Railmaster update 1.72

[Dav2]

After initially having a few issues with this software (prior to v1.72) and it communicating with my e-link, I did find a way that had it working every time.

Now however it simpy won't work following this update? So I have a useless train layout...

Anyone else having problems? have you found a workaround? Can it it be rolled back to previous version?

 

Something new happens with this update though. Firstly I'll detail my original issue and fix, and show how it now doesn't work.

If I have the e-link plugged in to usb port (correct port under COM2, COM2 in RM settings too), then power up RM it doesn't initiallize my e-link. However if I left it unplugged, started RM, waited the 5 secs as shown on screen, then plugged in the USB for the e-link it would initiallize and all is good.

However the new update does something different when it tries to initiallize the e-link. It powers it off (green light goes off and I hear the noise that my laptop makes when unplugging a usb device) then back on again and tries to initiallize the e-link. However it always remains inactive.

I will get onto RM support but was wondering if others have had problems?

[Chrissaf]

However the new update does something different when it tries to initiallize the e-link. It powers it off (green light goes off and I hear the noise that my laptop makes when unplugging a usb device) then back on again and tries to initiallize the e-link. However it always remains inactive.

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This is fixed by changing the following entry in the railmaster.ini file from 1 to 0 (zero)

Reset eLink on start=1

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To edit the railmaster.ini file....click on the blueish grey 'Cog' icon located in the bottom left of the 'Help Screen' then following the on-screen prompts.

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For others reading this thread. The RailMaster 1.72 maintenance release was launched earlier this evening. The release notes are replicated below:

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/media/tinymce_upload/be67c6995b35f50a56fa58feb2147934.jpg

.

 

[Dav2]

OK, that sorted it. My old way of getting it to work works again. Thanks very much. Just to note that line wasn't present in my .ini file so just added it.

 

Thanks again

[Chrissaf]

Strange it wasn't there.....it is a default entry when RM is installed the first time.

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Main thing is that my fix of making that entry =0 worked for you.

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Now that I have got your attention that my RM guidance can be trusted.

.

You might want to do a complete fix.....to save you faffing around with odd strange start up methods. Then follow my other railmaster.ini file modification guidance posted for the 1.70.2 RM release. Following that guidance works for 95% plus of users.

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https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/train-will-not-run-on-elink-plus-other-issues/?p=1

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[Dav2]

I have already added the extra two lines with a value of 1.

Alternative comms=1

Check controller=1

Due to the temperamental nature of RM I'm happy with starting RM before plugging the eLink USB lead to the laptop. I can live with that ha.

Maybe at some point I will try playing around with the values and see if it works completely, but for now I'll leave it.

[96RAF]

Access is too difficult to back of my PC so USBs are always left plugged in, power to PC and layout is by way of remote socket control. Hence it is controllers on, PC on, then RM on. It has to work for me as I don’t crawl about under the bench unless I really have to.

 

I would also add that you are likely to see the usb sockets on your laptop becoming unreliable as they wear with constant plugging and unplugging. They can be iffy at the best of times.

[RB51]

I use short [10cm I think] USB extension cables. They stay plugged into the USB ports on the laptop and the kit gets plugged and unplugged into them. If/when they wear out I will just buy some more extensions. R-

[96RAF]

I had a popup this morning asking if I wanted to see the News.

Part of which was this

 Multi aspect signals from the likes of Train-Tech are now fully supported with clever interlocking facilities. Control two, three and four aspect signals, including flashing main line signals and even direction feathers. You can also control an entire array of signals by just pressing one signal and of course full signals control is available within programs that you create. You can even now switch points and run programs as a result of touching a single signal.

Can any T-T signal users please confirm if this is so, in particular the direction feathers and single signal control. It does not mention sensor signals, only what I presume are the original digital signals.

Thanks

[96RAF]

v1.72 bug

I added Vent Van 2 by picking R6925T from the Vent Van search list. It fully populates the functions list but has not abbreviated them enough to get the on/off bit correctly shown. I tried to correct this but it hits me with a persistant pop up saying it must have on/off added - I know that !!!. I cannot get rid of the popup, nor can I cancell the 'loco' add, nor can I close down RM, so I have had to Cntrl-Alt-Del out of it.

Reported to HRMS.

 

Edit

Once I had gone back in and fixed all the entries to fit the frame then it saved OK and it works fine, so for now you have to manually fettle it.

[westernwill]

I hit the same problem a while ago when I received my new Vent van. Sorted it out in the same way as RAF.

 

So I do not think it is an introduced error in 1.72.

[itsbrill]

I had the issue of the system not working after the 1.72 update, but after changing the ini. file to Reset elink

to start=0 all seems OK now.

[RPJ1955]

However the new update does something different when it tries to initiallize the e-link. It powers it off (green light goes off and I hear the noise that my laptop makes when unplugging a usb device) then back on again and tries to initiallize the e-link. However it always remains inactive.

.

This is fixed by changing the following entry in the railmaster.ini file from 1 to 0 (zero)

Reset eLink on start=1

.

To edit the railmaster.ini file....click on the blueish grey 'Cog' icon located in the bottom left of the 'Help Screen' then following the on-screen prompts.

.

For others reading this thread. The RailMaster 1.72 maintenance release was launched earlier this evening. The release notes are replicated below:

.

/media/tinymce_upload/be67c6995b35f50a56fa58feb2147934.jpg

.

 

 

[96RAF]

v1.72 bug

I added Vent Van 2 by picking R6925T from the Vent Van search list. It fully populates the functions list but has not abbreviated them enough to get the on/off bit correctly shown. I tried to correct this but it hits me with a persistant pop up saying it must have on/off added - I know that !!!. I cannot get rid of the popup, nor can I cancell the 'loco' add, nor can I close down RM, so I have had to Cntrl-Alt-Del out of it. Reported to HRMS. 

Edit - Once I had gone back in and fixed all the entries to fit the frame then it saved OK and it works fine, so for now you have to manually fettle it.

 

 

Further this - HRMS suggested it may be a rendering problem on my PC so I checked on another machine and it is fine over there, no incorrect text and no errant behaviour of the reminder dialogue screen, so it seems to be finger trouble at my end in that particular PC’s setup. E.g. Zoom level, resolution, font size, etc in Windows not RM. I need to have a fiddle with Settings.

[St1ngr4y]

Just to add two penn'th to the eLinjk comms saga. I added an eLink to my system 7 months ago as Controller B, with my Elite remaining as Controller A. The last five entries in my INI file are ...

 

Elite feedback=0

Reset eLink on start=0

Check controller=0

Alternative comms=0

Check controller2=0

Alternative comms2=0

 

I use the Elite for the Main Track bus (Locos + TrainTech signals) and the eLink for Accessory decoders. Using this setup I have had no problems whatsoever with Comms to either controller. However, a couple of things look odd...

 

1. During startup, the eLink (despite the INI setting) resets itself, but then works perfectly thereafter.

2. During the session, hovering the mouse cursor over the Controller icon in the very top right corner of the RM main screen shows "Controller A version: 1.44 / Controller B Inactive". These messages also appear in the General Settings window:-

/media/tinymce_upload/ac7ee8c344fa7f1551790ca167425d75.png

 

Chris, Do you know why the Controller B controller has a pink background?

 

Also, with this update, the existing fault with TrainTech 2-aspect signals whereby the aspects on the layout icon are the reverse of those on the actual signal when the icon is clicked (but ok when switched in a program), is still present in 1.72.

 

Ray

[Chrissaf]

Chris, Do you know why the Controller B controller has a pink background?

.

Usually this signifies that there is some aspect of controller communications that RM is unhappy with. In most cases the pink background is associated with a complete loss of communication, but in your case this does not seem to be so. It appears that your initial loss of comms, triggers the 'pink background' but when your comms comes back on-line, the 'pink background' is not rescinded and restored to a white one. Looks like a dual controller bug to me. If it was me, I would experiment (just to check and be sure) with the values of:

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Alternative comms2=n

Check controller2=n

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But leave everything else as is....

[96RAF]

This is my v1.72.0 working setup...

Contr A - Elite is all on 1s and Contr B - eLink is all on 0s

 

/media/tinymce_upload/0a5ae83a2dae7bc2a6d470be3a48d38e.JPG

 

VV2 bug is sorted say HRMS and will be incorporated into next download from page top link later.

[St1ngr4y]

 If it was me, I would experiment (just to check and be sure) with the values of:

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Alternative comms2=n

Check controller2=n

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But leave everything else as is....

 

Ok, I've tried all of the combinations ...

 

First of all, 1 +1 - no change, eLink Reset itself on start, despite INI setting. Everything worked ok.

Second, I changed "Reset elink on startup=1" - no change.

Then leaving "Reset elink on startup=1" I tried both combinations of "Check" & "Alt" i.e. 0 + 1, then 1+0, no change everything worked fine.

So, then I decided to reverse the controllers ...

 

/media/tinymce_upload/ef1d76b4de4afa4a31a553a5ca964923.png

 

I did not change the controller output connections, so I couldn't tell whether they would have worked, but the status messages for each controller are the same i.e. A recognised correctly, B inactive.

 

Ray

[96RAF]

Try swapping the USB leads across so eLink is on com3 and Elite on com5, as it seems to me that the com ports are OK as both work as Controller A. We can rule out both controllers and both USB ports within the PC as they work as Channel A. The only common link could be a duff USB lead.

[96RAF]

This is my v1.72.0 working setup...

Contr A - Elite is all on 1s and Contr B - eLink is all on 0s

 

/media/tinymce_upload/0a5ae83a2dae7bc2a6d470be3a48d38e.JPG

 

 

Just to add to the above. If I set Reset eLink on start = 0 then it does not reset at RM start up but if I set it value = 1 it defintely does. It doesn't seem to matter apart from adding time to RM cranking up.

[St1ngr4y]

The daft thing about this is that my setup has been like this for months and it works fine. I've just done a RM startup and these are two extracts from the logfile...

 

Part A

 

03/01/20 19:26:31   Set Elite Feedback to 0

03/01/20 19:26:31   Set Check controller to 0

03/01/20 19:26:31   Set Alternative Comms to 0

03/01/20 19:26:31   Set Check controller to 0

03/01/20 19:26:31   Set Check controller2 to 0

03/01/20 19:26:31   Set Alternative Comms2 to 0

03/01/20 19:26:31   Set Reset eLink on start to 0

03/01/20 19:26:31 Finished setting INI parameters

 

Part B

 

03/01/20 19:26:49 Starting communications with: Hornby Elite on Com3

03/01/20 19:26:49   Settings: 19200, None, 8, 1

03/01/20 19:26:49   Current Com port status=False

03/01/20 19:26:49   Setting and opening com port: 3

03/01/20 19:26:49   Set com port successfully

03/01/20 19:26:49   Set com port settings successfully: 19200,n,8,1

03/01/20 19:26:50   Opened Com port successfully

03/01/20 19:26:50   Com port status=True

03/01/20 19:26:51   Requesting response from DCC controller

03/01/20 19:26:51   DCC controller response: c! Ò

03/01/20 19:26:51   Initialised Controller successfully

03/01/20 19:26:51   Type: Hornby Elite  Version: 1.44

03/01/20 19:26:51 Starting communications with: Hornby eLink on Com5

03/01/20 19:26:51   Settings: 115200, None, 8, 1

03/01/20 19:26:51   Current Com port status=False

03/01/20 19:26:51   Setting and opening com port: 5

03/01/20 19:26:51   Set com port successfully

03/01/20 19:26:51   Set com port settings successfully: 115200,n,8,1

03/01/20 19:26:52 Com port status=True

03/01/20 19:26:52   Preparing eLink handshake (Port status=True)

03/01/20 19:26:52 Resetting eLink prior to handshaking

03/01/20 19:27:11 Initiating handshake with eLink 2 (Port open=True)

03/01/20 19:27:14   Received correct response to initial request

03/01/20 19:27:15   Handshake completed successfully

03/01/20 19:27:17   Requesting response from DCC controller

03/01/20 19:27:17   DCC controller response: c! Òc

03/01/20 19:27:17   Initialised Controller successfully

03/01/20 19:27:17   Type: Hornby Elite  Version: 1.44

 

 

There are two things which look odd to me. In the first section, the line Set Check controller to 0 has been re-printed - it does NOT exist in the INI file at this position. In the second section, where it is reporting on the initialisation of Controller B, it is saying that the type is Elite, and not eLink.

 

If there are any members who have Elite as Controller A and eLink as Controller B, I would appreciate it if you would examine the log.txt file at the end of a session to see whether these anomalies exist therein.

 

As I say, my system works so I am not going to change it, but if we can find out why these oddities exist, then it may give a clue for those people who still have ongoing comms problems.

 

 

Ray

 

BYW I moved the eLink reset line to the end of the INI file, but it always resets the eLink at startup no matter what the value.

[96RAF]

I will do that in the morning Ray and post my log file text, as my last test session included reset eLink at both 0 and 1.

Questions

1 - both DCC controllers respond with a character set, which are different. What do these characters mean ( starting c! .....).

2 - eLink section talks to a handshake but Elite section doesn’t. Why?

[St1ngr4y]

Hi Rob,

 

1.  The 4 or 5 hieroglyphic characters are replies which RM receives back from the controller. However, taken as character values, sometimes they are non-displayable characters. It would have been more meaningful if the RM software displayed the Ascii values of each of these characters. From memory, I think the values equate to, in the case of Elite, 99 33 144 0.....  The 99 33 are standard Xpressnet codes for this message type, the 144 is the firmware version no, and the 0 means its an Elite. I think the eLink reply is something like 99 33 107 1. These values are similar to the replies you see when RM is reading/setting loco Cvs. There will probably be another identifying fourth character for a Select Controller.

 

2. Unlike the Elite, RM sends an extra message to the eLink to which the eLink responds with an encrypted reply. I think this is an attempt to stop other manufacturers controllers pretending to be an eLink (,maybe?) but still communicating with RM. This message pair interaction, of course, isn't shown in detail in the log file.

 

Ray

[96RAF]

Thanks for the explanation Ray - I recognise those strings from RM decoder reading list.

As my log file covers a long session yesterday i have emailed  it to you for your review. You can post any excerpts from it here as appropriate, but this is the bit I think follows this thread...note there are no encrypted bits.

 

...Nothing to do03/01/20 18:37:22 Initialising controller A03/01/20 18:37:26   Port open status: 0 - The operation completed successfully.03/01/20 18:37:26   Port opened03/01/20 18:37:28   Type: Hornby Elite  Version: 1.4503/01/20 18:37:28 Started feedback timer for Elite03/01/20 18:37:28 Initialising controller B03/01/20 18:37:32   Port open status: 0 - The operation completed successfully.03/01/20 18:37:32   Port opened03/01/20 18:37:32   Resetting eLink on start03/01/20 18:37:52   Result of reset: 303/01/20 18:37:54   Port re-open status: 0 - The operation completed successfully.03/01/20 18:37:54   Performing eLink handshake03/01/20 18:37:56   Read status: 303/01/20 18:37:56   Expected response received, so handshaking03/01/20 18:37:58   Initiate result correct: 1203/01/20 18:37:59   Data packet: 703/01/20 18:37:59   Received valid response03/01/20 18:37:59   Sent confirmation03/01/20 18:38:00   Handshake completed successfully03/01/20 18:38:02   Type: Hornby eLink  Version: 1.0703/01/20 18:38:02 Checking eLink firmware: 1.07 against: 1.0703/01/20 18:38:02 Started feedback timer for Elite03/01/20 18:38:20 Compacted/encrypted resources03/01/20 18:38:21 Compacted/encrypted messages...

[wolfie1509]

Yes I had exactly the same problem as Dav2 with Railmaster update 1.72.

I have another "backup" laptop with another copy of Railmaster, so I took a photo of the railmaster.ini file from version 1.70 and copied it exactly to the upgraded version. Now works fine!

So much for upgrades!!!!

[96RAF]

Apologies for not properly formatting my ini file quote above. (Fooled by the forum non WYSIWYG false formatting again )

 

 

Usually the ini file is not affected by updates as it may have been customised by the user. The only time this does not apply is if you screw up when fiddling with the ini file you can just delete it from the RM folder and at next startup RM will generate a default settings ini file based on which controllers you have connected to which ports. This appears to be where the problem maybe is - RM is seemingly generating either a default or amending the user customised ini file. I cannot confirm this of course but several folk have reported having to fiddle with ini settings after the v2.72 update.