HI
I purchased 2 Viessmann 4558 switch motors with connected decoders.

I have an ESU Ecos command station and the instructions that come with the item makes no sense to me at all.

It says -

"5. Use the digital command station to send a point request for the desired DCC-address. The point motor receives the request, registers the address as its own and as a receipt, it switches the point. The point motor is now ready to be used with the new digital address. Whenever you want to change the address, you just have to repeat the described procedure. "

I have no idea what sending a point request means !!

I would greatly appreciate any expert help on these things thanks.

Regards

Greg

Hi Greg,

I understand your problem trying to understand the instructions. Once someone tells you how to do the process you will then understand the instructions written by the technicians. I've written a set of procedures for my own use and I'll gladly send them on to you, however, I tried to send you a PM but I wasn't successful in attaching the document, so if you send me your email address I can send it to you.

BTW, I've found the Viessmann motor/decoders to be far more reliable than the Marklin product.

Regards
Greg

No offence; but you're the only one thinking that this forum should be called "MUN"
and one of the very few who don't understand that we can talk about anything related
to our Märklin layouts, be it ESU's, Uhlenbrock, Viessmann, BRAWA, Lenz etc.

We have an administrator and we have moderators to take care of unwanted posts;
if you think that things here should be changed, please contact them if you're not
satisfied with a given post; instead of ruining other people's threads.

Per.

P.S: Märklin has just a few days ago opened the MFX-protocol and invited all manufacturers to be
part of a new group, so that everybody now can produce MFX compatible equipment.

Please tell Märklin if you think they shouldn't have done that.

Of course I do have a link for you. But I thought you remember this thread by yourself.

https://www.marklin-user...is-a-Marklin-users-forum



Indeed we are not very restrict, but problems with an Ecos and a Viessmann decoder probabely all on Roco 2-L tracks and Fleischmann locos and so on ... At a certain point it is a bit too much.

Antonio was correct in the first reply. I decided on Lenz LS150 decoder for my solenoids (as they control 6 instead of standard 4) and they operated the same way.
Press a button on the decoder so it 'listens' and then activate the turnout with the address you want from the CS2.

Dont get your logic. In the description of the product Viessmann 4558 it is a decoder specifically designed for use in Marklin/Trix C track. No one other than a Marklin (trix) User is likely to be remotely interested in it?

Well my post did spark a pretty bizarre fast moving commentary :)

I cant imagine why anyone would only buy Marklin made products to run their marklin 3 rail layout. They hardly hold the only record for smart inventiveness. The world is full of very smart companies who provide us 3 rail railroaders with amazing products to use on our layouts. A good example is Viessmann, LDT, ESU, Railroad software etc. etc. Its all part of running 3 rail with marklin products and rolling stock alongside all the other 3 rail producers like ROCO, Brawa, PECO etc etc.

Its what makes THIS forum such a great forum and why so many of us below to it. Thanks for your help everyone that helped. If there is one MArklin product that has always been substandard and the cause of annoying breakdown it was their decoders for C track and Viessmann not only set out to stop those problems but added realist slow movement and Railcom connectivity +++ to these new ones. SO as my Marklin once fail - out they go :)

Rgds

Greg

Greg you are 110% correct - I'm doing the same thing. As soon as the Marklin motor fails out it goes and I've got about 80 of them to replace. Naturally, I'm sending all the failed Marklin motors and decoders back to Marklin as I don't want to contaminate our landfill - Germany can deal with it.

So - Having successfully done this now - here are the full instructions in clear English for anyone that wants to use these lovely slow moving C track switch motors with built in decoders.

Your comment about the turnout already being set up as MM was the issue. As soon as I reset it to DXX Railcom the decoder responded.

For others who may be interested the issue around these decoders is the different wiring options printed in the instructions which are in fact muddled up between MM and DCC in the way its all written and the drawings they use - making it difficult to fathom in english.

They process is in fact very simple (if a bit fiddly) and can be done quickly with the motor and decoder installed in the turnout as follows:-

Step 1. - install the motor in same way as Marklin motor.

Step 2. - Because the decoder is already attached to the motor leave it hanging for the moment.

Step 3. - There are 4 wires coming from the decoder = 2 blue wires of which one has a red tube/sleeve slid on to it at one end and one has a green tube slid onto it.

In addition to the 2 blue wires there is one brown wire and one yellow wire.

Step 4. - All the wires have prepared pre soldered ends but no spade connectors yet so you can carry out the programming in several ways - meaning A.) not all the wires can be connected when the turnout is first connected to the layout track and also the first attempt may cause the turnout to move in the opposite way to whats shown on ECOS and therefore you need to switch wires about. SO here is the process.

Step 5. Without the turnout or decoder connected to the layout switch on ECOS.

With ECOS now on - go into your turnout accessory panel and either add a new turnout with its given number OR if you are replacing an existing broken turnout with one of these - check that turnout is set in DCC Railcom mode. (these decoders are Railcom compliant)

Step 6. - SWITCH OFF ECOS !! There must be no power to the rails for the next step.

Step 7. There any number of ways of doing the next step as far how you join wires together but here is how I and others did it.

With the motor installed and the decoder hanging solder a spade connector to SPARE piece of brown wire about 80mm long and slot it onto the outside rails tab in your turnout track and screw a standard marklin wire push in pin connector to the other end.

Step 8. Cut a piece of spare red wire 80mm long to make access easy and solder one spade connector to one end and connect to the middle rail tab on your turnout and at the other end screw a standard marklin wire push in pin connector to it. (these are the ones with a little hole in their sides so you can connect another one to it and so on to piggy back several together. )(they come with new turnouts)

Step 9. - Take the yellow wire coming from the decoder and screw a marklin connector to its end and push it into the connector on the end of your spare RED piece of wire (that is now connected to the middle rail spade)

Step 10. - take the blue wire with the RED tube/sleeve and screw a connector to its end and connect that to the one on the end of the yellow wire (you now have the yellow wire and the blue/red wire connected to the spare red wire and the middle rail)

Step 11. - You now have ONE unconnected wire - the other blue wire with the green tube/sleeve. In readiness add a connector to it - BUT do not connect it to anything yet. IT will be connected to the spare brown wire that is already connected to the outside rails)

Step 12. - With ECOS switch OFF - Connect the turnout to the layout track anywhere and switch on ECOS.

Step 13. With ECOS now switched ON - connect the Blue/green wire to the spare brown brown wire.

Step 14. - It is now set up to program. Because these decoders have a built in automated self learning program - to program your decoder now - all you have to do is select the turnout panel as normal and press the turnout you want it to be just as though its already part of you layout and that very act of sending a "switch" instruction (and because its the ONLY decoder currently connected to your layout in this state of new mode - it will automatically pickup the command and switch and be programmed at the same time. (It is possible that after you have sent the command the first time - you may have to switch off ECOS and restart it - before the turnout responds.

AFTER its programmed AND working - Watch the turnout to see if it moves in the direction shown on you ECOS panel. IF it moves in the opposite direction then unplug the blue/green wire from the spare brown wire and plug it into the yellow/blue-red wires and try again - it should now respond in the same direction as ECOS shows.

Once done - remove the turnout from the layout and unplug all the wires that are connected together with connectors and remove the connectors.

Now solder the open wires to the spade connectors of the spare brown and spare red wires as you finally had them connected just before you disconnected it from the layout - and once soldered - snip off the spare lengths on the red and brown wires.

The decoder does not screw into the C track it just sits there and you will need to snip off a little piece of plastic spindle that gets in the way of sitting it easily in place and use blue tack or similar Plasticine/moulding type material to hold it in place.

Sounds long winded and complex but its not once you have done one.

Regards

Greg