Elite / Select

[AEC1707817873]

Can anyone confirm the following.

When you connect a select R8213 to the elite and you push the elite STOP buttom the select unit flashes OL, but if you push the select STOP buttom the unit flashes ES is this correct.

[96RAF]

I have just tried it using Elite v1.44 and Select v1.6.

Earlier versions in combination may be different.

 

Stop on Elite gives E.Stop with E5 on Select [Emergy Stop).

Short Stop on Select gives E.Stop on Elite and E5  (Emergy Stop) on Select.

Long Stop on Select gives E.Stop on Elite and EO (Emergy Off) on Select.

 

Pressing Stop again on either controller reverts both screens to active.

[Chrissaf]

Just to confirm for clarity. When you connect the Select to the Elite, can you confirm that ONLY the Elite power supply unit is attached (that is to say that the Select is not connected to its own separate power supply) and that the Select is connected to the Elite using the R8266 (round profile) cable and NOT the R8236 (flat profile) cable.

[AEC1707817873]

I cam confirm that the power is only connected to the Elite unit and the Select unit is connected using Hornby R8266 round profile cable.

[96RAF]

Which firmware versions are each controller reporting.

[Captain_Francisco.]

  This post has been about connecting the "Select" to the "Elite," as, I presume, in a"walkabout controller" scenario. Chrissaf makes the point very strongly that ONLY the Elite power supply unit is connected. Question:is it possible to connect an Elite and a Select, utilising their own dedicated power supply units, completely independent of each other, to the same circuit; or would this generate the problems enumerated above? 

[Captain_Francisco.]

Once again, thank you very much: a wonderfully succint, understandable answer. With these answers I'm slowly getting to "understand," as opposed to merely "operate," DCC. (Slowlee, slowlee catchee monkee!) Your answer much appreciated!

[Chrissaf]

Question:is it possible to connect an Elite and a Select, utilising their own dedicated power supply units, completely independent of each other, to the same circuit.

.

Absolutely NOT possible.

.

DCC works completely differently from Analogue DC. Both the Elite and Select send to track a digital signal made up of binary ones & zeros. The timing of these pulses is absolutely critical to the DCC signals ability to be understood by the decoder. If two DCC controllers are connected to the SAME track layout, then not only will the conveyed meaning of the controllers transmitted signal be different (the two controllers will be transmitting different binary bit patterns). The ability of the decoders to extract valid timing information will be completely corrupted. Even if the two controllers were transmitting the exact same binary bit patterns (unlikely but feasible) they would not be synchronised and and the binary ones & zeros would overlap each other, again corrupting the timing signal extraction.

.

Using the good old 'car analogy'. It is like having a car with dual controls with 'Driver 1' trying to brake the car and turn left. Whilst 'Driver 2' is trying to accelerate the car and turn right. Both drivers are fighting each other to take control, and the car not knowing what to do and going straight on to crash into the wall opposite. You can only have one DCC driver at a time.

.

This is precisely why the Select in 'Walkabout' mode can not have its own connection to the track. The Elite acts as a 'proxy' for the commands issued by the Select and inserts them into the Elite's own DCC data-stream being sent to the track as a valid DCC signal that maintains the valid DCC timing information.

.

Applying this to the 'car analogy'. Now 'Driver 1' is the driver actually driving the car. Driver 2 (who does not have any direct access to the car controls) now says to Driver 1 would you turn right at the next junction please. Driver 1 now processes that Driver 2 request and implements it when convenient and safe to do so.on the behalf of Driver 2.