New Majestic set the steam loco doesnt respond :( any ideas

[58001]

I believe this is related to loco detection, a function not yet available in Railmaster. It should therefore be greyed out. The globe on the left indicates the presence of an internet connection on your computer and the controller icon in the middle indicates

 

communication with your controller; Elite or eLink.

Hornby have done their best to anticipate loco detection in the design of the Railmaster software, when the technology is available and the international standard agreed Hornby will be able to include

 

this functionality in Railmaster without having to redesign their interface.

[Fishmanoz]

Yelroy, 58001 has answered your second question. Concerning your first, you can only activate one copy of RM at a time. You can install as many times as you like and run them as trials, and you can deactivate the licensed copy and reactivate any one other

 

copy as many times as you like too.

 

Just on the separate piece of track, your manual has detailed instructions on programming locos on a track connected to the eLink programming output. This is what we are talking about. It is covered. And I'm talking

 

about the RM manual, not the handheld app manual, not the driver installation guide, and not the firewall problem guide. You have all 4 of these installed on your desktop.

 

While it seems the majority have been able to get their eLink sets going successfully,

 

it is also apparent that the documentation is not clear enough for some. Hence my note to HRMS who do monitor these forums and take up worthwhile suggestions.

[HornbyRailMasterSupport]

To clarify matters relating to setting up the second loco in the Majestic eLink train set, the paper Quick Start Guide supplied with the set highlights the following in a panel, with the heading "Please Note:":-

 

"If your digital train set includes

 

more than one loco, you will need to program the ID of one of them to a different number as both are factory programmed to ID 3. RailMaster already assigns IDs, e.g. 3 and 4 so all you need to do is look at the RailMaster locos list and set the second loco

 

to the new ID. This is done through the Locos Settings button. See the PDF guide on the Start menu for more details."

 

Then the section in the RailMaster PDF guide which the Quick Start guide refers to (under "Reading and Writing Locomotive CVs") says:-

 

"Using

 

RailMaster you are able to quickly and easily read CVs from your loco and also to write to them. For example, to set a loco’s DCC ID (and it is below 127) simply write the value to CV 1. See later for long loco addresses (up to 9999). Your loco needs to be

 

on the programming track, connected to the PROG output of your DCC controller. To test locos (running, functions etc.) you need to place the loco back on the track connected to the TRACK output of your controller". The guide goes to explain exactly how to

 

do this.

 

The front page of the RailMaster PDF guide says "READ THIS GUIDE FIRST" in large red text, it then goes on to say "Please read this guide fully. It will only take 30 minutes", again in red text. As well as being installed on the Start menu,

 

the RailMaster guide is also installed on the user's Windows desktop.

 

Several hundred users have activated the RailMaster software on this set and have not had this issue, which hopefully puts this into perspective.

 

Whilst we would like to have

 

had the second loco pre-programmed with, say, ID 4, or indeed both locos pre-programed with, say, 4 and 5 (leaving 3 free for new locos), this is a time-consuming and costly process. Since one of the very first things you must do when acquiring a new loco

 

is to program its DCC ID then this factor introduces that straight away. There is a level at which "running out of the box" becomes doing everything. The track must put together, which on the Majestic set takes a while due to its double loop and sidings. Programming

 

a loco takes a fraction of the time.

 

Model railways, by their nature, are more technically demanding than the average hobby and require a learning curve beore really getting stuck in.

 

Hopefully this clarifies things.

 

[58001]

Yelrow,

On this point I must agree with you. These train sets are sold as toys but are clearly not as straightforward as an analogue set where you plug in the power and away you go. You do need a very basic understanding of electronics and computing

 

to get it working and you are not going to get that in an instruction booklet. Part of the 'fun' of this sort of train set is the learning experience, keep at it and ask questions, the more you learn the more satisfying the experience.

Regarding the programming

 

track, if I understand correctly a separate length of track and a second power clip aren't included in the set so I don't know how a beginner is expected to work that out for himself.

Good luck and keep plugging away at it!

[Fishmanoz]

By the way, not sure if you have a power clip or a power track, but whichever it is, connect it to the separated siding.

[Yelrow]

hi, only answered hornby following false accusation, tried to do as you asked, but railmaster will not come up, cant find com port, and green controller image will not come up. I had managed to stop both trains running, original one fine, butco-c0 class

 

47 RES now will not move. How do i get prog to start, sorry to be a burden, but it is difficult at my time of life. Bought set, as operation recovery limits my movement for next 3 months. Very unhappy about hornby response, yelrow

[Honvik]

Yelrow

 

Something that im not sure if has been mentioned or not that I found when programming the loco is that when you have it on the prog track you may need to apply a little bit of pressure to get a good contact to read and write to it properly

 

mine would read but wouldn't write after having pressed down on it it wrote the id to it properly

[Graskie]

I hope this doesn't confuse matters, but it is possible to programme a loco on the main running track. To do that, though, you would first have to disconnect the running wires from your eLink and reconnect them to the programming output. Remember, though,

 

to only have the loco you are programming on the running track or any other DCC loco standing on the layout will be changed to the same ID number. You must never have both running and programming wires connected to the track at the same time. Once programmed,

 

take the loco off the track and repeat with your second loco. When done, you put the wires back to where they were removed from. This, however, is a bit of a messy solution and a separate piece of programming track obviates all that. But remember, however

 

you programme, only do one loco at a time.

[Yelrow]

ok, we are now working, have made siding, wired up put diesel on, but it cannot read cv co co class 47, dcc ID 0007. simply says cant read cv, what now help yelrow

[Honvik]

hope you get your set running and get over your op quickly too yelrow

[Graskie]

Yelrow. You have separated the siding electrically from the main running supply, haven't you? Best to just undo one track joint. It can then be used as a separate temporary programming track for reading CVs and should work as long as you have programming

 

wires running from the appropriate programming terminals on the eLink to just that section of track.

[Yelrow]

Graskie said:

Yelrow. You have separated the siding electrically from the main running supply, haven't you? Best to just undo one track joint. It can then be used as a separate temporary programming track for reading CVs and should work as

long as you have programming wires running from the appropriate programming terminals on the eLink to just that section of track.

[Yelrow]

hi graskie, yes, i disconnected power rail , just joined 4 pieces of track, but system refuses to read cv of diesel, just says un obtainable. other engine is fine.I can find nothing in any instuctions what to do if it does not read cv, yelrow

[Fishmanoz]

Just to cover off the posts since my last. Starting with Graskie's suggestion, yes you can turn your whole layout into the programming track by swapping the track wires to connect to the eLink programming output. However, I didn't suggest this due to the

 

potential confusion that you then try to program with both locos sitting on the layout. That won't work, or st least both will be reprogrammed the same. You have to program one at a time. Also, no chance of reading with 2 decoders connected. So stick with

 

the separate programming track made from your disconnected siding.

 

Honvik's suggestion to apply pressure when reading/writing is good, in fact I think I was the last to suggest this here. The reason is that to avoid blowing up your decoder if incorrectly

 

wired, the program output has less power available then the track output. Now we can assume your locos aren't incorrectly wired but pressure may still help given the low power.

 

On not finding the com port, Windows has a nasty habit of reallocating

 

com ports without the courtesy of letting you know. To check this when you have a problem, go into Device Manager to see which port is allocated and, if now different, adjust RM Settings to match. This is a Windows not an RM problem.

 

Is the diesel

 

now completely dead, won't run on the track output and won't read or write on the programming output? That sounds like it may have developed a fault and you should confirm by emailing HRMS from the Help window as I have already suggested. If faulty, Hornby

 

will replace.

 

With the steam loco, can you now both read the CVs and write a new ID? If so, you now know what you are doing, so your are getting there. A little more practice and you will know exactly what you are doing and start to wonder why you

 

had such a problem in the first place.

 

Just on your exchange here with HRMS. Their first post to you didn't sound aggressive to me, they were just trying to explain to you what you needed to do, in my opinion. I know that may feel otherwise while you

 

are yet to understand fully what is going on. But they really are here to help. If you look back at their posts in the last 6 months on a number of mainly RM Forum threads, you will see that they have both clarified issues for us, and taken up many user suggestions

 

for improvements to RM both already and planned for future updates.

[RDS]

@yelrow

I am sorry you have been unable to get your set working.

However, I am also sorry that you have found it necessary to criticise publicly the Hornby Support Team who have been trying to help you.

I have been a member of this forum for just

 

over 12 months and I think it is true to say that this thread is the first where I have seen a member complain about the help that others are trying to provide.

It only seems a few months ago that the Hornby Support Team started to take an active part in

 

this forum and I for one, have been delighted with the advice that they have provided. Their support has excellent at all times of the day, including weekends and all over the recent Christmas period.

There have been threads on the forum where we know that

 

Hornby have taken notice of members comments and changes have been made to the RailMaster product as a direct result of them listening to our joint requests.

I can understand your frustration that your product does not meet your expectations (and it may

 

in fact turn out to be faulty) but I hope that the Hornby Support Team will continue to monitor this forum and take an active part as appropriate, because their inputs have been superb.

[RDS]

@Fishmanoz

After spending some time writing and then posting, my post a few minutes ago, I was delighted to read the last paragraph of your post that appeared during that time.

I agree entirely with you.

[Fishmanoz]

Different approach to expressing exactly the same sentiments RDS.

 

I think yelroy's frustrations in understanding his new set may have been showing. My approach, as I have learnt in other walks of life, has been to deal with the problem first, not

 

the emotions. Then again, often the emotions are the core of the issue and have to be dealt with to solve the problem. And made much harder here as all we have to go on are the written words.

[Fishmanoz]

Yelrow, let's just see if we can solve your problem for you, so let me ask again the questions I asked before:

 

Is the diesel now completely dead, won't run on the track output and won't read or write on the programming output? That sounds like it

 

may have developed a fault and you should confirm by emailing HRMS from the Help window as I have already suggested. If faulty, Hornby will replace.

 

With the steam loco, can you now both read the CVs and write a new ID? If so, you now know what you

 

are doing, so your are getting there. A little more practice and you will know exactly what you are doing and start to wonder why you had such a problem in the first place.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about being 70 either, you only have 3 years on me,

 

and I only have just over 2 years of experience with this stuff too.

[Yelrow]

Fishmanoz said:

Yelrow, let's just see if we can solve your problem for you, so let me ask again the questions I asked before:

Is the diesel now completely dead, won't run on the track output and won't read or write on the programming

output? That sounds like it may have developed a fault and you should confirm by emailing HRMS from the Help window as I have already suggested. If faulty, Hornby will replace.

With the steam loco, can you now both read the CVs and write a new ID?

If so, you now know what you are doing, so your are getting there. A little more practice and you will know exactly what you are doing and start to wonder why you had such a problem in the first place.

I wouldn't worry too much about being 70 either,

you only have 3 years on me, and I only have just over 2 years of experience with this stuff too.

[Yelrow]

hi, thanks for your reply, when i started they both ran together, in my attempt to alter diesl, i have clicked on something that now makes cv unreadable, i think i need to put back to factory settings and start again, but dont know how. It will not run

 

at all, but that is probably due to my error. I did originally read both cvs, but i have not changed anything on loco, thank god, as that still runs on 0003. Do you know how to rest diesel. I still dont know what i am doing, so am not getting there, unfortunately,beginning

 

to wish i had left diesel alone, cos cant even test it.. At the moment under engines i have co co class 47 RES loco DCC ID 0001, which i made loco group detectio ID 7 type branch. From this you can see i have no idea. I have original nos, both the same, 003

 

99 20 1 3 117, but thats all. Over to you, john

[Rog RJ]

You should be able to reset the diesel, or any other model with a Hornby decoder fitted, by writing the value 8 to CV8.

[Rog RJ]

Should have added that if you can't reset it, the decoder may have failed.

[Yelrow]

hi, rog, thanks, this is where i get confused, on the loco screen do you set the loco DCC ID to 0008, and if so, what do you put in detection ID. Having answered that do you put 8 in the cv range to read, thanks, yelrow

[Rog RJ]

yelrow said:

hi, rog, thanks, this is where i get confused, on the loco screen do you set the loco DCC ID to 0008, and if so, what do you put in detection ID. Having answered that do you put 8 in the cv range to read, thanks, yelrow

Sorry,

I don't use elink or railmaster so I've no idea how you alter CVs on your system. One of the other users should be able to tell you.

[Fishmanoz]

John, I can see your confusion here, so let's start again.

 

Put the diesel on your programming track connected to the eLink PROG output. Done?

 

Now, go back to page 1 of this thread and you'll find I posted a link to a thread in the RM forum

 

where HRMS describes how to set a loco ID. Print it out, turn on RM if not already on, go to the Loco Setup screen, select your diesel there, then follow the HRMS instructions on setting the ID. Pick any number but 03 and write it to the decoder CV1 as described.

 

Now read CV1 and see what it says is there. If you are having trouble, apply a little gentle pressure to the loco while you do it. Make sure you don't tip it so only the wheels on one side contact the track, keep it straight.

 

Did that work? If not

 

tell us exactly what you did please?