Railmaster and Gaugemaster GMC-PM20D

[Mick V]

Hello all, this is my first post,

I've had model railways for mny years ans now find myself in a position to build a layout. 

Istarted simply by buying a used baseboard already fittedwith Track pkan D which I haave modified slighty.   

I am using E-link with Railmaster.  I've succesfully installed two Hornby R8247 accessory decoder and have 5 sets of points working well.  My problen arises when I try to install a Gaugemaster GMC-20D module.  the two R8247s are ports 1-4 and 5-8 but how do iI install the Gaugemaster decoder?  I've tried umpteen time with no success.

I hope someone can helf as I;m runnung out of hair to pull -)

 

[Chrissaf]

First of all, the GMC-PM20D does not wire in any way to the Hornby R8247 Accessory Decoders. The GMC-PM20D comes with its own decoder that replaces the function of the R8247.

 

The GMC-PM20D is also a 'self learning' decoder which means that at no time do you need to connect the GMC-20D decoder to the 'PROG' output of the eLink. It is not configured at all in any way that resembles the method used for the R8247 that you have currently previously used and that you may be used to.

 

So the instructions in the RailMaster manual for configuring 'Accessory Decoders' is completely 'null and void' when it comes to setting up the GMC-PM20D and should not be followed.

 

These are the only instructions I could find online for the GMC-PM20D, but they give me more than enough information to guide you through the setting up process.

 

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Note the 'Set / Run' switch highlighted in the green box .... more of this later.

 

The GMC-PM20D power input is wired to the DC track as shown in the above image. This connection can be physically connected to the track via for example a Hornby R8242 track power clip [not a R602 it must be a R8242].

 

Or alternatively and this is my preference, wired in parallel to the wires that go between the eLink 'TRACK A&B' output and the track. You could use an Electrical 3 or 5 Amp Nylon Terminal Strip for this and route all your GMC-PM20D decoders back to the same terminal strip in a 'star' wiring formation. This will result in ALL your GMC-PM20D power inputs being wired in parallel to the 'TRACK A&B' output of your eLink.

 

Once the GMC-PM20 is wired to the eLink 'TRACK A&B' output and also to the GM surface mounted point motor as per the GM instructions using the GM supplied 3 way wiring harness, then follow this procedure in RailMaster.

 

What follows is based upon my Boilerplate text. Some of these early in the text tasks you may have already performed. But I document to whole procedure from start to finish to ensure that no steps are missed out and for the benefit of future readers.

 

'Step by Step' procedure.

 

In the Track Designer RailMaster Screen [set Square icon in the top RailMaster navigation bar]. You need to draw (if you haven't done so already) a representation of your layout and add point icons to it. Including the ones for the GMC-PM20D controlled points. For further reference read the RailMaster manual starting at Page 77 for creating a 'Track Plan'.

 

You then configure those points as follows:

 

Left mouse hold drag the Red point operating button from the left hand vertical column to the point icon on the screen and position your mouse cursor (not the Red button) in the centre of the point icon square. Then release the left mouse button.

 

You should now see BOTH the Red AND Green point operating button SNAP to their respective positions on each side of the point icon. If you do not observe this SNAPPING action, then you have done it wrong. So try again until you do see this SNAPPING action.

 

Once you have got the Red and Green operating buttons applied to each side of the point icon, then right click the Red button and a configuration dialogue box will open. You do not have to configure the Green button separately. You only have to configure one of the two buttons.

 

In the 'pull down' boxes select.

 

Controller = "A" this assumes that you are NOT using two controllers with an eLink as Controller B dedicated for operating points.

 

Type = "Hornby R8247 4-port decoder". It doesn't matter that you are using a GMC-PM20D decoder.

 

Decoder port: = the DCC Address you want to give each individual point decoder port. Each address you allocate should be unique for your layout.

 

In your question you have stated that you are using DCC Addresses 1 to 4 for R8247 number 1 and DCC Addresses 5 to 8 for R8247 number 2. Therefore I shall assume that you will configure your GMC-PM20D decoders starting at DCC address number 9 and increase the DCC Point Address sequentially from 9 upwards [i.e 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 etc]. You must not duplicate any addresses currently being used for the R8247s unless you purposely want both points to operate together in synchronisation.

 

Start-up position: The number you type in the white text box denotes which order the points will fire during the start up testing sequence. I suggest that these numbers start at 1 and increase sequentially by 1 for the number of points that you have. If you are using RailMaster 'Standard Edition' as opposed to 'ProPack' then this box can technically be left blank. But it is worthwhile entering a value anyway.

 

Left / Right: In this pull down box select which way you want the point to throw (throw left or throw right) during the RailMaster start-up sequence. This will set your initial start up routes around your layout. For example these 'Left & Right' choices might be set to allow any locos sitting on an oval to continue 'round and round' the oval without having points set against them.

 

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At this time, you can ignore the other configuration options that you see in the dialogue box above, which is why I deliberately cropped the image above not to show them.

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Once all your point operating icons have been configured, then save your edited track plan. In the RailMaster 'System Settings' screen make sure that your named 'track layout' plan is loaded when RailMaster starts.

.

TIP: Give your track plan your own unique file name. Do not over-write one of the Hornby provided plan names with your edits. Else the next time that RailMaster is version updated, the plan will default back to the Hornby one and any edits you have made will be lost. So even if you start off with a Hornby provided track plan, then save your edits to it under a new file name of your own.

.

You should now be in a situation where RailMaster starts up showing your track plan on the main screen. With your points on the track plan configured with your chosen DCC addresses. Your track plan should now include the point icons that are being used to control the points connected to the GMC-PM20D decoders and start at DCC Address number 9.

 

The next stage involves using the 'Set / Run' switch I highlighted in the green box in the early part of this reply.

 

Now and only now.

 

1. Put the switch on the GMC-PM20D you want to configure as DCC Address 9 into the 'Set' position.
2. Now on the main RailMaster normal track layout screen, click the Red then the Green buttons on the screen point that you have configured with DCC Address 9.
3. Now put the GMC-PM20D Address 9 switch back to the 'Run' position.
4. Test the point operation by clicking the Red & Green screen buttons for point 9. If configuration has been successful, the point should change.
5. Repeat 'Steps 1 to 4' above for the other GMC-PM20D points, but using the screen point addresses 10 to X as appropriate. Where X is the last DCC Address of the GMC-PM20D decoders you are configuring.

 

Once you have completed the above on all your GMC-PM20D points on screen. You should then be able to use the screen icons to change your physical points on the layout by clicking the appropriate screen point operating button. You should also see 'Grey Lines' that represent the direction the point has been thrown in. If you find that the physical point throws in the opposite direction to what is represented by the Grey Line. Then either reverse the 3 way wiring harness plug on the GMC-PM20D decoder OR re-open the point configuration dialogue box in the RailMaster track layout design screen and click the 'Reverse Polarity' check box.

 

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THIS IS A VERY LONG REPLY WITH IMAGES. PLEASE DO NOT CLICK THE BLUE BUTTON TO REPLY. Please read the TIP below to reply.

 

TIP: As a newbie poster on the forum, just be aware that the 'Blue Button with the White Arrow' is not a 'Reply to this post' button. If you want to reply to any of the posts, scroll down and write your reply in the reply text box at the bottom of the page and click the Green 'Reply' button.

 

Particularly as my reply includes an image, using the 'Blue Button' may result in your reply being held back for image approval, even though it is an existing image.

 

See also – further TIPs on how to get the best user experience from this forum. TIPs include 'How to post images' and 'How to make links clickable'.

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/tips-on-using-the-forum/