detection

[52train]

If I got some block detection sensors can I incoperate them with the railmaster I have on my laptop.

[Chrissaf]

Unlikely.

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Can you state what BD brands / products you are looking at. Just saying 'Block Detectors' is too vague, there are lots of different BD products. To interface with RM, you would need a BD with a DCC interface, probably supporting Railcom as normal DCC signals are one way only....controller to device. You would need something that sends information from detector device to the controller (such as the Railcom protocol). Then additionally, the controller would need to have the support for the device to be written into the software. JMRI (JAVA Model Railroad Interface) software might be able to it, but RM is unlikely to do it in its present revision state. JRMI is a similar, but alternative product to RM. It (allegedly compatible with Hornby Elite, but not with the eLink). JRMI is 'open source' which in practice means that it is free to use for personal use.

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Forum user Phul007 has implemented full loco detection and layout automation, but not using Hornby products. Check out his posts in the clickable link I have given.

[Chrissaf]

Phul007 is using CTI Electronics loco detection hardware in conjunction with a Digitrax DCC controller. I think via the 'Loconet' protocol rather than Railcom. It is not clear from his posts that I have looked at so far, what PC software he is using. It may be JRMI?

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Perhaps Phul007, if you are still reading the forum, you could confirm what you have connected to what, and what software products are used in a 'block diagram' form.

[96RAF]

Maybe in view of the tardiness of Hornby's home brew loco detection system hitting the market, HRMS may be willing to incorporate the use of other brand detection systems into RM, as they have already done with accessory decoders, signals, etc.

 

Possibly worth the OP tagging details of his kit onto the RM wishlist.

[52train]

Sorry should have said the one's I was looking at BOD2-rly  from block signalling.co.uk

[96RAF]

...allegedly compatible with Hornby Elite, but not with the eLink...

 

Interesting that Chris as I tried the eLink on Rocrail as soon as I got one (Rocrail fully supports Elite in either operating modes) and eLink would not work properly either - according to the screen verbiage it was sending commands 5 times, so even though the two Hornby controllers are reputed to be alike, except for a screen - and the data rate - and what else??? - they obviously are definitely not.

 

I wonder what differential code is invoked when you select each in RM.

[Chrissaf]

I am familiar with the BlockSignalling website as I have it bookmarked. Their detectors including the BOD-rly are fairly basic. The BOD-rly has no DCC intelligence. It is just a circuit board that when detects a piece of rolling stock (using an infrared detector) and operates a relay (It doesn't even network with other BlockSignalling products). The relay contact can then be used to switch something else, for example a point or a signal or just illuminate an LED on a mimic panel. It is basically a dumb device. There is no way (currently) that you could integrate this product into RM. But do see comment below regarding 'computer input'.

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The following extract pasted from the BlockSignalling website for the BOD-rly product

• Very easy to connect up to simple indications on a control panel or to add as inputs to computer systems

With regard to the "add as inputs to computer systems". This is a bit misleading. Computer hobbyists have in the past, and probably still do, build simple interface circuits connected to a computer communications port (either serial or parallel). Interface circuits can be found on the Internet, but these days have been largely replaced by programmable processor boards such as Arduino, thus then having the ability to use USB back to the PC. By using a relay contact to connect a voltage to a pin, the computer can then detect (maybe via an Arduino) a condition. It should be noted that this feature is for computer hobbyists that not only build their own custom interface circuits, but also write their own software. This is not particularly helpful with regard to RailMaster software which is propriety and subject to intellectual rights.

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These BlockSignalling BODs could be, and most likely are, intended to be used with commercial products such as the CTI Electronics products mentioned in my earlier reply, where the relay input support is already built into the product.

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It has to be faced that building a Loco Detection solution on the cheap using RailMaster as it currently stands, is chasing rainbows.

[52train]

Ok thank you for your input I surpoe I'll have to wait for Hornby to catch up or walk away from Elite and railmaster which would be a shame.

[Chrissaf]

Well at least your query has enabled you to hit your first 100 post count  😉 even if it hasn't given you the news you were hoping for.

[Chrissaf]

Should have added, if it was that easy. There would be loads of posts on here discussing what users have done to build their own loco detection control systems and how they incorporated them into RM. Nobody has done it yet with RM.

[Fishmanoz]

When you start to think about what is needed to incorporate any form of detection into RM, it very quickly becomes obvious why it's not easy to do.

 

Currently, RM takes input from only 3 classes of source - throttles, points/accessories and the setups in points and signals which cause other points and signals to change. LD sensor setups will be added to this list once implemented.  Putting the internally generated inputs to one side, all of the external user inputs are done by onscreen adjustments.  But for detection to work, RM will have to accept inputs from the sensors.  We know this is intended to happen via a USB connection but we have no idea what the communications protocol will be, or whether the RM end of the interface that will accept that protocol even exists yet.  And they aren't about to tell us, just as they've told us nothing about the internal operation of RM in its current form.

 

So your current chances of coming up with a system that is interpreted by RM as a detection - nil.