roeland_bodart Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Hi,After successfully running with RM Pro and E-link for several months I managed to get a short circuit and seem to have destroyed the Elink controller. Probably my own fault as I was converting an old engine to DCC and there may have been a short (even thought that prior to the short circuit I managed to program the unit on the programming track?). A "short circuit" message appeared on the screen. I tried to close the program but could not get a response even after I disconnected the tracks. Hence I shut down the PC and restarted. All that happens now is a flashing light on the controller. With everything disconnected I tried both the 1 amp and 4 amp transformers but to no avail. Is this fixable or must I look for a new unit. If the later where can I get a standalone controller only?Many Thanks Roeland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelrow Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Roeland, hi, give hornby a ring on` 01843/233/525, talk it through with them. They will come up with a solution. john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roeland_bodart Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 Roeland, hi, give hornby a ring on` 01843/233/525, talk it through with them. They will come up with a solution. john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roeland_bodart Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 Roeland, hi, give hornby a ring on` 01843/233/525, talk it through with them. They will come up with a solution. john Thanks - I have send them an e-mail and await feedback. a phone cal from Cape Town may end up rather expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roeland_bodart Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 Roeland, hi, give hornby a ring on` 01843/233/525, talk it through with them. They will come up with a solution. john It seems the unit is broke - I will contact customer care to find out where I can get it either repaired or purchase a new unit. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roeland_bodart Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 The elink is supposed to have protection against failure due to short circuits, but I have found it is not always very robust. In my case Hornby were very helpful and replaced the elink free of charge and with no great fuss. I was very impressed by their attitude. I also raised the matter by email and though not as quick as a phone call it was plenty good enough.That seems correct - I had short circuits before and they did not affect the unit. So I was very surprised when it happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graskie Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 A short circuit should never knock out a decent controlling device. I use an Elite with RM and have never had that problem. I've had the odd short affecting loco decoders, but not destroying them. Even that should not happen on a fit for purpose system, though. Surely the elink should have a proper and robust cutout facility which does not allow the unit to fail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Yes it should Graskie. Sounds like a warranty replacement to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roeland_bodart Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 There's no doubt that elink DOES have a cutout facility, but it seems that production quality may not be as good as we would like in every case. In other words, perhasp due to the low pricing level the standard of components used is less than ideal, and a bit variable? Good enough in perhaps 90% of cases, but once in a while a component will fail, whereas it will be less likely in a more robust but also more expensive product.But the good news is that, at least in my experience, Hornby are quite willing to accept such failures as a fair warranty claim.I hope so - the unit is less than 1 year old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Then it is most definitely covered by warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roeland_bodart Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 Hornby customer services sure take their time to answer my email. It is now more than a week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 You could email Admin on this forum - his link is forum@hornby.com - and ask him to please chase it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Or give them a ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Or give them a ring. ...as suggested in post #2 a week ago now. Following that advice could have probably had it fixed by now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roeland_bodart Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 Hi roeland, Did you get a HC reference number for the email you sent in? I've checked the email system with your email address (the one attached to your Forum account) and I can't see anything being received from that address.I did get an auto reply - not sure about the reference number as I'm replying now from a different account but in the interim I phoned and got an absolute excellent service. A new unit will be posted to me. Many Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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