Technical Notes about the Mobile Station

Do not expose the Mobile Station to moisture. This controller is not waterproof. If it is exposed to very high levels of humidity or moisture, the Mobile Station may malfunction or suffer irreparable damage.

Do not subject the Mobile Station to strong vibration. If this controller is struck or subjected to strong vibration, it may cause continuous malfunctions.

Do not subject the Mobile Station to wide swings in temperature or to high temperatures. Sharp changes in temperature can cause moisture to condense on the inside of the housing.

Avoid contact with any liquid crystals. If the display becomes damages (example, due to breakage) there is the danger that you can hurt yourself on the fragments of glass or the liquid crystals may come out. Make sure that you do not come in contact with the liquid crystals.

Cleaning

Remove fibers and dust with a soft, dry, or lightly moistened cloth. Never use alcohol, thinner or other strong cleaning materials.

Potential Uses

l The Mobile Station is designed for use with Trix Systems, Selectrix, and DCC.

l All locomotives and powered units on the layout connected to the Mobile Station must be equipped with a Trix Systems, Selectrix, or DCC decoder. Any existing continuous train lighting must be deactivated.

l The Mobile Station puts out a maximum current of 1.9 amps. 3 - 4 HO standard locomotives or 8 - 9 N locomotives can be operated with it. This quantity is reduced accordingly by the addition of other power consumers (smoke generator, lighted cars, sound, etc.).

l The Mobile Station can be used in conjunction with the connector box that goes between it and the track or with a Selectrix controller.

l Only one track connector box may be connected to an area of track. The layout must be divided up into several electrically separated track areas, if you want to connect up several track connector boxes to it.

Operation

Connections for the Mobile Station

l The transformer used must put out 14-16 volts AC or l6-18 volts DC.

l The transformer must be unplugged from the wall outlet before connecting the track connector box!

l Check to make sure that the transformer selected is suitable for your household current (see the technical data on the specifications plate on the transformer).

1. Connect the transformer to the right socket on the track connector box.

2. Connect the track connector box to the track with the free wires on the connector box. The polarity does not have to be taken into account for these connections.

3. Plug the Mobile Station into the track connector box. Use the left or middle socket for this. A second Mobile Station can be connected to the layout with the remaining free socket. The track connector box must be mounted on a permanent base before you operate the system.

Note:

The track connector box is designed to be protected against short circuits, i.e. a short circuit in the track connected to the connector box will not lead to damages in the hatter unit. However, the short circuit is not reported to the Mobile Station and the display for the latter will not have any message on it about the short circuit. If the layout cannot be operated, you can test the it for possible short circuits by means of a lighted car. When the problem is corrected, the track connector box turns itself back on independently.

Starting Operation for the First Time The first time you turn the Mobile Station on it registers itself with the specification for the current software version. After that the Mobile Station changes to the operating menu. The last locomotive used on the Mobile Station will be shown on the display. In starter sets this is the locomotive that comes with that set.

The STOP Button

The STOP button immediately stops all locomotives / powered units and circumvents any braking delay that has been set in the units. There is then no voltage in the track. Pressing the STOP button again will start up all locomotives / powered units again and return them to their last operating status.

The Operating Menu

Operation of the locomotives / powered units takes place in the operating menu. Moreover, the menu divides itself into the main menu and the locomotive list.

The locomotive shown on the display is the one currently called up that can be addressed directly from the controls. The desired speed for this locomotive can be set by turning the control knob. Pressing on the control knob will change the direction of travel for the locomotive. The speed at which the locomotive was previously traveling is not transferred to the new direction of travel; instead, the locomotive stands at a stop, and with DCC any braking delay that might have been set for the locomotive is circumvented (= Emergency Stop).

The headlights on the locomotive can be turned on and off with the headlight button (light bulb symbol). The function buttons marked F1 to F8

have no function with the starter set locomotives.

Auxiliary functions on other locomotives can be turned on and off with these buttons.

Pressing on the OK button changes the Mobile Station over to the locomotive list. This indicated by the menu symbol on this display.

Pressing on the ESC button changes the Mobile Station to the main menu. The desired submenu can be selected here by turning the control knob.

At present only the service menu is available on the controller. Pressing on the control knob calls up the submenu indicated. Pressing on ESC takes you of the main menu or submenu again.

The Locomotive List

The Selectrix locomotives with the addresses 1 to 12 are shown first in the locomotive list. After that come the DCC locomotives with the addresses

1 to 16. The Selectrix addresses 0 to 99 come next. A locomotive can be selected by turning the control knob. Pressing on the control knob takes the locomotive selected as the current locomotive into the operating menu.

Note:

The locomotives in the starter sets are shown in the locomotive list by name. These names stand for the address, however, programmed into the locomotive at the factory before delivery. After you have reprogrammed the address for one of these locomotives (DCC only in the range l - 16) for any reason, the locomotive can be found at another spot in the locomotive list, while the entry with a name remains at the original location.

The Service Menu

The desired submenu is selected and called up by turning the control knob and pressing down on the latter. These submenus are available: READ+PRG (= programming), FORMAT, RESET MS, UPDATE MS (= Mobile Station), and LANGUAGE.

READ+PRG

A locomotive address is read out and/or changed in several steps in this menu.

Note:

When you are doing a read-out and programming procedure for a locomotive decoder, only the one locomotive to be programmed can be standing on the track. When several Mobile Stations are connected to a layout, only one may be used at a time to read out and program.

The desired track format, which will be used to read out and/or program the locomotive decoder, is selected in the first step. Selectrix SX1 (corresponds to the previous SX track format) or DCC is available as a track format.

After you have pressed on the control knob twice, the current address for the locomotive is read out and displayed. This address can then be changed by turning the control knob. Pressing on the control knob again will program the changed address and take you back to the operating menu.

If the Mobile Station gives you an ERROR message or an implausible address, when you read out the locomotive's address, then the locomotive's address could not be read out correctly.

There can be two reasons for this:

The communication between the Mobile Station and the locomotive has been interrupted. There can be three reasons for this:

For example, by dirty electrical contacts to the locomotive or in the locomotive. It may help if you move the locomotive a few inches back and forth or turn it around on the track.

The wrong track format was selected (pure DCC decoder read out with SX1 or vice versa).

A second locomotive is standing or another user (lighted car, …) is standing on the track.

Note:

It is normal during the read-out process in the DCC format for the locomotive being addressed to move a little as its decoder is being read out.

This can also occur in Selectrix operation.

FORMAT

This menu is used to set which track format the Mobile Station will use to send data to the track.

You can select from SX1 (Selectrix), DCC, and SX1 +DCC (mixed operation). You can switch to the next track format by clicking on the menu point NEXT After you have selected the desired format, if you press on the control knob, you will be taken back to the operating menu. If two Mobile Stations are connected, the new track format can be confirmed in both Mobile Stations by pressing on the control knobs.

When you use multi-protocol decoders (decoder suitable for Selectrix and DCC), you may have problems with mixed operation. In this situation we recommend pure Selectrix or pure DCC operation.

Note:

When you are operating locomotives with multiple protocol decoders, it can happen that after you have operated them with DCC, they cannot be operated with Selectrix. Press the STOP button twice and then you can operate the locomotive again.

LANGUAGE

The menu language for the Mobile Station is selected in this menu. German, English, French, and Dutch are available as languages. After you have selected the desired language, press on the control knob to take you back to the operating menu.

UPDATE MS

The current software version and "OK?" will be shown in the screen. After you have pressed on the control knob, the software for the version shown will be sent to another Mobile Station (both Mobile Stations must be connected to a common track connector box). The Mobile Station receiving the software must be set at SERVICE in the main menu for this process.

Both Mobile Stations will show the version number for the software during the transfer of data. Both Mobile Stations will automatically carry out a reset procedure after a successful update.

Note: A software update must be carefully prepared. Nothing should be changed on the layout during an update procedure. If the menu cannot be called up during a software update due to defective software, an update can take place despite this: The Mobile Station with the defective software must be unplugged from the track connector box. Immediately after the software update on the Mobile Station that is sending is started, the Mobile Station that is receiving must be plugged back into the track connector box. The additional update procedure will take place parallel to the regular update.

RESET MS

When you carry out a reset, the settings on the Mobile Station go back to the basic status or "factory default" settings. The setting for the track format (SX1 +DCC/ DCC/ SX1) remains unchanged by this.

Mobile Station Connected to Selectrix-Controllers

The Mobile Station can be connected to the SxBus connection on the Selectrix system by means of the 103 248 cable available from a Trix dealer.

The Mobile Station then functions like a Selectrix locomotive controller. The Mobile Station's functions are then limited to the functions of the controller in which it is plugged.

Note:

If FORMAT?? is shown after the Mobile Station has been connected to a Selectrix locomotive controller, then you cannot operate with this combination of controllers.