Dr. König´s Märklin-Digital-Page


EDITS

History

In the 1980ties the magazine Elektor in some articles provided instructions on how to build components like decoders for the Märklin-Digital-System. Based on these articles, the Elektor Digital Train System evolved - consisting of the wellknown components, new decoders and the basic EDITS-Controller with booster. All the buildingblocks were described for public use in the magazine. Later the publisher put this information into a book, supplemented with further background articles and additional - less important - circuits. The magazines as well as the book is no longer available from the publisher.

Components

EDITS consists of:
- the Basic Control Unit (Zentraleinheit),
- which consists the 16 "controller", from which any of the 81 adressess can be controlled
- the keyboards (connected to the CU) for control of switches, crossings etc.
- the very/too powerfull booster
- decoders for Loco's, switches, electronical relais and cars (function-decoders)

The booster and the decoders can also be used on the Märklin-Digital-System - without using the EDITS-CU.

Usage & drawbacks

It is a major drawback for the basic EDITS Controller, that solely the old data-format (the pure Motorola-Format) is supported. And an upgrade can neither be expected from Elektor nor from the EDITS-developer, even though he has worked for at long time on an EDITS II.
A non-commercial/private project is started to provide a hardware- and firmware-upgrade for EDITS, that in addition to support for the new (Märklin/Motorola) format - e.g. support for additional functions F1 through F4, but also provides 13 extra speed-levels (i.e. a total of 28 levels compared to 15 levels provided by Märklin). I have planed to provide more information on this subject; but it does not look good for this project.

The booster is designed to provide 10A at constant +/-18V output-voltage and therefore rather unique and in my opinion has a too high capacity - this lesson is learned when looking at results of a wheel shorting the rails. But the booster can be configured for lower output, or even by a small effort redesigned for more, low output ports. The booster is designed for the EDITS Controller, but it can also be connected with the PC for direct train-control by LOK or - with some extra components - connected to the Märklin-Controller - substituting i.e. Märkling transformer or booster.
Due to the voltage stabilization circuits, I prefer the EDITS Booster for any other commercial booster.

The EDITS loco-decoder is now outdated, primarily since it is not fully compatible with the Märklin-Format. The central circuit - the dekoder-chip MC145029 has run out of production for some time making this decoder. There is no reason to complain since privately developed decoders based on PIC-chips are available - at least supporting the old Motorola-Format.
And development continue of decoders for the new Märklin-Format - it´result is the Wikinger-decoder.

The other EDITS Decoders are based on the dekoder-chip MC145027 - like commercial decodes e.g. turnout-decoders from Märklin. This decoder-chip is therefore still available and recommended for private development. Build-it-yourself is rather simple, as shown by the following turnout-decoders for installation in M-track und des C-track. The most complicated part is soldering the SMD-components to the PCB.

Links

Ralf Tröps has made a EDITS-Homepage to concentrate the interests of EDITS-user.

Translation

This translation was made by Niels Peter. Many thanks to him for this grateful work. Some mistakes you probably find are my work as result of trying to correct some misunderstandings.

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© 1999-2000 by Dr. M. Michael König | Antoniter-Weg 11 | 65843 Sulzbach/Ts. | Contact | Stand: 11.5.2000
© 2000 by Nils Peter | ... | Copenhagen / Denmark | pjunior@worldonline.dk

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