Update For The Märklin Central Station 2
A few days ago Märklin released a new update to the Central Station 2. The update does not include a changelog, but from what I can see, from browsing around the system, a few changes are in place. When updated, your Central Station will be at version 4.1.2 (3).
Update: Märklin has now released a changelog. I have updated the article accordingly.
mfx+
In earlier versions, when registering an mfx+ enabled locomotive, some users found their locomotives to be running very slowly. This was caused by the simulation mode in mfx+, some locomotives did not have any of their fuel parameters set at the factory. The workaround was to either re-fuel the train or to switch the simulation mode to Standard. By switching the simulation mode to Standard, you turn off mfx+ features and you are allowed to drive the train normally.
The update corrects this problem. The Central Station will now ask you which simulation mode you want when registering an mfx+ locomotive. Railway modellers that do not use mfx+ can choose Standard mode.
Also included in this update is an mfx+ cab for the Goliath Crane. The crane can only operate one of its three motors at any given time. The cab simulation reflects this behaviour. The crane operates on diesel.
Märklin Bus
A welcome change is the ability to search for new Märklin Bus devices. When you go into the info section of the setup page, you will now see a "Can-Test" button. Pressing this button performs a search for new Märklin Bus devices. Let's say that you attach an S88 LINK, press the Can-Test button, and the S88 LINK immediately shows up in the list of devices. Previously you had to make sure the S88 LINK was powered before powering on the Central Station 2.
Model Time
If you have been a user of the built-in fast clock, you will know that saving changes can take forever. It looks like this update has changed that. The saving of changes to the model time settings is now almost instant. I use the model time a lot, so this is a welcome change.
Note: I am not sure if saving changes is generally faster, I have just noticed it on the model time page. Let me know, if you spot other performance boosts.
S88
Feedback will now be read first when the Central Station starts. This allows for automatic operation to resume immediately.
mfx
The registrering of mfx-locos has improved. The blinking mfx icon should be history with this update.
Decoder update
Updating new decoders where multiple files are included in the update can now be done without any problems.
Update Procedure
Here's some screenshots from the update procedure.
To update the user
interface, the Central Station had to be restarted to apply the update.
After the update, the
Central Station is a version 4.1.2 (3).
Happy Modelling!