I need reassurance that I’ve not wasted my money

[Peachy]

I don’t have the energy to write down all weird glitches and refusals to connect/keep connected, the profiles that take 8+ attempts to download that keep happening.

Or the plain refusal to find any locos/devices for hours.

I’m a perfectly competent normal person, I have no trouble reading or watching instructions and tutorials and following other people’s advice so please, please this is not me asking for advice.

What I want to know is there anyone at Hornby aware of what a [deleted] glitching [deleted] of [deleted] software HM7000 is? And is anyone actually doing anything about it?

I’m particularly sick & tired of placing a loco on the track, operating it for about 2 minutes then watching the wheel of death spin beside the section on the App that says “Connecting Network… Finding Host Device

Peachy, your post has been amended to remove swearing as it is against forum rules even when disguised with asterisks.

As to your issues have you raised them with Hornby? There is a direct email address to the tech team which can be made available to you if you wish. R-

[96RAF]

As I stated elsewhere, the iOS app is being updated to reflect changes made to the Android app as testing has continued. The iOS update will be released at the same time as the Android app is launched, which is very soon. The only bugbear will be time in processing through the two app-stores, which is out of Hornby’s hands.

The app shows good stability and upload of sound profiles is generally rock solid and even, dare I say, fool-proof.

In the meantime if you are having problems contact George direct on HM.customercare@hornby.com.

[Peachy]

Sorry for the expletives.

I’m just so frustrated that something that was working so well only a few months ago seems to have just gone so wrong.

Understood. Give George a shout. R-

[ColinB]

Well Peachy thank you for a frank explanation of your issues. I don't think you wasted your money, hopefully Hornby will get it right in the end. You still have a sound decoder which I assume will work perfectly happily on DCC. The worrying thing is that a lot of the faults you are seeing are pretty basic, so I do wonder why nobody else is noticing them but that is not so unusual. As a matter of interest how many locos are you running with the HM7000, I assume it is not just one.

[Peachy]

Well Peachy thank you for a frank explanation of your issues. I don't think you wasted your money, hopefully Hornby will get it right in the end. You still have a sound decoder which I assume will work perfectly happily on DCC. The worrying thing is that a lot of the faults you are seeing are pretty basic, so I do wonder why nobody else is noticing them but that is not so unusual. As a matter of interest how many locos are you running with the HM7000, I assume it is not just one.

 

 

8 locos.

Thats everything in Hornbys TT120 DCC range.

 

 

last night I decided to have a “tidy up” to see if I could iron out some of my problems such as failing to download the TT A1/A3 profile SD037 which I just can’t get to work (I have had work in Blink Bonny when I first used it a few months back but now I can’t) however as a work around I thought I’d use the flying Scotsman version SD036.(which downloads 1st time every time)

 

 

I’d also noticed that some decoders seemed to be more reliable runners than others so I wanted to swap them around just in case the issue was with the locos rather than the decoder, from this I deduced it was the decoders not the locos.

 

 

ok I thought, I’ll buy more decoders, swap them around till I’ve got a happy set and then send the sketchy ones back to Hornby.

 

 

That’s what I was doing last night and attempted to carry on with this morning. After another botched job of attempting to down load this time the A4 SD038 I was duly prompted by the App to try again, at this point it lost contact with the loco and 3hrs later, after doing every combination of “Turning it off & on again” including logging out of the app and removing from my device (a 1 year old IPad Pro) I have a permanent circle of death spinning in the “Connecting Network…. Finding Host Device”

 

 

I’m putting it all away now before I do something I’ll regret like shoving it in the bin… I’m off to make some buildings or some scenery

 

 

 

 

[Peachy]

Now I’ve had a cup of coffee and a walk around the garden, I’m starting from scratch and resetting everything from the beginning. 😐

[SteveM6]

Peachy, all through testing and the initial release of the app, there have been improvements identified that the Hornby team are addressing and have implemented.

However, a common issue that many have experienced stems from poor infrastructure that is outside of Hornby’s control. By this I mean one or a combination of poor WiFi, dirty track or other apps ‘interrupting’ the HM7K app.

In addition to contacting Hornby, double check the bits of the system within your control as well to eliminate as many variables as possible. As I have said elsewhere, I found that a length of track attached to an approved power supply was ideal for initial setup of a decoder and as a consequence all through testing I have only had the loading process fail on two occasions.

[Peachy]

Peachy, all through testing and the initial release of the app, there have been improvements identified that the Hornby team are addressing and have implemented.

However, a common issue that many have experienced stems from poor infrastructure that is outside of Hornby’s control. By this I mean one or a combination of poor WiFi, dirty track or other apps ‘interrupting’ the HM7K app.

In addition to contacting Hornby, double check the bits of the system within your control as well to eliminate as many variables as possible. As I have said elsewhere, I found that a length of track attached to an approved power supply was ideal for initial setup of a decoder and as a consequence all through testing I have only had the loading process fail on two occasions.

 

 

I have a dedicated piece of track so clean you could eat your dinner off if it.

I have it hooked up to a Cobalt Alpha power supply from DCC concepts, which is highly rated super smooth 5a 18v supply.

I have an excellent ISO-Tech IDM610 Digital Multimeter advising that the power is true and constant.

I have an excellent 2022 iPad Pro that’s operating system is up to date.

I have successfully downloaded profiles on a number of Hornbys TT120 locos.

 

 

[SteveM6]

For crying out loud Peachy. There was no need for that response. Advice was offered in good faith based on my own experiences but if that is the way you want to be then I suspect no one will offer you advice in future. I certainly won’t.

[Peachy]

For crying out loud Peachy. There was no need for that response. Advice was offered in good faith based on my own experiences but if that is the way you want to be then I suspect no one will offer you advice in future. I certainly won’t.

 

 

No offence was meant.

I apologise if my frustration has influenced my response.

 

 

But that’s exactly the problem. I’m not an idiot, I’m not technically feeble minded. I believe I’ve done way way more in making the conditions acceptable for this level of basic installation, certainly in my opinion more than most high street shoppers would expect to do when buying a product off of the shelf.

This isn’t MERG level stuff for crying out loud!

 

 

So, again, I do apologise for feeling a bit patronised and I’ve edited my previous post.

 

 

ps my original thread asked for reassurance that someone at Hornby is doing there best to try to resolve these connectivity problems.

 

 

[ColinB]

Right I will have to be careful, last time I got sin binned. It is very easy to blame external influences but generally for your product to be a success you need to design for worse case. My phone reliably updates itself anywhere there is WiFi, it even did it in the Foyer of my old office while I was waiting to take a colleague for a drink. For a start listening to a lot of the feedback on this site I don't think the programming app has a retry strategy if a download block gets corrupted. I don't know how you guys test the product but perhaps you should test to see how easy it is to get it to fail. Sadly I am going to use an example you are going to hate, just like Sam does.

[Peachy]

I have replied with an apology to @SteveM6 but it includes a photo so it’s probably not going to appear for a while.

But just to reiterate.

I’ve done this (importing profiles and operating locos with HM7000 Bluetooth) successfully in the past & I am doing so again now that I’ve completely restarted and re-set my app & decoders.

currently Blink Bonny & Flying Scotsman are working fine, now I’m in to the other 6 which on and off will probably take me the rest of the day.

But should I have to go through this every time the app has a glitch like this and can’t connect to any of my locos?

I don’t think I should.

[RDS]

@Peachy

I have just approved your picture and to be honest, I am astounded to see that your test track appears to be powered by 2 flimsy wires attached to the fishplates. One of your responses above mentioned how clean the track is. It is irrelevant how clean it is with such a potentially poor electrical connection. Fishplates are notorious for poor connections and some better wires soldered to the middle of your test track may help.

[SteveM6]

Apology accepted. Frustration can be ....well, frustrating.

All I can say is that the experience I have had has shown the app itself to be extremely robust and, dare I say it, almost foolproof. Now admittedly I am working with the android version where learnings were taken from the early iOS glitches and the experiences gained from that version have definitely paid off.

As I tried to say in my earlier post, many of the reported faults have originated from factors outside Hornby’s control. Rather than trying to teach you to suck eggs, I was just trying to be sure that something simple had not been overlooked. Through bitter experience I know that can often be the case when you get too close to the problem.

[Peachy]

@Peachy

I have just approved your picture and to be honest, I am astounded to see that your test track appears to be powered by 2 flimsy wires attached to the fishplates. One of your responses above mentioned how clean the track is. It is irrelevant how clean it is with such a potentially poor electrical connection. Fishplates are notorious for poor connections and some better wires soldered to the middle of your test track may help.

 

 

Right-o,

off to the shed we go for the soldering iron then.

[Peachy]

But hang on a second.

Fishplates. I agree they aren’t the best but If they are not fit for purpose they shouldn’t be part of the system.

Most of us may well be competent railway modellers but not everyone coming into the hobby starts out that way.

I thought HM7000 was attempting to be as inclusive as possible?

[RB51]

Fishplates are really only any good for keeping the rails lined up. Electrical connection will fail over time. R-

[BritInVanCA]

Can I just provide some support for Peachy. If you look at the builds on his channel he is not a novice and financially a big supporter of TT120. I have put my TT120 away for a while and gone back to conventional DCC OO. I’m not giving up but the glitchy software was getting frustrating and I only have one loco so far. I’m waiting for some smaller era 4 locos.

I can completely understand how frustrating this system could get if you were trying to run a lot of locos. I think he was just looking for some reassurance that things will get better soon.

[SteveM6]

Update for iOS is very close. Patience for a little while longer.

[RB51]

“Can I just provide some support for Peachy”

I agree with you, his posts are always worth reading. R-

[Peachy]

Cheers guys,

sorry about me getting a blouse on this morning.

All 8 locos are assigned and working properly (for now)

I’m just gutted I missed out on a days modelmaking on the layout 😕

[Pendragon Sailing]

@Peachy,

I can understand your frustrations and empathise with them as I’ve had a few of my own, but my own experience (with 14 decoders now fitted and running successfully) suggests that there’s no doubt that good track connectivity is essential for smooth running and uninterrupted App/Bluetooth connection.

My system is 00 gauge and I’ve fitted Power Banks to all my locos (where space permits) and there’s clear evidence that this has significantly improved the reliability of my layout.

I don’t know whether the TT120 locos you own have space for PBs, but if they do I highly recommend fitting some.

Clearly, PBs will not solve the profile upload issues you’ve encountered, but based on my experience they will certainly improve your running system reliability, allowing the layout to cope with the small power glitches and fall-offs we all encounter from time to time.

Hope this helps (and my apologies if I’m teaching you to suck eggs)

[Peachy]

@Peachy,

I can understand your frustrations and empathise with them as I’ve had a few of my own, but my own experience (with 14 decoders now fitted and running successfully) suggests that there’s no doubt that good track connectivity is essential for smooth running and uninterrupted App/Bluetooth connection.

My system is 00 gauge and I’ve fitted Power Banks to all my locos (where space permits) and there’s clear evidence that this has significantly improved the reliability of my layout.

I don’t know whether the TT120 locos you own have space for PBs, but if they do I highly recommend fitting some.

Clearly, PBs will not solve the profile upload issues you’ve encountered, but based on my experience they will certainly improve your running system reliability, allowing the layout to cope with the small power glitches and fall-offs we all encounter from time to time.

Hope this helps

 

 

Oh absolutely I agree, pb’s are the way to go.

Ive fitted Hornbys excellent PB to one of my A4’s but with the tenders body removed and it ran glitch free for hours.

I also timed how long it could keep Bluetooth connectivity (without running the motor or making any sound) and it lasted 83 seconds!

I’ve got an idea how I might get one into an A4 but that’s for another day.

[GMD]

Hi Peachy

I’m sure there’s an engineering reason, but the power banks seems unnecessarily beefy, esp for TT120 locos. Half the capacity, half the size, and give us a fighting chance of squeezing them into a loco, would surely make all the difference.

[BritInVanCA]

"the power banks seems unnecessarily beefy, esp for TT120 locos"

The idea was that this was a "one size fits all system" at least for the Hornby range (OO and TT) so I guess they sized the power bank for maximum capacity rather than minimal size i.e. it's not made for TT. Originally I didn't see a need for a power bank with the number of pickups on the pacific locos released in TT but it seems like power interruption is more of an issue with HM7000 (I've never had that issues with my larger OO layout with DCC locos that are up to 20 years old). If this is true it is going to be really challenging with the shorter wheel base locos where there is no room for sound let alone a PB.

Push comes to shove I could always go back to DC operation. I wonder if the digital locos come with a DC blanking plate if you want to revert to DC operation?