Dewi-363866

Good news. I took the train set back to the model shop and he swapped the eLink for another one. The new eLink worked first time. Thank you all for your advice.

I haven't activated the license key on the Windows 11 laptop. I reasoned there was no point in doing so until I'd confirmed that everything worked.

Just read P-Henny's quick reply. Hornby has confirmed that the eLink controller unit is most likely faulty. I appreciate it's quite an old set and has probably been sitting on the shelf for a long time. It was the last one they had in stock. It was sold as new and the box looked unopened. All the manuals, parts, etc. were sealed. It's a very reputable model shop so I'm sure they'll give me a refund. An even better outcome would be a swap for a working eLink.

I just phoned Hornby on the telephone number given in RailMaster Help - 01843 233525. They said it sounds like a faulty eLink unit. They said I could return it to the retailer for a refund or a warranty repair. They're currently quoting 21-28 days turn-around for warranty repairs. I'm going to try and find an older PC with USB 2.0 ports to confirm it's a faulty eLink unit and not an incompatibility with the USB 3.2 ports on my laptop. Otherwise, I'll take the train set back to the model shop for a refund.

Thank you for your replies. I was out all day yesterday, I apologise for being slow in responding as a result. Taking your replies, one at a time: To RDS: This morning, I read and followed carefully the 'RailMaster Help Site', including 'Prep Install', 'Anti-Virus' and 'Installation'. I still get "USB device not recognised" and "Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)". To Fishmanoz: I've not got to the stage where the correct driver is installed on a Comm port numbered below 5. Windows Explorer pops up a dialogue box stating, "USB device not recognised". The device appears in Device Manager as "Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)". To 96RAF: If I click on "Driver Details", Device Manager says "No driver files are required or have been loaded for this device". When I said I had tried to update the driver, I meant that I had clicked on "Update Driver", then "Search automatically for drivers". I have deleted the device but get the same "USB device not recognised" the next time I plug it in. I have not attempted to use the Railmaster driver. The track power connector is a Hornby R8241. It does not have an analogue connector or a capacitor. To P-Henny: I have now uninstalled RailMaster as per the instructions on the 'RailMaster Help Site' under 'Prep Install'. I'm still unable to get past 'Connect RailMaster to USB Port' under 'Installation'. The version that I downloaded from http://www.rail-master.com/rm_setup.exe identified itself as version 1.7.4. I have now downloaded but not installed v1.7.4.5 from the link at the 'RailMaster Help Site'. Before uninstalling, I had about 30 to 40 lines of text in the .INI file. It contained "Alternative comms=1" and "Check controller=1" as expected for an eLInk. I have followed exactly the driver installation steps documented in FAQ 1. I don't get to the stage where Device Manager is displaying 'USB Serial Port (COMx)" where x is a number. I have also tried the method documented on the external 'Help Site' link. I don't see the hardware for the eLink listed as ’USB Serial Port(COM?)". I get "Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)".

I've just bought a brand new Hornby R1184 Western Express digital train set from a model store. I've installed the Railmaster software from http://www.rail-master.com/rm_setup.exe. I followed the instructions at However, the Windows 11 laptop won't recognise the eLink. The eLink powers up with a green light, but it appears in Device Manager as "Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)". I've tried updating the driver and I've tried uninstalling the device. I've tried all three USB Type-A ports on my laptop. I've read FAQ #1 and the RailMaster Help Site. I'm out of ideas except that I could try a different laptop when I get home, but that won't be until the end of next week. Any other suggestions?