (who is well known from his former M�rklin time). My rather extensive experience as a software architect and developer teaches that the fewer competent people are involved in the project, the higher the chance of success. Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote: PS: My local dealers here appear to have sufficient CS's to sell; including starter sets, regardless whether they're still complete or ripped apart (not much different than what can be seen also on ebay). It looks like they have adequately planned in advance for their estimated customer demand. Lutz, I will be sure to attend advanced planning seminar on my next trip to Germany. As to eBay, would you be so kind to point out a single CS being offered on American eBay site please? Clearly, sellers on eBay are just as bad at advanced planning as yours truly. Mike
		www.euromodeltrains.com
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David Dewar		#22 Posted : 16 May 2008 18:08:13(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 7,459 Location: Scotland		Hi Mike Having looked at the German dealers that I buy from, and they are the better known ones with larger turnovers, they have no CS s in stock and have not had for while. There are also no new starter sets although one might have had an old Swiss starter set from 2007. Meanwhile i am sure you will be able to sell ECOS until Marklin get their act togther and do some advance planning in order to hold stocks to supply their dealers. Hope your business is going strong and the present ecomomic downturn is not having an adverse effect. David
		Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
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mmervine		#23 Posted : 16 May 2008 18:53:52(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 30/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 1,894 Location: Keene, NH		Keep in mind that the ECoS was out of stock here in the US for quite some time. I had to wait a few months to get mine. Hopefully the new batch of CS are in production now. r/mark
		Märklin C-track, Marklin Digital & ECoS, multi-era French & Swiss http://www.ete-ene.org/m...mervines-layout-gallery/
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nevw		#24 Posted : 17 May 2008 02:14:58(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 27/08/2005(UTC) Posts: 11,071 Location: Murrumba Downs QLD		My lips are sealed.
		NOt wearing the Pink Pinny, which is hard to see and now I have a white Pinny which also is hard to see against MY pure white Skin Still have 2 new shiny tin Hips that is badly in Need of Repair matching rusting tin shoulders and a hose pipe on the aorta Junior member of the Banana Club, a reformist and an old Goat with a Bad memory, loafing around
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Tivvy		#25 Posted : 17 May 2008 05:40:22(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 01/02/2008(UTC) Posts: 414 Location: Melbourne, Victoria		From the Viessmann site: "Viessmann's Commander is now available. The new and innovative digital command station is now available. You'll find more information in our prospect. Please ask your local dealer."
		Ep IV / V Marklin Layout 6 track dead end station, twin track loop, 4 track through station. Under construction.
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jonquinn		#26 Posted : 18 May 2008 19:37:06(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,591 Location: Pennsylvania		marklin must be having quality or production problems with the factory in China or Hong Kong that is now building the CS for them - maybe that's why they are in such short demand. well - it will be the Ecos or the Commander for me. But I'm waiting for Mike's (and some others) assessment of how the Commander works for them before I buy something, probably later this year. I thought Viessmann is making this thing so that it will be expandable with older systems and PC control, like Ecos?
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viragoLDR		#27 Posted : 18 May 2008 22:14:31(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 12/01/2005(UTC) Posts: 703 Location: ,		One thing to remember is that a lot of people writing in forums only do so when they have something to whine about, or when something doesn't work (regardless of whether it's the manufacturer's fault or their own). Seldomly will you see a post on a support forum that contains positive feedback. Complaining is easier than complimenting ..
		- Martijn (early planning : H0-scale Era I K.Bay.sts.b) (active planning : N-scale mixed late Era Japanese) (possibly something Z-scale as well ;))
		WWW
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jonquinn		#28 Posted : 19 May 2008 04:28:17(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,591 Location: Pennsylvania		also being a little conspiratorial, I thought all the dates on the commander bashing link were dated the same (april 8) to be a bit odd. maybe the same person wrote all the notes? in any case I am very interested to see what others who are more experienced with other command stations have to say about the Commander, and how it stacks up against the CS (although being made exclusively for Marklin systems, seems dated in its technology and display), the Ecos, and Commander. and maybe even systems controlled with something like win-digipet.
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plavnostruev		#29 Posted : 21 May 2008 21:02:51(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 18/11/2004(UTC) Posts: 756 Location: New Jersey, USA		I have several Commanders on the way, which are already updated to latest 1.016 version with English, French and Dutch languages. The one and only unit in my shop so far arrived with old version 1.014. Upon opening the box I was greeted to unpleasant fact that the unit shipped with European power cord [:(!] Let's see what happens with other units... Transformer, with which Commander comes with, can handle US 110V, you just need one of them adapter thingies which accepts european cord and plugs into 110V electric outlet. Updating Commander to new versions is a snap - you connect it to PC with USB cable, install a driver (either from http://www.viessmann-com...iten/Software-Update.htm web site or from included CD, then you download latest and greatest release update onto you PC from same web site, bring Commander to software update mode from touch screen menus, run update program on PC and Commander gets updated and shuts down by itself. Next time you bring it up - presto, all updated OK, it actually worked on the third try, and Mr. Fuhs told me that there are some issues with the driver which are being addressed and suggested that I try again, and, sure enough, it worked. This is pretty much as far as I have gotten so far. It takes Commander about 10 seconds to start up () and shutdown is fast as well. Screen is absolutely brilliant with vivid colors and, importantly, it still looks great even at a steep angle (with sun glare to boot) . To be continued. Mike
		www.euromodeltrains.com
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dntower85		#30 Posted : 21 May 2008 23:54:54(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 08/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 2,218 Location: Shady Shores, TX - USA		it looks good. I'm surprised at how well the small screen looks.
		DT Now powered by ECoS II unit#2, RocRail era - some time in the future when the space time continuum is disrupted and ICE 3 Trains run on the same rails as the Adler and BR18's.
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mmervine		#31 Posted : 22 May 2008 03:18:08(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 30/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 1,894 Location: Keene, NH		Mike: Thanks for the information on the Commander! r/mark
		Märklin C-track, Marklin Digital & ECoS, multi-era French & Swiss http://www.ete-ene.org/m...mervines-layout-gallery/
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sdh		#32 Posted : 22 May 2008 07:25:00(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 23/04/2008(UTC) Posts: 34 Location: India		Looks amazingly good. I am sure it will set precedence for other mfrs. (like Maerklin and ESU) also to work towards color screens. I was just wondering what is that design around the screen border. Is there some functional reason behind that. Others have quick access buttons there.
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fvri		#33 Posted : 22 May 2008 10:33:14(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 07/10/2002(UTC) Posts: 773 Location: Zwevezele,		Yes, indeed it looks great. I think there is also the possibility to link it to an external display which allows you to handle big(ger) layouts. Now, I can retire with LocCommander. No need for that anymore. Frank
		http://users.telenet.be/loccommander
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plavnostruev		#34 Posted : 23 May 2008 04:13:31(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 18/11/2004(UTC) Posts: 756 Location: New Jersey, USA		Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by sdh <br /> I was just wondering what is that design around the screen border. Is there some functional reason behind that. Others have quick access buttons there. Those grooves are guides for your fingers to slide and touch menu button around screen edge. Mike
		www.euromodeltrains.com
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mmervine		#35 Posted : 23 May 2008 05:43:20(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 30/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 1,894 Location: Keene, NH		Mike has the user manual on his web-site. Even though I have an ECoS, it was interesting to look at. Frank...do not give up on LocCommander. I am still trying to find the time to give it a test! mark
		Märklin C-track, Marklin Digital & ECoS, multi-era French & Swiss http://www.ete-ene.org/m...mervines-layout-gallery/
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xxup		#36 Posted : 23 May 2008 07:32:21(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/03/2003(UTC) Posts: 9,595 Location: Australia		That screen looks beautiful... I already have an eCOS, but maybe one day..... Thanks for the information Mike.. I am keen to hear more...
		Adrian Australia flag by abFlags.com
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DasBert33		#37 Posted : 23 May 2008 15:47:10(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 21/01/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,274		How stable does it run and/or how much functions does it support? I got to play with a commander once a few months ago and it was buggy as hell. You could even crash the system by just selecting a loco. It must have been improved by now but I wonder how much. The screen is very nice though but then I don't like the feel of the control knobs (with their mechanical stop with enable function). How does it compare to ecos/cs in terms of pricing? Bert
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plavnostruev		#38 Posted : 28 May 2008 19:25:33(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 18/11/2004(UTC) Posts: 756 Location: New Jersey, USA		<font face="Book Antiqua] Hi All, I found a little time over long weekend here in the States to play with Commander and here I am with a broad smile on my face to report on my progress I put together very small C track layout with two sidings and 5 digital turnouts and found trusty old M* Re460 from one of starter sets to drive around (needless to say I forgot its address long ago). Commander manual suggests putting any digital loco on the test track and claims to recognize its address for you. Sounds like a dream, but it is a reality - after about 15 seconds a pop up window appeared with locos digital address correctly identified . Commander has what seems like an infinite library of loco images to choose from and you assign that image to the loco, slap a free text label on it, go through sub-menus to identify what functions it has (lights, sounds, etc) and associate these functions with nice icons and you are all set; just place loco on the main track and its good to go Also, Commander will display all CV values for you and you can quickly change your settings and save changes back to the decoder. It also has several preset acceleration curves to chose from or it will allow you to fully customize loco's characteristics. Of course, the "meat" of the Commander is the full layout control. But to do that, one needs to master the art of graphical layout editing using Commander's touch screen editor. All your layout elements are there - straight/curve track, manual and digital turnouts, feedback points, train location indicators, route start and end points and signals. It took me about 20 minutes to put together graphical representation of my layout as seen below. Nothing fancy and the process was painless and fun. Once diagram is setup, you click on a turnout (switch) to select it and go to edit its address and digital format (Motorola, DCC). After all turnouts have been so programmed, you exit layout editor and now you can drive your loco and switch turnouts by just clicking on them and choosing direction. Screen will show you exactly which way turnouts are situated by highlighting direction of travel in yellow. Next I wanted to set a route and get the Commander to drive the train for me, but I run into unpleasant problem when I turned Commander on - its touch screen calibration got out of whack somehow and I could not press and select any of the menus on the right side... [xx(] There is calibration setting, turns out, and after going through the procedure (you click on four predefined circles one after another) the problem has gone away (and has not returned thus far). I had another issue to overcome which required a call to Viessmann - English manual is a bit skimpy on detail (and the [}:)] is in the details, of course). To setup route, or to get Commander to tell you where your train is at the moment, you need to edit your layout and add some route specific elements: route start and destination points and also train "placeholders", where Commander will display train location based on feedback. Icons were not very intuitive, but a quick call straighted everything out. You enter route editor and, basically, go through 10 menu screens where you indicate your starting and ending points, events to occur along the way (based on feedback), such as turnout switching and loco behavior, and also the route mode: from fully automatic, where Commander does everything for you, to semi-automatic and manual models, where it only does turnout switching and you do the driving. It has very cool feature called route illumination; just like train dispatchers in the control room see trains on the network, Commander will show you the progress of your train along the route! Finally, you have an option to lock out other routes you may have setup while your current route is active (to prevent conflicts ...err collisions). And that is as far as I have gotten. I can select my route by clicking on its starting point and Commander will take care of all switching for me. Next up: s88 feedback. I want to integrate several circuit tracks into the layout and get Commander to utilize feedback to control train movement and also to see that route "illumination" in practice. Aside from touch screen re-calibration and a need for icons clarification, I did not run into any issues with the Commander and can only say what has already been said - this thing is pure joy and it is light years ahead of anything on the market today. Until next installment! Mike </font id="Book Antiqua]
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Goofy		#39 Posted : 28 May 2008 21:43:24(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 12/08/2006(UTC) Posts: 9,278		Does Commander have possible by using with slowmotion turnouts switchmotor like Tortoiesmotor...? I mean also by programming totally amount of switching standing of time like about 3-4 seconds...? So i can using Tortoiesmotor under slowmotion acting. Goofy
		H0 DCC = Digital Command Control
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dntower85		#40 Posted : 28 May 2008 22:00:11(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 08/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 2,218 Location: Shady Shores, TX - USA		Thanks for the info Mike, Its sounds most promising, I wonder how well the progress along the route actually works with out s88 feedback, It must be estimating the speed and predicting where the train should be, cool, but on a long section of track with slight grades and a old Delta loc, I can't see that this would do very well. So is the old Re460 an old delta loc or digital? I wonder how it can recognize that the address has been found unless the Commander is monitoring the current. maybe it uses current monitoring to help predict where the loc is?????
		DT Now powered by ECoS II unit#2, RocRail era - some time in the future when the space time continuum is disrupted and ICE 3 Trains run on the same rails as the Adler and BR18's.
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David Dewar		#41 Posted : 28 May 2008 22:01:46(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 7,459 Location: Scotland		Mike Many thanks for your info which is indeed most interesting. This makes my CS look a bit old. Can you tell me if the Commander has automatic end to end running which i feel is useful. Many thanks david PS by recognising an address this looks similar to mfx.
		Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
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clapcott		#42 Posted : 28 May 2008 23:26:34(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 12/12/2005(UTC) Posts: 2,448 Location: Wellington, New_Zealand		Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by David Dewar PS by recognising an address this looks similar to mfx. not really. This technique has been around for quite a while and requires dedicated use of the programing track. The general process involves stepping through every possible address and attempting to activate a function and/or move the loco while monitoring the change in current draw. As such there is the possibility for mis diagnosis but generally it is reliable For true bidirectional detection systems, of which mfx is but one, the controller sends a broadcast command "anybody (new) out there" and the decoder(s) actively responding. Can be done on a layout with multiple other decoders.
		Peter
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David Dewar		#43 Posted : 29 May 2008 00:45:31(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 7,459 Location: Scotland		Thanks Peter. I had missed the fact that a programme track was required but the controller does look interesting. David
		Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
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mmervine		#44 Posted : 29 May 2008 02:15:09(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 30/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 1,894 Location: Keene, NH		Mike: Nice report! It is amazing how far train control has come in the past few years. r/mark
		Märklin C-track, Marklin Digital & ECoS, multi-era French & Swiss http://www.ete-ene.org/m...mervines-layout-gallery/
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plavnostruev		#45 Posted : 29 May 2008 02:26:11(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 18/11/2004(UTC) Posts: 756 Location: New Jersey, USA		Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by Goofy <br />Does Commander have possible by using with slowmotion turnouts switchmotor like Tortoiesmotor...? I mean also by programming totally amount of switching standing of time like about 3-4 seconds...? So i can using Tortoiesmotor under slowmotion acting. Goofy Yes, indeed it offers this function when setting up your turnouts; forgot to mention it! Mike
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Rowan		#46 Posted : 29 May 2008 03:31:55(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 09/04/2006(UTC) Posts: 1,278 Location: Brisbane, Queensland		Thanks plavnostruev , very informative!
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jonnymac		#47 Posted : 01 July 2008 18:42:30(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 17/01/2004(UTC) Posts: 136 Location: ,		Mike - any update to your experiences with the Commander? Jonnymac
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jonquinn		#48 Posted : 13 July 2008 01:27:35(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,591 Location: Pennsylvania		how goes it with the Commander evaluation? Is it still performing reliably, or full of bugs as the naysayers claim? So far this seems to be the system for me, but I'll have to save up for it for a little while.
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plavnostruev		#49 Posted : 18 July 2008 23:59:11(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 18/11/2004(UTC) Posts: 756 Location: New Jersey, USA		Quote: [size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by jonquinn <br />how goes it with the Commander evaluation? Is it still performing reliably, or full of bugs as the naysayers claim? So far this seems to be the system for me, but I'll have to save up for it for a little while. I was quite busy with different projects and have not been able to make more headway with the Commander until now. One stumbling block that I hit was s88 feedback - neither Marklin s88 nor Viessmann own 5217 s88 feedback decoder processed signals from circuit tracks when connected to Commander; turns out I had improper ground (this was just discussed on the Forum in another thread). So now I am past that and will, hopefully, continue my report. Commander is still working just fine; there are several important resources out there (aside from your intrepid reporter) - Viessmann has English speaking hotline setup which operates twice a week from noon till 2pm NY time. Also, there is a Viessmann forum which is monitored by Mr. Fuhs & CO and where one can post questions in English. So, what is Viessmann working on nowadays to make the Commander even better? They are busy allowing users to import images of their rare locos into the Commander that are not in the database already. A customer of mine came up with a great idea: Viessmann should make available upload files of various layout diagrams found in numerous Marklin publications - no need to manually enter layouts into Cammander's layout editor! I hope to add another report dealing with feedback and shuttle trains operations shortly. Mike
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jonquinn		#50 Posted : 19 July 2008 00:53:43(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,591 Location: Pennsylvania		how large/complex of a layout - in terms of turnouts or switches and signals - is it possible to control from the Commander screen? Is it limited to smaller sized layouts (that's all I have seen in any photos or publications so far)? I was wonderign if for larger layouts the screen/image can be shrunk down, or scroll to a representation of a smaller section of a bigger layout? Not that I am in that position at all yet, but wondering about expandability.
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