Manxman110

Took delivery of an ACE2 unit and two hand controllers two weeks ago to replace an ageing ZTC511. Absolutely delighted with my purchase and very impressed by it's capabilities. The ability to describe the locos, set function lists and general use ability are excellent. Was initially concerned that moving over to a touch screen from levers and buttons might be a bit of a culture shock but the interface has been well designed and is very intuitive and the whole operation is very professional. The ability to access all the features of my sound equipped locos has proved to be a bit of an eye opener. Delighted with the system and with a price point that didn't break the bank it wins every way from my perspective.

Thanks Ian. Your thoughts are welcome but looking at some of your comments about things you are still waiting for has not dispelled my nagging doubts. I would have expected any manufacturer to have been on top of this by now. Whilst I am not in a hurry to dispense with the 511 the questions about long term future do not appear to have been resolved.

At the risk of going over old ground I think that I am coming to another crossroads about whether I update my 511 controller to the new spec. I had nearly made up my mind that this was the route to go but now see that new boards are not going to be available until September having already been subject to another revision. Also of concern was the relative lack of activity on this thread for quite a few weeks and no overwhelming endorsement of 611 users. To be honest I love my 511 and like its layout but like many other users would like more function keys available and would like to lose the few foibles of an early ZTC system. My concern is whether the firm has critical mass to sustain the issue of the 611. Still bear the scars from the early days of video recorders when opted for Betamax which was technically better but the market went VHS. I am an 0 gauge modeler so need a minimum of 5 amps. I would also like a non tethered form of remote control if possible as operate into the garden. The latter is not essential but would be a consideration if a a complete system change was appropriate. I realize that the merits of each system are a fairly personal thing but I would be interested in people's views. It may be that staying with what I know is the best option but every time I think that the decision has been made reason for another doubt surfaces. I am not indecisive just cannot make up my mind!! Your thoughts and comments would be very welcome.

Thanks Ian - thought that might be the case. It does seem things are getting closer to fruition though. Hope you will post your impressions of the 611 when you get it. Regards David

Has anybody upgraded from a 511 to 611 yet? The Taunton controls website suggests that the first batch of upgrades have sold out and the second batch should be available in March but there is already mention of a third batch (but at increased price). I like the idea of the upgrade but am always a little reticent at being an early adopter of a new bit of kit - selfishly prefer someone else to find the early bugs! Would be interested in knowing if anyone has experience of the 611in operational use. Regards David

Hi Two Tone Green. I live in the Isle of Man so trips across are somewhat of a rarity so members day is a no. But if you have any quick tips to get the 37 fan to slow down would welcome them. Looking at the original Heljan Circuit board it appears that the speed of the fan is set by a small preset rheostat. Can't bring myself to remove this from the Heljan Board hence looking for a different solution.

Thanks for that - by the sound of it your fan is like mine and sounds like it will take off hence looking to reduce the voltage and get it down to a reasonable volume. Will keep trying. Regards David

Hi Am just installing a loksound sound decoder in a Heljan 0 gauge 37. Decided to dispense with the Heljan circuit board and wire direct into the decoder. Decided to go down this route as I put a sound decoder into a class 47 but modified the Heljan circuit board which was not wholly successful certainly as far as the lights are concerned and talking to Steve at South West Digital he said that he normally omits the Heljan circuit board. All has gone well until I came to put the body back on the chassis and found it was handed and like a numpty I put it on the wrong way! Apart from that the everything works well except that the fan is receiving too much voltage from the auxilliary output. Have identified the CV which can change the auxilliary output settings but not sure what the revised settings should be- has anyody had the same problem? Although it's quite long winded I think I prefer wiring direct into the decoder - the loco and lights work beautifully - if I can solve the fan settings job done! Thanks for your help.