Hi,

I know there is a PCB for 3311 here: http://luessi.ch/shop/ca...ath=2&products_id=54

It's the only thing I know...
Hope this fits with your needs...

Cheers
Fabrice

Bob, I am sure we are many who would like to know so it would be preferred if the knowledge is shared...

I myself have got 2 Luessi boards for conversion of my 35/6/11 & 3613 to plain mfx without sound.
When time allows...

Thanks for the replies.

I agree - there is a definite lack of good how-to's for digital conversions. I think a lot of people would benefit from seeing pictures of how you do the conversions Bob. I have done several older Marklin locomotives and they were not too difficult, because they were so simple - just the motor and the one function for the lights.

The model 3611 has a can motor and a worm drive. Marklin claims these motors need a specific decoder to function properly. In my model there is a large circuit board in the tender, which is what has failed. I think what I have is the first generation Marklin high efficiency propulsion and if it can be replaced by a decoder like #60905 it would be a pretty straight forward conversion. I know that Marklin has stopped making item #60905, but it is still available online. It seems like it might replace the large circuit board in my 3611 but I am not sure if it is compatible. When I get the chance I will post a link to some pictures. Of course MFX with sound would be even better but I don't know if it is compatible with this motor and drive train.

Bob. It is good to hear from someone so close by. I will PM you when I get closer to figuring out what to do and what I might need help with. I have three older locomotives that I converted to first generation digital, with just one function. The rest are all at least 10 years old and were alway digital, using the MM format. I know that there are other options, but I am not at all familiar with them. It is good to hear that Robbies is still around. When I last checked on dealers 6-7 years ago no one was willing to stock Marklin because they were in bankruptcy. I will have to check them out again although I know they can't help with a repair.

Hi Jim,

I have had this problem and have improved the running using a LokPilot v4.0 decoder.
The article below describes how I did it.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~.../pdf/3611_3614_telex.pdf

You will see I used the switchable functions to control a rear Telex coupler and have a cabin light.

I hope the article will give you some ideas how to improve your loco.

Thanks Ross - that is a very good resource. I am starting to feel like I can figure out what my best options are and get this loco back on track!

Jim

Hi Bob,

It is good to know that there are other Marklin guys in our area. I know that I am better off financially when mine are packed up and out of sight! That was the case for me for 8-10 years until I decided to spend the money on a CS2 last year.

I just set up a temporary layout which takes over the floor in a spare bedroom. Most of my track is C track, which is another problem, since a number of my older C track sections have broken the small pieces that keep them together. I am deciding right now whether to set them up this year or not. Of course as soon as I do that I will start shopping for more locos and there goes the budget! Also I could use more turnouts and more C track - I'm not sure that part ever ends until the money runs out!

First I need to find the time to dig into Ross's resource and decide the best way to fix my 3611. It is a beautiful model and well worth some investment of time and money. Ultimately I have some older locos that need new motors and electronics since they run so poorly anymore, especially compared to the newer locos.

Jim

Ross - I have had more time now to read it in detail, and it is so thorough - I am very impressed. Thanks so much for your post!

I was hoping for some general digital information and you provided me with a step by step process for exactly what my 3611 needs! I would never have known that the LED lights needed to have resistors added, for instance.

I don't feel like I have the hands on electrical fabrication experience that I need to do it yet. I need to better understand setting up a Vero board and using a LokProgrammer, among other things. I expect that there is a lot of information out there for the LokPilot, which seems to be a very popular choice. I have been reading the other useful stuff on your site though and maybe I will get there in time.

Both of your upgrades are very good choices - the cab light is cool and the telex coupler is great to have, especially for how you intend to use them.

Thanks Again,

Jim

I wanted to update this thread since I have now completed this repair and it turned out very well.

I bought the Luessi PCB which was easy to install. I only needed to solder the original wiring from the old PCB to the Luessi PCB, since it fits perfectly in the old PCB location without any modifications. Thanks for helping me find that Fabrice.

I used an 8-pin LokPilot V4.0 and I set the CV's to the values that tjones obtained for his 3511 by letting the decoder set itself using the CV54=0 method. Thanks for your input on those values, which seem perfect for my 3611 too. I had intended to try tuning it using some of the values ESU provides for that motor but I really don't see how it could run any better than it does now.

This was my first digital repair and now I look forward to bringing the rest of my older loks up to modern standards. I would never have known where to even begin without the help I got from multiple people here on this forum!