RailMaster eLink Problem after new download.

[Chrissaf]

Hi All we have just up Dated the E link and i had to go back to the old program, as the up date compleley shut all the locos down, we can get noting to move it all so play hell whit all the train tec signals. we shut the pc down 3 time and every time we put back, on no link to e link. if we got a sort it was not coming back on when we did get it working has the up date got a bug. as all was up date in the past and work ever time. and no problem.

Ron.

[Chrissaf]

Ron,

With the RailMaster 1.70 to 1.70.2 releases it becomes necessary (for many users) to modify their railmaster.ini files to get their systems working again. Particularly if using the eLink controller.

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Read through the WHOLE of this previous thread that detailed the issues.

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/railmaster-170-revision-2-now-available/?p=1

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You will need to try some experimentation with setting the values of

Alternative comms=n

Check controller=n

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(where n is either a 1 or a 0)

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Also make sure that the two lines above are the last two lines in the .INI file

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Also change

Reset eLink on start=n

from n=1 to n=0

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You will more than likely also have to play around with the COM port allocation in Device Manager and make sure it syncs with the COM port shown in the RailMaster 'System Settings' screen. This task seems to process more effectively if a different USB port is used for your eLink to plug into.

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The above are just the edited highlights of the posted content in the linked thread. As I said, read through the WHOLE of the thread but focus on the .INI file changes highlighted in the LATER pages of the thread. It is these LATER pages that fine tuned the .INI file changes down to a working solution for the majority.

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You might be thinking to yourself. I'll leave everything running on version 1.69.2 and wait for a 1.71 version to be released. Bad idea......RM updates are incremental, so the changes in 1.70.2 will carry forward into future releases. If you don't resolve the 1.70.2 issues now by implementing the .INI file changes. Then potentially you will be stuck on the 1.69.2 release forever.

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These bugs were introduced as a result of fixing the issues with 'users' using the 'Hand Held' mobile control options. HRMS changed RM settings relating to the 'Hand Held' Application. These had a detrimental knock on effect to the communications between RM and the eLink / Elite controllers.

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[ron 47]

Hi Chrisstaf. if you get an up date i can see what you are saying but to be fair you is is a lod of hasel as i am not Pc Savey. and Hornby need to sort this out. i think the RailMaster and Elink is a good but i can not sort this out and i bett i am not the only one that got this problem.

Ron.

[96RAF]

I have been campaigning for auto-detect where RM will recognise whichever controller is connected and automatically configure RM to suit, but there are some problems in achieving that according to HRMS, so I guess we have to lump it for now and do reconfiguration manually. It seems simple to me, but...

[Chrissaf]

If you haven't got the ability or the skill to make the necessary changes. Then you will have to ask HRMS to log into your RailMaster PC remotely and do it for you. To make a request you will have to install the 1.70.2 version again and then use the 'Support Request' function in the 'Help Screen'.

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We in the forum, are just like you......members of the public and not connected in any way with Hornby or HRMS.....we can offer advice regarding what to do......but we have no influence with Hornby or their agents. As far as Hornby and HRMS are concerned 'they have sorted it out' as evidenced by the amount of work they did with several users as documented in the thread I provided the link for.

[walkingthedog]

Surely nobody should be required to go into files on a PC to alter them when downloading updates what ever it is for. 

[96RAF]

Surely nobody should be required to go into files on a PC to alter them when downloading updates what ever it is for. 

 

I totally agree.

Even Rocrail uses a simple GUI tick box option rather than having to knife and fork the raw files. This is used on initial setup and generally you do not have to reset anything after an update.

I have said it before and I am saying t again - HRMS could learn a lot from looking at how other similar products achieve the same functionality.

[walkingthedog]

I’m afraid if it was me it would go in the bin. I hate it when updates cause problems. 

[St1ngr4y]

I think it has been mentioned before on the Forum that the INI file should be replaced by a couple of new "tab" sheets in the System Settings window. I can't remember if this was entered as a post in the "Desirable Features" thread.

 

Ray

[David12]

I’m afraid if it was me it would go in the bin. I hate it when updates cause problems. 

I binned Railmaster in November last year and moved to JMRI. Perfect operation, never any faults and I have never looked back.

[96RAF]

I couldn’t work out how to make a control panel and trackplan with JMRI - far too complicated, hence why I used Rocrail on occassion, much easier to understand and setup, with superb support, although I have used Decoder-Pro which is also excellent.

[Fishmanoz]

You guys will all be sorry when LD arrives next month. 

[Fireman_Ian]

Im busy moving over to Rocrail at the moment, so far have not encountered any problems with interfacing with my Elite, connects up first time every time, even after updates.

And Rocrail looks professional, not like a toy designed for kids.

 

Its time Hornby got their act together and got Railmaster working and looking more professional.

[TonyO]

Ah, but do Rocrail, JMRI, Decoder-Pro etc work with eLink?

[St1ngr4y]

Ah, but do Rocrail, JMRI, Decoder-Pro etc work with eLink?

... and do any of them allow the user to create programs to run the trains ?

 

Ray

[96RAF]

The answer to the first is NO (elink can only be used with RM without back-engineering the firmware to find out how it works and that is against the RM licence) and the second is YES (some by way of detected automation and scheduling).