 Joined: 22/08/2018(UTC) Posts: 99 Location: Essex
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I have noticed that since installing the last update a new macro is supplied as a control called “Block”. It appears to be something to do with signalling. Does anyone have any idea on how to make use of it? John Edited by user 27 April 2021 10:18:41(UTC)
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 Joined: 04/02/2011(UTC) Posts: 3,555 Location: Paris, France
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Hi John I just set my CS3 into the extended mode for events. The CS3 has the last version 2.2.0 (5) I am far of being a specialist and I can only see the following macros: * the AND macro * the OR macro * the macro IF * the macro LOOP * the macro RANDOM * the macro SHUTTLE I can't find a macro named BLOCK I found a video (German) explaining the functioning of the above macros I can't go any further because I have my CS3 but my layout (with Link 88) is far away AND I do all my logic work using Rocrail sorry. So to answer your question there seems to be no Block macro Cheers Jean |
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Joined: 22/08/2018(UTC) Posts: 99 Location: Essex
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Originally Posted by: JohnjeanB  Hi John I just set my CS3 into the extended mode for events. The CS3 has the last version 2.2.0 (5) I am far of being a specialist and I can only see the following macros: * the AND macro * the OR macro * the macro IF * the macro LOOP * the macro RANDOM * the macro SHUTTLE I can't find a macro named BLOCK I found a video (German) explaining the functioning of the above macros I can't go any further because I have my CS3 but my layout (with Link 88) is far away AND I do all my logic work using Rocrail sorry. So to answer your question there seems to be no Block macro Cheers Jean The Block macro can be found at the end of the list of events or if you are in the edit mode for events by clicking on the edit options you will find a new item called control which leads to "Block". The block macro has 5 containers. See the enclosed screens.   
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 Joined: 12/12/2005(UTC) Posts: 2,448 Location: Wellington, New_Zealand
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Originally Posted by: John Ferguson Does anyone have any idea on how to make use of it? Now that is a leading question .... As per my comments in Nov, when this was first seen, I still think this is an incomplete deployment. Re usage, it uses the same containers system as the other macros, possibly with the one addition of a newish next/last block container. The paradigm for all these macros takes some work to try and understand, partially because they have expected potential that is not implemented Like most other macros you have to try and observe |
Peter
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Joined: 22/08/2018(UTC) Posts: 99 Location: Essex
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Originally Posted by: clapcott Originally Posted by: John Ferguson Does anyone have any idea on how to make use of it? Now that is a leading question .... As per my comments in Nov, when this was first seen, I still think this is an incomplete deployment. Re usage, it uses the same containers system as the other macros, possibly with the one addition of a newish next/last block container. The paradigm for all these macros takes some work to try and understand, partially because they have expected potential that is not implemented Like most other macros you have to try and observe Maybe you're right about being incomplete because unlike other macros there is no help file for it. John Edited by moderator 11 April 2022 11:49:41(UTC)
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Joined: 04/02/2011(UTC) Posts: 3,555 Location: Paris, France
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Hi
Here is the little I understood about these macros and the BLOCK macro. I may very well be wrong. Just trying to find.
You may create an event that calls for a macro. If fact it create a second event (SHUTTLE, IF, AND, BLOCK,..) allowing to provide all the details of the macro.
BLOCK macro (created using "CONTROL" macro
It creates 5 containers for the following information:
* signal IF brake macro. Must contain the controlling signal
* entry contact Contact to start deceleration? Not sure
* exit contact Contact at block's exit to free it? Not sure
* BLOCK macro of the following block
* pause flag A pause condition preventing the loco to start even if the signal turns green
What is not clear is how the CS3 knows which loco to control. There is a "group" to be defined but no locos can be entered into the group.
Cheers
Jean
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Joined: 22/08/2018(UTC) Posts: 99 Location: Essex
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Originally Posted by: JohnjeanB Hi
Here is the little I understood about these macros and the BLOCK macro. I may very well be wrong. Just trying to find.
You may create an event that calls for a macro. If fact it create a second event (SHUTTLE, IF, AND, BLOCK,..) allowing to provide all the details of the macro.
BLOCK macro (created using "CONTROL" macro
It creates 5 containers for the following information:
* signal IF brake macro. Must contain the controlling signal
* entry contact Contact to start deceleration? Not sure
* exit contact Contact at block's exit to free it? Not sure
* BLOCK macro of the following block
* pause flag A pause condition preventing the loco to start even if the signal turns green
What is not clear is how the CS3 knows which loco to control. There is a "group" to be defined but no locos can be entered into the group.
Cheers
Jean
I am thinking that the block macro is like software automation programmes that have blocks for locos travelling from block to block. You could create an event for a loco to include the block macro which in itself would have the following block to go round the whole layout block to block. John Edited by moderator 11 April 2022 11:50:17(UTC)
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Joined: 21/04/2014(UTC) Posts: 122 Location: ENGLAND
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Hi John - did you get any further with exploring the block macro? I'm about to try and implement a wholly digital block control on my layout, and as its the first piece of automation I've tried - I haven't a clue if its actually possible with the CS3. I'm not using any real signals so they'll be virtually displayed on the cs3, also if I can slow down and stop a loco, I'm not using any dead powered track. [Gripe] I wish that when Märklin release these macro, that they'd provide some illustrated worked exemplars! For me there is also the ambiguity of the term for part of the macro - 'BLOCK macro of the following block' - does that mean the next block to be entered from the current block or does it mean the block behind the current block !! Søren in Denmark at https://railway.zone/index1c58.html explains the Brake macro in great detail and for me this is the kind of information that a new to automation user of Märklin needs.
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Joined: 22/08/2018(UTC) Posts: 99 Location: Essex
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Originally Posted by: oranda Hi John - did you get any further with exploring the block macro? I'm about to try and implement a wholly digital block control on my layout, and as its the first piece of automation I've tried - I haven't a clue if its actually possible with the CS3. I'm not using any real signals so they'll be virtually displayed on the cs3, also if I can slow down and stop a loco, I'm not using any dead powered track. [Gripe] I wish that when Märklin release these macro, that they'd provide some illustrated worked exemplars! For me there is also the ambiguity of the term for part of the macro - 'BLOCK macro of the following block' - does that mean the next block to be entered from the current block or does it mean the block behind the current block !! Søren in Denmark at https://railway.zone/index1c58.html explains the Brake macro in great detail and for me this is the kind of information that a new to automation user of Märklin needs. The block macro only appeared between updates. It is no longer in the list of macros or events. Marklin must have changed their mind and withdrew the feature.
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Joined: 21/04/2014(UTC) Posts: 122 Location: ENGLAND
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Originally Posted by: John Ferguson Originally Posted by: oranda Hi John - did you get any further with exploring the block macro? I'm about to try and implement a wholly digital block control on my layout, and as its the first piece of automation I've tried - I haven't a clue if its actually possible with the CS3. I'm not using any real signals so they'll be virtually displayed on the cs3, also if I can slow down and stop a loco, I'm not using any dead powered track. [Gripe] I wish that when Märklin release these macro, that they'd provide some illustrated worked exemplars! For me there is also the ambiguity of the term for part of the macro - 'BLOCK macro of the following block' - does that mean the next block to be entered from the current block or does it mean the block behind the current block !! Søren in Denmark at https://railway.zone/index1c58.html explains the Brake macro in great detail and for me this is the kind of information that a new to automation user of Märklin needs. The block macro only appeared between updates. It is no longer in the list of macros or events. Marklin must have changed their mind and withdrew the feature. Hi John I'm using a CS3plus running hardware version 3.04 and software version 2.4.0 (5) The block macro is available to me... [img]http://[/img] 
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Joined: 22/08/2018(UTC) Posts: 99 Location: Essex
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Originally Posted by: oranda Originally Posted by: John Ferguson Originally Posted by: oranda Hi John - did you get any further with exploring the block macro? I'm about to try and implement a wholly digital block control on my layout, and as its the first piece of automation I've tried - I haven't a clue if its actually possible with the CS3. I'm not using any real signals so they'll be virtually displayed on the cs3, also if I can slow down and stop a loco, I'm not using any dead powered track. [Gripe] I wish that when Märklin release these macro, that they'd provide some illustrated worked exemplars! For me there is also the ambiguity of the term for part of the macro - 'BLOCK macro of the following block' - does that mean the next block to be entered from the current block or does it mean the block behind the current block !! Søren in Denmark at https://railway.zone/index1c58.html explains the Brake macro in great detail and for me this is the kind of information that a new to automation user of Märklin needs. The block macro only appeared between updates. It is no longer in the list of macros or events. Marklin must have changed their mind and withdrew the feature. Hi John I'm using a CS3plus running hardware version 3.04 and software version 2.4.0 (5) The block macro is available to me... [img]http://[/img] The block macro is back I now realise. The confusion is that some time ago it appeared as a block in the list of events but in a later update it disappeared. It is now back as a macro. There is no help in the list of macros in the help section. This is so typical of Marklin but I am going to switch my CS3 to German to see if there is a help file. John
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Joined: 22/08/2018(UTC) Posts: 99 Location: Essex
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Originally Posted by: John Ferguson Originally Posted by: oranda Originally Posted by: John Ferguson Originally Posted by: oranda Hi John - did you get any further with exploring the block macro? I'm about to try and implement a wholly digital block control on my layout, and as its the first piece of automation I've tried - I haven't a clue if its actually possible with the CS3. I'm not using any real signals so they'll be virtually displayed on the cs3, also if I can slow down and stop a loco, I'm not using any dead powered track. [Gripe] I wish that when Märklin release these macro, that they'd provide some illustrated worked exemplars! For me there is also the ambiguity of the term for part of the macro - 'BLOCK macro of the following block' - does that mean the next block to be entered from the current block or does it mean the block behind the current block !! Søren in Denmark at https://railway.zone/index1c58.html explains the Brake macro in great detail and for me this is the kind of information that a new to automation user of Märklin needs. The block macro only appeared between updates. It is no longer in the list of macros or events. Marklin must have changed their mind and withdrew the feature. Hi John I'm using a CS3plus running hardware version 3.04 and software version 2.4.0 (5) The block macro is available to me... [img]http://[/img] The block macro is back I now realise. The confusion is that some time ago it appeared as a block in the list of events but in a later update it disappeared. It is now back as a macro. There is no help in the list of macros in the help section. This is so typical of Marklin but I am going to switch my CS3 to German to see if there is a help file. John Tried the help in German but there was no information using the German language. John
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Joined: 21/04/2014(UTC) Posts: 122 Location: ENGLAND
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Märklin is so infuriating - there seems to be quite a large community of users in english speaking USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and from what I have seen they suffer from the same paucity of concrete information from Märklin.
Such a pity.
I'll keep ploughing away with the Block macro to see what I can do with it.
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 Joined: 07/12/2024(UTC) Posts: 1 Location: Noord-Holland, Amsterdam
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Originally Posted by: John Ferguson I have noticed that since installing the last update a new macro is supplied as a control called “Block”.
It appears to be something to do with signalling.
Does anyone have any idea on how to make use of it?
John  BlockMacro.pdf (58kb) downloaded 40 time(s).this my flow chart form how block macro works in combination with Brake Macro. There is a limit when you use it with a break macro that only one train can ride at 1 time as cs3 those not no which train needs to stop when entering a break section. I’m still experimenting with optimism the programming but I’m able to run 2 trains on a circular track with 3 blocks The block macro is responsible for setting the signals and the break macro is responsible for controlling the train Initialize  Lock block 1 needed to stop upcoming trains while next block is occupied  Release block 2 so train from block 3 can continue to block 2, but only when pause not active  Block 1 with break macro  Blocks  Edited by user 27 December 2024 13:46:16(UTC)
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