For those interested, there’s an initial write up on Tony’s Train Exchange web site on the new ESU ECoS DCC system. Although it does have it European influences (e.g. the locomotive “identification” image), it sounds like an interesting and promising product.
I wonder if future DCC systems will be going this direction. I believe that the new Bachmann Dynamis DCC system is also manufactured by ESU. The two styles are very similar. Interesting that there is no mention of price at all.
i went to ESU’s website and found the ‘find a dealer near you’ link . i picked one in new york state so you americans wouldn’t have to figure out how to convert from canadian dollars [:D]
looks like around $499 US (found a canadian source at C$659.99 ). a bit expensive for a dcc base system perhaps , but it certainly has a lot of bells and whistles . the fact that it can connect to many other dcc ststems makes it very interesting .
what i’d like to see is someone come out with an easy to set up package to do something like this but using a customer supplied computer to do the software end , even if it didn’t connect to anyone else’s system
p.s tstage , i just saw your update as i was proofreading this
$499 is a lot better than $649.00. It’s amazing to me the variety of connections that they have in the back to plug things into and the different DCC systems that it will run with the “sniffer”. I would love to see one in action. I did see one at a recent train show that I attended, but it was still boxed up.
Since the ECoS is basically a small Linux computer, it sorta makes me wonder if someone couldn’t write a program for a PDA that would do something similar - albeit with a smaller screen. I would think that you’d have to come up with a junction box as a go-between for all the connector ports.
I saw it in operation at the National Train Show in Philly. Interesting, but very Euro in design and function. The knob was the biggest show of overengineering I have seen ina long time. It’s a potentiometer, but unlike the typical potentoimeter cabs, it can match speed with switchign back to another loco - by TURNING THE KNOB! Yes, the pot is motorized like on some high-end audio gear that lets you adjust the volume remotely yet uses a knob not a button on the receiver.
I guess there are some people who just do not like encoders - in fact a recent poster on the Digitrax list said he prefers the finer control of the pot on the UT4 to the encoders on the DT400. Hate to tell you, but a 320 degree 0-full range is NOT finer control than 2-3 full turns from 0-full. The motorized feature of the ECoS eliminates one of the biggest drawbacks of a potentiometer control, but it’s still less than one turn from dead stop to full speed.