Accessory bus

[DavidT]

Hi, i am considering using my Railmaster as my mimic board and accessory control, and to control my locos using another type of controller ie Gaugemaster Prodigy or something similar,

I would like to be able to control locos using a dial type control and not have to be at a laptop or similar. Giving me more freedom of movement around board.

Do i need a second bus wire for this set up ?

Any suggestions be most helpful.

 

David T

[96RAF]

Railmaster will only work with Hornby Elite (and Select as a walkabout) or eLink controllers. No other make controllers will talk to it, although it does talk to other make accessory decoders and signals.

[Chrissaf]

David, to answer your question as written.

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Yes you could (if you really want to) relegate your RailMaster and eLink? to just control points and accessories (but not locos). The DCC output of the controller (eLink?) would have to connect to its OWN DEDICATED DCC bus that in turn connects to the Accessory Decoders.

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Then your preferred loco DCC controller with knobs and buttons would connect ONLY to the track. This supplementary controller can not touch the Accessory bus.

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However, doing that would give you no way to run programs for both locos & accessories or introduce Hornby loco detection (if it ever gets launched). In other words you would lose a lot of potential functionality.

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If you want buttons and knobs. Then why not consider replacing the eLink (if that is what you have got, as you didn't say) with an Elite. The Hornby Elite has two speed controller knobs with buttons and is 100% compatible with RailMaster. Not only can you control your layout from the Elite knobs and buttons in standalone mode without loading and running RailMaster, but you can also operate the layout from EITHER the Elite OR RailMaster simultaneously together at the same time. With a slight amendment to your railmaster.ini file, you can configure the Elite rotary speed controls to feed back into RailMaster and move the onscreen slider throttles in synchronisation.

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Using the RailMaster with Elite combination gives you the best of all worlds. Your choice to use RailMaster to just be relegated to operating points and accessories. Yet still use the Elite knobs and buttons to operate locos. Plus the ability to run automated programs of both locos and accessories from within RailMaster, all without the need to separate and isolate your DCC bus wiring.

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You could still then add a Select to the Elite as a 'walkabout' controller using a long lead (as RAF hinted at) OR use a wireless 'walkabout' controller in the form of an Android smart phone or Apple iPhone / iPad OR Windows Tablet.

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The wireless Android / Apple / Tablet option will also work with RailMaster & eLink too. Note however, that you cannot connect a walkabout Select to an eLink.

[DavidT]

Thank you Chrissaf, yes i am using E Link with Railmaster,you've given me quite a lot to think about, if i opted for the Railmaster ,Elite option would it all operate on 1 bus wire ?

Thanks

David

[Chrissaf]

Yes....one Bus pair....the Bus is two wires....but I know what you meant.

[DavidT]

Thanks Chrissof, yes meant one pair

[Fishmanoz]

And if you go with Elite and one bus, the Elite will also be able to control your points as an alternative to using RM too.  Best of both worlds flexibility.  You will find points operation with Elite far more clunky though, much simpler and intuitive with RM but you can operate them without the laptop if you need to.