Elesewhere on this site I talked about the Hornby decoder that keepped being reset to use address (0). Following are more thoughts on the subject.
To start let me show you a couple of rules that have been valid from the beginning of electric powered model railways. Firstly is is a dusty, dirty environment. So regular maintance is needed. Keep the track clean. Keep the wheels clean. Keep the pickups clean. In the 60s the locos came with their own electrical filters. Now we still need filters. They can be purchased from various places or make your own. DCC works better with filtering. Sparks or arcing can generate interference which plays havoc with the chips. Both loco decoders and accessory decoders.
In an earlier post I spoke of trouble I have had with an accessory decoder. Well this is being revisited. The trouble was found to be a programming one that was caused by either programming a loco on the main line or electrical interference. The Hornby forum has some entries about this very subject.
How to fix this. First you must reset the chip. It doesn’t mater if it is a loco or an accessory decoder the reset is the same. What is needed is to return the chip to its original factory setting because it has been corrupted. Set the Elite to “Clasic” mode. Write to VC 8 using data value of 8. We are talking Hornby here. All Hornby chips will reset using this process. Some manufactures use a different process for resetting their chips. Check the information on how to reset your chip with the chip manufacturer.
Once the chip is reset you need to reprogram it. You can use the Elite or RailMaster to reprogram the chip. This must be done on the programming track with no other chip present. Set a loco to its previous value in your fleet or set the accessory decoder to the desired group. That is:- if is the third accessories decoder then that would be set to (9).
With the accessory decoder still connected to the programming track read VC 513. It should have a value of 3 in it because this is the third group. If this location remains at 000 then the decoder is not properly programmed. Try to program it again and check the results. Once this is done the decoder will work properly. With out the correct number at VC 513 you will have a recurring problem of the decoder being reprogrammed to a negative value.
It is hoped that this shed some light on an otherwise dark subject. Understanding digital communication is difficult for most people especially if all they want to do is run trains. Programs like RailMaster make live much easier. It is worth spending time to read the instructions that come with RailMaster. This will save you a lot of headaches.
Recently version 1.63 of RailMaster became publicly available. My copy of RailMaster was duly updated automatically. From that moment RailMaster stopped working correctly. It would start-up ok and set all points to normal but then it kept complaining about loosing communication with the Elite. Nothing I could do would convince it otherwise. It was definitely RailMaster that was at fault. The railway worked fine with JMRI and the Elite.
Two days ago I bit the bullet and decided to fix it. Well I started reading all the PDF files on it that rm_setup.exe puts on the desktop. Systematically each remedy was tried but to no avail. Next thing was to try to install RailMaster on another computer. The first attempt failed. Here is where I twigged that BullGuard might be the cause. This is where rm_setup.exe was prevented from completing the install by BullGuard.
Next step was to make sure I had the latest rm_setup.exe downloaded to a temporary directory. Then go to settings in BullGuard and make sure that both anti virus and firewall will not continue to work once the program was shut down. Switch off the Internet. BullGuard was then closed. I have Windows 10, so I went to security and settings from control panel to check that Windows firewall and Windows defender were both turned off.
After using programs and features from control panel to uninstall RailMaster, RailMaster installed correctly on my 64 bit computer. A test was done on a short straight piece of track and a single loco. Every thing ran as it should. Before the next step restart your anti virus and firewall software on all the computers that had it turned off and restart the Internet connection.
Now back to the train set computer. It is a 32 bit clam. In the instructions supplied as desktop PDF files some where it says “Make sure you de-register your programme keys before uninstalling and reinstalling RailMaster otherwise you will loose your keys.” To de-register your programme you need to run RailMaster with an internet connection first. Once the programme comes up a nuisance window will come up saying that the programme has lost communication with the Elite.
Pay no heed to the contents of this pop up. You need to press the green tick to get to the “?” icon.
Press the green tick every time this happens. Take no notice of what it says. While it is occupied trying to connect with the Elite, click on the “?” icon. The window that comes up will have your keys displayed. At the right is a box to select the key you want to de-register. If you have remote devices de-register them also. Once you have ticks all down the right of the keys click on de-register. A pop-up will show asking if you really want to do this. Answer yes. After a time the RailMaster main screen will show “EVALUATION” at the bottom right and a window will pop up saying you have successfully de-registered your programme. Gee! I hope you remembered to write down all the keys and what they were for.
Remember to de register your keys.
Do not proceed any further if you did not receive a successful de-registered message. At this point I went to programs and functions to uninstall RailMaster. What I noticed was that there were two instances in the list of RailMaster. I un-installed both. A copy of the latest rm_setup.exe needs to be available for installation. The internet was once again turned off. I could have done the key de-registration while it was on the first time but I didn’t. The anti virus and firewall software was once again disabled. On the 32 bit clam the rm_setup.exe programme was right clicked on and it was run with administrator privileges. This time the set-up programme completed successfully.
Testing was done on this computer as it was with the 64 bit one. The tests were successful. What happened next? The anti virus and firewall software were turned back on. The internet connection was also turned on and once the internet became available RailMaster and the hand held devices were once again registered using my keys. Each hand held device becomes available for registration once you use it to connect to RailMaster.
BullGuard complained about rm_setup.exe being a virus. It complained twice and twice I pressed “Register a False Positive”. I don’t know weather this information gets back to BullGuard or not but my copy of the programme didn’t prevent RailMaster from running. I still don’t know what will happen when the next update comes around. Happy Railway sessions.
One thing must be mentioned before the end. What was said earlier about the pop up above where it says lost communication with the Elite only applys to this problem. You should explore its solutions first. Some anti virus programmes like McAfees and Nortons may need un installing first. Install Rail Master then install your anti virus programme again. This is one of the reasons I like BullGuard. You can turn it off, but be careful. Never go on the internet without protection.
Hornby 47 401. <-Click this link to view video. I recently received the new 47 class loco with TTS sound (47 401) (R3287TTS) direct from Hornby.
First Impressions.
My first impression was one of amazement. When the postman handed me the package it was too light. I thought, that can’t be a locomotive. It’s too light. Well, I proceeded to unwrap it. Sure enough it was a loco.
The first thing I did was to put it on the programming track and had a bit of a play. Everything was well with the loco, so I programmed a new access number into it. All the sounds were there but way too loud in your face. The next step was to set the master sound to 1 instead of 4.
Down to testing on the layout. It was soon obvious that my early assessment of it being too light was correct. It wouldn’t pull the skin off a wet custard. About three modern coaches was all it could manage. Next I hooked it on to a rake of 12 four wheelers that I usually use a class 08 shunt loco on. It just sat there and spun its wheels. I wonder why.
Using the directions supplied with the model, I removed the body. Two screws hold down the speaker and another two hold down the plate it sits on. After removing the speaker and it’s mounting plate you gain access to the fuel tank area. It is probably meant to be a sound box for the speaker but an awesome sounding loco that can’t fulfill it’s primary function is useless.
After gaining access to the fuel tank I cut three pieces of steel plate from some scrap. They measure 24mm x 40mm x 4mm. After placing these in the fuel tank, I used a couple of very small pieces of blue tack to stop the metal from moving around. After putting the loco back together, it was possible to pull decent train. To my ear no discernible difference was made to the sound.
I have a Hornby Inter City 125. It is quite old, may be one of the first ones out. Recently it was updated to DCC operation. I was thinking it would look much better if it was lighted. The decision was made. The parts were ordered from YouChoos. (http://www.youchoos.co.uk/)
What was used? Parts List:-.
5 x 12 Led stick on strip lights.
5 x 680 ohm 1/8th watt resistors.
5 x 2 pin plugs and sockets. YouChoos provided the plugs and sockets pre-wired.
Some 0.5 mm insulated wire in green, blue and black.
The lead and trailing units require coloured wire as well. Colors will be blue, white and green.
I purchased some extra strip lighting to obtain the LEDs for the forward ditch lights and tiny gull-wing SMD red LEDs for tail lights.
HST Coach with lighting strip in position
To start, remove the frame from the body of the coaches. It is not too difficult. The parts are held together by little clips in the end doors. Lay this aside. Take one of the lighting strips. Lay it on the table in front of you with the + sign further away from you. Take one 680 ohm 1/8th watt resistor. With wire cutters trim the pig tails to about 5 mm in length. Using resin core solder and a soldering iron tin both pig tails. Don’t hold the resistor in your fingers during soldering or the heat will burn them. Now solder one end of the resistor to the left side of the (+) rail of the lighting strip. This will be the front of the coach. Solder a piece of blue 0.5 mm insulated wire to the other end of the resistor. On the (-) rail of the lighting strip to the left solder a piece of green 0.5 mm insulated wire. These wires should be about 20 cm long.
Having prepared the lighting strip, take the coach body. Make sure it is clean and free of oil and dust. Peal the cover strip from the back of the lighting strip and stick the strip in the coach body with the wires towards the front marked thus. (*). Note for the Inter City 125 there is no orientation mark. The lighting strip should be in the centre of the roof of the coach as per the photo. Make sure that the strip is pressed down firmly for its entire length. For the purpose of this article the front end of the coach is to the left.
Rear view of HST coach
Next we need to mark out on the rear door of the coach a rectangle that is 2 mm x 4 mm. set it so the bottom of the plug will be 8 mm from the floor of the coach. Using a pin vise with a No. 61 bit fitted. Drill a row of three holes in the rectangle along the bottom edge. Stay inside the rectangle. Use the bit to join the holes up to make a slit. With a small file you need to file out the rectangle so the socket fits snugly. I used a file from a set designed for hobbyists. Mine is square sided to file the 2mm ends and has a pointed flat bit to file the 4mm sides. The file I have is a little bit larger than the slot, but with a bit of care and patience it will make the slot large enough for the file to enter.
Once you have the hole completed insert the socket. With the back of the coach to your right and the body upside down the blue wire should be furthest from you. Leave about 1 mm of the plug sticking out of the coach. Using super glue or hobbyist’s plastic glue fastens the plug to the coach. Take care not to use too much glue. It should be glued on the inside so as not to distract from the external appearance of the coach. These glues seep between the joint to form their bond. Make sure the socket is straight before the glue dries. Otherwise it will be permanently crooked. You will have about 20 seconds to get it right before the glue dries. If you take a close look at the photo of the back of the coach you will notice that I used too much glue. It spoiled the pristine look. That was the second attempt to stick it together.
Front view of the coach with the wire and plug fitted.
Now we go to the front of the coach. The plug has two black wires attached. Measure 3 cm from the face to the plug. (That bit that touches the socket when attached) Mark this position on the wires. I used white out pen so the line could be seen. In the middle of the front door drill two holes with the No. 61 bit. These should be about 2 mm from the floor of the coach and about 1 mm between them. Using the drill bit join these holes together. Pass the ends of the black wires that are attached to the plug through this slot from the outside. You need to tie a knot in these wires. Take the two wires and tie a single knot. Adjust this knot so that the white mark is in line with the outside of the slot. This length will allow you to get your fingers in-between the coaches to attach the plugs.
It is time to wire everything up. First go to the picture of the coach above. It is the one that shows the completed wiring. Now click on the picture. This will give you an enlarged view. You can see how the wires are installed in the roof of the coach. Once you have had a good look click the browser <- back button. You need scissors and some electrical insulation tape. Cut off a small piece and fasten the wires from the socket to the roof of the coach as shown in the photo. Tweezers will help to place the tape. There should be enough of the wires loose to allow you to have the ends sticking up out of the coach by about 3 cm. This allows for soldering.
Strip about 10 mm of the insulation off the ends of these wires. The next step requires that you adjust the length of the remaining wires so that the knot is hard up against the front door of the coach. The wires go to the roof and are threaded in a small piece of heat shrink tubing along with the blue and green ones from the lighting strip. These wires go along the roof to the ones from the rear. Curve them up to meet the rear ones. Allow about 3 cm of wire length sticking out of the coach once more. With the wire cutters, trim them to length. We need to strip about 10 mm of the insulation off the remaining wires. I used a pair of wire cutters. However there is a chance you might cut the wire short.
Twirl ends of the two green wires together. Twirl ends of the two blue wires together. Twirl the end of one black wire to the green ones. Twirl the end of the other black wire to the blue ones. With a soldering iron and resin core solder, solder the ends. You should end up with two joins. One joint has two greens and a black wire. The other joint has two blues and a black wire. If you wish, trim a little bit off the length of the soldered joints. Cut 2 short pieces of heat shrink tube and place one over each of the joints. Here is where it gets a bit tricky. We want to shrink the tube in place over the joints to keep them electrically separated. No burning of wires allowed. No burning of coach body allowed. No burning of fingers allowed. If you don’t feel confident with this you might consider getting help here or find another way to fasten the tubing in place. What is required is that you have one of those little burners that run on lighter gas. They work like a lighter but the flame is different. Just feather the blue tip of the flame over the heat shrink tube for 0.5 to 1 second. This should be enough. Do one joint at a time. Finish off by fastening the wires in the roof as shown.
That completes the soldering. Leave the coach in two pieces. The next job is to fit the people in the coach. You will have to use the wire cutters to cut off the legs of the figures. If you don’t they won’t fit. Just glue them in place one at a time using super glue. Once this task is finished, you will need to test things. If you already have a loco with an outlet for the coach lighting power use this to test the lights. Notice we did not orientate the black wires when we soldered them. We are doing this now. Just using the coach body plug it into the loco and turn the locos DCC F1 on. If there is light you have it plugged in the correct way around. Don’t unplug it just yet. If there is no light you will have to unplug the coach and reverse the connection. This time the coach should light up. With the coach lighted take a white out pen and make a small white dot across the socket and plug at the back of the loco. Now you have the plug marked so you know which way around to plug it in next time. The white dot on the socket will serve to help you locate the socket to plug it in next time.
All being, well put the coach back together again. Take care that there are no arms or shoulders in the way. What’s that? It didn’t work. Are well you are up for some fault-finding. Note. You can use a 15 v DC power supply to test the coach also. The blue wire should be positive. Check your solder joints as well. Check what I said above about the structure of the connections. That is blue, blue and black joint and green, green and black joint. If you got it wrong it will cause trouble at the next coach. Oh! That’s right you have four more coaches to do. When you get back we will have a look at the power units.
Tools used
I decided to split it into two here as this is getting a bit long. The next instalment is called “HST 125 unit ditch and tail lights”
