Elink vs Elite

[AndyHead78]

Hi All,

I've spent some time now watching videos trying to get a comparison of the Elink system and the Elite. I still haven't been able to make up my mind which I would prefer to use. I'm guessing both have their pros and cons, but most of the people who make the videos don't seem to offer their opinions on what makes their control choice so good.

From what I've seen the Elink makes it easier to control larger layouts and programme them, however, when running the trains manually (that is not programmed) it seems you spend most of your time staring at a computer screen and not the actual trains.

I'd like to get some opinions from different people who advocate both systems about what they believe makes their choice better. Hopefully it will help me make a more informed choice as it could end up being a costly mistake to choose one that I don't get on with!

Many thanks,

Andy

[RDS]

Hi Andy

This is of course a personal choice but for me it is Elite everytime.  It can be connected to a computer running RailMaster and therefore give you the option of computer running, manual running using the knobs and controls on Elite, or if you prefer, a combination of both.

In terms of cost, Elite is more expensive but it comes with a 4 Amp Power Supply, as opposed to the 1 Amp with e-link.

[Graskie]

I agree with RDS. I bought my Elite before RM was available, then eventually coupled it up with RM when it became available. I would never swap it for the eLink combination because it is a far more flexible system, expensive but, in my opinion, well worth it.

[Fishmanoz]

Andy, to give you a better comparison, eLink is simple an interface between RM and your track. The capability you get with it is RM capability. 

Similarly, Elite will operate with RM and, used this way, has exactly the same capability as eLink/RM.  Used this way, it is no better or worse with large layouts, or any other layouts. 

But it also has its own knobs and buttons so you can use these to operate your layout as well. And yes, you can have your hand on the throttle and watch the loco you are controlling at the same time, unlike with RM where you have to watch the screen to make adjustments. 

It becomes a simple matter of whether you wish to pay the extra to have the knobs and buttons, noting that extra may be offset by your wanting to buy the 4 Amp supply for eLink. Even so, eLink remains significantly cheaper. 

[gilbo2]

To be honest I used both Elite and eLink extensively over many months and the benefits of eLink to me far out weighed Elite. In the end I sold the Elite and now exclusively use eLink, one of the best decisions I made;

eLink is small enough to be under board mounted and so becomes "invisible", the only connection I have to my layout is via a USB lead to my laptop.

I found myself never using the controls on Elite, I find them sluggish with no "loco feel", i.e. the speed changes were not in direct positive relationship to knob rotation, especially coming from the analogue world. This is where Railmaster comes in however and is valid for both systems. You can click on the locos speed sliders on the screen and then use the cursor keys to tap the speed up and down by 1mph increments resulting in incredibly accurate control and "feel", taking your eyes off the screen and just watching the loco. So much so you reveal linearity issues in the speed curves buts that's an issue currently being investigated by Hornby.

The eLink is a more recent DCC design and seems to have a faster control system. This can been seen for example when reading CV's where eLink can read them as fast as every 4 seconds but with Elite the fastest is only 8 seconds. Although subjective, the locos low speed performance is marginally smoother with eLink than Elite. I was quite surprised how much quieter the loco motors are under eLink so I kept swapping back to Elite to make sure I wasn't imagining it!

The only thing I did miss to start with on the eLink was the lack of an emergency stop button as it does take longer to "find the cursor" and move it to the big red stop icon. Now some people are complaining the Railmaster icons are too big, I wish some were actually bigger, like this one :-) I did raise a suggestion sometime back that it would be much better to allocate a keyboard key as an Emergency Stop function, e.g. the space bar. Nothing like this exists currently though. You could in the meantime hardwire in your own stop button, but you soon get used to using the cursor and with more precise control, I found its need reduced anyway.

Everyone to their own, so in my summary, it has to be eLink every time for me.

[Yelrow]

Andy, its difficult to get an independent view, because there are 2 camps. in the first are those whose only choice was elite, for some time, and they have never tried the elink nor wish to, being perhaps a little set in their tradition. Then there are those of us who have only had the elink, know no other way, and have no wish to spend another £200, on something that we dont need. Remember, you can have at least 4 elinks for the price of an elite. Speaking personally, i have 15 dc controllers with knobs, and the laptop comes as a nice change. Age , also comes into it, as arthritis, makes twiddling knobs more difficult. If you are a purist, you can lose the elink, so your layout is not cluttered with a controller. There is also, a 3rd camp, who use elink for their points ans signals, and elite for the trains. I have a select, and when i want ti fiddle, i use this for the train, keeping elink for the points, but really, there is no need, as the elink does it all. Pj, went further, with a Touch screen  computer, which , is another  add on.  In the event of a problem, elite more expensive to mend, if able. Finally running more than 1 loco at once, is considerably easier on elink. You can have 3/4 running much more under control with elink, as slowing them down etc i belive is quicker. Others may not agree, but unless you have both, its hard to disprove. john

[AndyHead78]

Thank you for all of the responses.

I'm not sure the difference in price is much of an issue for me really as although the eLink is much less expensive I would need to invest in a decent laptop or a tablet. My standard PC will not be anywhere near my layout! Therefore eLink would end up costing more in the long run, especially if like some of you have said I opt to put the 4 amp supply in too.

I'm guessing as technology advances so will most new things in the world of Hornby and model railways, therefore with that in mind eLink may be the best way to start.

I did have one query that hopefully those of you who use RM can answer for me. I saw a video of the Western Master set being set up, and when RM was initialised it asked what set he had. When it automatically showed the layout on the screen it had the out R3 loop with the siding from the set, but for some reason also included part of the inner loop, which quite clearly was not part of the set and hadn't been added. So my question is - How does RM register your layout? Do you need to manually put the design into the programme piece by piece or does it somehow register the layout when connected?

[gilbo2]

The question about which layout is only to set the initial layout plan from its built in library. You can then change the plan in settings to call up your own future layout design. The software has a layout designer which allows you to create a schematic view, piece by piece, to build up your layout diagram. Note though that this is a schematic view, a bit like a London underground map and "simplifies" your actual track layout.

You can download a trial of Railmaster under this websites download section so you can use its features, limted to a couple of locos / point controls.

Good luck with your selection (I believe your on the right track).

[Yelrow]

Hi, andy, Railmaster is pre programmed, with some sets, eg I have The Majestic, which i think is far and away the best value for money, hornby have at the moment, especially, as they are cut pricing. From memory, the western master is also there.            dont get confused, that your layout is known to RM. You tell it where the points and signals are, and if you want to design your own layout on screen, thats fine, but RM, has no idea, currently, where trains are etc. All it knows is what you  tell it. When you design your own prog, eg,  which locos move, stop, start etc, it remembers that, and runs it. ihave no doubt things will get more exciting, in the near future, but its like all computors, you are the boss. Going back to a laptop, you do not need a decent one, very basic, is fine, windows 7, preferably, but  as rm is your only real prog, small memory is fine. On another recent thread we indicated the minimum. Going on to 4 amp transformer. This is necessary, when you run points, and signals, anyway, so nothing is lost there. I would take the elink route, with the Majestic. You  cannot buy a hornby set that includes an elite controller, and you can be up and running very quickly  this way, john

[idlemarvel]

ref the topic question, if you ultimately want to use railmaster with DCC then (leaving aside the personal preference you may have for turning knobs over clicking buttons) eLink is the best bet, for five non-emotional reasons:

1 It is much cheaper

2 RM has a “heart-beat” function for the eLink which monitors the interface so you know there is a problem rather than it just stops working

3 You can perform a soft reset of the eLink if there is a problem rather than having to pull the plug

4 It is automatically updated by RM if there is a software update

5 It has higher performance.  The eLink can run at higher communications speeds over the USB link than the Elite (115200 baud vs 19200 baud), which implies higher specification processors inside; the release notes say “eLink now supported at 115,200 BAUD rate for smoother operation” which implies lower speeds are not so smooth!

If you don't want to use railmaster (and eLink is useless without it) then you should go with the Elite.

I should point out I have had both Elite and eLink (and Select but don't even think about that), now I use the eLink and keep the Elite for testing purposes.

[Fishmanoz]

Andy, to answer your last question directly, RM does not register your layout when it is attached to it. However, it does come with many layouts you can use, including a lot in the Hornby track plans book, plus Majestic and Western Master. You can use these as is, modify them or build your own schematic. 

Also, as indicated earlier, RM doesn't use your schematic in any way. The schematic is just there as a convenient way for you to know where on your layout your points and accessories are so that you know which of them to operate when. 

And I agree with the suggestion to download the trial version from this site to play around with. 

[AndyHead78]

I'll definitely be downloading the RM demo, thanks for the suggestion. I already have the Night Mail set, but am thinking of getting the Western Master set now to add to it. It seems to make the most financial sense given that for an extra £40 I get the Pannier and wagons, and the extra track on top of the eLink and RM system. I have a grand plan in mind for the long term, but will spend some time with smaller sets first. I have plenty of time to gain confidence and experience!

[Graskie]

I would just mention, as an aside, that I have five grandchildren ranging from 5 up to 13. They are totally forbidden to enter grandad's railway room on their own. Occasionally, when they get a bit too demanding, I allow one or two of them in under my attempted complete supervision. The Elite is ideal for them to operate and they never get a chance on RM. I can play trains seperately then on RM if I wish. It helps the younger ones with their numbers on the Elite keypad and even the 5 year old is very good with her numbers. They get bored pretty quickly, though, thank goodness, soon turning to brum a few vehicles about and play with the people for a few more minutes, so the strain doesn't last too long!

[AndyHead78]

My children are 6 and coming up for 5. We only live 10 minutes away from the Hornby Shop and Museum in Margate, so they are always asking to go and see the trains. They are very excited that we'll have a set in the house soon. They'll be itching to have a go, if I let them in the loft that is!