Augustus Caesar Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Well, I sit here at the PC a little bemused tonight at the fact that I always had the belief that the On/Off power button on the Elite did not work after reading the manual and trying a good while back. Tonight all I wished to do was confirm what version of the Firmware was installed to my little bundle of electronic joy... so, without thinking pressed the On/Off button to see it just turn off while thinking "Why did I press that? It doesn't work!". As it turned off I then thought "Well, OK it must therefore turn on...". I proceeded to turn it on. Now forgive me if I am being totally stupid here but every time I have tried this before it failed to operate anything at all. Now it works perfectly doing what it should. The manual says (for ver 1.41 Firmware) this... "Please Note: There is no On/Off switch on the Elite. Always ensure that the power supply is unplugged from the Mains when not in use." So what gives? Have I missed something? Have I a machine that overnight performs miracles? Am I just stupid? Has the Elite just been kidding me or everyone else? Anyone who can bring me back down to Earth can buy themselves a pint or something (I'm probably too far away to justifiably come to your area to buy one myself - sorry!!! :-) ) So does it work on any other Elite or have I misread this paragraph and just been unlucky with this button prior? Going out of my mind I think.... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poliss Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 The big red button marked STOP? That's the emergency stop button that cuts power to the layout. It's not an on/off switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Caesar Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Hi poliss... no - it's not THAT button!! I know what that's for... :-) No... it's the button marked On/Off. It's the silver button at the top left of the six on the front face of the Elite. However, it matters not now! After visiting my local psychologist thinking I was going mad I did a little digging. Found a few worms etc but never mind...! I began to notice that it switched off only roughly three in four attempts which then led me to know that the button wasn't actually causing the issue. When pressing that button the controller moves slightly and caused the cable to the track to move slightly too. My layout is not a permanent one as yet (January it will be) and so I stripped the cable away from the unit and track and stuck it into a cable tester I have and also a multimeter. This confirmed a small break in that cable. So, problem solved, and now, with temporary cable in place, the Elite works fine and the On/Off button doesn't. Which is normal!!! Being in my mid term years I thought I was doomed earlier than I should be when I came across that problem. However, a good technical mind soon put things back to normal. Should have thought of that when I first hit that button and it turned off!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The son of Triangman Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 The Elite on/off button switches functions on and off and doesn't switch the Elite off. There's no proper on and off button alas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rog RJ Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 On page 13 of the Elite manual for V1.51 firmware it states "Please Note: There is no On/Off switch on the Elite. Always ensure that the power supply is unplugged from the Mains when not in use." With firmware version V1.41 the on/off button is no longer used to turn functions on and off. On page 49 it describes the new use of the on/off button which is now only used with the fuel simulation when using the Sapphire decoder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poliss Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Just goes to show that you can look at the pictures and read the instructions for years and still miss things like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rog RJ Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Rog (RJ) said: On page 13 of the Elite manual for V1.51 firmware it states "Please Note: There is no On/Off switch on the Elite. Always ensure that the power supply is unplugged from the Mains when not in use." With firmware version V1.41 the on/off button is no longer used to turn functions on and off. On page 49 it describes the new use of the on/off button which is now only used with the fuel simulation when using the Sapphire decoder. I've just noticed that the firmware version number is wrong. It should be V1.41 not V1.51 in the first line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2e0dtoeric Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Even if the switch did work, it does NOT turn off the power supply unit. That also applies to just about everything with an external psu. With the device off or unplugged, but the psu still running, it will only use a few milliwatts, but if you have 20 or so gadgets turned on 24/7....it mounts up. And, with the price of electricity going up AGAIN..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Caesar Posted December 22, 2012 Author Share Posted December 22, 2012 It seems that some confusion reigns over that switch and its capabilities or lack of. I am not going to add to that debate however. I always knew exactly what the switch did and could not do but when something like I described above happens then you begin to wonder if someone was playing a jest on you at Hornby or whatever. When I found the cable break though it explained a lot of the irregularities I had experienced. So no confusion for me with the switch... just doubted myself until I found the fault. Having said all that it seems a bitstupid having the switch where it and calling it an on/off switch. If it were dealing with functions alone for example would it not have been better to label it Fn On/Off? Last point I will make... why is there no on/off switch at the rear of this console anyway? Why do we HAVE to use the mains? Highly inconvenient to some where sockets will be hidden and hard to reach! When my layout becomespermanent I will need to cater for this rather odd anomoly by leaving a mains socket easy to get to and in plain view. Never mind though... at least the layout will look impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2e0dtoeric Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 If the existing long wires between the mains plug, the transformer, and the Elite are not long enough, why not fit yourself an extension cable and socket, and mount it near the control position under the layout? You can buy them ready-made for a couple of pounds if you don't like, or know how, to make your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Caesar Posted December 25, 2012 Author Share Posted December 25, 2012 2e0dtoeric said: If the existing long wires between the mains plug, the transformer, and the Elite are not long enough, why not fit yourself an extension cable and socket, and mount it near the control position under the layout? You can buy them ready-made for a couple of pounds if you don't like, or know how, to make your own. I don't actually require extensions to mains leads but if I did then I would prefer not to use one of those. I would very much like to simply replace that cable with a longer one altogether. At the moment it is the cable from the Elite to the track that has had to be replaced. Quite why it would break is a little bit of a mystery... there has been little or no movement on it and only when it was originally packaged would it have been rolled up and tied with a wire tie. Still, these things happen and as stated all is well so far. I will put a more permanent arrangement in place when I get round to building the layout in January. Cables need hiding but should still be easily accessible for just the reason I outlined above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2e0dtoeric Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 From the Elite to the track - in that case, any flexible multi-strand wire that will fit into the power clips will suffice. You don't have to use that flimsy stuff that is supplied! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Caesar Posted December 26, 2012 Author Share Posted December 26, 2012 2e0dtoeric said: From the Elite to the track - in that case, any flexible multi-strand wire that will fit into the power clips will suffice. You don't have to use that flimsy stuff that is supplied! You're right. The wire supplied is not the best. It is short because I will be building in a pull out shelf that will contain the Elite and laptop and the cable required for the job will be taken from under the top board to the rear of the layout and soldered to the track. The newer power clamps are useless. So a stronger cable is to be used because there will be movement in the middle section of that cable. It will fixed to the board at the track end and the Elite end for solid stability. Two seperate cables taped together will be used and each end will be soldered to stop fraying of the wires which will be twisted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2e0dtoeric Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 If you want strong VERY flexible cable, have a look in an r/c model shop, at the silicon wire that is used in electric powered models. Don't forget, the thicker the wire is, the less 'lossy' it is, and so more electrickery will get to the track, and multi-stranded wire is more flexible than single-core 'bell-wire', which snaps inside the plastic sheath if it get flexed a lot, and it can be a devil to find the break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Caesar Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 Thanks for the advice 2e0dtoeric. I will indeed be using multi core cable knowing that single is just too inflexible to cope with my needs. I have a fairly extensive batch of different cables to select from at home already and my brother, an electrician/service engineer, will help out with some if I don't have the correct stuff. Oh the joys of being a modeller...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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