Loco ID issue with Railmaster

[bigboy4012]

 

After a long frustrating Christmas of trying to get the Hornby eLink Majestic set  to work, I have finally made some progress with getting locos running.  However, I cannot seem to have the locos run without being programmed to ID0003.   For example, the Class47 runs fine on ID003, but when trying an 8P Duke of Gloucester with DCC, it will only respond when I set it up as ID003, crossing out the Class47.    I have tried to change the ID numbers after being setup as ID003 and then changed using the loco icon under the Voice Control Command Bar, but no luck.   

Please help... thanks!

[St1ngr4y]

You need to set up a special piece of track called a "programming track" and connect this track to the output terminals of the Elink marked "Programming". In this way, you will be able to change the address of the loco from the default 0003 to any other number you want to uniquely identify it. Place the loco on the programming track. When you go into the locomotive setup window, select the loco, then look for an icon at the bottom which displays "loco info" or something like that, when your mouse cursor hovers over it. When you press that, it allows you access to the "configuration variables" or CVs which are held on the loco's decoder. Highlight the contents of CV1 (which should contain 0003), press the delete button, then type the address you want this loco to have. Then press the left hand button at the bottom to write that value as the loco's address.

Ray

[bigboy4012]

You need to set up a special piece of track called a "programming track" and connect this track to the output terminals of the Elink marked "Programming". In this way, you will be able to change the address of the loco from the default 0003 to any other number you want to uniquely identify it. Place the loco on the programming track. When you go into the locomotive setup window, select the loco, then look for an icon at the bottom which displays "loco info" or something like that, when your mouse cursor hovers over it. When you press that, it allows you access to the "configuration variables" or CVs which are held on the loco's decoder. Highlight the contents of CV1 (which should contain 0003), press the delete button, then type the address you want this loco to have. Then press the left hand button at the bottom to write that value as the loco's address.

Ray

 

[bigboy4012]

Thanks very much, Ray. I'll give it a try tomorrow.... Will let you know if I am successful.   Earlier when I was fooling around in that CV fields window, I played around with some changes in that CV1 field, but then the system said it would take 59min to complete the change. Is that normal?

Thanks, again!

Blake

[Yelrow]

Blake, ignore 59 mins, normally takes about 3. john

[Fishmanoz]

Not sure why people want to fiddle with CV1, which is the short ID CV, when there is a button at the bottom of the Loco Setup window to Change ID, then when you change it, prompts to ensure you write the new ID to the decoder, short or long and again using the button at the bottom of the window. That method does the CVs fiddling for you and doesn't wait around while a whole range of CVs are written. 

[GarH]

Fishy, as I said in another similar thread I had issues with changing a loco ID and had to resort to writing the primary address to CV1 to get it to change from 003 and it actually only takes a few seconds.  When you open the Loco settings window in RM with the loco on the programme track you set the range to read from CV1 to CV1 and after changing CV1 to whatever short ID you want you just press the write button and hey presto.  It is a while since I have changed a loco ID but this was as quick as the method using the Loco Setup Window as far as I recall.  You do of course still need to go to the Loco Definitions Window to assign the picture etc.  Like others I was probably missing some important stage in the process for the change not to take place but writing CV1 solved it for me.

[Yelrow]

GarH, interesting this, as when i first set up, i was advised to do it this way, and have done so. ever since, with every new loco. Fishy is usually right, about these things, so the advice cant have been his, cos, i was not aware of doing it any other way. Wonder what the manual says. No doubt, the next 10 people will tell me. Good to find out who does it which way. john

[GarH]

Thanks yelrow, I only had a Select controller before RM and eLink and another way I got round problems with the instructions in the manual, which are a little simplistic and misleading if I may say so, was to set up the Loco ID via the Select Controller method and then fine tune everything else from within Rm - a belt and braces approach.

[bigboy4012]

Thanks All.... I was able to successfully reprogram an 8P Duke of Gloucester to a new ID and CVs in under 10 minutes, thanks to your help.  The odd thing is that while the Railmaster/eLink system easily read the decoder in the 8P, it could not read the decoders in either the Class 47 Lindisfarne or the A1BonAccord that came with the Majesty set. Could not "find" the decoders it said.  I tested the 8P again intermittently, and it consistently found it's decoder, so not sure what is happening with the other locos. So they are stuck on 003.     

[Yelrow]

No, thats not right, both locos read a treat, have the same set. Put them back on prog track, and try again. Both locos are listed in RM. Let us know how it goes, as you  have to change at least one of them to run both. john

[bigboy4012]

Thanks All....  I was able to reprogram my 8P Duke of Gloucester in about 10 min thanks to your help.  The odd thing is while the Railmaster/eLink recogized the 8P's decoder immediately, it did not recognize either the Class 47 or A1 Bon Accord that came with the Majestic set.  It kept saying "Reading...... error, repeat."   Never did read their decoders, even when I switched back to the 8P to see if something else was wrong.  Always read the 8P's decoder, not the others.   Am I missing something?   thanks

[bigboy4012]

Thanks All....  I was able to reprogram my 8P Duke of Gloucester in about 10 min thanks to your help.  The odd thing is while the Railmaster/eLink recogized the 8P's decoder immediately, it did not recognize either the Class 47 or A1 Bon Accord that came with the Majestic set.  It kept saying "Reading...... error, repeat."   Never was able to read their decoders, even when I switched back to the 8P to see if something else was wrong.  Always read the 8P's decoder, not the others.   Am I missing something?   thanks

[Fishmanoz]

GarH, interesting this, as when i first set up, i was advised to do it this way, and have done so. ever since, with every new loco. Fishy is usually right, about these things, so the advice cant have been his, cos, i was not aware of doing it any other way. Wonder what the manual says. No doubt, the next 10 people will tell me. Good to find out who does it which way. john

 

John, the manual describes the "proper" way, not the write CV1 way.  There's nothing wrong with writing CV1, and just as quick for writing a short ID as Gar says, as long as you set the read/write to CV1 only.  But try doing this method for a long ID (4 digits) and you'll find you have to adjust the value of CV29, then calculate and write to CVs 18 and 19.  Then you'll understand why RM does all of this for you in the "proper" method.

[Fishmanoz]

Bigboy, try applying a little hand pressure to the top of the locos when you are reading or writing and see if things improve.  This can improve the contact to track and make it more reliable.

[Graskie]

I think you'll find that it is CVs 17 and 18 for 4 digit long addresses, Fishy. There goes another hat!

[Fishmanoz]

Oops.