HM DCC App direction control

[Bodgedlitter]

HI all, I have seen a similar issue to mine but not sure if it was exactly the same. I have just installed an 8 pin bluetooth decoder and the HM DCC app on an ipad. The direction controls on the app are a left hand arrow and a right hand arrow. Now to me the right hand arrow is forwards. However, the loco goes in reverse when the right hand arrow is pressed and forwards when the left hand arrow is pressed. I have tried setting CV 29 bit to 1 and it makes no difference. Short of changing the wiring to the motor I'm not sure what to do, thanks in advance

[96RAF]

This is a glitch under investigation whereby changing CV29 to reverse the motor direction is not working correctly. A fix has been found and all profiles will be updated shortly.

In concert with this is a problem whereby long addresses are not calculating correctly in the app.

Of note UK convention is that a train approaches a platform from right to left and as such a controller indicator according with this convention will have a leftward facing arrow as forward.

[P-Henny]

This has been questioned before more than once and the previous posted consensus was. Left hand arrow = Forward is standard Hornby convention. It is the same on the Hornby Elite DCC Controller as well.

It appears from previous posted dialogue that this is based upon the UK predominece of when standing on a two rail platform (for example a branch line where the two tracks go between two opposing platforms) the trains would be approaching that platform from the right relative to that platform and going left in a forward direction. In other words the train is going forward in the direction of the left hand arrow. If you were then standing on the other opposite platform then trains approaching that platform would also be coming from the right and going to the left.

Other brands of controller may or may not have an opposite convention. I agree that if you knew absolutely nothing about UK real railway operation the right arrow should logically be forward, but this convention is not adopted by Hornby.

So in essence, the APP arrow directions are correct from Hornby's point of view.

Put it this way, if the left hand arrow faced upwards and the right hand arrow faced downwards or used F & R characters, then it would be very unlikely that you would have even raised this question.

Personally, I would just accept that is the way it is and live with it. If you try to change your loco to use right arrow forward (either by CV29 or re-wiring) then you would have to do that with EVERY loco you add to your layout.

EDIT: 96RAF posted whilst I was typing.

[96RAF]

Put it this way, if the left hand arrow faced upwards and the right hand arrow faced downwards, then it would be very unlikely that you would have even raised this question.

I.E. forward or reverse from a driv point of view in the cab.

[Brew Man]

If you think about it UK road conventions are the same, i.e. we drive on the left and so do our trains. Therefore left = forward. I'm guessing that most if not all Model Railway controllers that have the right facing arrow as forward are those manufactured in right-hand-drive countries.

[ColinB]

I build lots of locos from bits and am always converting from dcc socket in loco to dcc socket in tender. So generally I check the direction against a new one from Hornby and if wrong, swap the motor connections round. Trouble with CVs, reset the decoder and your CVs get set back to default.

[Bodgedlitter]

Thanks for your replies. At least I now I know that they will, hopefully, all be the same.

[Equaliser]

In my view there should be an option in the app to let you reverse the directional arrows. In my RailMaster, the direction arrows do the opposite of the Elite & Select arrows which I prefer on my layout.

[Greg-1325485]

Hi... When I first got HM7000 I too was confused by the direction arrows but then remembered Hornby's convention with their controllers. I used the app without changing the CV but, even though I'm a Brit, I found it strange so I went into the Advanced CV editor, selected CV29 and clicked the reverse direction option—bit 0, which worked. I have done it with all the locos on my layout as the right-hand direction arrow still feels like the right one for going forward. If you haven't updated the app, you may need to do this before it will work.

[96RAF]

The convention for wiring a loco is for the right rail to be positive in the loco direction of travel on a DC track. Once that 'mechanical' set up is established any DCC use should be correct without need to rewire or swap CV values. The next variable in the chain is the controller (or software package).

[Brew Man]

I seem to recall this being discussed before. It's not so much Hornby's convention as the UK's right hand drive convention. Rail traffic, and road traffic drives on the left, so it makes perfect sense for the control's direction arrows to be left arrow = forward, right arrow = reverse. Remember your curb drill - first look right for anything coming towards you and disappearing off to the left of you.

[96RAF]

49 minutes ago, Brew Man said:

I seem to recall this being discussed before. It's not so much Hornby's convention as the UK's right hand drive convention. Rail traffic, and road traffic drives on the left, so it makes perfect sense for the control's direction arrows to be left arrow = forward, right arrow = reverse. Remember your curb drill - first look right for anything coming towards you and disappearing off to the left of you.

Same logic applies in stations - trains approach from your right. There are exceptions but I won't argue them here.