ColinB

Actually I was complimenting the A1 and what a good loco it is, I just mentioned that Hornby got it very right on that one. The rest is me saying that on others they don't seem to. The thing that did get me was TMC was selling them at half price so they were not that popular but as I say it ticks all the boxes. Funny I was thinking of buying Doncaster at full price because the A3s super detailed locos are usually very good (I have built many from parts along with A4s) so I was even more impressed that I got it for half price that I bought the "Knight of the Thistle" as well. They both run really well. As a side issue the Railroad front bogie if I remember is totally different to the new P2, I will eventually figure out how to fix it and let you know. Those two wheeled front bogies always seem to be an issue on both Hornby and Bachmann models especially with Peco double slips. I think that they are so light they bounce up and when they bounce back down they embed themselves in the wrong piece of track on the slip.

Another thing is if you look at your original pre order price you will find it is incredibly competitive so definitely don't cancel it. If you ordered it through Hornby you should be able to see it on your pre orders. Call me a pessimist but if it follows all the other new locos then we have a long time to go.

It is a Peco double slip followed by a Peco medium radius point, it is where the sidings join the main two tracks, I use a double slip as Peco diamond crossings have too much plastic in the frog area, why I do not know but they have always been like that. I mention it in another post where someone similar was having issues with the P2 bogie. Yes that piece of track is not perfect but out of all the locos I own there are only a couple that have issues with it. In fact I have just been testing 6 of my locos, all negotiated it successfully even at high speed and they were all Hornby. I will do what I did with the Railroad P2 add some weight to the front bogie. It is either that or lack of travel on the front bogie, the latest Members Club Coronation had the same issue (Hornby had shortened the bogie swivel bolt from that fitted previously). Unfortunately the bolt holding the front bogie on a P2 is not M2 like all their other locos so not so easy to fix without retapping the thread and using a longer stepped bolt. I am a bit loathe to do that on £240 loco. I did hear someone else had the issue on perfectly level track but they didn't say what points they were using.

I have been busy most of the summer building my extension but today I finally got round to testing a loco I got in the TMS sale. I bought the latest A1 with the diecast running plate called Doncaster. What a wonderful loco runs perfectly and has a flickering firebox. The thing that is more galling is I picked this up for half price from TMC, compared to my P2 which I paid a lot more for (about double), that derails all the time on a section of my track. The thing that surprises me, they were half price because they obviously didn't sell well but it is probably one of the Hornby locos that is worth the money, even better at the price I paid. So Hornby can get it right, shame they didn't spend as much effort on the front bogie of the P2 but then the A1/A3/A4 front bogie has been the same for many years.

If you read the last line of my response I recommended returning it for a replacement. Looking at all the responses Daedalus has done all the normal checks he said it works perfectly on DC so that only leaves one thing. Hornby tech would probably spend ages trying to find it and they would probably need his loco, been there got the tee shirt.

Yes Daedalus you are right, I assume there is a voltage regulator in there somewhere so there will be a drop across that. The 3.3 volt is not going to be hard and fast that is just for reliable operation you will probably find it works at a voltage lower than that. I assume the micro they used probably has the capability to go to sleep although they don't use it, so it probably works at a very low voltage but just very slow. As I said I had issues with TTS doing weird things I tried all the electronic hardware fixes I know and never resolved it. In the end it came to an issue between the decoder and the motor. It was a new expensive loco so I didn't swap the motor out to see if it resolved it, I just moved it to another loco of the same type where it worked. I have worked on microprocessor software for years and some of these issues are sometimes down to registers not being setup correctly or the right order when you write your start up code. Generally works most of the time but in those 1 in a million times it does something weird. Perhaps the answer is to send it back to Hornby and ask for a replacement, we know it is not the loco as the LaisDCC decoder works ok.

I think we better leave this, it might be vaguely like battery cells. I assume by individual voltages you mean its rating, that is the absolute maximum working voltage, go over that and if if is a tantalum it goes bang, nothing to do with how much voltage it stores.

Yes but unless I am completely wrong that statement is completely misleading, it even confused me, so I dread to think what it would do to others. If you post something technical make sure it is right. As to the 5 volts it could be that the DC on the track is not true DC and the multimeter is taking the average. We know it works with a LaisDCC decoder, so it appears the fault lies somewhere else.

I haven't watched that video but why would you do that? I am amazed she didn't damage the PCB at the same time, it is difficult enough getting surface mount items off when you do it properly. Have Hornby any plans to relocate it to the upper side like on the 8 pin variant.

Actually the capacitors charge up to what ever the charging voltage is, which if that circuit diagram is right is the value of the Zenor - 0.7 (forward base emitter voltage drop). I think if I remember from the circuit the capacitors were in series which means that every time you add another one it lowers the overall capacitance. They use them in series because the voltage rating on each capacitor is not high enough for just one. My analogue electronics is a bit rusty but correct me if I am wrong.

Yes 96RAF I hear what you are saying. It all depends what you want it for. For the 21 pin variety the powerbank connector stops the decoder sitting properly. As I said in previous posts I am tending to buy Zimo or Loksound decoders, when my Black 5 arrives it will be DCC sound fitted so again Hornby will have sorted all that out. I have used it, it is still fitted in my Queen Elizabeth West Country it is OK but not earth shattering. It is my opinion that is all, I don't know why you get so upset. I hardwire all my speakers the 21 pin socket, even the Hornby ones have dedicated solder pads to make it easier, so why do you need a plug and socket.

So for all you TT users, the connector off Peters Spares is £21 the equivalent OO connector which according to 96RAFis the same, is £6.51 (even cheaper off Lendons). Fortunately most people will never have to replace it, I was just intrigued as to why there was such a big difference in price.

No Paul-365510 I doubt it is you, you have covered all the tests I would normally do. I have found that the Zimo decoders work best and I have tried very many Manufacturer types. I have said many times that I didn't think the HM7000 was a game changer, the sound is better than TTS but nowhere near the latest Zimo MS range. I did have an issue with a TTS switching off sound on one of my locos, I tried everything I could think of to fix it, in the end I bought a proper Zimo sound decoder and moved the TTS decoder to another loco where it worked perfectly. The big thing with HM7000 is the Bluetooth connection and the ability to work with a smart phone or pad. For the people that already have DCC it doesn't really give much more than TTS, the sound is a bit better but still no synchronization of chuff rate. The reprogramming option I suppose is useful but generally if you have programmed it, are you ever going to do it again.

From what I have read it sounds like you have an issue with pickups or dirty track, correct me if I am wrong. Now this is my experience of using a lot of DCC decoders. The HM7000 is not very good if the DCC signal is not perfect, it is probably worse than TTS for that which probably explains why it works with a LaisDCC which in my experience is one of the better DCC decoders at coping with a poor DCC signal. A thing to check is the pickups and anything associated with them. So if it is a tender driven loco the pin that connects the loco to tender. Sometimes the oil gets on the connections to the pickup plate that can cause issues. Do as SteveM6 suggests run it with DC, check that it runs reasonably well and then go from there. It may be a current limit issue but the HM7000 if you read the spec is supposed to source up to an amp although they are a bit too expensive to test it on one of my older Ringfield based locos.

I worked on audio software for about 6 years, the digital processing side, it is all about what you are trained to do. It is all about calculations and lookup tables which microprocessors are good at.

Probably the wheels have oxide on them, give them a clean with alcohol/ink rubber/cotton wool bud and see if it runs any better. Long term give the loco a service but generally in most of my cases it is the wheels. From a quick web search (Sam did a review on it) it is relatively new loco, I can't remember what mechanism Hornby implemented for the pickups. On a lot of the older locos the pickup connection relies on two press fit connections on the pickup plate, sometimes the oil runs down and gets into these connections giving a very poor connection. Try the wheels first.

It may be that my extreme download times is due to the fact I am using Android rather than Iphone, The App was originally written for Iphone so that is probably the reason, my friend did say the architecture in an Iphone is easier to write software for. DCC offers the option of reprogramming it is just no manufacturer has implemented it, if I remember from my Zimo documentation it is one of the features. Currently there still is a shortage of integrated circuits so who knows what the future holds when a better supply becomes available. With TTS the devices on discount were amazingly cheap, so I could tolerate that they weren't as good as a Zimo or Loksound, the HM7000 with the Powerpack which it seems to need for reliable running, the choice is not so easy.

All I can say Rallymatt is you are very lucy but there again there could be a difference in which sound file you load. Mine was definitely 25 minutes plus because I was amazed it took that long. For those that don't know a reprogramming app is a piece of software that basically reprograms the microprocessor with some different software, your phone does it all the time (well mine does). Now I don't know whether Hornby just wipes the sound file data and reprograms only the sound file or reprograms the whole software. Now it can't be the WiFi because mine is supposed to be the BT latest and greatest but I have upgraded lately so I could give it another try. From what I remember the transfer of file to the phone from website was quite quick, it seemed the bluetooth programming took the time, perhaps it is just one of those things. I suppose I come at this from a different background, coming from an electronic comms background (RS232, CAN etc) I spent half my life trying to understand software register maps as to how to get a comms system to work so I don't have any real issues with DCC other than it is incredibly easy to blow up the decoders. The only issue I do have is the DCC controllers where I think that the Suppliers haven't made the best of what they have available. The Elite does a really good job of taking a lot of the reprogramming detail away but they could improve the running mode as I said before and the entry mode by pushing the rotary switch is terrible. Why go and invent something new when something already exists perhaps it would have been easier to have made the equivalent big thick manual for DCC. Then we have the fact that many of us have many different makes of loco where this system doesn't always fit. If you like it stick with it, for people like me I am quite happy with DCC and a decent laptop system to control it. Also DCC is multi manufacturer standard so is more likely to last the test of time.

I would agree with Ighten, I have tried the HM7000 system on my phone. After a long wait to get it to work on my Android phone I wouldn't say I was blown away by it, it reminder me a lot of Railmaster. There again I have a DigiKeijs system which I am very happy with, the only disadvantage is I have not found a way to name the locos yet, whereas the HM7000 does let me do it. I like a multiwindows environment or the equivalent in a PAD system where each loco has its own windows with setups and then another one for accessories so it is easy to jump between apps. Hornby lost the initiative by first messing up with the Android App and even getting the software app wrong and then there was the DC power supply issues. The download of sound files is great but it takes too long (about 20 to 30 minutes on my phone), anything longer than a few minutes is asking for issues especially if WiFi is not that good. I used to write reprogramming apps and anything longer than 5 minutes to reprogram and I used to get very worried. I must admit I would rather pay the extra money and get a Zimo or LokSound system, I have very many TTS units because they were a really cheap way of adding sound. Yes, they are not that reliable but the ones of late seem a lot better. A HM7000 sounds a bit better but still not as good as a Zimo and doesn't have the extra added functions. I think Hornby would have been better off improving the DCC systems that they already had, the Elite is brilliant for programming decoders, not so good for running locos though, it might have been better to upgrade the hardware and improve the multitrain running capability, possibly put a wireless interface on it. They are my thoughts, when I bought my latest P2 I did think about a HM7000 but then the Zimo is better product and surprisingly runs much better with an intermittent DCC signal than the HM7000, so that is what I bought.

Yes I have seen the program. They have one or possibly two guys that collect the data that is a very limited resource, especially when the working locos will be all over the country. So if we look at a 9F the working example is on the North York Moors, if they are running it, that is a 4 hour trip just to get there, probably more from Margate. I know exactly how they splice the file together, you digitise it into separate parts then put a pointer in software for each function. So for 30 functions you will have 30 entry points in your program pointing to a particular digitised sound. My friend did a final year project on sound storage as part of his degree so I learnt a lot from him. So when you request F2 for whistle it plays that piece of sound, standard software technique. Now the only issue I have is it is a 4 channel sound decoder does it mean it has 4 separate digital to analogue converters instead of say two in a two channel device or do they do something clever with the way they present the data to the D to A. If you look at the adverts for YouChoos etc. they state for a lot of locos that they don't have examples they manipulate the data, so they probably take the bit of the file that is closest to the steam sound from one loco recording and say the whistles from another. As I said it is a bit academic really, they obviously haven't got round to it yet. They are probably trying to perfect the sound so it is better than TTS, I am just saying what they could have done, I mean that is the main reason for having it reprogrammable.

It probably is SteveM6, as did Zimo when they went to the new hardware. I doubt the basic sound file format has changed though, generally in software you only change what you have to. I also doubt that Hornby has the resources to send someone out all the time to collect new sound files, you manipulate the old one. Now I don't doubt that a sound file for the HM7000 is bigger than TTS as it probably can handle more points quicker, but if you use the old one it just means the sound is not quite as good. To be honest it doesn't matter that much, Hornby will release it when they want to, end of story, As they make no money from it other than selling HM7000 decoders there isn't much incentive.

I know its a bit off topic but answering Skelton Junction, why would someone with a media background want to be a marketing manager at Hornby? As to the main subject Hornby already have profiles for Class 37 and 47 they used make TTS decoders for them, so it is just not a case of transporting them to the new hardware platform, I suspect Zimo and Loksound do just that. Zimo have just changed their hardware, I think to a new processor. I get the opinion that they are still using the same sound file but the new processor handles the data quicker giving a better sound.

I was searching the well known spares supplier yesterday for the 4 pin tender socket with PCB. While I was searching I came across the same part for the TT120 loco, it was at lest 4 times the price. I just wondered if there was a difference between the OO and TT120 versions. I know Hornby do two types for the OO as I ordered the wrong ones by mistake. In my case the correct one has plated through holes on the PCB making connections more reliable when you solder them. I just wondered why it was so expensive so I wondered if if was half the size of the OO variant.

I know when I was messing around converting my tender driven locos to DCC ready I did find room above the weight to install the socket sometimes cutting the weight in half. Hornby could have done the same. Trouble is the stall current of a Ringfield is higher than the maximum current of the Hornby decoder (I managed to blow up quite a few proving it). If you are interested and can get a later chassis the body from this will fit although it is better if you use the tender driven valve gear with a slight mod as the body won't have the cutouts for the new valve gear.

This is really weird, there is one on EBay and yes it says it is DCC Ready. Looking at it especially the valve gear it looks like it is tender driven but as 96RAF says I too have never seen a DCC ready ringfield drive. Unfortunately the photo on EBay doesn't show the underside but the later loco driven variants have "cut outs" in the body for the valve gear, the tender driven ones don't. There is also the description listed on Hattons website but that specifically say that it is not DCC ready, but the photo of the box is missing the important front card showing a picture of the loco with or without the DCC ready symbol.