configuring Digirail DR4018 decoder in Railmaster

[Hadders46]

I am trying to install a Digirail DR4018 decoder, but there is no definition for this item.

How can I set the 8 addresses ?

 

[RDS]

The manufactures website contain a full user manual.

[Fishmanoz]

Dead simple according to the manual. In fact no accessory decoder is simpler than this one. Note that while your starting address can be anything, put it in learn mode, throw a point and the whole thing is done.

 

I suggest to keep it simple if

 

you may use different brands of decoder on you layout, you use a starting address that is a multiple of 8 plus one. Then it will work more simply with anything like the Hornby 8247 that uses group addresses. You won't then have point or signal numbers you

 

can't use.

[Rewob]

Dear All

 

I recently bought a DR4018 to try to drive eight 2-aspect colour light signals.

 

Although, as Fishmanoz said, addressing the DR4018 is very straightforward (just press the programme button on the

decoder and operate the point/signal

 

corresponding to the first address required), the problem I have is that the DR4018 is

preset with CV47 = 0 (to drive eight points) so the outputs are momentary (hence the signal LEDs light up and then go off

almost immediately !). What I want to do

 

is set CV47=2 (for eight 2-aspect signals with fade effect) or set CV47=1 (16

permanent on/off switches - which would actually allow me to operate up to 16 signals via a series of cheap-and-cheerful

Tandy SPDT relays !) but I can't write to this CV

 

as the DR4018, as has been pointed out, isn't on the Railmaster list

of 'approved' decoders.

 

I have tried writing to the DR4018 using all of the read/write configurations listed in Railmaster without success. I thought

the best bet may be a

 

Lenz definition since Lenz appears in both Railamster and the DR4108 documentation.

 

I have been in touch with Digirails who make the DR4018 and sent them details of Railmaster/eLink which they requested.

I am waiting for their reply.

 

Fiona

 

at DCCsupplies, who supplied the DR4018, is trying to test the DR4018 on a Railmaster/eLink set-up just in case I

have a duff DR4018. I'm going to phone her on 26/2/14 when she's back from hol to see if she had any success. She did

say that some time

 

ago she had submitted the DR4018 to Ken in Hornby's Technical Department for evaluation but I don't

have anything to confirm that.

 

I have been in touch with Mark at Hornby Customer Care and he has passed details of teh DR4018 onto Ken in Hornby

 

 

Technical. The feedback from Mark today (19/2/14) was that it may be along process and there's no guarantee that the

DR4018 will ever appear on the Railmaster approved list (unless lots of people ring up or e-mail requesting it !!).

 

If DCCsupplies/Hornby/Digirails

 

can't solve the problem it seems I have the following options -

 

i) Return the decoder to DCCsupplies (Fiona did said they would do a refund) and buy another type or decoder (not sure

there's anything which looks as good value-for-money as the DR4018)

 

ii)

 

Ask DCCsupplies if they would think about setting up a basic programming service (just for CV47 perhaps ?)

 

iii) Try to sweet-talk Digirails into sending a decoder with CV47 already set to 1

 

iv) Install some latching relays thereby converting

 

the momentary outputs for points into latched outputs for signals

 

v) Try to find someone who has a programmer which can set CV47=1 (does anyone know a helpful person or club who

could do this for me ??)

 

... unless anyone has any other suggestions

 

?

 

Regards

[Rewob]

PS It's a shame Railmaster/elink can't somehow have a 'generic' accessory decoder for very experienced DCCers where all decoder CVs are both readable and writable (like for locos ?) without having to select an accessory decoder from an approved list. Is

 

this possible Ken (Hornby Technical Dept) ?? Regards

[Fishmanoz]

Hi Rewob, HCC is not the best place to go for this sort of question. They don't have the detail and have to track down somebody who does. Suggest instead you email RM Support from within the Help window of RM. They should know the answer for you. Hopefully,

 

you can set it to something in the list of decoders that will allow you to change the necessary CVs, or they may even add something for you.

[papajulietdelta]

I invested in a Sprog (about £50) plus JMRI software (free) to program all makes of loco and accessory decoders.

 

Far easier and more reliable than an Elite or Railmaster.

 

Cheers

[Fishmanoz]

We are on the Hornby forums here so we shouldn't be discussing systems that compete with Hornby products.

 

But yes of course you can use JMRI, or Java Model Railway Interface, instead of RM but only if you are more technically minded than needed

 

for RM. RM is intended to keep it simple for the non-technical user. Anyone who thinks RM is highly technical will really be at sea with JMRI.

 

And I think that HRMS is doing a great job with RM, listening to users and making the product more capable

 

and friendly all the time (no, I'm not connected to Hornby in any way, nor do I have shares). That said, the very nature of the DCC specification means that some level of understanding and ability is needed to operate it. Even if all you ever do is program

 

decoders to the desired address.

[papajulietdelta]

My point Fish, is that there is another relatively cheap system for programming decoders that is more comprehensive. I find Decoder Pro very easy to use. It solves a lot of the problems members have reading and writing to loco and accessory CVs.

 

I

 

am a great fan of Railmaster and the Elite for operating my layout. I have now successfully converted from ZTC. Although, I do miss the brake, which stopped me hitting the buffers!

 

Cheers

[Rewob]

Dear Fishmanoz / PJD

 

Below is the e-mail I've just received from Digirails - the manufacturer of the DR4018 decoder. I've sent it to Mark at Hornby asking if he could forward it to Ken in Hornby's Tech Dept for his consideration just in case it's

 

a matter of making a minor tweak to Railmaster.

 

Agree we shouldn't be promoting non-Hornby products on this site BUT if this allows a generally available decoder to be programmed to work with Railmaster then this might be excusable ?

 

I'll try

 

contacting RM Support from within Railmaster as suggested but I can't help feeling that the question may just land on Ken's desk via another route !

 

Thanks for your interest and support guys. I'll keep you posted but please let me have any other ideas

 

that may come to mind.

 

Kind regards

 

Rewob

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

From: support@digikeijs.com

To: Rewob

Subject: Re: To Roy Keij

 

- DR4018 & Hornby Railmaster/eLink

 

 

Dear Mr. Rewob

 

If the railmaster supports "CV programming" of POM programming it must be

possible to put value 1 inside CV47.

 

It is also possible to order the DR4018 with pre programmed preset

 

on our website.

Please put your programming demands in the notice field of your order.

 

Kind regards,

Roy Keij

 

DIGIKEIJS

 

[Fishmanoz]

Your email to RM Support is unlikely to land on Ken's desk as they are not actually Hornby but a separate company. Much more likely that Ken has to contact HRMS to get your answer.

[alan_french]

ok ready that

But will it work on hornby e-Link ????

Just what i Want if it will work with my e-Link

    Thanks. Alan 

[Fishmanoz]

Short answer is yes. It is of the type where you connect to the track, put it in program or learn mode with the switch on it, use RM to throw the point you want it to control, switch it back to run mode and it's done. 

[dale_andrew]

Why does the Hornby R8216 Point decoder not work with Railmaster?

[Fishmanoz]

Dale, never a good idea to hide your completely new topic at the bottom of a thread on something else, better to start a new one. Or better still, if you'd done a forum search on 8216 you'd have found the previous threads on how to do this.  And I'm not saying this to be critical, just to help you to help us get you an answer. 

So your short answer is - of course you can program it but it is a bit tricky, so make sure you follow the instructions about setting it up correctly in the first place. It is covered on p72 of the manual and then there is guidance when you select it from the list of decoders to program in RM.