[markw]

Good evening all.

Those of you that have conversed with me before may remember i was asking questions about which high end system i should get having been bitten by the DCC bug by a humbleHornby select. Well, i've just got back from the dortmund exhibition where i picked up an Ecos 5000 for 470 euros (about £320). Not quite the saving i had hoped for but still significant. WOW

what a bit of kit. I've only had a chance to play for a couple of hours but my am i impressed.

Down to the real business, the first thing i want to do is set up some shuttles as far as i can make out all i need is an s88 module such as this one from LDT but i'm not sure that's right. I'm convinced there must be more to it than that, for instance how does my loco know when to start braking etc. Could somebody please explain to me how i achieve this in novice terms. Bear in mind that eventually i want to have full computer control with working signals etc so anything i need to buy now needs to be useable with that goal in mind.

Please don't baffle me with scientific explanations etc at this stage cos i'm still on the steep slope of the learning curve. All help very much appreciated as allways.

BTW - For those that are interested i spoke to the railroad & co guys (freiwald) apparently the latest version of their software (5.81c i think) now supports the Ecos but you need version 1.0.4 of the software which ESU say will be released in the next few days.

Best Regards

Mark

 

[Piotr Maciejewski]

QUOTE (markw @ 22 Apr 2007, 19:02) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>BTW - For those that are interested i spoke to the railroad & co guys (freiwald) apparently the latest version of their software (5.81c i think) now supports the Ecos but you need version 1.0.4 of the software which ESU say will be released in the next few days.

Is there any information about protocol between ECoS and PC in Internet?

 

[markw]

QUOTE (Piotr Maciejewski @ 23 Apr 2007, 10:53) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Is there any information about protocol between ECoS and PC in Internet?

I am not sure what you mean

the ecos has ethernet connectivity and is a tcp/ip device. As it's operating system is linux it's effectively a dedicated PC in it's own right, it has a built in web server and the PC communicates with it via any normal web browser to install updates etc.

Haven't tried out the railroad & co yet as i'm still waiting for the 1.0.4 update.

Have a nice day.

Mark

 

[Piotr Maciejewski]

QUOTE (markw @ 23 Apr 2007, 12:08) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I am not sure what you mean

the ecos has ethernet connectivity and is a tcp/ip device. As it's operating system is linux it's effectively a dedicated PC in it's own right, it has a built in web server and the PC communicates with it via any normal web browser to install updates etc.

Haven't tried out the railroad & co yet as i'm still waiting for the 1.0.4 update.

Have a nice day.

Mark

I have program http://www.gbbkolejka.pl/www/en/index.html and I want to add connection with ECoS. I can connect over TCP/IP to ECoS but what next? Everything next ESU should write down in "protocol specyfication" and put on Web. But only if this protocol is be open to everyone (not only to TrainControler like Roco Rocomotion)

.

 

[markw]

QUOTE (Piotr Maciejewski @ 23 Apr 2007, 12:35) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I have program http://www.gbbkolejka.pl/www/en/index.html and I want to add connection with ECoS. I can connect over TCP/IP to ECoS but what next? Everything next ESU should write down in "protocol specyfication" and put on Web. But only if this protocol is be open to everyone (not only to TrainControler like Roco Rocomotion)

.

OK I understand....I think that's getting a bit too technical for me. I've looked at your website though and it looks interesting, as your software already supports communication with s88 and the ecos too supports the s88 bus would you support the ecos directly through that ? but i guess it would be better with direct communication through the ethernet.

 

[Piotr Maciejewski]

QUOTE (markw @ 23 Apr 2007, 17:18) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>would you support the ecos directly through that ?
Not, it is impossible.

QUOTE (markw @ 23 Apr 2007, 17:18) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>but i guess it would be better with direct communication through the ethernet.
I think so.

PS. Look also here: http://www.gbbkolejka.pl/wiki/tiki-view_blog.php?blogId=1 (from then end of blog...)

 

[markw]

Hey guys i can't believe none of you know the answer to this !!!!!! Please Help.

QUOTE Down to the real business, the first thing i want to do is set up some shuttles as far as i can make out all i need is an s88 module such as this one from LDT but i'm not sure that's right. I'm convinced there must be more to it than that, for instance how does my loco know when to start braking etc. Could somebody please explain to me how i achieve this in novice terms. Bear in mind that eventually i want to have full computer control with working signals etc so anything i need to buy now needs to be useable with that goal in mind.

Cheers

mark

 

[dwb]

>Hey guys i can't believe none of you know the answer to this !!!!!! Please Help.
Although the ECoS has been on the market for about six months, it appears that until a couple of weeks ago, supplies have been limited. It's only in the last couple of weeks that members having been posting that they have their new "toys". If they had been plentiful around last Christmas, I would have got one myself but as time dragged by, the Dynamis seemed like a much "gentler" introduction to DCC since what I really need more than anything is wireless control, so I'm still "hanging" on.

Under normal circumstances, you would have had an answer from another member who is intending to use the shuttle feature and has the bits required, but he is unavoidably off line for a month or so.

I have read the manual from cover to cover and my understanding is that the ECoS command unit is set up to accept Occupancy detector information via the S88 bus and use it to set up a shuttle service. You don't need PC software to do this. Someone in the US has set up an English language support forum for the ECoS. I think you can get to it from the ECoS US site. It's not an official forum but they may be able to give you more precise help.

I hope this is of some use to you
David

 

[Piotr Maciejewski]

QUOTE (dwb @ 24 Apr 2007, 23:28) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Someone in the US has set up an English language support forum for the ECoS. I think you can get to it from the ECoS US site.

Please give us a url...

 

[dwb]

QUOTE Someone in the US has set up an English language support forum for the ECoS. I think you can get to it from the ECoS US site.

Please give us a url...

Sorry. I was mistaken. There is a US Forum but it is for LokSound, not ECoS.

David

 

[Vulcanbomber]

I'm also trying to find out about the s88 bus system, not much info around though, still early days, but try this site
http://peter.funck.net/occupied.htm

 

[markw]

QUOTE (Vulcanbomber @ 25 Apr 2007, 09:13) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I'm also trying to find out about the s88 bus system, not much info around though, still early days, but try this site
http://peter.funck.net/occupied.htm

Thanks, that looks useful.

 

[dwb]

> I'm also trying to find out about the s88 bus system, not much info around though, still early days, but try this site
I had a look a couple of months ago expecting that it was an industry standard of some kind but failed to turn up anything. That suggests it's proprietary and you have to pay a license to just to get hold of the specifications. The next place I'm going to try is a Motorola (or maybe that should be ON Semiconductors) to see if it's one of theirs.

David

 

[dwb]

ON Semiconductors was the wrong Motorola spin off, it should have been Freescale, not that it made any difference, I didn't find anything on the site about S88 in any case but

I did find this German site which looks like it explains what is going on. The "lucky" search pattern is "S88-Bus"

Enjoy
David

 

[john g]

mark are you using the 18v power pack. as i was wondering if you had tried the hornby select power pack to bring down the voltage to the track, i'm hoping to get one as well in about six weeks time. and i see that you have the select as well, i was just wondering if you had tried it.
many thanks john.

 

[markw]

QUOTE (john g @ 6 May 2007, 22:49) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>mark are you using the 18v power pack. as i was wondering if you had tried the hornby select power pack to bring down the voltage to the track, i'm hoping to get one as well in about six weeks time. and i see that you have the select as well, i was just wondering if you had tried it.
many thanks john.

No i didn't try it, but i've got everything working now anyway.

Thanks anyway for the suggestion.

Mark

 

[Martin71]

Hi all

I plan to upgrade my controller from a select (which I love and have had no problems with) to ECU Ecosor similar.

Ok a bit of a hairy question here.

Is this possible!

I have a fully automated coal mine which loads the coal into the hopper cars, then travels about 1.5 metres throught 3 points and dumps it in a ground hopper at a small power station. From there a conveyor under the table takes it back to the coal mine ready for the next load. What I would like to do using the Ecos for example, is firstly, time the loading conveyor with the 5 hopper cars. Train moves slowly, hopper car fills, conveyor stops, next hopper car slowly moves under conveyor chute until all 5 cars are full. Loco stops, reverses and moves to ground hopper at power plant. Slows down to a crawl, converyor under table switchs on and load of coal is dropped. Need to go slow or my mechanical gates on hopper cars will not open or only open on one side. Loco then returns to coal plant to continue loop. Converyor under table runs for 2.5 minutes then swithcs off.

Can I make this work using the shuttle feature within Ecos or is it classified as a route. Do I need special point decoders switchs (S88) etc. Can I set up timed feature with Ecos for the motors on the conveyors in sinc with the moving loco within the shuttle run. This operation takes about 12 minutes and if i get destracted... well you have a track full of coal. If I can get this to work I will put fly ash conveyors in at the power station and have that going to another industry.

I would like this as a fully automated feature to have running in the background while I run the rest of the layout.

If you have any suggestions I am more than happy to hear from you. I plan to be in the UK just after new Year and would like to buy the controller and ancellery bits then.

Many thanks,

Martin

 

[john g]

hi martin, i think that you can do what you want. you will need the s88 switches x2 at least, here is a link where you can download the manual

http://www.dccsupplies.com/shop/product_in...products_id=490

i have the select myself and going to upgrade to the ecos.

hope this helps

john

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE Can I make this work using the shuttle feature within Ecos or is it classified as a route. Do I need special point decoders switchs (S88) etc. Can I set up timed feature with Ecos for the motors on the conveyors in sinc with the moving loco within the shuttle run.

The shuttle feature willl only initiate decelaration at a given point to come to a stop at a given point at each end of a defined route. It will not adjust speed controls at several different points. You will need point decoders and S88's for automated switching which Ecos also does. The automated switching feature can can also be used to trigger other accessories with preset time settings but I'm not sure how you would go about setting up the conveyor you are talking about.

 

[neil_s_wood]

This came out twice for some reason. Post deleted