RailMaster and Elite function button problem

[Chrissaf]

In the system settings for Railmaster, there are 2 tabs.  The 'General' one has in the top Left Hand Corner, a drop down box to select either elink or Elite.

Check that yours is set to Elite.

[St1ngr4y]

I use RM with an Elite and I have the following INI file parameters all set to zero...

 

Check controller=0

Elite feedback=0

Alternative comms=0

 

... and I have no such problems. If any of these parameters in your INI file are set to 1, trying 0 may work. Also, it has been stated elsewhere on the Forum that placing these lines right at the end of the INI file may be best.

 

Ray

[Chrissaf]

Mine are configured as:

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Elite feedback=1

(set to 1 synchronises the Elite speed control knob to the slider in RM for the same loco being controlled from the Elite physical knob. Elite function buttons are NOT synchronised).

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Alternative comms=1

(set to 1 if using Windows 7 and above when using the Microsoft USB Driver. From my recollection, Ray set his to 0 because when it was 1 he had some problems with the way his RM layout auto control programs worked. For most users, value 1 works better IMO).

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Check controller=0

(set to 0 my personal choice for my system that works best for me).

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As other's have said, you have to ensure that Elite is now chosen instead of eLink in the 'pull down' selection box in the 'System Setting' screen. Also, the .INI settings above seem to have more effect, if they are placed as the last lines in the .INI file.

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ALSO, when reviewing the 'System Setting' screen, ensure that for the Elite setting, the correct 'BAUD' rate values are present.

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For the Elite, the correct settings are:

BAUD = 19200

Bits = 8

Stop Bit = 1

Parity = None

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Also use Windows Device Manager to review the settings for the Elite Driver that are set in Windows itself. These settings should match the settings above as well. See Page 16 of the RailMaster manual on how to perform this check (also see notes below).

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TIP. To open 'Device Manager' click the bluish COG icon in the RailMaster 'System Settings' screen.

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Note: The Windows settings might still show 115000 BAUD rate, which was correct for the eLink.

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Note also that Page 16 of the RM manual shows the XP / Vista Windows driver entry. For Windows 7 and above, the entry to check the BAUD rate for should be as indicated in image below (COM4 may be shown as a different COM number, but should be either 3 or 4). If it says 5 or above then that could be the cause of your problems, and needs to be forced back to a number below 5:

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/media/tinymce_upload/054e5376c2f19578bba0a71912b526be.jpg

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ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT.

Check the Elite power on start up screen and ensure that it briefly says 'Standard' and NOT 'Classic'. If it says 'Classic' change it to 'Standard' using the Elite Menu System (Elite Manual Page 67). It needs to be in 'Standard Mode' to work properly with RailMaster.

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[Chrissaf]

Hi, All,

Just having replace my "fried" Elink with an Elite I am having a few problems, one of which are the function buttons......

All were working fine with the Elink, however, now they are connected through the elite, None of them work, I am only talking about direction and coach lights here, no sound or anything technical. 

 If i press the light button in RM (loco control either small or large) the lights do not come on as they should (or indeed use to with elink) but if I use the Elite function facility they switch on and off with no problem, 

When they are on from the elite,  Ican switch them off from loco window in RM but then if I try and switch on again from RM nothing happens, if i use Elite function again they come on..?????

Is there some setting in the .ini file I need to alter to make to allow RM to control the functions or is there some setting on the Elite to allow RM to control the functions, ??????

 

[Northome]

Hi Guys 

many thanks for thre quick replies, it ios very much appreciated..

All Elite/RM com settings were set up and entered correctly from the start as this is a full re-install of RM due to a very long story about windows update and the very spurious frying of my Elink !!!!! but that is another story of which I'm still completely baffled about how a windows update can fry my elink, However back to the problem in Hand..

Here goes, This is my .ini file

Alternative Comms2=0Check controller2=0Elite feedback=1Alternative Comms=1Check controller=0

I have done several experiments and this config now seems to work ok, I had check controller set at 1 when first set up as stated in OP, last night they would not work at all in RM but worked fine with Elite. I have 2 loco's with lights class 47 and Eurostar.  this is now the results of the experiment.

If Check Con is set to 0 both now work fine with both RM or Elite,

if Check Con is set to 1 (as it was yesterday when not working in RM) Eurostar is now working OK (both coach and direction) ,   Class 47 when switched on and RM button highlighted, no lights, when switched off (not highlited) Lights on !!!!!!!! (strange)

So what the conclusion is to this I have no clue whatsoever.  Why they would not work at all in RM yesterday but ok with Elite and after much playing around and many reboots with no look, we have a completely situation today, 

However just to conclude and verify, 

Check Controller = 0 now seems to be working as it should.

Now just need to sort all my other nigerling issues out between Elite and RM lol

[Fishmanoz]

Just a couple of questions by the way, given you started from scratch - did you do so by downloading and installing the latest version from the link at the top of the forum, and did you have the Elite plugged in, driver installed (done as part of setup) and switched on in Standard mode when you did so?  I ask because our understanding is that this should have ensured that the correct entries were included in the ini file and it would be good to confirm.

[Northome]

If memory serves, Think I installed RM on new windows install before I purchased the elite and set it up for the elink, as I had no knowledge that Elink had fried until I tried to use it with the new install after corrupted update.

However, before I connected the Elite, I altered the relevent settings in RM ie. controller, baud rates, etc.etc. then plugged USB and sorted com port and matched settings, In fact, scrap that, I sorted Com port prior to install as I did firmware update to 1.44 first so com port was already sorted on com 3, so set RM up to com 3.

 

So as you imply RM .ini would have been originally written as if was using the Elink and not the Elite, I must admit although, I brought in the resorces and other relevant files into RM from the backup, I did not bring in the .ini file. so RM would have written a new ini based on the Elink, and not the elite.

 

if all that makes any sense !!!!!!!!

[Northome]

One other thing I have noticed, (after a mistake on my behalf) head on collision and direct short.  Elite tripped because of short but RM did not show this, when Elink was connected RM gave error and asked if locos to continue at previous setting  or not, RM did not show this with the Elite so no option to not continue at previous speed setting, When I cleared the short and reset the Elite everything just set off at previous speed.

 

I know this is not a major issue but it was nice to have the option with the Elink, and wondering if this can be done with the Elite ????

[96RAF]

One thing I have found is that everytime you fiddle with anything in RM it pays to restart it, which then reloads the file you have changed, be it an .ini file or loco setup or trackplan, etc. Many times I have forgotten to do this and errors have appeared only to go away after a restart. This could be why your RM played up the night before but was OK the next day.

 

I shall go and crank up RM and check out the short indication for you then amend this post later.

Edit: I cannot get the Elite out using a coin across the track. 

Rob

[Northome]

Hi Raf,

Do you mean RM trips before the Elite or you just cant get the system to trip with a coin ???? and yep, your right its always good practice to re start RM after any alterations, I think my reset button is worn out after the past 2 weeks from h*** lol....

not only do I reset RM, I also tend to reboot the PC as well when anything major occurs,  but as I have always said, PC only stands for "Production Ceased",  Who ever thought they would make our life easier, That Bill Gates has a lot to answer to. and Steve Jobs was no better with his DR DOS in the 70's lol, thats going back a while, however I digress, we have what we have and we stuck with it !!!!! for better or for worse.

Ive been faffing around with PC's for to long now and although not an expert I do sort of know my way around them, I remember being very reluctant to installing windows 3.01 at one point (13 720k Disks) and preffered dos, but where would we be now without it. 

Again I digress so back to the problem in hand, I will keep having a play and see if I can come up with any scenario that will create a trip and keep working on setting till I get RM to through up the fault instead of the Elite,  onwrds and upwards, as they say.....

Maybe this thread should be renamed "migraating from Elink to Elite" if its possible, that way we could discuss all the silly little issues that show up.

Rob.

[96RAF]

Sorry I missed the odd word out with that edit...

It should have said ‘...the Elite will not trip out using a coin across the track....’

 

My buffer stop leds dim out but the Elite doesn’t trip out so RM doesn’t flag the event as it doesn’t happen.

 

I wonder if my loop to loop radial bus wire is a bit lightweight to carry the 4-amp overload.

 

I did an overload test on a 1-amp powered Select last week and I needed 7 TTS sound locos to trip it.

 

Maybe Cyprus electricity doesn’t obey Ohm’s Law as they don’t seem to obey any other laws out here.

 

Rob

[Chrissaf]

As an Elite / RailMaster user, I would just like to add that because the Elite has a physical 'reset button' i.e the escape key and the eLink does not have anything physically similar. Then I am of the understanding, that HRMS have not provided the equivalent of the eLink soft reset button (on the RailMaster screen) when using an Elite. I am aware of the eLink soft reset button within RailMaster, but have never ever seen it on the screen of my RailMaster / Elite control system combination. I do believe however (but not seen it myself as I do not have an eLink), that the eLink soft 'reset' button does still appear if you are using eLink as controller B as well as an Elite as controller A.

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Experiencing a short on my layout is a very rare occurrence, so 'hand on heart' I can't say that I have had any issues recovering from a short just by pressing the Elite 'escape' reset button. I haven't then had to subsequently reset RM as well. I suppose, if locos did start off again, to carry on where they were interrupted, then a press of the Red RM soft 'All Stop' button would bring everything to a halt again. Doing that then gives you a pop-up screen option to give the user a choice between restarting from a position of everything stopped, or restarting from a position where everything carries on at the same loco speeds as before - see RM Manual screen capture images further below for details.

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The other difference between the Elite physical 'Stop' button and the RM soft 'Stop' button, is that the Elite physical button just cuts the power for everything to stop abruptly. Whereas the RM soft 'Stop' button performs a controlled scale stop function, however this RM 'Stop' function is configurable to give an abrupt stop option as well - see below).

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/media/tinymce_upload/af2dc782ae953692187fc284fe4e431f.jpg

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/media/tinymce_upload/61ceabb6c373dc4380fcf57d2b4dc43c.jpg

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[Northome]

Just to expand on the situation about shorts re- Elink,

If .ini file has Check Controller is set to =0 and a short occurs then Elink shuts down and only way to re set is physical un plug and shut down completely.... then plug back in and restart, of which is a real pain, (as you can imagine) as my elink was based underboard and hidden, with Check Controller set to =1 then Elink will trip and throw small window up stating, remove fault and press ok to continue previous speed or press cancel to stop locos, (or words to that effect). this negates the soft stop button of which has no effect untill cleared from the little fault window as Elink is shut down and power to track has been cut, ie same as Elite shut down. 

I understand the soft shut down (All Stop) button in RM and must admit I do have it set at "controlled" as I prefer this setting. I also reset CV deceleration to slowly stop as as I dont like an abrupt halt if I press the pause button in loco controll screen, I use shunt, cruise and pause a lot,

As far as shorts on the layout are concerned, I am still currently building my layout and as such  experimenting as I go and most of the time the shorts that occur are complete driver error, I keep trying to blame the liitle plastic men in the cab but its like talking to a brick wall, they still make mistakes when their driving (lol).

other shorting problems are for some strange reason are down to loco's passing over certain points, but that is a whole new topic for the future.....

I understand the Shut down on the Elite, its basically the same as my Select and is OK and works fine, however, If RM was developed to run with the Elite (of which I believe it was) then you would have thought it would have all the bells and whistles of operation that the Elink has and more some..

Rob

[Northome]

Chrissaf,

You are correct, the little square soft reset button has disapeared with the Elite, but to be honest, I never had any use of that reset button as the window popped up, cleared the fault and pressed ok in the pop up window and all was good again.  before I set Check Controller=1 the little button (top right of All Stop Button) never seamed to work and had to physically un plug and re plug to reset.

[Northome]

And the other thing is that loco's dont like electrofrog points that are set the wrong way from where they are coming from, lol

[96RAF]

I have Elite as controller A and I have the little red button within the big red stop button.

 

Its purpose as I understand is to reset the comms twixt RM and the controller not reset a shorted controller which resets from the unit.

 

I shall try a coin on the track shorting test tomorrow without RM running to see if that is/is not in the equation as I stand.

 

Rob

[Chrissaf]

But Rob, if I recall correctly you also have eLink as controller B for your points do you not?

[Northome]

Chrissaf, I no longer have an Elink, as it fried itself 2 weeks ago whilst doing windows update, so this is why I had to replace it, so I bought the Elite.

[Chrissaf]

@Northome

My comment was for Rob (forum user RAF96) in response to his comment directly above my post....not you.

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Reviewing your earlier posts again, I have just noticed that your name also happens to be Rob, that is just an unexpected coincidence.

[Fishmanoz]

And for your answer Chris, look at Rob’s signature block. 

[Chrissaf]

It was a rhetorical question Fishy. I knew full well that Rob had an eLink controller B. I was making the post for the benefit of others to explain why his copy of RM still had a soft reset button whilst having an Elite for controller A.

[96RAF]

I feel like the inverse of the elephant in the room...I'm not there but everyone is talking about me.

 

Track shorting test results - very odd.

RM off - Elite on its own, with one sound loco up as a track power indicator.

Coin test - track power off, sound off, Elite shows red and green leds wirh Error on screen.

Remove coin and error persists as above.

Press Elite ESC button and track powers up, sound is on and screen and leds are normal.

 

Now with RM running - same loco with sound on.

Coin test - track power off, sound off, Elite red and green leds, but no screen error, no error on RM.

Remove coin and error persists as above.

Press RM little reset button - RM reports resetting controllers, no change in above conditions or effect on Elite indications.

Press Elite ESC button - no effect.

Press Elite Stop once - track powers up, sound is on, Elite red and green leds still lit, screen still showing loco, no indication in RM.

Press Stop again - all stop, Elite screen E.Stop, RM no indication.

Press Stop again - All back to normal, no change on RM screen.

 

.ini file...

alt comms=1

altcomms2=1

check cont=0

check cont2=1

Elite feedback=1

 

Make of that what you will, but to me it says RM reset button does not reset an Elite faault condition, that must be done at the controller and that RM has an effect on how a short condition is handled by the Elite.

RAF-Rob