elink - is there a limit to the number of locos it can handle

[Ronald-362069]

Hi all I can not add any more locos to Elink it will let me add locos numbers by doubling up numbers but can not put any more locos on the Elink

thank Ron.

[96RAF]

You do not add locos to the elink, that is just a dumb box that generates DCC commands from the request RM sends. All loco details are held in RM. There is a group limit of 65 locos. If you have more than that you have to split your rosta into groups and allocate locos to those groups.

[P-Henny]

Railmaster & eLink is capable of addressing locos from 1 to 9,999. Therefore theoretically, RM & eLink could control 9,998 locos. In reality, this would require that number to be split into a very high number of groups with each group consisting of 64 locos.

The real limiting factor is the power supply which defines how many locos can be operated concurrently, not how many locos can be added to the RM loco throttle list.

The eLink ships with a 1 Amp power supply, this is enough to operate about 4 locos concurrently (subject to their current draw and any other things connected to the track DCC power). A 4 Amp power supply would increase the number of concurrently controlled locos to about 10.

Perhaps you could expand with more detail as to exactly what your issue is. Is it adding locos to the throttle list or is it operating them concurrently.

How many locos do you currently have configured and working via Railmaster & eLink. I see from your posting history you have mentioned a Hornby Booster, more detail needed as to how you are using this. Have you created power domains on your layout?

Your query as written is very vague and does not adequately describe the exact issue you are trying to resolve.

[St1ngr4y]

Has anyone considered the fact that the 65 limit imposed by RM might reflect the memory storage capacity within the Elite and eLink controllers. Each loco will need 7 or 8 bytes to hold the information necessary to control the loco. Once a loco is accessed by the controller, either by the Elite "manually", or by either controller via RM, then the controller will continually churn out this data for each loco onto the track bus for the duration of the controller's session. For reasons best known to the designers of RM, RM during startup sends to the controller a speed of 0 and all functions "off" for each loco in the current roster, so even before any loco has moved or had its sound switched on, all of these DCC commands are being pumped out onto the track bus. In my opinion, the more locos there are in the roster, the less efficient will this set up become.

[Fishmanoz]

We know from the “Too many locos …” thread that the reset eLink on startup=2 command gets you past the 65 limit but does it then have some higher limit before groups are needed?

And Ronald, you should note that the number of locos you can run at one time, determined by the current available from your PSU, is quite different to the number you can have in your RM roster. You have replies above covering each.

[Simon-372339]

@St1ngr4y, I believe a broadcast of 'everything off' is sent not individual commands.

From reading various resources elink uses xpressnet which may have an internal limit of 30 locos/ids. As RM only sends and receives commands its not constrained by the aforementioned limit.

[96RAF]

eLink doesn't have an Xpressnet port and uses USB for its comms.

[gilbo2]

Hi all I can not add any more locos to Elink it will let me add locos numbers by doubling up numbers but can not put any more locos on the Elink

thank Ron.

Are you referring to the 99 limit in the Set-Up Locomotives page, "Locomotive DCC ID" box? If so, above 99 you have to type in the required ID.

 

 

[Fishmanoz]

Simon, just so you are aware, Ray is not guessing at what commands RM sends and when, he knows exactly because he has a monitor attached to his system that reads the commands as sent.

So when he tells you it is happening a particular way, he knows because he has watched it happen.

[P-Henny]

To add to Fishman's reply. Ray is the software author of TGG (an alternative to RM) plus other various utilities that modify RM data. He has an intimate understanding and knowledge of the RM to eLink/Elite protocols.