The pdf for the English version of this manual is located at this site: Quinntopia Library - Lok-Boss Manual
I'm using "Google Sites" to host / post the .pdf file as Google's Blogger service doesn't allow me to post a .pdf file. I think I've set up all the settings correctly so that anyone can access the site and download the pdf, if not, please feel free to leave me a comment.
Also, I only scanned the English pages of the Lok-Boss instruction manual, if you need or want the German or French versions, let me know and I can scan those as well.
On the topic of Fleischmann and digital controllers and looking at the end of 2009, it certainly was a turbulent year for nearly all the 'big' German N Scale manufacturers....The Marklin/Trix/Minitrix (and LGB) company is somewhere in their insolvency or bankruptcy process, while both Fleischmann and Roco have 'merged' to apparently address their own financial difficulties. The future is still uncertain to me as to the future of the Minitrix brand and what products, if any, we will see from this company. It certainly seems as if we won't see the proposed but not released new and improved Trix Mobile Stations (same appearance as the above Marklin version, but with green instead of red dials and markings). Key features with this are not only the design, but the wireless radio ability! Let's also hope that they've streamlined the UI and improved some of read/write abilities over the current mobile station (if this ever gets produced).
By the way, this post and the replies is a great overview/discussion of various DCC systems, covering some of the less well-known versions.
Hi Jerry,
ReplyDeleteAs I commented on one of your previous posts on DCC aesthetics, my Trix mobile station is long gone on Ebay...and indeed probably won't have a successor. I recently spoke to someone in a fair in Germany: there is no plan to release a "Mobile Station II" for trix (2-rail DCC)...
I don't even know if they're going to release the red-märklin one actually. The current start sets from Märklin are delivered with the new "Basis station" (a even simpler-remote with a few buttons and no screen).
They seem to be focusing their efforts on the brand new Central Station 2 with reference 60214 (not 60213), that is fully compatible with DCC and N.
The "Mobile Stations" become merely merely used as basic control points for more "players" when connected to the central.
Can one connect the "trix" mobile station - and not only the märklin one- as an extra control point? Very good question...not answered by the PDFs http://www.reynaulds.com/brochures/CentralStation08.pdf
You were addressing the design factor, which is a good point, after all, we're talking about a hobby!
Well, the CS2 also addresses the cool factor with a useless function that my Viessmann Commander lacks: you can save the locomotives details on chip-cards (similar to EU-credit cards), and then insert the card in one of the two slots to control it, therefore not going through touch screen operations.
It seems two strategies are opposing two companies in obvious difficulties:
- Fleischmann/Roco (taken over by a rich hobbyist) developing new evolved remote controls ("decentralized" architecture)
- Märklin/Trix, betting its survival on a very sophisticated touch-screen mini-computer, where remotes are not the main focus and therefore not evolving much.
Thanks Pierre. Good information, I'm not too surprised to hear that we will have no Mobile Station 2, which may be for the best anyway since "MS 1" was not a very robust device (yet, its the system I use until I can make a better choice).
ReplyDeleteOn that note, your summary of the two strategies from the German companies is interesting. I'm still not sure which I will prefer. The CS 2 is interesting but, as you say, this is a somewhat expensive mini-computer that may soon be dated (and it seems Viessman currently offers much of this too). The Fleischmann/Roco seems promising, but the support for their system in the US may be even worse than Marklin/Trix.