Elite vs eLink

[Chrissaf]

Hi, Chris, will no doubt, give you chapter, and verse, but as a guy who has all three.  Best and most expensive option, Elite, plus railmaster. All singing all dancing, you can twiddle the knobs, if you want hand control, also, add a select, as a walkabout. Works in perfect harmony with RM, and you can programme/ alter cvs, on both. Elink, is just a box between laptop and railmaster.. It simply provides the linkup.  Works fine. I have 2, as you can use them for points etc, within rm,, which is a bonus.  I started with elink, much, much cheaper, and fine, if you only want mouse/laptop control.   I have little ones who visit, and it is much easier for them, with Elite.  You dont have to have Railmaster, or Elink, Elite does everything, without computer control.  Pros, as i said, rolls royce, or ford. Cons. Elink can be very frustrating to set up.  you need a tad of patience.  Elite, works from the box. Both need usb.  Thats the simple answer.

[96RAF]

I agree - What John said.

[crosbystills]

Thanks for that yelrow, I am building a new layout and have an elite from the last one. I now have e-link aswell as I bought it with Railmaster which I intend to use with new layout. I am still in construction stage but thinking ahead. There are 23 points on new layout and I have 5 accessory decoders. Perhaps you can help with my next question? Can I load and verify RailMaster on my laptop away from the layout ie: just the laptop. The internet connection where I have my layout is not too reliable so I would like to set the laptop up (windows 7) away from the layout?

I am moving from a layout that had analogue operated operated points and signals to more or less computer control so any advice is welcome.

[96RAF]

The answer is yes. I have three copies of RM on various PCs/laptop.

 

I use the laptop with the layout, one of the PC copies for track design and loading locos, etc. The other PC is a remnant of when I didn’t have the laptop and used that instead, but now I don’t have the room for a tower PC on the layout. You can set the design only copy controllers to none to stop RM looking for them at startup and throwing fault dialogues. Once you have finished with the design or listing locos, etc you just copy those files onto the layout pc using a USB stick. In your case you can set the whole thing up near your internet connection and connect to the layout as and when required. The only thing you need the internet for is initial setting up using the key code and downloading any updates, although thee can be downloaded on any PC and transferred to the RM pc using a SB stick.

 

You can set RM to use the Elite as your loco controller (Cont A) and programmer and the eLink to run your points (Cont B), using the accessory decoders. Note that you cannot program from the eLink when in secondary mode, so any accessory decoders that need physical programming must be temporrlily connected to the prime controller. Self learning accessory decoders do not have to go through this rigmarole.

[Yelrow]

Hi, again, pure layman reply. Yes, my internet does not go to my loft. Walls too thick, dont you know.   So in my view that should be fine.. RAF, is your guy for using elink for points, as Controller B on Railmaster, and Elite, and RM, as controller A. The Baud rate is different for Elite, and Elink, just to make sureyou know.. I run all my points with RM and Elite. As for accessory decoders, i have both hornby and ASD8,s., no signals. I set up Rm with elink, totally downstairs, and bring laptop down to update.

[Chrissaf]

Can someone explain the pros and cons regarding using the e-link with Railmaster as opposed to using Elite with Railmaster please?

[Yelrow]

Well, there you go, he got in first. So much more time on his hands. Too busy mowing half of France.

[RDS]

I also agree with John because for me the Elite gives the best of both options, either the ability to control using the knobs, or sit back and watch as RailMaster runs your Loco's for you.

[Yelrow]

Shucks, guys, Merci beaucoup.

[Fishmanoz]

John, I just checked out Google Earth and I can see the half of France you've been working on. But you can't possibly leave it like that! Now you have to trim up the other half to match. 

[Yelrow]

Morning, Fishy, cut as far as permit will allow. Macron, not yet released other half.

[96RAF]

I lost your ‘post code’ John so I can’t check up on you to see if you are mowing or ‘gone fishin’.

[Fishmanoz]

Don't need his postcode Rob. Just set scale on Google Earth so France fills the screen. One half is British bulldog bowling green neat, the other Gallic shaggy, apparently by presidential decree!  Then I don't think taking the ride-on all over France at the moment is such a good health idea, which probably explains the decree.