FAQ - How do I configure and set up DCC Concepts Accessory Decoders and Points with RailMaster-eLink.

[Chrissaf]

Setting up and using these DCC Concepts products really isn’t rocket science. They are simple to configure and program once the basic building block steps are understood and mastered.

This tutorial is specifically written for the DCC Concepts ADS-8sx and iP Digital products. The documented principle can however be applied to any of the DCC Concepts accessory control decoder products and also products made by Train-Tech or indeed any decoder product that uses ‘Self Learning’ technology.

Firstly, you need to understand that these products contain ‘Self Learning’ decoders. This means that you completely ignore the sections in the Hornby instructions for configuring ‘Accessory Decoders’. Hornby’s Accessory Decoder instructions are not relevant and do not apply to ‘Self Learning’ DCC Concepts decoder products. Neither do they apply to any non-Hornby decoder product that is ‘Self Learning’. Self-learning decoders are easily identifiable as they will have a switch [typically labelled “run / set” or similar] on the decoder hardware. Alternatively to a switch, some ‘Self Learning’ decoders have two pins or metallic pads that need shorting out with something like a paper clip.

The issue with the Hornby eLink is that there are no physical control knobs and/or buttons to send DCC commands to the DCC Concepts products that are required as part of their configuration process. Any DCC Command that need to be sent, have to be sent via the icons on the RailMaster ‘Track Plan’ screen.

Note the following: If you are using RailMaster with an Elite controller instead of an eLink, then the DCC Concepts configuration tasks described in this tutorial can be performed using the buttons and knobs on the Elite. You still need to create the track plan as described below, but this will just be used to operate the DCC Concepts products as part of running the layout.

Stage 1 – Define your point numbering scheme.

First thing first, you need to define a point address numbering scheme. Typically this will start at 1 and increment in ones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 etc. Each of the point icons on your track plan will be allocated one of these numbers. The point icon on the plan represents an actual physical point on the layout. How these points are wired will be subject to the actual DCC Concepts product used.

ADS-8sx

These DCC Concepts Accessory Decoders have 8 ports. For the purpose of this tutorial I shall use the terms A, B, C to specify the Accessory Decoder and 1, 2, 3 number sequencing to specify the port number. So as an example Port C2 will be the second port on the third ADS-8sx accessory decoder.

So expanding the above:

iP Digital

The DCC Concepts iP Digital numbering scheme will be similar i.e. number from 1 to n but the wiring is even simpler because each iP Digital is both a point motor AND an Accessory Decoder combined in a single physical unit. Thus when the iP Digital is mounted to the physical point the only wiring required in its most basic form [i.e. not using any of the optional features] is a two wire connection between the iP Digital and the DCC track supply. This is where deploying a DCC BUS wiring scheme comes into its own. DCC BUS wiring is not within the scope of this tutorial to discuss and not covered further.

Stage 2 – Create your RailMaster ‘Track Plan’ design for your points.

Open the 'Track Design' screen so that you can create or edit your track plan.

If you haven't done so already, use the track pieces on the left hand side to draw a representation of your layout. It is only a representation, it is NOT necessary to try to replicate a photo accurate replication of your layout.

In fact, you could just have a number of point icons on your track design screen without any interconnection between them being shown. All the track pieces barring the points are just inactive icons, there for the benefit of us humans. They play no part within RailMaster for programming purposes.

Once the basic track layout is drawn - then read on.

1. On the left hand side you should see some point operating button icons
2. Click & Hold one of the button icons, it doesn't matter what colour, red or green.
3. Drag the button icon so that you place the mouse cursor (not the button icon) in the MIDDLE of the point icon on screen on your track plan and release the mouse button. Both the red & green point operating icons should now 'SNAP' to the toe end (common end) of the point on the screen. If this 'Snapping' action doesn't happen then you have done it wrong and you should try again.
4. Do the same for the other points on your track plan.
5. Now go to the point icon on the track plan that represents the point that is physically wired to the first port of the first Accessory Decoder.
6. Right click one of the point operating icons it doesn't matter which one red or green. A dialogue box should open similar to the one below:

Now fill in the details in the dialogue box (highlighted in yellow).

• Controller = A (I am assuming here that you are not using a dual controller configuration).
• Decoder Port = 1 (this is the point address I have assumed in this tutorial for the first point. If not 1, enter the address that is appropriate for your own point numbering scheme design).
• Choose the Hornby R8247 4 port Decoder in the pull down box. Even if the DCC Concepts decoder is listed in the ‘pull down’ decoder selection box, it has been shown on the forum that choosing the Hornby R8247 Decoder gives more reliable results.
• Left / Right: In this pull down box select which way you want the point to throw (throw left or throw right) during the RailMaster start-up sequence. This will set your initial start-up routes around your layout. For example these 'Left & Right' choices might be set to allow any locos sitting on an oval to continue 'round and round' the oval without having points set against them.

If you have RailMaster 'ProPack' edition, also put a start-up order number (starting from 1 and increasing incrementally by 1) for each new configured point in the empty white box to the left of the 'right / left' start-up position selection box. If you don't have 'ProPack' you can leave this white box blank, but useful to fill it in, in any case, for future proofing.

Do the same for the other outstanding points on your track plan, except use Decoder Ports addresses as appropriate from your point addressing scheme for the 'Decoder Port' entry and 2, 3 & 4 for the [ProPack option] 'start-up' firing order in the white box.

Now save and close your Track Plan in the Track Designer screen.

TIP - When saving your track plan ensure that you give it a unique to you 'file name' and not just overwrite an existing Hornby provided one already in RM. If you do, RM will overwrite your modified track plan the next time an auto RM update is scheduled and you will lose all your modified input. You will also have to tell RM to load your 'uniquely named' track plan at start up in the RM 'System Settings' screen – see ‘System Setting’ screen extract below:

Close and re-open RailMaster so that your amended track plan is loaded and displayed.

Additional track plan requirement if using iP Digital decoder integrated point motors instead of the ADS-8sx accessory decoder.

The tutorial above covers the creation of the track plan that is common to both the ADS-8sx and iP Digital DCC Concepts products. The iP Digital products require additional track plan point icons that are created to aid their set up and configuration process.

Now additionally for the iP Digital integrated decoder point motors, you need to add three dummy points to your track plan and give those three dummy point icons addresses 197, 198 and 199 these are just temporary and will/may be used during the iP Digital point motor configuration process. Once everything is set up and the iP Digitals configured and working, then these three dummy points can be deleted from the track plan. These three 19x numbers cannot be used as normal iP Digital point motor addresses.

Alternatively, you could choose to create a separate RailMaster track plan that is saved and only loaded specifically for configuring iP Digital point motors. This alternative track plan only needs to be loaded when undertaking configuration activities. Thus it could be loaded ‘as and when’ it is needed in the future to perform changes and amendments and testing etc. This track plan would just have four point icons on them and nothing else, three point icons for the 197, 198 & 198 DCC addresses and the fourth that would be used to send the DCC Address required for setting the operating address i.e. the 1 to n address range. The actual address being amended as required for the actual address being required.

Stage 3a - RailMaster Configuration Process for the ADS-8sx wired point motors.

You should now be in a situation where RailMaster starts up showing your track plan on the main screen. With your points on the track plan configured with your chosen DCC address range and your ADS-8sx will be wired to the eLink track output.

Let's say just for the sake of this tutorial that your layout has 5 points and the points on the screen are configured with DCC addresses 1 to 5 associated with ADS-8sx ports 1 to 5 respectively.

Port 1 on the ADS-8sx will need to be wired to the physical point motor on the layout, that is represented by the point on the screen with the DCC address 1, and so on for the other four ports 2 to 5, these 2 to 5 ports need to be wired to the physical point that the 2 to 5 screen point icon represents.

The descriptions below are based upon my example DCC Address numbering scheme using DCC Addresses 1 to 5.

Now and only now.

1. Put the switch associated with ADS-8sx Port 1 into the 'Set' position.
2. Now on the main RailMaster normal track layout screen, click the Red then the Green buttons on the screen point that you have configured with DCC Address 1.
3. Now put the ADS-8sx Port 1 switch back to the 'Run' position.
4. Test the point operation by clicking the Red & Green screen buttons for point 1. If configuration has been successful, the point should change. If it doesn't appear to work, power cycle the ADS-8sx decoder and test again.
5. Repeat 'Steps 1 to 4' above for the other points, but using the screen points 2 to 5 with DCC Addresses 2 to 5 and physical ports 2 to 5 as appropriate for this example.

Note: If you have RailMaster 'ProPack' then you can send the point operate command [step 2 in the list above] directly from the RailMaster 'Track Design' screen. But I prefer to use the main RailMaster track screen as documented above. There is then less potential for novice operator error.

Once you have completed the above on all your points on screen. You should then be able to use the screen icons to change your physical points on the layout by clicking the appropriate screen point operating button. You should also see 'Grey Lines' that represent the direction the point has been thrown in. If you find that the physical point throws in the opposite direction to what is represented by the Grey Line. Then either reverse the two (non-common) point wiring wires on the ADS-8sx port for the affected point. OR re-open the affected point configuration dialogue box in the RailMaster track layout design screen and click the 'Reverse Polarity' check box.

Stage 3b - Configuration Process for the iP Digital point motors.

The DCC Concepts iP Digital point motors require, during the configuration process, for the controller to send a number of DCC Addresses. Namely, the DCC Address that you want to configure the point motor with, plus some special use addresses 19x - see next section.

These DCC operating addresses could be any number supported by your controller that is also in the range 001 to 2049 except 197, 198 & 199; these three special reserved 19x addresses have specific uses (described shortly).

By default, the iP Digital may have ‘Self Centering’ enabled. This makes it easier to mount the point motor under the baseboard centrally under the throw of the point (turnout) tie bar.

Note: Self Centering was originally enabled by default at the factory. But it is believed that current new iP Digital products have ‘Self Centering’ disabled at the factory. This possible change of policy arose because some customers purchasing these iP Digital products were using DCC Controllers that could not send the 197 to 199 DCC Address commands. The Hornby Select controller is a ‘case in point’ as the Select only supports DCC Accessory addresses in the 61 to 99 range.

One way to check and confirm this scenario is to connect the iP Digital temporarily [before fitting] to the track output of the eLink and power up the RailMaster / eLink combination. If you observe the iP Digital operating arm moving to the centre position then ‘Self Centering’ is still enabled. If you find the iP Digital arm does not self-centre then it is factory disabled. It might be useful to enable this function to make fitting and alignment of the iP Digital a little easier. See further below as to how ‘Self Centering’ can be enabled again. Note that if when finally fitted, this ‘Self Centering’ is not disabled, then the iP Digital point motor will not respond to the DCC layout operate commands.

Once physically installed to the point on the layout and wired up to the eLink track output. The ‘self centering’ [if enabled] needs to be disabled. This is where the dummy point in the track plan with address 198 comes into play.

There is a mechanical switch on the iP Digital marked ‘run’ and ‘set’. Put the switch in the ‘set’ position.

Now send DCC address 198 to the iP Digital by clicking the ‘dummy’ point operation icon for point 198 from within RailMaster on the track plan.

Now return the switch on the iP Digital to the ‘Run’ position.

Now briefly remove the power supply from the IP Digital then reconnect it - termed a power cycle. Do this carefully and do not be hesitant, if you generate sparks, the sparks could potentially corrupt the software within the product.

The ‘Self Centering’ should now be disabled.

If you ever need to re-enable the ‘Self Centering’ perform the same steps above but use address 199 instead of 198, remember to include the power cycle afterwards.

Now to set the IP Digital Address.

Put the switch on the iP Digital back into the ‘Set’ position.

Now click the point operation icon in RailMaster for the point that you want to address with the previously configured address. In my example above, these start at 1 for the first point (turnout) up to n for the last point (turnout).

Restore the iP Digital switch back to ‘Run’ – there is no need to cycle the power when setting the DCC address. You only cycle the power when using the special 19x addresses.

Now test the IP Digital for operation.

If it throws in the wrong direction, then use the ‘self centering’ procedure documented above but send address 197 instead. Then cycle the power, this will reverse the direction of operation of the IP Digital and it will be remembered by the IP Digital for future uses.

Repeat the above for the next iP Digital point motor, this time using address 2

Repeat the above for the next iP Digital point motor, this time using address 3

And so on, until all point motors are fitted, addressed and tested.

ADDENDUM.

Although this information is not strictly relevant to setting up and configuring the DCC Concepts ADS-8sx Accessory decoders, there is an installation aspect of these decoders that needs to be mentioned.

The DCC Concepts ADS-8sx accessory decoders contain a very powerful CDU [Capacitor Discharge Unit] which is essential to provide robust operation of Solenoid based point motors. The CDUs in the ADS-8sx are far more powerful than the CDUs used by Hornby’s Accessory Decoders. The downside of having a powerful CDU is that these generate very high inrush charging currents. This can limit the number of ADS-8sx accessory decoders that can be powered by the DCC Controller power supply unit. Given that this tutorial is aimed at the RailMaster / eLink user and the standard default eLink power supply unit is only rated at 1 amp, then this can limit the number of ADS-8sx decoders that can be powered by an eLink.

This power supply issue will manifest itself as the eLink shutting down or power cycling when the layout is first being powered up from its initial turned off state.

The workarounds for this are:

1. Uprate the eLink 1 amp power supply to the Hornby P9300 4 amp supply if there are only going to be 3 or less ADS-8sx accessory decoders in total.
2. Add an electrical ‘on/off’ switch in the DCC supply to each individual ADS-8sx accessory decoder. This then allows the attached ADS-8sx decoders to be sequentially powered up manually one at a time. The power issue only affects the starting up inrush current but not necessarily their normal running currents consumed in operation.
3. Add a DCC Booster product to the track output of the eLink [or any other DCC controller that exhibits the same issue] then use the separate ‘Booster’ power supply to power multiple ADS-8sx accessory decoders.

It has been found through previous posted questions on this forum that a 4 amp ‘Booster’ power supply can service about five ADS-8sx accessory decoders. If more than five ADS-8sx decoders are needed, then add multiple ‘Boosters’ to supply ADS-8sx decoders in groups of five at a time.