diff --git a/Pipfile b/Pipfile
index a107174..d3b14ba 100644
--- a/Pipfile
+++ b/Pipfile
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ pytest = "*"
 coverage = "*"
 pytest-cov = "*"
 pyclean = "*"
+rope = "*"
+pytest-mock = "*"
 
 [requires]
 python_version = "3.7"
diff --git a/Pipfile.lock b/Pipfile.lock
index f803e7d..3772b36 100644
--- a/Pipfile.lock
+++ b/Pipfile.lock
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
     "_meta": {
         "hash": {
-            "sha256": "e6545aa4fa1331a0fb84597868ae375627bd33f64474d29dc918eebc98e4a377"
+            "sha256": "1065c248d3077683811f618e3c38e722c899ed3b612e3d0ea099e9caa07813ba"
         },
         "pipfile-spec": 6,
         "requires": {
@@ -239,6 +239,14 @@
             "index": "pypi",
             "version": "==2.11.1"
         },
+        "pytest-mock": {
+            "hashes": [
+                "sha256:379b391cfad22422ea2e252bdfc008edd08509029bcde3c25b2c0bd741e0424e",
+                "sha256:a1e2aba6af9560d313c642dae7e00a2a12b022b80301d9d7fc8ec6858e1dd9fc"
+            ],
+            "index": "pypi",
+            "version": "==3.5.1"
+        },
         "regex": {
             "hashes": [
                 "sha256:01afaf2ec48e196ba91b37451aa353cb7eda77efe518e481707e0515025f0cd5",
@@ -285,6 +293,13 @@
             ],
             "version": "==2021.4.4"
         },
+        "rope": {
+            "hashes": [
+                "sha256:786b5c38c530d4846aa68a42604f61b4e69a493390e3ca11b88df0fbfdc3ed04"
+            ],
+            "index": "pypi",
+            "version": "==0.18.0"
+        },
         "toml": {
             "hashes": [
                 "sha256:806143ae5bfb6a3c6e736a764057db0e6a0e05e338b5630894a5f779cabb4f9b",
diff --git a/bdio/brain/brain.py b/bdio/brain/brain.py
index c9aed7c..0a0baeb 100644
--- a/bdio/brain/brain.py
+++ b/bdio/brain/brain.py
@@ -1,4 +1,20 @@
+from nceserial.driver import NceSerialDriver
+from nceserial.commander import NceCommander
+from time import sleep
+
 """RITMRC Layout Control and Signaling: Brain"""
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":  # is this required for an app entrypoint?
     print("All aboard!")  # Hello, world!
+    driver = NceSerialDriver()
+    driver.connect("/dev/ttyUSB0")
+    cmd_station = NceCommander(driver)
+    if cmd_station.is_online():
+        print("NCE Software version: " + cmd_station.version_formatted())
+        print("Time: " + cmd_station.clock_formatted())
+        while True:
+            print(cmd_station.aiu_status(4))
+            sleep(1)
+    else:
+        print("not connected")
+ 
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bdio/brain/nceserial/__init__.py b/bdio/brain/nceserial/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/bdio/brain/nceserial/commander.py b/bdio/brain/nceserial/commander.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..05fbca9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bdio/brain/nceserial/commander.py
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import struct
+from .commands import COMMANDS, RESPONSE_VALUES
+from .util import int2addr
+
+class NceCommander:
+    def __init__(self, driver):
+        self.driver = driver
+
+    def is_online(self):
+        return self.driver.is_connected() and self.noop()
+
+    def run_command(self, name):
+        try:
+            cmd, _, res_size, res_opts = COMMANDS[name]
+        except KeyError:
+            raise Exception(f"'{name}' is not a valid NCE command")
+        
+        result = self.driver.read_write(cmd, res_size)
+        if len(res_opts):
+            if result not in res_opts:
+                # TODO: map this better from error response code to
+                # an error class
+                raise Exception(f"response not in possible result set")
+        return result
+
+    def clock(self):
+        """Read command station clock setting"""
+        return self.run_command("CLOCK_READ")
+
+    def clock_formatted(self):
+        hour, minute = self.clock()
+        return f"{hour}:{minute}"
+
+    def version(self):
+        return self.run_command("VERSION")
+
+    def version_formatted(self):
+        VV, MM, mm = self.version()
+        return f"v{VV}.{MM}.{mm}"
+
+    def noop(self):
+        return self.run_command("NOOP")
+
+    def dummy(self):
+        return self.run_command("DUMMY")
+
+    def aiu_status(self, address):
+        cmd = struct.pack(">BB", 0x8A, address)
+        result = self.driver.read_write(cmd, 4)
+        #return [byte >> i & 1 for i in range(8) for byte in result]
+        return (
+            [int.from_bytes(result[0:2], byteorder='big') >> i & 1 for i in range(16)],
+            [int.from_bytes(result[2:4], byteorder='big') >> i & 1 for i in range(16)]
+        )
diff --git a/bdio/brain/nceserial/commands.csv b/bdio/brain/nceserial/commands.csv
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..485a5f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bdio/brain/nceserial/commands.csv
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+command,name,arg_size_bytes,res_size_bytes,res_options
+80,noop                 ,0,1,!
+81,assign_loco          ,3,1,!|1|2
+82,clock_read           ,0,2,
+83,clock_stop           ,0,1,!
+84,clock_start          ,0,1,!
+85,clock_set            ,2,1,!|3
+86,clock_swap_12_24     ,0,1,!|3
+87,clock_set_ratio      ,1,1,!|3
+88,loco_dequeue_packet  ,2,1,!|1|2
+89,use_main_track       ,0,1,!
+8A,aiu_status           ,1,4,
+8B,use_prog_track       ,0,1,!
+8C,dummy                ,0,3,!
+8D,loco_set_speed       ,3,1,!|1|3|14|28|128
+8E,write_16             ,19,1,!|4
+8F,read_16              ,2,16,
+#
+97,write_16             ,3,1,!
+98,write_2              ,4,1,!
+99,write_4              ,6,1,!
+9A,write_8              ,10,1,!
+9B,aiu_status_short     ,1,2,
+9C,run_macro            ,1,1,!|0|3
+9D,read_1               ,1,1,
+9E,enter_prog_track_mode,0,1,!|3
+9F,exit_prog_track_mode ,0,1,!
+#
+AA,version              ,0,3,
+AB,soft_reset           ,0,0,
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bdio/brain/nceserial/commands.py b/bdio/brain/nceserial/commands.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a751765
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bdio/brain/nceserial/commands.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import csv
+import os
+from pprint import pprint
+
+COMMANDS = {}
+RESPONSES = {
+    "SUCCESS": b"!",
+    "UNSUPPORTED_COMMAND": b"0",
+    "ADDRESS_RANGE_ERROR": b"1",
+    "CAB_OP_RANGE_ERROR": b"2",
+    "DATA_RANGE_ERROR": b"3",
+    "BYTE_COUNT_RANGE_ERROR": b"4",
+    "SPEED_MODE_1": b"14",
+    "SPEED_MODE_2": b"28",
+    "SPEED_MODE_3": b"128",
+}
+RESPONSE_VALUES = {v: k for k, v in RESPONSES.items()}
+
+this_dir, this_filename = os.path.split(__file__)
+commands_file = os.path.join(this_dir, "commands.csv")
+
+
+def unpack_opts(field):
+    if not field:
+        return []
+    options = field.split("|")
+    return list(map(lambda o: bytes(o, "ascii"), options))
+
+
+with open(commands_file) as csvfile:
+    reader = csv.reader(csvfile)
+    for row in reader:
+        if row[0] == "#":
+            continue
+        if row[1] == "name":
+            continue
+        cmd = bytes.fromhex(row[0])
+        name = str.upper(str.rstrip(row[1]))
+        arg_size = int(row[2])
+        res_size = int(row[3])
+        res_opts = unpack_opts(row[4])
+
+        COMMANDS[name] = (cmd, arg_size, res_size, res_opts)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bdio/brain/nceserial/nceserial.py b/bdio/brain/nceserial/driver.py
similarity index 66%
rename from bdio/brain/nceserial/nceserial.py
rename to bdio/brain/nceserial/driver.py
index a919c84..845cabc 100644
--- a/bdio/brain/nceserial/nceserial.py
+++ b/bdio/brain/nceserial/driver.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 TIMEOUT_SEC = 1
 
 
-class NceSerial:
+class NceSerialDriver:
     """NCE Command Station Serial Interface Driver"""
 
     def __init__(self):
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ def __init__(self):
         )
 
     def is_connected(self):
-        return self.serial.is_open()
+        return self.serial.is_open
 
     def connect(self, port):
         if self.is_connected():
@@ -33,5 +33,16 @@ def disconnect(self):
             raise serial.SerialException("NCE Serial not connected")
         self.serial.close()
 
-    def write(self, bytes):
-        return self
+    def write(self, data):
+        #print(f"driver: writing - {data}")
+        return self.serial.write(data)
+
+    def read(self, size):
+        result = self.serial.read(size)
+
+        #print(f"driver: read {size} bytes - {result.hex()}")
+        return result
+
+    def read_write(self, data, size):
+        self.write(data)
+        return self.read(size)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bdio/brain/nceserial/driver_test.py b/bdio/brain/nceserial/driver_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef26b58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bdio/brain/nceserial/driver_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import pytest
+from serial import Serial, SerialException
+from .driver import NceSerialDriver
+
+
+def test_construction():
+    nce = NceSerialDriver()
+    assert isinstance(nce.serial, Serial)
+
+
+def test_connect(mocker):
+    nce = NceSerialDriver()
+    mocker.patch("serial.Serial.open")
+    nce.connect("/dev/notexist")
+    assert nce.serial.port == "/dev/notexist"
+
+
+def test_connect_fail(mocker):
+    nce = NceSerialDriver()
+    mocker.patch.object(nce, "is_connected", return_value=True)
+    with pytest.raises(SerialException) as excinfo:
+        nce.connect("port")
+    assert "already connected" in str(excinfo.value)
+
+
+def test_is_connected(mocker):
+    nce = NceSerialDriver()
+    nce.serial.is_open = True
+    mocker.patch.object(nce, "noop", return_value=True)
+    assert nce.is_connected()
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bdio/brain/nceserial/errors.py b/bdio/brain/nceserial/errors.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2d267c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bdio/brain/nceserial/errors.py
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+class NceError(Exception):
+    """Base class for NCE exceptions in this module"""
+
+    pass
+
+
+class UnsupportedCommandError(NceError):
+    def __init__(self, command):
+        self.command = command
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bdio/brain/nceserial/nceserial_test.py b/bdio/brain/nceserial/nceserial_test.py
deleted file mode 100644
index c40721d..0000000
--- a/bdio/brain/nceserial/nceserial_test.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-from serial import Serial
-from nceserial import NceSerial
-
-
-def test_NceSerial_construction():
-    nce = NceSerial()
-    assert isinstance(nce.serial, Serial)
diff --git a/bdio/brain/nceserial/util.py b/bdio/brain/nceserial/util.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dc53fb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bdio/brain/nceserial/util.py
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+
+def int2addr(number):
+    """converts an integer to addr_hi and addr_lo bytes"""
+    return number >> 8, number & 255
+
+def addr2int(addr):
+    """converts addr_hi and addr_lo into single number address"""
+    hi, lo = addr
+    return hi << 8 | lo & 255
\ No newline at end of file