Automation & Manual Control Together

[Mark_Hassall]

Hi, I was just wondering, using RailMaster, is it possible to have some locos controlled by a programme and some locos under manual control at the same time on the same layout?

Thanks

Mark

[96RAF]

Yes, you can run a program from RM controlling say a mainline loco stopping at a station and from the screen control a loco shunting in a siding.

 

Then if you have an Elite as your RM controller it has two control encoders so you can manually run two locos while RM looks after others under program control.

[Mark_Hassall]

RAF96, many thanks for your swift reply.

[RDS]

As RAF96 says Yes. There is no limit whatsoever on running Loco's manually, whilst RailMaster looks after some others under program control and I do it regularly.   I believe that this one of the many benefits of RM and it allows several Loco's (within the limits of your controller) to be running at once on your layout.

[Fireman_Ian]

The problem I have found with using the Elite to control a train while Railmaster is running a program is if I

happen to send an instruction from the controller at the same time as the program sends an instruction the

programs instruction is missed by the Elite with sometimes dire results.

[96RAF]

Sam 

In theory that shouldn't happen as the DCC signal packets buffer into a queue and are sent very many times a second so the chances of double booking a command slot is extremely unlikely, and even it it did the command is ignored and the decoder waits for a repeat, but it does happen as I have seen missed programmed points commands during manual operations when I had locos and points running from the same controller, hence why I split them onto two bus.

 

I would think the problem is the Elite is getting continuous  input from RM program, so where does it store it whilst handling output from the knobs, before it sends out the assembled stream to the track.

 

No doubt it's a timing issue within the Elite that could possibly be looked at by Hornby.

Rob