ELITE CONTROLLER WITH SELECT WALKABOUT

[billyboy1]

Having had an Elite bought for me at Christmas, I decided to get the Hornby RJ12 cable

to connect the Select controller as a walkabout. Having plugged both into the XpresNet

sockets on both, nothing shows on the ELITE screen that it recognises the Select.

However, on the Select screen I get "CE" flashing. When I press the select button on

the Select I get the number 03. 

I have been unable to find any details in the accompanying Elite booklet to explain

what I need to do now.

I am sure the answer to this is simple but I have not been able to find it.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I should be doing or not doing ?

Incidentally the Elite is running on the Classic setting.

 

[96RAF]

Try looking in the Select book as well. Page 22 tlaks to using Elite with Select. ELite manual,Page 73 decribes walkabout connections.

also mke sure you only hve the RJ cable attched. The Select MUST NOT be powered by its own power supply. It gets its power through the RJ cable.

Try your Elite in Standard mode unless your Select is at a very early version 1.0 or 1.1.

[Yelrow]

Billyboy, i am fairly sure you have the wrong cable. RJ12, is not right, it needs to be R8266. I buy my yellow ones from the guy on ebay, who makes any length. These are perfect. I also, think you should be in Standard mode. john

[96RAF]

Just for the record when you start up both your Elite and Select please tell us what you see.

Elite mode and version e.g Classic or Standard and version 1. something.

Select shows three pairs of numbers e.g. 10 30 03 where the first pair are the ones we want to know about.

there are two RJ12 cables round or flat and only one of them is the one John -  yelrow - speaks of.

R8236 is the wrong one, R8266 is the right one.

Rob

[Yelrow]

Raf, i  as you know, have 2 of these both run off yellow cable R8266. If his does not run of Standard mode, tis wrong one, in my  book. john

[96RAF]

RAF, he def has wrong one in my view. There are pages on other forums about this RJ12, is for summat else john

John

RJ12 is just the plug on the end John when seen with 6 wires, else it is an RJ11 plug with four wires.

The walkabout cable only uses the four inner wires and the R8239 booster unit upon opportunity only needs the two outer wires.

It was the booster signal that corrupted the Select Walkabout signal if using the R8236 6 wire cable hence the specific R8266 4 wire cable for Walkabout use, which is the one you have and which defo works.

Rob

[Chrissaf]

Billyboy, just to reiterate what others have said, but with a bit of added clarity.

.

When you are using the Select as a Walkabout, you must not connect the Walkabout Select to its supplied mains power supply. The power for the Select is delivered through the R8266 cable. It is the power connection via the R8266 cable that is detected by the Elite and Select and puts them in the 'Walkabout' operation mode. If you connect the Select to its mains power supply, then 'Walkabout' mode can not be initiated by them.

.

If you have already connected them this way, and with the correct cable, then come back and advise for further guidance.

.

As RAF96 has requested. It is important to advise us with regard the Elite / Select firmware levels, as this has a bearing on Elite / Select 'Walkabout' compatibility.

[billyboy1]

Tks vm everyone for all of your replies.

Firstly I am not using the power cable in the Select walkabout. Secondly The cable that I am using is

Hornby R8236. This was the cable that I was told was the correct one by a well known shop up

north. I had already asked which cable to use either R8236 or the R8266. They said that R8236

was the correct one as this was a successor to the 8266. Thirdly the Cable that I have is flat not round.

The version that I am using is Classic mode which is how the Elite came set up in.

I think that by what you are all saying is that the cable I have bought is the incorrect one.

Can you please confirm if I have read this correctly ?

 

[96RAF]

Billyboy

see this - first post from Hornby Support.

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/the-differences-between-r8236-amp;-r8266-cables/?p=1

and

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/rj12-select-elite-to-walkabout-select-lead.html    ... Round cable

and

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/hornby-dcc-rj12-3m-lead.html    ...Flat cable 

[Yelrow]

Billy, Its the wrong cable. The one you have is only for the Booster unit.  Get yourself a yellow one from the guy on Ebay, Round, not flat. The one you have, will never work. john

[Chrissaf]

I had already asked which cable to use either R8236 or the R8266. They said that R8236 was the correct one as this was a successor to the 8266.

.

The R8236 was originally designed for use with the R8239 Booster. Initially this cable was also used for the Select 'Walkabout' as well (and is still mentioned as being the case in some older Hornby documentation). Hornby then found out that the R8236 cable was producing issues for some users when used as a 'Walkabout' cable. Hornby then provided a fix to these issues in the form of a specific 'Walkabout' cable to replace the R8236, the R8266.

.

The R8236 is still used with the R8239 Booster, but was superseded by the R8266 for use as a 'Walkabout' cable. Therefore, the R8266 was the successor to the R8236 for 'Walkabout' use, not the other way round. Your well known Northern shop got it wrong. The R8266 is easily recognised, because it is a round cable rather than flat as per the R8236. The R8266 cable is round, because internally it uses twisted pair wiring to reduce crosstalk interference between the wires, that is inherent in a flat cable design.

.

A lot of the shops get this information wrong, because early Hornby documentation was stating the R8236 as being the 'Walkabout' cable. The cable information was only updated on the Hornby shop website fairly recently, and may not have filtered down into all the written documents in product packaging yet. Hence the shops confusion on this matter.

[Yelrow]

Chriss, thats an awful lot of words for,   you have the wrong cable.  john 

[2e0dtoeric]

Why use a short message when a diminutive one will serve?  😛

[Fishmanoz]

Billyboy, not only is your cable wrong, but your Elite in Classic mode is probably wrong too, most likely should be in Standard. This can be changed via the manual/menu instructions on how to change mode.  However, to be absolutely sure on this, you need to report the startup numbers for both Elite and Select so we can confirm your firmware version numbers because the correct mode to use is dependent on these.  Classic is correct for some early firmware versions, Stamdard correct for later and current ones.

[RDS]

nothing shows on the ELITE screen that it recognises the Select.

@billyboy1

I have the Select as a Walkabout to the Elite and there is no indication on the Elite Screen that a Select is connected.  My Select also flashes CE on start up.  I then just enter a Loco id in the Select (less than 60) and that is it.

 

Incidentally, my cable is flat, not round and my Elite is in Standard mode.

My Elite is v1.43 and my Select is v1.0.

 

[Yelrow]

RDS, hi, thats also interesting, as  the flat cable, is/ has been a known issue. Perhaps its to do with the age/model of the select.. Hornby themselves,  accepted the flat one could be problematic. Certainly the yellow round one, is perfect. john

[96RAF]

If your Select is at the latest revision then you wont see the flashing CE at startup and your Select throttle position will feed back onto the Elite v1.43 screen. The Select will flash to indicate if control has been taken by the Elite.

 

Also the Select is hot pluggable so if your Elite is already running you can just plug it in.

 

My cable is lumpy roundish, definitely not flat like my Booster cable. Sort of twisted pairs inside a loose sleeve.

[RDS]

Hi John, I have never had any problems with it - fingers crossed!

I have just checked, it is the R8266 and I can't make up my mind now whether it would be described as round or flat.  I can manipulate it to a round shape or flatten it but looking at the pictures linked from Rob's post at 17:24 yesterday, I will opt for round. Sorry for confusion with my post from yesterday at 23:24.

[Chrissaf]

RDS, you would know if you had a flat cable as they are distinctly different. Their flatness is rigid and difficult to manipulate with fingers. See example below.

.

/media/tinymce_upload/236ed2b02cb3c9ece38bb8cef9a7b4bf.jpg

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For comparison, the R8266 round cable is below.

.

/media/tinymce_upload/8df594859225ec94f6babff89c370c03.jpg

.

 

[Yelrow]

RDS, hi, no  bother. Better when its yellow. Mine is def round.  Going on to the select, RAFs post is interesting. I am going to have to see what rev my  select is. Its been back to Hornby once, a couple of years ago. Taint that easy to see whats on Elite screen as they are about 12 foot apart. Before the Elite update, select used to flash, when first on. Now, dont know. Will report back. john

[billyboy1]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. The annoying part about all of this really is that I took advice which

was clearly wrong. Hopefully when I get the new cable I will have better success.

I am going to send the R8236 cable back and get the round cable R2366.

Once again everyone thanks vm for yr help.

cheers...

[Yelrow]

Billy, R8266  yellow  have it made by the ebay guy  to the size you want. I have a  3 metre one. john

[RDS]

... Their flatness is rigid and difficult to manipulate with fingers

 

 

Thanks Chrissaf.  Your picture makes it very clear what the flat one looks like but because I was able to manipulate mine to a flat shape, it made me wonder.  

[Yelrow]

Ok, my select is i.4, and CE flashes. john

[RDS]

i.4 John?