Updating my Elite

[96RAF]

I have just updated my Elite unit to the latest software or lets say tried. I got as far as getting the Elite upgrade software to communicate with the device download the new software, and hey presto I get a fail message box. My Elite unit no longer works. I assume for some reason something must have gone wrong. Now this is the funny bit, I used to write reprogramming software before I retired, so it looks like the wonderful Hornby software has deleted the application but failed to write the new stuff in. Fortunately I can still get into bootloader, so I can retry. Anybody any ideas?

[96RAF]

Just do it again from square one, ensuring you pick the right com port as seen in dev mgr.

 

I presume you got as far as the progress bar. If this scooots along in less thsn 2 minutes then it will fail, try a lower PC type in the installer dialogue. If it takes forever then try again using a higher PC type. Generally type 2 will work with Win 10 machines taking roghly 2-5 minutes to run throgh.

 

If you got a comms error then it is likely you got the install sequence wrong by not waiting long enough between stages.

[ColinB]

Yes, I finally figured it out I put PC at 3. I realised they are just blasting the data down without waiting. What you are supposed to do (I used to do this as a living before I retired) is the computer sends a block down, the slave, the Elite in this case sends a response to say I got it and then the computer sends the next block. It would have helped if there was an entry in the instructions which said if you get the fail error box, increase the value of pc and try again. Normally, as well, you put the box into bootloader using a USB command, that way you don't need to mess around holding buttons in. I recently updated a Fleishmann unit and it did exactly that. Anyway it is fixed now, but Hornby could improve their installation notes seeing as it is a file that gets downloaded and yes I did suggest it to them. Reprogramming is always problimatic, which is why it should be made as easy as possible.

[96RAF]

Colin I was fairly heavily involved in getting the Elite updates to work with Win 10. Once initial investigations had worked out it was a a problem associated with chipset timing then the installer as is was settled upon with only three timing choices. Originally in testing there were sixteen data flow speed settings that were thinned down to three. Essentially sending data either word by word, line by line or page by page as appropriate to the available combination of PC and Elite comms. Remember the installer is supporting every PC type from XP/Vista to latest Win10 i7 machines thus it has to be a compromise. No doubt when PCs get faster some adjustment of the installer will be required again.

 

The instructions give as much information as thought necessary with info about settings for various PC types and many folk breeze through the update without even reading them, relying instead on the forum advice.

 

The old installer pre v1.2 used a manual bootloader and if you think having to start again from square 1 is a pest nowadays, you should have tried it then, as after every update fail you had to delete the bootloader and allow the installer to reload it at the next attempt.

 

The current system is designed for folk who have no knowledge of working at command prompt level. Goodness knows we have enough plug-n-play problems on the hardware side, without getting into teaching folk to hand-crank software stuff.

[ColinB]

Actually I don't want to press this but the type of windows makes no difference, the only difference is the comms driver which windows handles and using a control method to send down blocks of data. I assume the person that wrote this never looked at any other applications and how they were implemented. About 30 years ago we used to do it this way when flash memory was new, but soon found out that when the computers got faster it created issues. It is too late now, as once you have designed the bootloader it is for life, so the issue is closed, but as I said they could improve upon the documentation. They could even improve on the error message, so when the message box comes up it could tell you to increase the pc value, it is a very easy thing to do in windows software, it knows what you set as the application reads it. They probably could even do it on their next release as it runs on the main computer. As I said for me it is fixed, so no great deal, and really I didn't need to bother, the differences between my old version and new one were not really worth the effort. Next time Hornby want to write a bootloader, talk to a firm called Vector, in Stuttgart, they design bootloaders for automotive, but just looking at their techniques would give a good idea of best practice and robustness. Also possibly look at how Fleishman do it, but I suspect they got their ideas from Vector.

[96RAF]

You are obviously an expert at this Colin so I bow to your superior knowledge and will make no further comment apart from to suggest you put pen to paper and write to Hornby with your proposals about improving how they do various things.