RailMaster 1.70 REVISION 2 now available.

[Chrissaf]

I have started a new thread rather than adding this to the existing 1.70 thread, to bring this new installer file availability to a wider audience.

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The FULL RailMaster installer on the main forum download link is now upgraded to RailMaster version 1.70 Revision 2 [ 1.70.2 ] from the earlier 1.70 Revision 1.

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It is assumed that this new full RM installer incorporates the BETA file changes recently performed by HRMS and documented in the existing RailMaster 1.70 thread. If this is the case, then it should fix the communication issues that some users have experienced when using either Elite or the eLink controllers.

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Just to reiterate the information given by HRMS in the other thread. When (and if) you install this new RM revision on Windows 7, 8 and 10.

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Then for Elite users the railmaster.ini file should have:

Alternative comms=0

Check controller=0

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And for eLink users the railmaster.ini file should have:

Alternative comms=1

Check controller=1

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Use the bluish 'COG' icon bottom left in the 'Help/About' screen to open the railmaster.ini file editor. I suggest making this change (if one is needed) on the currently installed version, before running the new 1.70.2 installer over the top of it [changes you make to the railmaster.ini will be kept as part of the application upgrade].

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[Britannia Builder]

I've just downloaded this - I previously had 1.70 rev 0, which seemed to work ok with my Windows 10 elink setup.

 

This new version does work ok for me, although the initialisation time is noticeably longer and it seems to send a couple of commands to the elink before getting to the point-setting sequence - it turns the lights on my class 101 off, then on again a couple of seconds later, which previous versions have never done.

 

Update: on checking again, it's turning the entire track power from the elink off and then on again during initialisation.

 

Regards, John

[Chrissaf]

Thank you for the feedback.

[trickymundo]

Hi Britanniabuilder,

 

It's worth checking your railmaster.ini file.  It may contain the line:

 

Reset eLink on start=1

 

Change this to:

 

Reset eLink on start=0

 

I was advised to do this by the Railmaster support team after I downloaded the beta version this afternoon. I  found that startup was slow and the USB was enumerating each time I went into Railmaster.  This cured that and it still works with my elink.

 

Hi Chrissaf,

 

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, I was given some things to try by you on the 1.70 thread. All appeared to be in order but I was still getting the comms issues.  I then went away for a few days.  I reported the issue to Railmaster Support over the weekend and got a reply this morning advising to try this afternoons download.  As reported above, this appears to have cured my comms issues.

 

Thanks again for your help on the other thread.

[Chrissaf]

No worries Tricky, lots of water has passed under the bridge since your post on the 13th of March in the other thread.

[Britannia Builder]

Hi Tricky

 

My ini file did indeed have the line

 

Reset eLink on start=1

 

I changed this to 0 and it removes the delay so that the start-up is as quick as it used to be, and it still connects ok.

 

Has this ini setting been there all along I wonder, but never previously acted upon?

 

Regards, John

 

[Chrissaf]

I can confirm that line has been in the .INI file for as long as I can remember and has always been set as =1 as the default value. It is present with that value in my own RM .INI and I have never ever had an eLink......only Elite.

[Alan K]

I have an Elite as Controller A and an eLink as Controller B for accessories. What settings should I have in the .ini file for Alternative comms and Check controller? As there are not separate settings spectifically for each type of controller one must always have incorrect settings. It would appear to present a lose, lose situation. Perhaps the .ini file should have something like Alternative Elite Comms and Check eLink etc. with the code modified accordingly to cater for the choice of controllers (and Select too?).

[96RAF]

Controller A is seen in the ini file as controller and Controller B is seen as controller2 for both instances,  so look for Alt Coms and Check Controller and Alt Coms2 and Check Controller2.

I don’t have the ini file handy so the wording is likely not exact but you will see what I mean.

[Chrissaf]

Alan,

As there are not separate settings specifically for each type of controller......

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That statement is not technically correct. Look at the RM manual Page 33 (extract copied below). Look at the yellow highlighted .INI file entries.

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/media/tinymce_upload/9f3e2a8875c7692a0879ad229811a4e0.jpg

So based upon the above image. Write these lines as the very last four lines in the .INI file

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Alternative comms2=1

Check controller2=1

Alternative comms=0

Check controller=0

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The =1 values are for the eLink as Controller B and the =0 values are for the Elite as Controller A.

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I have put the Elite as the last entry lines for good reason. The A Controller is best placed as the last line entries in the file. The Ac2 and Cc2 lines were introduced into the .INI file options some considerable time ago, but you might not find them listed in your current .INI file, since you don't seem to be aware of their existence. Note the yellow highlighted comment in the text below the table.

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Just type them in as per my list above if you find them missing. Also move them to the end of the file as per my list above if they are currently found further up the file listing. They just seem to be more reliable if listed at the end. There is no logical reason for this, it just happens to be what has been found to work.

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Please advise if your eLink controller B works or not in the new RM version with these .INI file settings. So far, AFAIK HRMS have been focusing on getting Controller A communication errors fixed and not spent too much effort (might be wrong) looking at Controller B.

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[Alan K]

Thanks for the advice. I put the two lines at the end of the .ini file some time ago when it was first suggested.. However I have only just separated the main and accessory buses to enable the use of two controllers. I didn't in all honesty check for a second pair of lines for a second controller as I have never seen any mention of them. If the lines had been Check controller1= etc there would be at least a suggestion that the could be equivalents for a second controller. Anyway I'll update RM to the new version and edit the .ini file to take onboard the recommended settings for the Elite and eLink when I have an opportunity (we have builders in!!) and let you know if both controllers work.

[Chrissaf]

If the lines had been Check controller1= etc there would be at least a suggestion that the could be equivalents for a second controller.

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I do appreciate the point made, but the new controller 2 lines were introduced years after the original .INI file lines were developed. It probably would have been too disruptive to existing users to retrospectively change the RM application code to change the original lines to include the 1. It is HRMS RM application update policy not to change a 'users current railmaster.ini file'. The reason being, is if the file is overwritten by the 'installer' with an amended one, custom settings that the 'user' has put in them might be lost or corrupted.

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I mean absolutely no disrespect to anybody in this following bit and I appreciate that not every one has the time to continually check for documentation changes, but the new controller 2 lines are documented in the manual fairly prominently for anybody to read and they were also documented in the RailMaster software release notes that were included as part of the RailMaster installation of the version that introduced them as a new feature.

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For information. Each new RM version includes a text file in the program folder. I can't remember the exact name of the file off-hand, but it is something like "release notes.txt" or similar. This text document usually mentions any new features or significant changes that have been introduced in the new RM version release. The release notes are not usually updated when it is just a revision update. A version update is say going from 1.69 to 1.70 and a revision update is say going from 1.70.1 to 1.70.2.......An example of the 'release notes' is in the very first post on page 1 of my original 'RM 1.70 released announcement' post.

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[Chrissaf]

INFORMATION UPDATE FOR ALL THOSE who have already updated to 1.70.2

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The FULL RM Installer download file was updated earlier today to 1.70.2 as this thread reported at 18:34

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It is 02:16 in the morning and I have just done a further version check of the RM installer before shutting down for the night. HRMS have at some time during this evening updated the 1.70.2 yet again to a newer later version. It still reports the version as 1.70.2 and I can't give anybody an exact time when this later update took place. Therefore, even if you have already installed this update, it might be prudent to download this later version and over-install again. I can't say what has changed, but it might possibly have something to do with the earlier report in this thread about slow eLink initialisation times.

[Symonzi]

Where do I start?  I have been using RM and eLink  for a couple of years, having bought it as part of the Western Express set. 

It is currently running on an Windows 8.1 laptop using version 1.69.  I have to use the workaround to connect the eLink after the connection error message first appears – but this does seem to work every time. 

I have a work Microsoft Surface Pro that I would like to use and before unregistering my working laptop, I decided to install the latest version (1.70 r1) as an evaluation to see if it worked.  At first it did and I transferred all of my settings and plans.  All was going great but then some issues started.  I amended the CV settings of a loco, and then lost some of my locos off the left-hand side (a reboot sorted this.  Then the sound buttons became erratic, with some missing and sound staying on when it should be off and buttons becoming inoperable – and then it all stopped.  A loco went across a closed point, shorted on the live frog and all stopped.  After that, I couldn’t get the eLink to reconnect.  Rebooted, re-installed drivers, upgraded to 1.70 r2, amended and re-ordered the INI file and I cannot get it to work.  RM will not connect to the eLink on the Surface.  The eLink, cables and power unit all work fine with the old laptop.

Apologies for the convoluted explanation. Do you have any other thoughts?

[Chrissaf]

Symonzi,

When a complete loss of controller communication occurs, it is usually due to a coms port mismatch in the system configurations. You probably need to use Windows 'Device Manager' to see which com port has been assigned to the eLink driver. Then in RM open the 'System Settings' screen to ensure that the same com port is selected in the pull down com port selection box. Whilst doing that, also check to make sure that both Windows Device Manager AND RM are showing the same 115,200 Baud rate. Follow the linked page below to see a 'How To' check coms port settings.

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It is currently running on an Windows 8.1 laptop using version 1.69.  I have to use the workaround to connect the eLink after the connection error message first appears – but this does seem to work every time. 

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If you had this issue with version 1.69 (which for most users was very stable if using the 1.69.2 version) it sounds as if you didn't have the right settings in your railmaster.ini file. So if you revert back to 1.69.2 Follow the link below for a railmaster.ini file 'How To'.

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Follow the instructions in my post on this forum page:

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/railmastere-link-problems/?p=1

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Be aware, that if the version on the Work Surface Pro is still the 'Evaluation' version. The 'Evaluation' version is software crippled to only support two locos and a limited size of track plan (max of four points and signals). If you have copied over data files from the activated version of RM that exceed these limitations, then it is no wonder that you might observe strange behaviours, such as locos disappearing from the list on the right as you described.

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TIP: As this is your first post, just be aware that the 'Blue Button with the White Arrow' is not a 'Reply to this post' button. If you want to reply, scroll down and write your reply in the reply text box at the bottom of the page and click the Green 'Reply' button.

[Symonzi]

Hi Chris

The Surface Pro only has a single USB 3.0 port and the port settings appear to match in both device manager and RM. I see that you recommend USB 2.0 ports in your instructions - could that be an issue?

Point taken about the INI file settings on the older laptop - that should make that more stable, but I am keen to migrate to the Windows 10 device as it is touchscreen and I really do not like Windows 8.1.

Thanks for the speedy response and your invaluable support to this forum.

[Chrissaf]

When HRMS was logged onto my Windows 10 Laptop (ACER) on Saturday 23rd. At one point during the proceedings, my Elite was plugged into a USB3.0 port and also used Com5 and it was working fine. HRMS recommend USB2.0 and Com ports 3 or 4. This does not mean that USB3.0 won't work, just that it has been found to be unreliable on some brands of PC and/or USB hardware firmware and/or BIOS. It is a bit of a lottery. It will work for some, but not all.

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Did you note my comment about the limitations of the RM 'Evaluation' version?

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Now that you have used up your two initial newbie posts (anti SPAM BOT measure) you won't be able to reply again until tomorrow.

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[St1ngr4y]

Chris,

 

How can I tell which version of USB's are installed on my RM pc?

 

Ray

[Chrissaf]

This is not a hard and fast rule of thumb. But in most cases, more often than not, the USB sockets on the PC when you look inside them have black or white plastic on USB2.0, but blue plastic on USB3.0.

[pd91223]

It won't be long before laptops with USB2.0 ports are like gold dust! Given all the problems HRMS have with trying to make Elite, Elink & Train-Tech signals work with RM, I can't see them ever fixing the USB3.0 incompatibilities, So, perhaps the solution is for Hornby/HRMS to start selling refurbished laptops with USB2.0 ports - otherwise they'll have no market for RM!  😉

[St1ngr4y]

This is not a hard and fast rule of thumb. But in most cases, more often than not, the USB sockets on the PC when you look inside them have black or white plastic on USB2.0, but blue plastic on USB3.0.

 

So they don't use different device drivers or anything like that?

 

Ray

[Chrissaf]

I thought your question was just purely how do I easily recognise (without going into some in depth interrogation of the hardware firmware) what USB ports are USB3.0

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USB3.0 is about 10 times faster than USB2.0. So the USB3.0 PC hardware will have USB3.0 specific firmware for the silicon chips (Intel?) that control the USB ports. The PC BIOS also needs to have specific USB3.0 support as well. This all sits in the OSI 7 Layer Model at Layer 1 (Physical) and Layer 2 (Data Link).

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The USB port firmware is something completely different to the USB Serial Port driver software that gets installed as part of RailMaster. The USB firmware is specific to the USB port hardware on the PC and is common, shared and unchanging regardless of what Applications are actually installed on the PC.

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Whereas the RM USB Serial Port driver software is specific to the actual Application (in this case RailMaster) and acts as the interface between the RM Application and the USB attached device (in this case the DCC controller). The RM USB Serial Port driver data is just transported over the USB2.0 or USB3.0 hardware/firmware.

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In theory, it shouldn't matter to the RM USB Serial port driver whether the actual USB port is physically a USB2.0 or USB3.0 one. But when it comes to RM, theory and reality don't always work together as expected.

[St1ngr4y]

I just thought there might be an entry in a Properties window inside Device Manager, which would give a clue, that's all.

 

Ray

[Chrissaf]

I'm afraid it is not that easy, as the USB port type is in hardware/firmware. Whereas 'Device Manager' shows 'software level drivers'. You would more likely need to look at the PC BIOS to see USB2.0 / USB3.0 hardware options.

[St1ngr4y]

Understood - thanks Chris