Problem with Hand Held App

[Chrissaf]

Starfield,

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There are loads of posts on this forum regarding the Android App and Chrome 35. To be brutishly honest you are flogging a dead horse. The Android Hand Held App hasn't been updated to work with any of the newer versions of Chrome later than 35. And as you are probably aware, even if you could downgrade Chrome to 35 (probably not doable unless you archived the 35 installer somewhere). Chrome will just keep trying to update itself back up to current levels anyway.

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Others have had some (minor) better luck with the Apple IOS on iPad App, but even that has issues and problems if recent forum posts are anything to go by, but as far as Android is concerned my advice is not to waste further time on it. The numerous moans on the forum about support updating the Android App for current versions of Chrome seem to be falling on deaf ears.

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Caveat: I am not, and never have been a Hand Held App user. The comments above is just my understanding of the current situation from reading other member posts on the forum. Other's who might have more up to date information than me might post contradictory comments.

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No animals, particularly horses, were harmed in the writing of this reply. Nor should they be......I don't condone flogging horses....alive or dead.

[Chrissaf]

Hi newbie to the forum. I have recently installed a  DCC system running under e-link which seems to be working fine apart from the fixed location of the computer. The hand help app seems to be the way to go and I have installed this on my mobile phone and a tablet, both of which seem to exhibit the same fault.

The hand held device(s) connect fine (apparrenetly). However, the function selected on the hand-held even though correctly displayed does not always translate into action on the track. Sounds always seem to work but motion is unpredictable. If I select forward and a speed, nothing happens. If I select reverse sometimes the loco wil run in reverse but only at shunt or cruise depending on which was initially selected. Changing speed afterwards has no effect on the loco but pressing the stop button does work every time.  One odd thing I noticed is that though the speed indicator graph on the PC screen moves in step with speed changes on the hand-held, the speed itself is still shown as zero.

Both devices are running Chrome I am getting a warning about about needing version 35 but I really don't want to regress to an earlier version in case something else stops working. If that is the problem, is there another browser app I could try.

Any ides welcomed as I would like to get this working. 

Thanks 

[Starfield]

Thanks Chris, not quite the answer I was hoping for but good to know where the product stands. The error message in Chrome about version 35 gives the follwoing location for what is presumably a suitable version of Chrome.(www.powerpos.com/rail-master/com.android.chrome.apk)  I have managed to download it on my laptop but have no intention of running it there. I was less succesful with the tablet. It seems to have downloaded it but now I cannot find it nor can I figure out so far how to run it to regress Chrome even if I knew where it was. The tablet is an old Hudl Mark 1 and I am not overly concened about it having an out of date version of Chrome as it is not used for anything much these days where this would be a problem.

If I can get it installed I will report back what if any improvement it makes. What is galling is that I could probably make do with the limited functionality the hand-held does offer if I thought there was some prospect of a resolution. However, this will cease in 60 days or so when the evaluation period expires and I am reluctant to pay £10 for a licence for something that is not properly supported and has such limited functionality.

Rgds

Peter

[Chrissaf]

For information "powerpos.com" is HRMS as is "rail-master.com". HRMS (Hornby RailMaster Support) are an outsouced software developer sub-contracted by Hornby to develop and support the RM applications.

[Starfield]

I hav regressed the Chrome app on my Hudl tablet by reinstaing the 'factory' install but this took it back to V34 which still get sme the V35 error message and if anything it behaves worse under railmaster than the latest version I removed. I have copied the www.powerpos.com/rail-master/com.android.chrome.apk file onto the Hudl from my laptop but am unsure how to force the upgrade. Any clues.

Thanks

[Chrissaf]

Sorry Starfield, no idea.....I point you back to my "Caveat" comment in my first reply re: never ever been a HH user. I don't own an Android device of any description.

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[Fireman_Ian]

A word of advice for Starfield. Don't wast your time or money on the HH app, it has never worked since day one.

[Starfield]

Thank you for the various warnings about the hand-held app. Just to complete the story. I succeeded in regressing my old tablet to Chrome V35 and as far as i can see the only improvement was to remove the warning message you get when running later versions of Chrome. Briefly tried Firefox and this would not run at all.

In summary, I can now control the sounds via the hand held, stop the loco and start it in reverse but only with  a pre-selected speed of shunt or cruise. The speed cannot be altered until the loco is stoped and restarted. Sometimes if you press the forward button whilst running in reverse the loco will slow, stop then go forward at the speed it had been running in reverse.Not sure this is a safe thing to do.  In total not a lot of functionality but in other circumstances I would have settled for that if it had been bundled into the main licence. I shall continue to use it until the evaluation period runs out but not invest any more time in trying to get it working better unless & until there is any hint that the product is going to be improved. Don't know if the developers look at this site, but if they do and they need someone to test any changes i would be willing to help.

Thanks for the input. I suspect I will have other queries as my layout develops, hopefully with a more positive outcome. 

Regards

Peter

[GWR Greg]

After raising  an issue with HRMS their reply included a note that the app was to be update hopefully during QTR 1 this year.

[Starfield]

That would be great if it happens, does seem to be long overdue. Just hope the update happens before my evaluation period ends.

[swiftnick]

I too have downloaded the Android HH app. It works Ok, but have the following comments

I get the message about Chrome ver 35. I just click on OK and ignore it. We are on ver 63...... now!

I have a Samsung Tab 4 which has an eight inch screen, between medium and large on Hornby ratings! When I open the app I get 2 keypads on the left hand side to start with (both perfectly usable) but it then reverts to one. Trying to change the settings to 'large' doesn't work, it just reverts to medium.

I do not require much track plan and I would much prefer to have the option of more loco controls showing.

I note that Hornby say they will bring out a new version in Q1 2018, but knowing their track record I will believe it when I see it. At least they have updated the RT manual in 2017, I wish they would provide something for those of us who have more updated software and hardware so that we don't have to wade through 149 pages of irrevalent information.

Hornby need to get a grip of their support and software or they are going to go back to their toy image and lose out to other DCC manufacturers! I am starting to look elsewhere.

[rpjallan]

"Use your iPhone, iPod, iPad or Android phone or tablet with the optional

RailMaster HandHeld app, downloadable from www.my-apps.eu. You can

even use an older Palm OS 5 or Windows CE or PDA running Windows

Mobile PDA. Full details are in the Latest News section of RailMaster."

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This is a quote from the introduction in the latest version of the Hornby RailMaster manual. I think it is pretty poor of Hornby to say this and take people's money for the HandHeld app when it is just not up to scratch! If they have no intention of continuing to develop the app, this should be removed from the manual and, dare I say it, give refunds for people using a platform that they no longer care to support.

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Hornby are in a bit of a precarious financial position and this sort of behaviour will do them no favours with their loyal customers...

[Chris Surrey]

@rpjallan

 

I could not agree more with your comments. Further, I would suggest given that Hornby are regular viewers of this Forum, it is  very poor that they have never responded to these refund requests that appear in a number of places. I bought a handheld licence way after Chrome V35 had been suceeded by later versions and would suggest that selling the product knowing fully that it would not work on Android is not just poor, it is actually bordering on fraudulent.

 

I have stuck with Railmaster for a considerable period in spite of it being until recently a poor quality product that was, IMHO, originally released whilst still in beta format and which has required numerous updates just to make it function as it should have done in the first place. If Hornby continue to ignore requests for handheld refunds I for one will be moving to an alternative product which does work, of which there are many to chose from.

 

I look forward to a response from Hornby.

[Fishmanoz]

Hornby doesn’t monitor these forums, however HRMS, they are different, does monitor this one.  But note in a separate thread a poster has reported being told by them that the app is due for an upgrade in the first quarter of this year.

 

And multiple upgrades to RM over the years have meant multiple increases to the capability of the program.  Agreed some bugs have been introduced along the way but there has been excellent interaction between forum users and HRMS to eliminate them.  Certainly HRMS could do more extensive testing before release but multiple users here doing a whole raft of different things with the program will show up bugs far quicker than HRMS can.  Personally, I think the current HRMS strategy including interaction with the forum on release of updates is working well. 

[96RAF]

I agree with Fishy.

Whilst a beta testing team is the usual methodology before a product revision goes live, as Fishy says the best test team you can hope to have is Joe Public due to the diversity of tasks they will load the product with, including abuse by the ‘I have no idea what I am doing so keep pressing buttons’ brigade. Obviously any software should be idiot proof and ignore wrong commands or flag up a prompt about it, but lifes not perfect yet, which is why we recommend switch it off then on again to line up all the ducks.

Rob

[Fireman_Ian]

If I purchase a steam engine from Hornby and it is faulty, I have the legal right to send it back for a refund as not being fit for purpose.

 

With software it seems this legal protection is just not adhered to by companies!

 

How many £10's have Hornby taken from the public selling a faulty product?

[swiftnick]

 Complained about this in Jan 2018. promised a new version in Q1, now fast approaching Q4 and nothing. Paid £10 for this and not fit for purpose. Bugs are one thing, not working at all is something else. Looking for alternatives. Pull your fingers out HRMS or give us our money back.

[Tomchatz]

I have got it working fine on my Samsung j3 16 using samsung Internet 

[GWR Greg]

Well 12 months later and the promised handheld app has not happened. Will Jan 7th announcements hold any news!?

[Pietrarsa]

That would be great if it happens, does seem to be long overdue. Just hope the update happens before my evaluation period ends.

Hi there,

just to make clear some misunderstandings about HandHeld RM, here are some notes I acquired by using it.

 

Disclaimer: I'm talking about Apple IOS and Android app.

 

1) If you have a registered version of RM then no time limit applies on the HH unregistered app, just the limitation of 2 locos and 4 point control;

 

2) The (improperly called) HH app is a Java based applet that is resident on "www.my-apps.eu" site;

 

3) The limitation of v35chrome is just a popup warning, you can skip that and use your HH;

 

4) The available features (and response) on the HHapp screen may vary depending of the way your internet browser renders the Java applet;

 

5) In this precise moment I have launched it from the same computer (still a winXP, in a couple of days migrating on a new win10) where RM runs, using a up to date chrome browser and it works, let's say "fine";

 

6) Issues about communication (to&from RM software) primarly depends of the WIFI home network that must be very reliable, then of the Java engine translator in your HH device;

 

7) tested with different browsers and different devices, android and apple, it seems to be more stable on the latter, principally on rotate screens and layout renderings.

 

 

I still let the kids use the HHapp despite the evaluation limit of only 2 locos control (you can circumvent that limit by swapping the order in loco list, putting others at the very 2 top places prior to connect a new HH device to be able to control others,  as the app loads plan&loco at start... don't tell anyone!)

 

Happy new year all.

[96RAF]

V 1.70 due out in a 2/3 weeks will be quote ‘...updated for more robust communications with hand-held spp,,,’ end quote from release notes.

Rob