What can I do with Hornby DCC ?

[gdevoy]

As I understand it "Railmaster" is a program I can run on a PC or laptop

I can use "eLink" to let said PC talk to the Hornby Elite Digital controller. I take it that is a bus protocall but I could be wrong.

With said controller I can control the speed and position of all the trains on my Hornby layout provided I have fitted a control chip inside each currently analog loco.

I cannot talk to the Select controller controller from my PC because it does not have a digital interface.

I can also control other thinks like points and carraige lights etc, provided these are digital.

Can someone confirm this or gently put me on the right track?

Thanks

 

[Chrissaf]

eLink IS a DCC controller, as is an Elite. You don't have an eLink as well as an Elite, you have one or the other. eLink is a piece of hardware it is not a digital signal protocol. Both eLink & Elite are controlled by RailMaster. The difference being is that the Elite will function as a 'Stand Alone' controller with its own control buttons and knobs and doesn't need RM to function, whilst the eLink will ONLY work with RailMaster and a PC and has no things on it to press and twiddle.

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Have a look at my document titled 'Getting Started with Track Expansion Packs' downloadable from the thread at the top of the forum 'General Section' with the same name. You need to read 'Section 6' of the document that talks about the basics of DCC control and overviews the different Hornby controllers. This document section 6 will answer the questions raised in your post above.

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I would also direct you to this professionally produced video on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRynyMy9bYU

 

 

[Chrissaf]

Supplement to my last reply.

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With said controller I can control the speed and position of all the trains on my Hornby layout provided I have fitted a control chip inside each currently analog loco.

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Yes you are correct. The control chip is called a 'DCC Decoder'. Some come as 6 pin, 8 pin or 21 pin. Most are pre-terminated on a plug, but some come bare wired. Conversion harnesses are available to convert between types. From the factory, ALL decoders are programmed with the same 003 DCC loco address. Thus after testing a loco new purchase on address number 3, you then need to change the address (as your first task) to something different and unique for your particular layout.

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Only locos sold as DCC Fitted or DCC on-board come with a factory fitted DCC Decoder. Locos sold as DCC Ready do not. They only have a socket inside to which a DCC Decoder can be fitted.

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I cannot talk to the Select controller controller from my PC because it does not have a digital interface.

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Correct. The Select does not have a computer USB interface on it.

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I can also control other things like points and carriage lights etc, provided these are digital.

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Correct. Note however that carriage lights are usually powered from the track voltage via pickups on the carriage wheels. Thus they are on all the time there is power on the track. In the case of DCC this is permanently. To switch them on and off via DCC you would need to custom install a bare wired version of a DCC decoder in each carriage. Carriage lights in manufactured EMU and DMU sets are slightly different, most (not all though) have electrical connections built into the couplings between carriages and the carriage lights are then controlled by the DCC decoder in the motor car. There are many variations on this theme that are model and brand specific.

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Points are slightly different. To control points via DCC you need an additional interface box or boxes connected to your DCC controller. These are called Accessory Decoders (AD). There are numerous ADs on the market, all compatible with Hornby DCC controllers. There are ones for controlling solenoid operated points, ones for servo controlled points and ones for stall motor controlled points. The Hornby R8247 AD only controls solenoid points and has limited additional features built in as standard. Accessory control is an important aspect of this hobby. Look at what is available in the market before committing to any one particular product brand / model. Typically an AD will have four output ports on it, some (non Hornby brands) have eight.

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ADs can also operate signals. The Hornby R8247 can only operate dual aspect signals (Red & Green). There are other signal control products from other brands (supported by RailMaster) that can operate multi-aspect signals i.e Red, Yellow, Green and Red, Yellow, Yellow, Green. Note: Semaphore signals are not natively controlled by the Hornby R8247 AD, but can be interfaced to one via additional custom componentry. There are posts elsewhere on this forum describing how.

[Fishmanoz]

There is also a very basic DCC section on this web site to look at, then google Brian Lambert and go through his excellent DCC pages.

 

Then a good way to get started on DCC with PC control is the Majestic set with RM, eLink, 2 locos track etc and still available at Hattons for a considerable discount I believe.

[OzPepper]

The control chip is called a 'DCC Decoder'. Some come as 6 pin, 8 pin or 21 pin.

 Great info! If I could tag along in this conversation - I have a couple of questions, too:

How can we find out what number of pins the locos support, short of opening them out to find out? Eg. I have a A1 peppercorn  steam loco and a Class 47 Co-Co Diesel in my Majestic set - both DCC already. How many pins are these 2 locos having on their DCC chip?

The Hornby R8247 AD only controls solenoid points and has limited additional features built in as standard. Accessory control is an important aspect of this hobby. Look at what is available in the market before committing to any one particular product brand / model. Typically an AD will have four output ports on it, some (non Hornby brands) have eight.

Any particular other brands or models of ADs to look at in this regard?

 

Cheers!

 

[Chrissaf]

How can we find out what number of pins the locos support, short of opening them out to find out?

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In the main, Hornby use 8 pin decoder sockets. Very small locos may use 6 pin sockets, some even 4 pins if very small. Other than opening them up to see for yourself. The instruction sheet that comes with brand new Hornby locos, usually states the DCC socket type. This of course doesn't help if buying secondhand and the seller is not including the originally paperwork. Then there is the Hornby Service Sheet (HSS). Some HSSs are downloadable from this Hornby site. See 'Service Sheets' in the 'Help & Advice' drop down list in the top navigation bar. HSSs that are not on this Hornby website can be found here:

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www.lendonsmodelshop.co.uk/index.asp?button=button2&servicesheets=none

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Any particular other brands or models of ADs to look at in this regard?

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Given a completely free hand (i.e one is not tied up behind one's back - see Hornby forum rule (as stated on forum home page and copied below)) then there are a few to note. But as a Hornby forum we can't actively promote them. If you read enough posts relating to non Hornby brand AD's it will become quickly clear what ones are being used by forum members. Basically look at the 'self learning' type of AD after you have made a decision what type of point motor you want. A solenoid based point motor or a 'slow action' point motor.

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"Discussion of non-Hornby brands is allowed, however, active promotion or advertising of these brands is not permitted."

 

 

 

[gdevoy]

Thanks for all your help. Seems that there is a reasonable amount of info on this site.

What I plan to do once I get the locos running nice and smothly is chip them all and use a Select controller to establish the system works and get used to what it can do and what it cant do.

Ultimately I would like to take a laptop up into the attic and run Railmaster and eLink. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

[Fishmanoz]

Ozpepper, just one point of clarification. Your locos in the Majestic set are not "DCC Ready", they are DCC fitted, they already have a decoder in them.  DCC Ready means they have the socket for fitting a decoder but it has a blanking plate in it so it will run on DC, not DCC.

[OzPepper]

Ozpepper, just one point of clarification. Your locos in the Majestic set are not "DCC Ready", they are DCC fitted, they already have a decoder in them.  DCC Ready means they have the socket for fitting a decoder but it has a blanking plate in it so it will run on DC, not DCC.

Thanks for the note, Fish. Yes, I do realise that they are DCC fitted. I am thinking of upgrading them to the sound fitted chips.

 

[Chrissaf]

How can we find out what number of pins the locos support, short of opening them out to find out?

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This is some supplemental information to the answer I gave in my reply, 4 replies above this one.

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Having reviewed the Service Sheets for my own fleet of locos, I can add the following information.

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In the main, Bachmann DCC Ready locos predominantly have 21 pin decoder sockets. Based on the five Bachmann models in my fleet.

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Where Hornby produce a model with a Factory Fitted Loksound sound option (this will be denoted by a XS suffix on the Hornby R number). Then they fit a different PCB board with a 21 Pin socket for the 21 Pin Loksound decoder. The same Hornby model manufactured as a DCC Ready loco is equipped with an 8 pin DCC socket PCB. Note: Hornby TTS sound decoders are 8 pin.