Hi,

I just have checked the new Faller digital car system; 350 Euros for just ONE car/truck!

Maybe it's just me, but isn't that a bit of a strech? 10 cars and you go broke

Anyways; I wonder if Faller still produces regular (non-digital) car system components. If yes, what would be the best strategy: start with regular system and convert to digital later on? Meaning; can regular system components be used with digital?

Thanks,

C.

Thanks Peder!

Yes, it’s the same. The car is mounted with a small decoder with wireless receiver. The decoder has output for the motor, ligths, blinkers etc. It also has sensors front and back to keep distance between cars. The problem is to add all features into the car. Start with a big truck first😎
There is full speed control just like a digital lokomotive. So the cars can run in realistic speed.

Peder

Hallo ,
Just wanted to say that Faller Digital is great but way overpriced! As you mentioned one truck ( lorry) goes for 350- Faller upgrade package from analog to digital 200 and Basic Digital start set 900 plus 150 each satellite. I think Faller becomes extremely out of touch for average modeler.
So recently Viessmann released new H0 car system - way cheaper with great performance and configurable features. They accomplished something Faller was struggling with for over 10 years..
Viessmann is rapidly expanding line of cars , programmers ,Ect and is way easier to operate. Just my 2 cents to the pot ( don’t waste your money on Faller go with Viessmann instead )
My Bests,
Märklineisenbahn

I follow a guy named Oskar Tamiya on I.G. from Florida. He builds his own faller system and 1/87 r.c. vehicles from Busch, Herpa, Wiking, and Malibu Int. ones. He does it all from motors, steering, lighting, dumps, dozers, batteries. He's like a surgeon.

I don't see why not. The pickups aren't very different. The electronics though?

Hallo Thing fish,
Principle of Faller and Viessmann car system is same ( in beaded wire or strip in roadway ) motor and tinny magnet on front axle the difference as Marklinist5999 point out are electronics.
As I said earlier Faller is fricken overkill prices wise.
Regards,
Märklineisenbahn

Wouldn't it be possible Viessmann sell cars without batteries outside EU and the end user installs them later? Are the batteries that special?

What you guys think about Open Car System? I personally am a strong believer of any and all "open source" projects.

I have been told by Faller at a show that a lot of the high cost of the Faller Digital (and likely the Viessmann car motion) vehicles is the amount of labor that goes into the the wiring of the electronics and many LEDs on top of the cost of the more advanced electronic 'decoders' and buying the vehicle body from Brekina etc.

You can still buy the 'basic' Faller Car System conversion kits and vehicle for much less. I think the conversion kits are around $80-100 US and finished vehicles are about $20-50 more. Starter sets with a truck or bus and the wire and some road markings etc are about $160.

Personally, I don't think most modellers wanting to add a touch of vehicle animation to their layout really need the Faller Digital system unless money is no object or they really crave the additional features such as speed control and turn signals/brake lights etc. The Faller digital system is almost a separate hobby in its own right! By the time you buy a couple vehicles and the digital modules you can easily spend well over $1000 just to get started!

The Viessmann solution that has recently come out, vastly improves on the Faller Car system, which has been stagnant for some time.
The Viessmann system uses the same front axle system to steer, and so would work on existing steel wire laid routes, but is built around the magnetic stripe route solution, as that allows for running without the vehicles steering magnet rubbing against the street surface.

The Viessmann system embeds the electronics well inside the vehicles, and it runs MUCH more quiet than the Faller car system, and most importantly, the embedded controllers in the vehicles are using a bunch of the DC Car and/or Open Car techniques to provide for turn signals and distance keeping/auto braking to stop.

If I were starting today I'd most likely lay magnetic stripe roadway (either Viessmann's or some other magnetic band), and look hard at using the Viessmann vehicles.
What is still not fully developed as far as I can see, is how to get control data to the cars at the roadside that is adjustable. The fixed magnet solutions Viessmann currently has are interesting, but they all do the same thing.. so a way to get DCC control signals from a controller, broadcast out via an IR roadside transmitter, is something that I think is still missing to the Viessmann solution.