I have it not yet used. But what do you think reading Märklin's update informations here?

https://www.maerklin.de/...ate_1_4-0_info-02_en.pdf

page #6 (last page of the file) point #6 "BREAK"

And yes Märklin writes, you will save the tons of money, because this makro shall do what a break module does too.

Point 4: If it is digital, then it has to work. The work is controlled by the decoder less the motor.

Yes, it was a bit of a paradigm jump (even after translation).
the whole workflow of, priming the macro (i.e. WHEN and how to prime it) is valid but restrictive.
peripheral to the BRAKE macro itself , I have yet to here HOW to track (read) the loco from a CS3 object - until this is sorted out the Macro is useless for anything other one train (Useless = might as well use a PC)

No: the 72442 WILL work with any loco/decoder BUT will not allow control commands when in the stopped mode
Yes: functionally, but you have to control (specify/inherit) the loco address.

Your layout , your call

motor is irrelevant (relatively) - a decoder with its own inherent Dec(Acc) inertia is desirable


Stop (overrun) section is desirable, but not essential. some times if you have trains running in both directions the wiring may get unnecessarily complicated

Personally, I would not run the 72442 anyway. If the CS3 macros do not meet your needs use a PC

18cm (one piece of track is OK), if I have space I would use 2 pieces of track (360mm)

The "Macro" must be called from another (normal) event.

In doing so it is "primed" for use.
If you were thinking that the Macro was self contained and would "just work" when the first sensor is triggered. Think again.

There are some complex scenarios, but the below indicates the basics.

Concept:
The brake macro is setup to support 3 sensors. the first two are mandatory, the third is optional.
- S1 = is to indicate "brake" or more informatively "Slow to a crawl using the locos own inertia"
- S2 = stop
- S3 = emergency (sub) macro should the loco overshoot

Re "Container"
Not my choice of words but it is a placeholder for a parameter.
Containers
- LOCO : must be specified , even if (like all events) it inherits an overriding value from the Calling event.
- VMIN : this is the creep speed. This might be zero, but using, say, 10% means that the loco will slow to that speed but still creep to the STOP location
- FLAG : (appears to be mandatory) this allows for a separate "control sensor?" to set the brake macro to work even if the signal is Green. e.g. if you wanted the train to pause at a station even if the route was clear.
- SEMAPHORE : the Signal controlling the stop area, be it Semaphore or light
- S88 BRAKE : the sensor used to commence braking (S1 as described above)
- S88 STOP : the sensor used to bring the loco to a complete stop (S2)
- OVERLAP = OVERRUN sensor (S3) if triggered when signal is still red this will trigger the EMERGENCY Macro
- EMERGENCY : a separate event to handle an overrun condition - this might be something like setting the CS3 to Stop , or playing a sound/message.

In operation ..
once "primed" the FLAG and SEMAPHORE are immediately checked to see if a halt is expected. if these are both clear then the MACRO ENDS!!!
... it is no good "priming" the macro thinking that you can set the signal red later .
at S1 (and a red signal) the target loco is sent a command to change speed to VMIN : The CS3 remembers the original speed
at S2 (and a red signal) the target loco is sent a command to stop.
when the signal is set green, a command is sent to the target loco to return to the original speed..

Should the Signal be initially Red and the Macro primed and waiting, and then the signal goes Green before a loco arrives (before S1 triggered) then the Macro ends. Similarly, if the Flag was initially set to indicate a Halt, but is cleared before S1 is triggered, the Macro again Ends.


Notes: as mentioned. the Macro must be primed. I imagine this to be when the identified loco leaves a proceeding block. What I cannot workout is how to pick up the identifier from that block and parse it to the downstream brake module.
One other scenario, is for the macro to be primed at the same time whenever the signal turns red. because the macro "finishes" when the signal goes green this might appear to be the easiest implementation. however "which" loco d you prime it for !!

Ignorance and brute perseverance - hoping like hell that it should work somehow


Yes that makes sense. However other event logic is needed to select the Loco


Sort of.

The macro must be initially created with a loco of some sort. However in CS3 macros/events if they are called from another reference (e.g. a Loco function) it is that calling Locos address that is referenced.

The issue I was referring to was HOW to determine what the calling Loco address is. I am hopeful that somehow this can be picked up from the tracking ID that we can now right to the layout diagram. I just haven't worked out how ... yet


More or less yes.

The loco stops for all but the oldest of decoders (i.e. c90 onwards = ok) - the c80 will just truck through at high speed
There is no control over loco (sound / sights) when in stopped mode

Extra wiring is needed - even more if you want it to operate with bidirectional traffic.

I would suggest you request a copy of the manual that they will be supplying to such specialists. There must be documentation somewhere that they supply to allow them to make use of such features.

We will sell you a car; but we will not tell you how to start the engine or how to turn on the lights

Per.

P.S: And then you don't understand why people wants to buy an ECos

I have read the release notes and I am quite familiar with programming and digital technology. I have my doubts that Märklin is in this particular case customer-oriented. I was also asking whether a "Technik-Tipp" on the macros is considered. You can bet the answer. I guess such features should be made available not only to "specialist" but also to a wider range of customers.

I will come back to this thread after the brake macro has gone live on my track.

The information is in the help file. It clearly tells how to use the macro. Granted, it does not elaborate in great details, but there sure was enough for me to get it working and experimenting.

I also don't get that people think "not enough information is available". There is a comprehensive book, in English, and there is a lot of information in the help files on the device itself. What is it that you all want more?

You can't expect Märklin to update a book each time a new feature comes along. This is what the help files and Märklin Magazin is for. Märklin Magazin contains loads of information on how to use the CS3.

I think Märklin does more than any other manufacturer has ever done.

Thanks MaerklinLife,

I only did a review of the help files and didn't find anything on the Brake macro. Could you give me a more detailed hint of where those instructions are?

Cheers,

Harold.

Hello Harold,

your native tongue is English? So you know English much better as I do. Nevertheless I understand advanced in a way, a user often uses an article, get more used to it, finding more and more details, gaining trust in this article, which he uses than. A specialist for me is e.g. a software engineer with a special education. The ability to read, write and then of course does also understand the algorithm of a software. I do not know as to describe in English the differences in a better way, but to me are significant differences between advanced and specialist.

Here in the forum sometimes I am hit badly, while I ask and insist in a correct and exact wording. Here you see now one reason why I am doing this and its importance. This attitude was tought to me by my professors at university ages ago, while I had to write scientific theses. Sorry that I still keep this attitude up today.

Best Regards

Wolfgang

If you check the website of your CS3, you can read all the help files. You can also do it on the CS3 itself, but the website is easier (at least I think so).

The German pages generally contain more information as things takes time to be translated. But a Googly version is here:

"A BRAKE macro realizes in software the functions of a hardware brake module. It serves to stop the controlled locomotive at a stop signal.
The active BRAKE macro monitors the travel ranges or the S88 contacts braking distance B, holding range H and slip distance D. The BRAKE macro is influenced by the signal S and the pause flag P.

The operation of the BRAKE macro is as follows:

The locomotive to be controlled is located in the locomotive container. As with events, the BRAKE macro passes on the loco reference and controls the loco of the higher-level event.

The train control is started when the macro is running as soon as condition S is met and contact B is occupied. The macro itself can be started earlier, it waits for the fulfillment of these conditions with the start of the train control.

First, the current cruising speed is saved. Thereafter, the loco is slowed to the creeping speed defined in Container V. If a soft BV is active for the locomotive, this is used, otherwise the ABV of the decoder applies.

The locomotive will hopefully go at slow speed in the holding section. As soon as contact H occupies position 0 is sent. The train should now stop.

If she does not - contact D will be triggered. This will trigger the configured action. Useful here are GFP stop or an event that realizes what is now meaningful.

As a rule, the locomotive is in the stop section as planned. There it remains until the holding condition S goes out (e.g. signal goes back to green). Subsequently, the stored travel speed is sent to the locomotive.

The processing is terminated, either immediately or with the specified break.

If the pause flag P is set, the train will always stop. This is used to correct malfunctions or end of operation. The controlled locomotives come to a halt at the stops.

In the macro, elements can be omitted / not occupied. The changed behavior is:
Contact H: Instead of crawl speed, gear 0 is immediately sent to the locomotive.
Contact D or action item: There is no triggering of the action item. The same if only the action item is empty.

If a BRAKE macro is created but not started, it will not be active. The macro will only work when started in the context of another event."

Okay, here is what you do:

To set up a test of the brake macro you need the following:

1. A signal with a decoder (or at least a virtual one, meaning: if you don't have a signal, create one as if you had, it does not matter, the CS only uses the status internally).
2. At least two feedback contacts, S88
3. A control contact (create one from the article list)
4. Your CS3 must be in advanced mode (from the system menu turn on advanced events)

The brake macro:
- Lok container = Drag the loco here
- V min container = The crawl speed that the loco will reduce its speed to when hitting the contact in container B.
- Pause-Flag container = The override button that allows to stop all trains at their brake positions with the push of one button
- Signal container = Drag the signal in question here
- Brems S88 container = The first S88 contact that the train reaches goes here. When this is active, the train will start braking
- Halt S88 container = When the train reaches the contact in this container, it will stop
- D-Weg S88 container = If the train reaches this contact, something prevented the train from stopping and the event in the...
- Notaktion container = ...will be executed.

Consider a set up like this:

Direction of travel -->

====S88 Contact A === (brake section) ==== S88 Contact B === (stop section) ==== [Signal] === S88 Contact C (emergency section) ===

To use the brake macro:
1. Create an event, call it "Brake test" (or what ever).
2. Drag a locomotive to the event, set the locomotive speed.
3. Now add a brake macro by editing your event and click the plus sign in the event window (next to the name). In the menu scroll down to brake macro.
4. A brake macro is created. Find it in the event list and edit it.
5. Drag the same locomotive to the locomotive container. The locomotive container and the one next to it is filled. Set the speed to the speed (V container) you want the locomotive to crawl with towards its stop.
6. In the next container (the pause container) drag the control contact. This will ensure that the train will brake disregarding the status of the signal, giving you a chance to stop all trains by the click of one button. Just a feature.
7. Drag the signal to the signal container (next to the control contact)
8. Drag the first S88 contact that the train will reach to the B-container.
9. Drag the second S88 contact that the train will reach to the H-container.
10. If you want you can drag a contact after the signal to the D-Weg container, but it is not mandatory.
11. The Notaktion container is the task that is performed if the train skips the signal. Again, not mandatory. If you want, you can create a new event, throw an emergency stop in there, and drag the event into the Notaktion container.

Now put your loco on a path towards the signal, an start the "brake test" event.

The loco should run towards the signal and stop when it gets there, assuming the signal is red of course. When you turn the signal back to green the loco will continue.

Now, if the control contact is on (or off, I can't actually remember) the loco will ignore the state of the signal and stop anyway. You can experiment with that.

The brake macro is very basic and it cannot (at the time being) replace the original brake module if you ask me. Of course, you can do a lot of fiddling with events and create something that might be able to replace the brake module, but you will never achieve the same kind of flexibility with the features currently available. I am sure it will get there in time though, there are a lot of new features in the 1.4 updates that gives us a hint on what the future might hold.

I hope this gives you a better idea on how to use the brake macro. There is not more to it than the above.

Edited by user 20 March 2019 18:35:07(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Just noticed Søren from forum has made an excellent guide regarding the brake macro. Even though he is a Marklin consultant I appreciate his honesty when evaluating the usefulness of the new brake macro:

http://railway.zone/post...w-to-use-the-brake-macro

Best Regards
Lasse

Hi,
Thanks for the brake macro instructions, I now have a working brake macro! But I do have a question: for the EMERGENCY Macro, how does one set the CS3 to stop? I inserted an empty event called 'emergency stop' in the last container of the brake macro. But I cant figure out that event is supposed to set the CS3 stop button.
Thanks,
Chris

I spent my working life teaching secondary school students how to program and use computers and I know very little about trains, signals etc. and with only a basic smidging of electrics.

I initially came to Märklin digital wishing to implement what is here above, described as the 'specialist' aspect of using the CS3, and I can say now that as a 60+ retired teacher, that many of my school pupils would grasp very quickly these 'specialist' concepts, events and macros etc. which Märklin appears to have shrouded in the pdf under the guise of a specialist dark art!

There are such a great I.T. learning opportunities in aspects of control using this system, that it really surprises me that Märklin does not appear to be more strongly promoting them.

Using a Linux based CS3 box, they could open it up more and provide a more open structure to permit this learning to happen. Retaining a proprietary closed box is not the way to sustain a shrinking market. It seems to me that they may be trying to do this but haven't yet grasped the potential market that lays outside of their 60+ aged user base.

Get rid of the specialist tag and make it the norm, for now and for the future.

Hi PJMärklin

I know nothing of Dr. Tom Catherall other than from the link you provided.

However that was in 2014, now 2020 - I wonder what has Märklin done since then, either in Germany or elsewhere to involve students in education?

At the same time as the brake macro was introduced, the possibility to put the name of a locomotive to a name tag of an object on the trackplan was introduced. As soon as Märklin makes it possible to put the value of a name tag as the ID of a locomotive in a macro this limitation will be eliminated.

If I understand your description to mean "being able to read a label/register, as one of the commands available in the Event steps, and conditionally use that information" then I agree.

Not withstanding my earlier comment about pre-priming a section of a railroad for a train(locomotives) to use, It appears that modelers want to react rather than plan and being able to read out a block register, in addition to being able to load that register may be a sufficient compromise.