Well done you, like to educate the rest uf us numpties? Any idea how to do them on an iPad as well? Pretty please.
JonD
CS3 Trials and Tribulations
- Thread starter phils2um
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JonD
MTheStrong
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For windows hold down the Alt key and type 0252 using the keypad; for lower case u umlaut ü or 0220 for Ü.
Simples
Simples
MTheStrong
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I learnt the Alt Code numbers when I began using a pc (an Apricot!!!) too many moons ago now. Alt 156 for the £ sign etc.
ntpntpntp
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Very much doubt it - they're two totally different manufacturers with (I presume) different communication protocols.
RedRoc
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Hello Jon
When I bought the CS2 I was told a development to allow the Massoth remote to be used with the CS2 was a couple of months away, that was two years ago! To the best of my knowledge it has never materialized and I doubt it ever will CS2 or CS3.
I run both systems, Massoth when its nice outside and the CS when its best to run trains from the comfort of the conservatory. I recently got the CS and my PC talking and now have the facility to operate the CS from my Win 10 tablet anywhere in the garden.
When I bought the CS2 I was told a development to allow the Massoth remote to be used with the CS2 was a couple of months away, that was two years ago! To the best of my knowledge it has never materialized and I doubt it ever will CS2 or CS3.
I run both systems, Massoth when its nice outside and the CS when its best to run trains from the comfort of the conservatory. I recently got the CS and my PC talking and now have the facility to operate the CS from my Win 10 tablet anywhere in the garden.
MTheStrong
Registered
Hi Jon,
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news the Massoth handset will not work with CS2 or CS3. However if you have a smartphone then it is possible to access CS2 and CS3. Please let me know if you require further information on how to do this.
Martin
Thanks for that, I suspected that would be the situation. I have apps for use with my Smartphone so no problems as the man has been using his to run it. Trouble is I hate the interface between a Smartphone and driving a Railway as you are mostly looking at the phone when driving, particularly during Shunting Moves when you really need to be concentrating in what the Loco is doing. I did try to get him to go down the Massoth route, but he quite correctly told me the CS3 route was cheeper as guests could use their Smartphone or iPads etc. That I do understand.
JonD
MTheStrong
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Hi Jon,
I agree with your comments about the interface with the smartphone, I am looking at purchasing a Mobile Control II from ESU to use with my CS2. Here is a link: http://www.esu.eu/en/products/digital-control/mobile-control-ii/
Hi Martin,
I may be wrong but I don't think the ESU Mobile Station II is compatible with the Märklin CS2/CS3. That's the impression I get from the marklin-users.net forum: https://www.marklin-users.net/forum/posts/t34591-ESU-Mobile-Control-II
Probably the same issue I had trying to use the ECoSBoost booster with the CS3. Data is in a different format so the device is not recognized by the CS.
Make sure you "try before you buy".
Phil S.
I may be wrong but I don't think the ESU Mobile Station II is compatible with the Märklin CS2/CS3. That's the impression I get from the marklin-users.net forum: https://www.marklin-users.net/forum/posts/t34591-ESU-Mobile-Control-II
Probably the same issue I had trying to use the ECoSBoost booster with the CS3. Data is in a different format so the device is not recognized by the CS.
Make sure you "try before you buy".
Phil S.
Hm compatibility, that old chestnut. Remember LGB Original Central Station, then came alon P with some issues of compatibility despite the blurb. Though to be fair they did work together - sort of. Then of course Bemax and Pal vids all behind us now almost! And do not get me going about regional restrictions with DVD's. Rant over for the day (I think).
JonD
JonD
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Trains, aircraft, models, walking, beer, travel
I consider it best (certainly easiest) to stick with one manufacturer for the base station and controller hardware. Decoders seem pretty cross compatible but the amount of 'will it - won't it' regarding hardware posted on here indicates my point. Whilst Marklin seem very proud that you can use a phone to play trains, I am still surprised they have not made a hand controller - after all, they can SELL it.
I was at my friends yesterday and tried to get my phone working with his CS3. Trouble is I was trying to use a Freebie "Touchcab" that may or may not be compatible. It needed his IP address to link in and he just could not be bothered to find it but will have it all sorted for my next visit. So I used his Tablet for a while, have to say that I hate that for driving the Trains and ended up driving the twiddly knobs on the CS3 which is in the Garage. Did mean that I had to walk across the Garden to Change Points uncouple etc complete pain in the proverbial. Still we had fun. Oh his line does not have a continuous run so end to end running is the order of the day. I am rather impressed with the ESU Mobile thingy, but at £250 so I gather it will be a no no for the odd times that I run on his line. Perhaps I should take charge of the Garage when running. At least I will have a slightly better Control to play with though I do find that the Tick to confirm a Loco Change can be a but flakey at times. In other words I am relatively underwhelmed by the CS3.
JonD
JonD
MTheStrong
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I understand your frustration with using the tablet and smartphone that is why I liked the ESU unit. I am currently in the throws of rebuilding my layout which is essentially an oval with a through station and two termini. The layout could be run to a timetable with 3 operators and that is why I liked the idea of a using smartphones and tablets.
Martin
Mac laptop control of CS3.
I have to thank "siroljuk" at marklin-users.net for this. It works and I thought I would share it on this forum! The CS3 operating software has a "VNC" (virtual network connection) server built in. Mac users will probably need to download the VNC viewer from REALVNC. The CS3 conveniently provides a web link to REALVNC when you connect into it with your web browser. I tried using my laptop's MacOS built-in VNC viewer, but could not get past the server login password. It tries to connect but hangs. Once I'd loaded the VNC viewer from REALVNC I was able to connect without a problem. Could be that Märklin uses REALVNC's VNC server software on the CS3. What you get is a duplicate the the CS3's touchscreen on the laptop. My Mac only has a touchpad, but I can still operate all the controls. This is a great alternative to using my iPhone for remote control. The CS3 stays inside and laptop communicates wirelessly via my home network.
This is what you need to do:
First, establish a network connection to the CS3 using your web browser. In my case I type "10.0.1.9" into the URL box in my browser. Find your CS3's IP address in the System>Settings>IP window. When you browser connects you will get a window that looks like this:
Click on the "System" menu item on the top left. You'll get this window:
Click on the green "CS3 Bildschirm Server starten" button. This starts the CS3 VNC server software. (Also note the "REALVNC Viewer" link I mentioned above.)
At this point you can close your browser connection.
Startup the VNC viewer and enter the CS3's IP address with :5900 appended into the VNC server address window. Again in my case, 10.0.1.9:5900.
Once you connect this is what you get.
This is not just a picture of the CS3's display. It is a fully functioning controller of the CS3 without any the limitations of Märklin's much older iOS or android phone/tablet apps. This very well may become my default wireless controller. This might even prompt me to buy a tablet or notebook for size and convenience reasons!
I assume the the connection process is similar for Windows machines or any device supported by REALVNC viewer.
(The track diagram is my budding RR empire.)
By the way, if here is a Mac guru out there who can get the native MacOS VNC viewer to connect, I'd appreciate the secret. The Mac's VNC viewer is called "Screen Sharing" and is located under System>Library>CoreServices>Applications>Screen Sharing.
Phil Simpson
I have to thank "siroljuk" at marklin-users.net for this. It works and I thought I would share it on this forum! The CS3 operating software has a "VNC" (virtual network connection) server built in. Mac users will probably need to download the VNC viewer from REALVNC. The CS3 conveniently provides a web link to REALVNC when you connect into it with your web browser. I tried using my laptop's MacOS built-in VNC viewer, but could not get past the server login password. It tries to connect but hangs. Once I'd loaded the VNC viewer from REALVNC I was able to connect without a problem. Could be that Märklin uses REALVNC's VNC server software on the CS3. What you get is a duplicate the the CS3's touchscreen on the laptop. My Mac only has a touchpad, but I can still operate all the controls. This is a great alternative to using my iPhone for remote control. The CS3 stays inside and laptop communicates wirelessly via my home network.
This is what you need to do:
First, establish a network connection to the CS3 using your web browser. In my case I type "10.0.1.9" into the URL box in my browser. Find your CS3's IP address in the System>Settings>IP window. When you browser connects you will get a window that looks like this:
Click on the "System" menu item on the top left. You'll get this window:
Click on the green "CS3 Bildschirm Server starten" button. This starts the CS3 VNC server software. (Also note the "REALVNC Viewer" link I mentioned above.)
At this point you can close your browser connection.
Startup the VNC viewer and enter the CS3's IP address with :5900 appended into the VNC server address window. Again in my case, 10.0.1.9:5900.
Once you connect this is what you get.
This is not just a picture of the CS3's display. It is a fully functioning controller of the CS3 without any the limitations of Märklin's much older iOS or android phone/tablet apps. This very well may become my default wireless controller. This might even prompt me to buy a tablet or notebook for size and convenience reasons!
I assume the the connection process is similar for Windows machines or any device supported by REALVNC viewer.
(The track diagram is my budding RR empire.)
By the way, if here is a Mac guru out there who can get the native MacOS VNC viewer to connect, I'd appreciate the secret. The Mac's VNC viewer is called "Screen Sharing" and is located under System>Library>CoreServices>Applications>Screen Sharing.
Phil Simpson
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I just tried RealVNC viewer for iphone. It's a free download on the Apple App store. It works with the CS3 too once the server is started. It's a bit awkward but may get easier with use.
Phil S.
Added after initial post-- This may be why Märklin hasn't updated the MobileStation Apps. They're not needed with the VNC server/viewer.
Phil S.
Added after initial post-- This may be why Märklin hasn't updated the MobileStation Apps. They're not needed with the VNC server/viewer.
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Hi Everyone - its been awhile since my last update. I've been busy working on extending the layout. I've come across an issue with train control if more than one loco is running with lights and sound or if there is a lighted wagon attached to a train. Note that I've only tried running two locos at a time since I am currently limited to a single loop. One or both of the locos become runaways and will not respond to CS commands. Points decoders fail to respond too, when this happens. The speed may be fast or slow depending on when the decoder looses its signal. As an aside, I've got 12 awg buss wires buried along the track route with feeders connected every 1.5 to 2.5 meters. The feed from the CS to the terminal block where the buss wires branch out to the track is about 14 meters. The CS is inside the house. Halting and restarting the signal from the CS seems to clear the problem until its next occurrence.
From looking at various web sites, NCE's in particular, it seems the signal from the CS is picking up noise that is confusing the decoders. I've tried the following things so far.
1. break the loop with insulated rail joiners and feed in both directions up to the break. In other words, the loop is not electrically continuous. Doing this seemed to help immensely but I still occasionally lose control.
2. make the buss wires a twisted pair. I've done this where the wires a easily accessible. The results are not a discernible improvement over 1.
3. add terminators at the end of the buss wires. Again, no discernible improvement.
I should also note that all my locos are still set to operate on analog and DCC(Mfx) layouts. I could set them to respond only to DCC(Mfx) if it would help, but this seems to me to be a BandAid.
The feed from the CS to the buss wire terminal block could be shortened to about 4 to 5 meters if this would help.
I've got an oscilloscope coming that will hopefully let me see what does or does not really help.
In the mean time, does anyone have additional suggestions?
Edit added June 26, 2018:
Found the problem to be a defective CS3. The CS3's internal booster was overheating and failing to pass on command codes. The source of problem was discovered/solved with when I used an external 60175 booster to power the layout.
From looking at various web sites, NCE's in particular, it seems the signal from the CS is picking up noise that is confusing the decoders. I've tried the following things so far.
1. break the loop with insulated rail joiners and feed in both directions up to the break. In other words, the loop is not electrically continuous. Doing this seemed to help immensely but I still occasionally lose control.
2. make the buss wires a twisted pair. I've done this where the wires a easily accessible. The results are not a discernible improvement over 1.
3. add terminators at the end of the buss wires. Again, no discernible improvement.
I should also note that all my locos are still set to operate on analog and DCC(Mfx) layouts. I could set them to respond only to DCC(Mfx) if it would help, but this seems to me to be a BandAid.
The feed from the CS to the buss wire terminal block could be shortened to about 4 to 5 meters if this would help.
I've got an oscilloscope coming that will hopefully let me see what does or does not really help.
In the mean time, does anyone have additional suggestions?
Edit added June 26, 2018:
Found the problem to be a defective CS3. The CS3's internal booster was overheating and failing to pass on command codes. The source of problem was discovered/solved with when I used an external 60175 booster to power the layout.
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