Intellibox restart?

[Per Olsen]

Hello.

This may be a bit off-topic for this list, but I do not know where else to go..

This is a problem that I have had all the time since my IB was new.  Some times the Intellibox completely restarts.  Exactly the same as if you turn off the power from the transformer, and turn it back on again.  So the IB starts from scratch.  This is very annoying when WinDigipet is running...

The transformer and cables/connections have been checked and replaced.  Normal errors, like short-circuits, do not completely restart the IB.  That is normal.

Do you know of ANY condition in PC or on layout, that may cause a complete restart of the IB?  I have not been able to provoke the restart in any way.

The restart sometimes happens maybe 3 times in 5 minutes, other times (more normal) there may be one restart every few days.  It drives me crazy not to find the reason!

Do you have any idea that may help me?

Best regards,
Per.

[Gerard Moggré]

Hello Per,

This might be the famous "resets" of the IB. It has nothing to do with your lay-out or your PC. The problem is the IB itself, and Uhlenbrock knows about this for years. I got these resets also, sometimes 4 in one hour, sometimes only one in a week. That's why I replaced the IB for the Tams MC. If you can read the German language, check the German forum. A lot is written about the reset-problem of the IB.

Kind regards from the Netherlands,
Gerard

[Per Olsen]

Hello !

I am sorry, I "try" to read German, when I have to.  But I am not very good, so I miss out on a lot of the points.  So I have not read about it in the german forum, sorry.

But I understand there is nothing to do?  Does not Uhlenbrock intend to fix it?

Regards,
Per.

[Gerard Moggré]

Hello Per,

I'm afraid you can't do anything about this strange behaviour of the IB. In the beginning of the use of mine IB I wrote some E-mails to Uhlenbrock, no answers at all! I checked a lot of forums as well. Worldwide a lot of users (maybe all of them) of the IB in combination with a PC got these socalled "resets". I got mad about those resets as you I suppose
Maybe you can read the IB-forum, it is a forum in one of the "Yahoo-groups", and it is in English.
Many German users of the IB (and so did I) replaced it for the Tams Master Control. It is a relieve!!!
No stress during the lay-out operation, because it works very stable (and faster, baudrate 57600 instead of the IB 19200).

Uhlenbrock promised some time ago (for 2 years I think) that there would come an update to fix this bug, but untill now (2008) nothing heard about this .
So, try to read more about this problem on the Intellibox-forum of Yahoo groups.

Kind Regards,
Gerard

[Peter Ploch]

Hello Per,

A big result in the German forum is, a lot of users change the IB to Tams MC and some to Ecos. The best configuration in the moment is, so do I, use the MC for operating the moba and for the S88-bus and use the IB only for points decoders. Then the resets will be in the past.

[Per Olsen]

Hello Peter and Gerard.

Thank you for your replies.  About the Tams controller, I have a few questions:

First of all, when changing from IB to Tams, what do I loose?  What does the IB have that the Tams does not have?
Next, the opposite, what does the Tams have that the IB does not?

Does the Tams controller work equally well with WinDigipet as the IB?  So there will not be any difficulty in WinDigipet changing from IB to Tams?

Does the IB not restart at all, when you use it only for turnout-switching?

I do not know if the Tams controller is available in Norway, I have never seen it here.  I will have to check.

Best regards,
Per.

[Gerard Moggré]

Hello Per,

I'll try to answer the questions.

First of all, when changing from IB to Tams, what do I loose? 

You loose nothing.

What does the IB have that the Tams does not have?
Next, the opposite, what does the Tams have that the IB does not?

Well, the Tams is almost identical, except the IB has a double traincontroller, and the Tams has a single one.
The Tams can be connected to your PC in two manners: by the seriël bus or the USB bus. The Tams has a maximum baudrate of 57600 instead of the IB with a baudrate of 19200, so the communication with the PC works much faster, if you use the max.baudrate. When using the USB connection, the baudrate is 57600 standard.

The Tams doesn't need a transformer for currency (the IB needs one), but it needs a connection to one booster.

Does the Tams controller work equally well with WinDigipet as the IB?  So there will not be any difficulty in WinDigipet changing from IB to Tams?

The Tams controller works equally well with WinDigipet. From my experience I changed the Tams for the IB in a couple of minutes. After 5 minutes or so my layout was running again. It is really easy to change

Does the IB not restart at all, when you use it only for turnout-switching?

I use my IB now for testrides of loc's and for decoderprogramming. Peter, as I can see in his signature, uses the IB for switching with no resets. But of course, he can answer this question much better.

Maybe you did already, but you can get some information about the Tams on the webside:
www.tams-online.de

It is a really relieve to operate with the Tams. No problems at all, and you will enjoy your lay-out with no stress.
I'm using the Tams now for 15 months without any problems

[Hans-Jürgen Mangelmann]

Hi Per,

here is the homepage of TAMS > www.tams-online.de < . You can order it directly from TAMS or you use the homepage of Karlheinz Battermann > www.kc-modellbahntechnik.de < , the autor of the good manual of WDP. 

I'm using the TAMS for good a year now and I did not had any problem. I have connetcted 48 GBM Module, each with 8 RMK's. I'm controlling and switching my entire MoBa.  NO PROBLEMS till now.

I have connected 4 Boosters, 3 for Moba and 1 for Signals, Switching, etc. You must consider, that the TAMS don't has any Booster incorporated. That means additional to the TAMS Master Controll you have to invest in Boosters. I'm using the Booster's of Gerd Boll > www.bmbtechnik.de <  with 3 A rating. Also there you can order directly. The same as with TAMS, no PROBLEMS till now.

Best wishes from Berlin  

Hans

[Per Olsen]

Hello again.

Thank you!  OK, so then there ARE some differences:

Drawbacks:
There is only 1 train-controller (2 in the IB)
There is no booster

Advantages:
More stable (no resets)
Higher speed PC-Controller serial bus

Per

[Hans-Jürgen Mangelmann]

Hi Per,

Hello again.

Thank you!  OK, so then there ARE some differences:

Drawbacks:
There is only 1 train-controller (2 in the IB)
There is no booster

Advantages:
More stable (no resets)
Higher speed PC-Controller serial bus

Per

Nothing is complete perfect. I control allmy lok movements via WDP using TMAS MC as interface, What more you want.? You can also select and switch your switching devices via TAMS MC. But for what you are using than WDP???

Best wishes

Hans

[Gerard Moggré]

Hello Per,

I agree with Hans-Jürgen. Use the Tams as an interface, not as a primair controller.

Kind regards,
Gerard

[Oliver L.]

Per, Gerard,

I've tried to talk to Uhlenbrock about this, to no avail. However, I have found one clear candidate for causing problems: When I have either my mobile phone or the cordless phone with me when I'm in the basement, IB resets happen much more frequently. So there is most likely an EMC issue with the IB (and I know from personal experience that these can be a bitch to solve...).

I use Loconet for sensing, and that is why I have been reluctant to change. And without a phone nearby the resets happen very infrequently.

Oliver

[Per Olsen]

Hello again.

Yes, I do use Windigipet, and need primarily a PC-interface.  But I do also need to be able to control the locos with the controller, often to test/solve special problems on the layout.   Especially important during programming/testing things in Windigipet.

OK, today I tested with my own cell-phone very close to the IB.  I ran the trains for several hours, but no resets at all.  The other day I had 3 resets within 5 minutes, and that time I did not have any phones near.  I do have a burglar-alarm that is set off by the cell-phone-interference... 

I have also many times tried to get an answer from Uhlenbrock, but no luck.  So now I have ordered a TAMS controller, so I will retire the IB (or use it only for solenoid-switching, if it works OK then..).  I hope the IB will be fixed sometime, so maybe I will use it again. 

Best regards,
Per.

[Berna]

Maybe this will solve the problem?

http://www.bilder-hochladen.net/files/5igw-a-jpg.html

[Gerard Moggré]

Hello Berna,

Looks good.......We'll see how this one will be.