Brose Mini Zentrale
Also known as Brose SS-1
This early and small control unit was developed and produced in the mid 80s by Carl Brose GmbH. It was used with Rollband signs on busses and rail vehicles.
This Control unit is not VDV300 compatible and predates the standard, but can be modified to be useful with newer equipment.
Supported Telegrams
The control unit is a very early model that only supports numerical commands.
| Command | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| "l" | DS001-like | Three Digit Line number, Digits can be Hexadecimal |
| "z" | DS003-like | Three Digit Destination Number, Digits can be Hexadecimal |
| "x" | predates DS10 | Three Digit Position on LVA |
VDV300 compatibility
By default the control unit is not VDV300 compatible, as it calculates the telegram checksum differently. Some newer equipment can be made compatible with it by disabling checksum checks, fixing the checksum calculation is also possible.
Please note, that fixing or disabling the checksum checks will not make the Mini Zentrale fully VDV300 compatible, but as long as the user sticks too decimal line and destination numbers downstream clients will recognize the commands correctly.
Known firmware
Currently only there firmware variations are known to exist
| Firmware | Description |
|---|---|
| "lzx" | 1. Steuerkreis -> Line Number 2. Steuerkreis -> Destination Number 3. Steuerkreis -> Perlschnur Position |
| "zlx" | 1. Steuerkreis -> Destination Number 2. Steuerkreis -> Line Number 3. Steuerkreis -> Perlschnur Position |
| "zxl" | 1. Steuerkreis -> Destination Number 2. Steuerkreis -> Perlschnur Position 3. Steuerkreis -> Line Number |
Custom firmware
It's possible to flash a modified firmware to fix the checksum making the control unit partially VDV300 compatible.
Repair Notes
Usually the unit is very resilient, but some common problems exist
- Illumination of encoders not working:
The individual encoders have a small bulb that light up when 24V is applied to the female power connector.
If the bulbs burn out, they can't be replaced easily, consider replacing the encoders. - Start ot Status indicators not working:
Pull out the Green/Red top cover to gain access to the bulb, replace with Type MG 28V/40mA (For example Barthelme 00282840) - Encoders are stuck or not working correctly:
If you are feeling lucky disassembling th encoder is possible, but the plastic tabs will break of, so sealing it back is not easy.
Better to replace them with a newer model, BCD Type 131(decimal) or Type (301) hexadecimal should be used, verify Pinout!
DPS10 series from Hartman can be used, but the joining pins and covers are not compatible, so you have to replace all 3 encoders in a set
Labels and product numbers of Brose Mini Central
| Image | Description |
|---|---|
 | 001.216.02.0 12/85 |
Inside the Brose Mini Central
| Image | Description |
|---|---|
  | CPU Board |
  | Power and Interface Board |
  | Selector Board |