Loss of control under bluetooth

[Britannia Builder]

I installed my 4th 8-TXS decoder today, in a Hornby Black 5 which previously had factory-fitted TTS. I installed the Black 5 profile successfully. I didn't install a power bank, since it has pickups on loco and tender and never lost power with TTS. The sounds work fine under bluetooth, but when I set the loco moving it stops after a few seconds and the sounds also stop. The bluetooth light on the app remained blue, so it hadn't lost power. Cycling the track power restored the sound but the same problem occurred as soon as the loco started to move. It all appears (at least on cursory testing) to work fine under Railmaster/DCC.

I think I've seen this problem reported more than once before on this forum, but I don't recall seeing a solution. Do I need to send the decoder back for a replacement?

Regards, John

[96RAF]

Nope - it is a known bug and is being fixed.

[Britannia Builder]

Thanks Rob, that's good to hear. Do you have any more details on the nature of the bug? It hasn't affected my other 3 TXS locos, one of which is also running the Black 5 profile. I can live with it because I normally use Railmaster to operate my layout, as long as I know that it will be fixed in due course and isn't a faulty decoder.

Regards, John

[Britannia Builder]

I tried my Black 5 under Bluetooth again this morning and, strangely, it all worked perfectly! I haven't changed anything in the setup since Friday as far as I can see, and I tried it a number of times on Friday when it always lost Bluetooth control as soon as the loco started to move. I've now got the CVs as I want them so I probably won't be running it under Bluetooth again.

Incidentally, on the related but opposite problem where locos sometimes lose DCC control but continue to operate fine under Bluetooth, necessitating a CV8=8 reset of the decoder, which I've experienced at least 3 times, I now believe that it happens a few minutes after the loco has been run under Bluetooth, probably when the iPad goes to sleep.

Regards, John

[96RAF]

Thanks Rob, that's good to hear. Do you have any more details on the nature of the bug? It hasn't affected my other 3 TXS locos, one of which is also running the Black 5 profile. I can live with it because I normally use Railmaster to operate my layout, as long as I know that it will be fixed in due course and isn't a faulty decoder.

Regards, John

 

 

Head scratching but maybe platform related and maybe which handheld device, but that doesn’t gel with your experience. Could be loco related. One way to prove that is by substitution and see if the problem follows the decoder or stays with the loco.

[Britannia Builder]

Thanks Rob. I'm reluctant to start swapping decoders between locos because it can be fiddly to get the 8-TXS wiring harness into the bodies, and I don't want to break anything by unnecessary dismantling. I will try the Black 5 on Bluetooth again in the next few days to see if the problem has really gone away. I've been using the same iPad to run the app all the time.

It would be good to hear from others who have previously reported this Bluetooth loss of control on this forum to understand if their problem got resolved, and if so how.

Regards, John