HM7000-8TXS runs fine on Bluetooth but can't be controlled via conventional DCC

[96RAF]

I do hope that Hornby sorts this out as I am ready to purchase several more HM7000 decoders.

Nothing to sort out as their current advice is not to use analogue controllers to power the track, or if you do it is at your own risk.

You could of course advise Hornby ( HM.customercare@hornby.com ) telling them the exact model number of the controller you are using and it may help them clear that one for use.

[Fishmanoz]

Vincent, be aware you won’t be able to run both at exactly the same time. As soon as you turn down the controller to slow DC locos, you will lose power for Bluetooth decoder operation. Then you probably already knew that.

[Vincent-350301]

Yes guys! Thank you for your responses. What I was doing was to run one loco on dc analogue on one of the four track circuits I have obviously varying the speed with the dc controller while running an HM7000 loco on the another section isolated from the first and with the power left at maximum.

It's amazing (to me at least) that such fine control of locomotives is now possible and in all sorts of ways.

I once read (when first dipping my toe into digital running) that inserting a chip will not make your locomotive run any better than without. That has not proved to be the case. One locomotive I used with the HM7000 chip was my long-running Lima GNER. The result is nothing short of "fantastic." The sound is wonderful and the precision of control truly remarkable. Thanks Hornby, bring it on! I love it!

ElectronicVin

[Fishmanoz]

You won’t fix DC “faults” by going DCC. However, the more advanced motor control algorithms built into modern DCC decoders including HM7000 do make for better running of a non-faulty loco.

[96RAF]

With DC you are relying upon the quality of the output from a controller to operate a dodgy motor. With DCC you are using electronics to workaround the quirks of a dodgy motor.

[gilbo2]

+1

Also had this problem where DCC control stopped, Bluetooth fine. The only fix that worked for me was to do a reset with CV8 to 8.

I thought I'd triggered it by (successfully) transferring the decoder to another iOS device and then back again. Having now seen this thread though I'm not sure that was the cause.

[96RAF]

Often a simple power cycle will regain DCC operation.

[gilbo2]

I did try a power cycle at the time but DCC still refused to work until I did the CV8 reset. Most odd!

[Britannia Builder]

I had this problem twice, over a month ago now, and recovered by setting CV8 to 8. This is inconvenient because all CV changes then have to be reapplied.

If it does happen again, I shall refresh all the CVs in the app from the decoder and try to see what's changed. I suspect that the DCC address will have been corrupted, since I can't think of any other CV changes which would render the decoder incommunicado.

Regards, John

[96RAF]

There may be a bug which is throwing Digitrax controllers off. A controller reset may fix it.

A lot of issues are fixed with: 

1. Power Cycle Entire layout. 

2. App close / reopen.

3. CV8 to 8. - Making sure to rewrite the address wanted on the HM | DCC app after as it will reset to 3, but won't update on the app.

4. Unlink / Relink decoder to HM | DCC.

5. DCC controller reset (although I know some users have many addressed locomotives coded in, so this is more of a last resort).

There is also a problem on some controllers with long addresses not being registered, so try a short address to see if that improves things until that bug is fixed.

Failing all that, contact HM.customercare@hornby.com with full details where they can investigate more.

[Britannia Builder]

I've just had this problem again, 3 months after it last happened (see my post from 22 May above). I had done lots of CV updating via the app to set a complex speed curve, then reverted to Railmaster and tinkered with the speed factor to get the scale speed realistic again, then was running the loco quite happily under Railmaster/DCC when it suddenly lost control when running at full speed.

I'd been half hoping that this would happen again because I had a theory that CV1, the DCC address, might be corrupted, but I read all the CVs back from the decoder into the app and sadly they all look fine. I've tried power cycling the decoder, and restarting Railmaster.

The next step which will hopefully fix it is to reset CV8 to 8, but this will lose all my CV changes including the complex speed curve. I don't suppose that there is any way of backing up the CV settings and restoring them after the reset?

Regards, John

[LTSR_NSE]

In case it is a CV1/address glitch, you could try manually changing the address to 3 & then back to your chosen address (in app or through dcc) before attempting the CV8 reset.

[96RAF]

In the app there is an export profile button. You can re-import this to the same or another decider.

[Britannia Builder]

Thanks Rob, that sounds perfect - I'll give it a go tomorrow.

Regards, John

[Britannia Builder]

I can't actually see an 'export profile' button in the app - there's one to export function button settings, but that won't help with CVs.

I suppose I could read all the CVs in Railmaster on the programming track and then write them back again after resetting the decoder, but this would be a slow process.

Regards, John

[Britannia Builder]

All fixed now. I tried reading out all the CVs on the programming track under Railmaster, but there's no easy way of updating them again as RM will only update CVs that have been manually changed.

However, having read the CVs into the app and reset CV8 to 8 (which fixed the DCC communication problem as expected), it's quite easy to scroll through the CVs in the app, tap on each one that needs updating, and press exit in the CV value screen without changing anything. It only took a few minutes to reset AFC sounds, complex speed curve etc, then re-run auto calibration.

There's obviously still an underlying bug somewhere that needs fixing, but I can't think what combination of events causes the loss of communication. It's only ever affected one of my three TXS locos.

Regards, John

[96RAF]

Early days of the iOS app there was a user option of read the existing decoder values into the app or read the app values into the decoder. Now there is simply a synch CV values but I have no idea which way that goes - probably app to decoder but its not working properly for all CVs.

[WilliamDavid]

I have had this happen a few times. I reloaded the sound profile and it worked fine.

[Wayne-in-Oz]

I have had this happen a few times. No need to reload the whole Sound file.

My solution has been to Reset CV's via App CV 8 and then just do "Import Running Profile" for the specific Profile to reset the specific CV's as a bit of a safety.

My Loco's then return to normal DCC or Bluetooth control. Bit of a pain but hasn't been happening as often as right at the start months ago.

[Fishmanoz]

Good one Wayne.

[Vincent-350301]

I fitted 8 locomotives with 8-pin decoders. After installation of profiles, four locos would not operate under DCC. Profiles had to be re-installed (sometimes twice) before DCC operation became possible. Eventually, all 8 decoders seemed to be working well.

After a few weeks, 5 of the locos again would not respond to the Hornby Select.

After much re-installing, I managed to restore DCC operation to all locomotives.

Last evening whilst operating one loco under DCC, it started to "hiccup" and I guessed correctly that it had once again lost the DCC facility. Yet again I am having to re-install the locomotive profile. This will probably successfully restore the DCC facility but is becoming tedious. I really do not want to have to remove the decoder, speaker and sound box (which is glued into the locomotive) to return to the vendor.

Am I just unlucky or is the DCC facility not yet perfected? Would an update put it right?

I reported matters to Hornby who passed on my emails to their technical department.

Has anyone any ideas/thoughts on the matter?

ElectronicVin

[96RAF]

You would simply unplug the speaker and return the decoder if required.