Elite and Select Update States...

[96RAF]

Due to the infrequency of updates to the subject controllers this request may a non-starter.

 

@Adam

Would it be possible to show the current revision states of the Select and Elite controllers' firmware at the top of the page like you did with Railmaster

 

The Elite one being a hyperlink to the download.

 

The Select one also having a note saying it cannot be updated by download and must be sent back to Hornby.

 

Thanks Rob

[Yelrow]

what a good idea .,RAF. I am negotiating for an elite, which may want updating, and everyone is aware of the problems i had, updating Railmaster. Was thinking of using elink for points/ Turntable, only, and as i have a select( fully up to date ), could then, buy whichever lead forum decides i need, from ebay. john

[96RAF]

That's my setup John and it works well.

 

If you go for an Elite John then you can use your Select as a Walkabout if you can find out which is the correct cable of course after my last gaffe (now corrected and so confirmed).

 

Rob

[Fishmanoz]

John, given you can now do RM updates, you can also do Elite firmware updates as long as you actually read the instructions and follow them meticulously.

 

But personally, I'd be wanting to find a very cheap Elite before I'd consider buying it if I already had eLink. All it gives you is 2 off-screen knobs to play with, no extra capability at all.  And then if you add your Select as a walkabout, you can only operate locos with IDs below 60 and you are going to find those throttle knobs you have are very different between Select and Elite, for me different enough that I will never bother using my Select as a walkabout on my Elite.

 

And the biggest thing john given your views to date, you are going to have to go away from your single connection point philosophy and run a bus purely for your accessories.  If Elite is running your track, you can't have your eLink connected to track too, it must be separate.

[96RAF]

Yes John as Fishy says some rewiring needed.

 

I had to shift the eLInk onto a separate points bus when I did mine, but it was as easy as disconnecting the 2 existing wires that fed the acc decoders from the track and then connecting them to the eLink.

 

The Elite then took over track duties.

 

All good things to keep you occupied when the weather gets warmer.

[RDS]

... All it gives you is 2 off-screen knobs to play with, no extra capability at all ...

Hmm, not quite true.  The main advantage for me is that it gives the extra capability to operate my layout without the need to switch on a computer and load up RailMaster.  This is a personal preference but I also prefer to rotate a knob on the Elite, rather than operate a slider on a computer screen.

[96RAF]

... All it gives you is 2 off-screen knobs to play with, no extra capability at all ...

Hmm, not quite true.  The main advantage for me is that it gives the extra capability to operate my layout without the need to switch on a computer and load up RailMaster.  This is a personal preference but I also prefer to rotate a knob on the Elite, rather than operate a slider on a computer screen.

 

Fully agree RDS. Elite is up and running within 30 seconds or so. PC can take ages to crank up, especially if it decides it wants to update or do housework, etc.

I use the Elite exactly like that and I also have manual points control paralleled in with the DCC so I get that added advantage and ease of operation.

[Yelrow]

What a lot to respond to. Firstly, my elink is not as reliable connection wise, as i would like, and little apparantly can be done to improve. Its all to do with the outdated telephone exchange, Wires that crash together in the wind, and farmers hogging the internet.  To that end, whenever someone drops in to see it, we have connection problems. I would not be going down this road, perhaps, if i had a better connection, but that is at least 10 years away. As to price, i have found a new elite in france for  £130. Moving on, fishy, you are totally correct i detest the idea of a bus. Thinking outside the box, in the short term, could i use the select to control points, or even the elite. That would mean NO complicated wiring, srtaight away, given i ever cure my melting points/ Turntable problem. The other point, is that clicking on the loco each time with the mouse,or the slider given the deterioration  of my hands, can be painful, and a touch screen monitor, does not even bear mentionning, to my  red headded wife, if i want to eat.  RAF, wiring  is surely a pieace of cake, as all i have to do is to disconnect track connection from elink, and re connect to Elite, or am i missing something.  RDS, I have sort of covered this in Para 1, in that i would have no need to attempt a connection, at a busy internet time, and save asking visitors to come back, in half an hour.  I really am an Elink man, given its simplicity, but my location, which will not change, prompts the idea of change.   Thanks guys for  usual constructive help. john

[96RAF]

Yes John you are correct.

The change to the wiring is a piece of cake and yes of course you can just swap the points feeds over from the elink to the Elite/Select.

There is no need for a bus (I was just using the word generically for points wiring), just take the wires that feed DCC to your acc decoders out of eLink and poke them into the new controller.

As long as the trains are on one circuit and the points on another and never the twain shall meet then using 2 controllers is as easy as that.

Rob

[Fishmanoz]

John, given you buy the Elite and you want to run with either RM or the Elite, it really is just a simple matter of removing eLink and replacing it with the Elite.  If you want to use the Select too, make it a walkabout to the Elite.  There is no need to run both Elite and eLink then have to split your wiring.  

 

The one thing is it is unlikely to affect your current connection problems, they would now be between your laptop and Elite but they won't stop Elite running your layout on its own controlling locos, points and TT, and any othe accessory you want to add.

 

It really will be just a simple matter of removing the eLink, putting in the Elite, then going into RM setup window and telling it your controller is Elite and selecting the Elite baud rate.  Nothing else need change.

[Yelrow]

Fishy hi, i was going to do what RAF, and others do, run locos from elite, and points from elink..john

[96RAF]

Fishy hi, i was going to do what RAF, and others do, run locos from elite, and points from elink..john

 

Homme bon - bon choix Jean

 

[Fishmanoz]

John, my advice is you don't need the complication, just keep it simple with Elite only.  No changes needed for your layout and no need for the complication of making the changes.  No benefit from separating them either until your layout gets very, very large and the extra power becomes useful.  And you negate one of the advantages of Elite - you can run the layout without needing to use RM - because you will still need RM for point control if they are connected via eLink.  Elite does its own point control just as simply as it runs locos, by which I mean once you learn to select and run locos with it, you can select and throw points similarly, bearing in mind you need to use Elite menus to do both, not just look things up and operate them from your laptop screen.

 

One thing you will notice though if running Elite on its own - it's hard to remember IDs unless you use the facility to name them on Elite.  Then you'll see why Eite people use long IDs based on running number.

[Graskie]

I go along with you all the way on that advice, Fishy.