e-Link Vs Elite

[HooliganHedgehog]

Cost issues aside, what is the advantage of e-link over Elite. (apart from the ability to use phones, android ...... ) ?

Presumably you still need accessory / point decoders for both. My current thinking is:- Grandson & I currently work as a team, one

 

driving trains (Select Controller) one switching points (Passing Contact Switches). This is fine but realistically only one thing can happen at a time. I would like to have, say, the main line trains doing their own thing, (stopping at stations, switching

 

loops .... ) via predetermined programmes, while we shunt stuff around in the sidings etc. I've downloaded the trial version of RailMaster, and from what I see there would be a lot of fiddling around trying to time everything to perfection? I noticed they

 

mention 'Loco Detection', which I would have thought would be a better way of controlling events, but can find no information as to what these detectors are and how they work etc. Your views welcome please. My other concern is learning how to do everything.

 

As an old bloke I find it easier these days to watch and copy rather than read and try.

[RDS]

@HooliganHedgehog

I cannot think of any advantages of e-link over Elite, apart from maybe reliability due to less moving parts on e-link. I use Elite with RailMaster and I like the fact that even though RailMaster may be controlling most aspects, I

 

can still override it by selecting a loco manually via the Elite. With e-link, everything is done via RailMaster.

The detection system has not yet been released (due later in 2013) so it is only speculation really yet as to how it will work. (See my previous

 

posting under RailMaster about the Lecture at Alexandra Palace for some details that I received from Hornby)

 

I do not actually have any decoders on my points at the present time but I have found that there is quite a lot of consistency with loco positions

 

when run from the same program so I believe that it would be quite easy to do what you describe, even without detection.

 

I think it is true to say though that everyone is looking forward to the release of Detection.

 

In terms of learning, that

 

is what your Grandson will be good at.

Let him learn, you watch!

[HooliganHedgehog]

Thanks RDS. You may very well have a point about the Grandson teaching me! LOL!

[Fishmanoz]

HHH, to summarise, there are no advantages of eLink over Elite or vice versa as they each have the same capability. It's just that Elite can operate on its own and eLink can only operate through Railmaster, in fact it is just an interface between Rm on

 

your computer and the track.

 

Given the 2 of you are operating, I would certainly consider adding a handheld app to your system. It means you can operate from anywhere around the layout but you are limited in how much of it you can control at any time.

[DaveAus]

I like the ability to use the Elite standalone. I find it easier to program loco's via the Elite on a program track. Additionally when the friends 5 year old was around I got out the select walkabout and he could drive a train. Me I use RailMaster.

[HooliganHedgehog]

Thanks guys. My Grandson is 5 years old and is learning fast. He already knows all the characteristics and capabilities of each of our 5 locos, knows which of the 14 sets of points are operated from which switch, and yesterday twigged how to use the Function

 

Button to change to shunting mode and turn the sound on and off ! I am almost redundant already !

[Mike70]

I'm seriously thinking of pre-ordering E-Link tomorrow.

 

My old DC controller needs replacing, so I'm going to make the jump to DCC.

 

From a cost point of view, the E-Link package just seems like the best place to start.

[RDS]

@Mike70

I don't think for one minute you will regret having made the jump to DCC and the e-link package with RailMaster looks a very cost effective way of getting a very capable system.

When is e-link due to be released?

 

 

[Fishmanoz]

Last I heard was this month, so should be pretty soon.

[brando]

Would I be right in thinking that you do not need the E-Link if you have an elite ?

[RDS]

@brando

Yes you are right. The e-link is used instead of the normal controller (Elite or Select).

[96RAF]

You could use one for controlling trains and the other for controlling points in RM.

[RDS]

@RAFHAAA96th

Would there be any advantage in doing that?

 

 

[Fishmanoz]

The only possible advantage to doing this is, on large layouts, to not have accessory power drain compromising loco current so you can have lots working at the same time.

 

However, to do it, you would have to have a separate accessory bus as you

 

can't run 2 controllers on the same DCC circuit.

 

The only use I can see for having Elite and eLink is if you have a large layout with separate power districts each with their own separate DCC circuit and bus. Now you can use one on each to run both

 

the locos and the accessories in the district.

[Gregd99]

RDS said:

@RAFHAAA96th
Would there be any advantage in doing that?

When point motors are fired a large current flows for a very short time. This current can disrupt the operation of other things connected to the same

power supply - eg DC locos can stutter; dcc locos might get "confused"

There are (at least) two solutions to this issue.

1) Have a separate power supply for point motors and
2) Use a CDU to limit instantaneous current drain.

Some accessory

decoders use a separate supply (eg LS150). The Hornby accessory decoder has a built-in CDU.

The idea of a CDU is a bit like filling a bucket. You can fill it slowly (charge) but then you can empty it quickly (fire point motor). The positive is that

there is limited load on the dcc supply (1A for Select and 3A (to track) of Elite). The negative is that you need to wait 1-2 seconds between point operations on the same decoder.

Some research shows a charge current might be 0.2 Amps (ref http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/CDPSU.html).

On a small layout with one of these charging the load, for 1-2 seconds, will be similar to a loco running normally. On a large layout that has (say) 10 accessory decoders then the load if points on different decoders were fired close together would be 2A!

(2 x 0.2)

How likely is it that to happen? On my small (9x4’) layout (under JMRI) when I set up a route for a train then up to 3 or 4 points fire at 0.2 second intervals. Does Railmaster also have the ability to set up routes?

So after a long

discussion…. I think the answer to your question is probably… “It Depends”

[Fishmanoz]

Yes, RM allows you to set up routes. But given the short recharging time (the R8247 accessory decoder does have a built in CDU) and that even using RM, you can time the point changes to happen serially, you will need a quite large layout before accessories

 

compromise loco running. We are talking running more than 10 locos at once and more than 5 points firing at exactly the same time, plus signal lights etc before you exceed the capability of the 4Amp Elite supply, and similarly for eLink assuming you are using

 

the 4Amp supply with it too.

[Gregd99]

out of interest.... what is the recharge time of the 8247?

 

The website to which I referred suggested 200mA would give a 2S recharge time. Doing the maths I actually come up with 100mA :-) but my maths is probably more rusty than theirs.

 

What

 

I did find was that reducing the recharge time to 50% of the baseline time would give ~4x peak current and that going to 25% would give ~8x peak current.

 

Whether these calcs are exactly right or not.... the current increases significantly as the recharge

 

time is decreased.

 

I = (V/R).exp(-t/(RC))

[eberhardt]

I currently use two makes of D.C.C. systems and I'm not overly pleased with either of them. I hope to get the E-link when it arrives at my local model shop. Does anyone know when this will be as I've heard various dates bandied about? Or would I be better

 

off ordering it from Hornby on line?

[RDS]

@eberhardt

 

I saw a posting the other day that suggested 'towards the end of the year (2013)'

I think you can sign up for an email from Hornby to advise you when it becomes available.

 

[DCCTinker]

That's not right. Not the end of the year. I heard May or early June.

So eLink's arrival is imminent.

 

[Rynino]

I phoned hornby the other day and they said it would be some time in July. :)

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Graskie]

Better get your running shoes on then, WTD!