HM | DC user bug reports and suggestions for improvement

[96RAF]

This thread is for users to report any bugs they may find in the HM | DC system and to suggest improvements they would like to see incorporated into future updates, which are expected to be issued twice a year depending upon demand.

Urgent bug fixes if and when required will obviously be issued as soon as possible.

Please list your comment either as:

Request for Improvement

or

Bug Report

It may help diagnosis of a bug if you include details of your platform, i.e. iOS or android, phone or tablet and if possible firmware revision state.

Thank You.

[96RAF]

Request for Improvement

HM6000 module allows renaming of each module and of each individual circuit from their default labels to more meaningful labels e.g. Main Loops - Inner Loop, Outer Loop; Sidings - Goods Yard, Empty Stock, etc.

HM6010 also allows renaming of each module, e.g. Yard Points, Outer Signal Lamps, Layout Lights, etc, but there is no facility to relabel each individual channel (port) to describe its use. Each channel can and must be changed for its general purpose - Point, Signal, Light or Turntable, but it would be useful to be able to rename the channel labels to describe their actual location use, e.g. Points 1 to 99, Platform 1 Home or Station X Distant , Town or Station Lights, etc in order to make operating the layout easier.

[96RAF]

Bug Report

Facility to alter PWM Frequency is missing from Edit Devices in Settings on Android platforms.

Confirmed on Samsung A10 phone and also reported by others on RM Web forum.

[Foden 4400]

Request For Improvement

HM6000 App - Speed Control - Additional Feature

Have a separate icon / button to increase the locomotive speed in incremental steps. The steps should coincide with ‘steam sound’ change as the loco increases speed.

The brake button has this feature already and adds enjoyment to loco operation.

Also increase the number of speed aligned sounds for the ‘Diesel engine running’

I am very pleased with my iTraverller 6000 set

Thanks

Tim Walley

Nantwich

Moderator Note: I would add to this request for providing a user selectable alternative speed control option e.g. a rotary dial or Up and Down arrow buttons in lieu of the existing slider.

[GMD]

Request for Improvement

I am really enjoying the HM6000, and have now ordered an HM6010.

Can I request a new feature? (I appreciate this may take some time, as it’s not anything dead simple)

Having the ability to run some simple ‘routines’ would be great. Something for a simple layout, with a loco and train leaving the goods yard, stopping en route at a little halt, and continuing on to the final destination. All this could be handled by a simple “timer” at the controller: forward at 40% for 15sec, slow and stop. Wait 10secs, proceed at 30% power for a further 12secs, slow and stop at destination.

Im sure this could be possible! And would be a fantastic extra feature.

[Pennsylvania Pete]

BUG REPORT

Hi, Recently bought a HM6000 and a great device using with my android phone, all works ok so far playing sounds over Bluetooth speaker on layout. But finger problems mean I have installed on Samsung Galaxy A6 tablet, all connected, and can swap back to phone quite easily if need be. Only problem is I can't get any sounds out of the tablet. Tried various things and tried headphones or bluetooth audio but still no sound. I did see somewhere a different problem with Galaxy A6 tablet so are there issues with this particular device? I have done the usual reboot etc (which you need to do when app first installed). Has anyone got or not got this problem with this tablet?

[Pennsylvania Pete]

REQUEST FOR IMPROVEMENT

Hi, just a thought but it may be already on the to do list hopefully. It would be good to be able to save the circuit settings for each engine you have so that the characteristics for accel, decel etc and sounds can be swapped over depending what engines you use on each circuit. I have 2 circuits with isolatable sections and 4 different steam engines large and small and their characteristics are all different and I don't want to have to keep changing the settings depending on what engine I'm using. Also save the engine type for the sound. If in future there are more sounds dependant on engine size/type it would be great. Well done, early days I know, being a retired software developer consultant I know what you're going through!

[96RAF]

Request for Improvement

Once the initial setup has been completed and all modules have been found by scan and provisioned to the Mesh, it is then necessary to connect all modules to the app.

This connection (reconnection) also applies if the handheld device loaded with the app is inadvertently taken out of range of the modules.

It would be better if once provisioned (paired) and connected that reconnection could be made automatic. This auto-connect works with my phone and car bluetooth, my phone and other WiFi devices to my house broadband router, so is it possible to make this happen in HM | DC.

[derekr1707821591]

Request for Improvement

HM6010

Would it be possible to have the point trigger duration and number of times the trigger fires user adjustable. I believe at the moment the trigger times is 100ms and the number of times the trigger fires is 3 per operation. I would like to be able to reduce the trigger time to 20ms and the number of triggers to 1 per operation.

Thank you

Derekr

Moderator’s Note: My understanding of the default 6010 set up is a double pulse of 500mS duration. R8247 the DCC equivalent device has a default pulse setting of 100mS. An electronics expert may be able to tell how long it takes to viably discharge the internal CDU of the 6010 module.

[gazzavc]

I purchased an HM6000 and US version transformer recently, and I truly love the app and controller, but my unit keeps shorting out when running two locomotives in a simple double oval layout. The yellow SHORT CIRCUIT screen comes up as everything instantly stops, I press the yellow bar on the app and it runs again for about 45 seconds, and BOOM, off it goes with another short circuit cutout.

In utter frustration I've gone back to my old H&M Duette (export 110v version !!)

Any advice ??

[96RAF]

@gazza

This (your) post should not be in this Bug section.

Have you read this post https://uk.hornby.com/community/forum/points-shorting?ccm_paging_p=1#end-of-replies

Have you got insulating rail joiners between the pair of points at the loop to loop cross over.

You say you are running two locos on two loops and that the short circuit flags up as you cross loops. Do you have both ‘controllers’ set to the same direction and same approximate speed. Is it a case of overloading the channel by having two locos on the same track after the cross over.

[gazzavc]

Sorry Guv, my bad.

in answer to the question, no I’ve never had to isolate a crossover in 40 years with Hornby or Peco insulfrog points.

The layout works fine running on my H&M Duette and with my US twin cab unit.

l’m upgrading the power supply from the 1.5A to the 4A to see if that makes any difference.

Thanks for the help !! 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[96RAF]

The HM6000 units are very quick reacting to instant shorts that can occur at cross-overs whereas the older controllers are more tolerant.

Upping the power supply may help but each module can only handle 1.5 amps and I am not sure if that applies to each channel, but I suspect overall.

It may be the sensitivity needs to be tweaked if that is possible.

[96RAF]

Firmware update v1.7.1 for HM 6010 module has a glitch. Users are recommended not to install the update.

If you have already updated then you can revert to v1.6.3 by selecting it from the list of available firmware on the update screen.

Once the problem has been resolved a notification will be posted.

[JohnP1707822380]

Request for Improvement

I have an 8' x 4' DC layout with 3 independent circuits controlled by 2 HM6000 units (with no HM6010 units). I operate the layout from either an ipad mini 3 running ios 12.5.5; or an iphone 7 running ios 15.5. The App software is v1.2 (B61r1).

I like the system, particularly its graphical display/controls and the freedom it provides to walk around and operate locos without wires attached to the layout. However, there are a couple of areas which could benefit from improvement.

1. When operating the layout under mesh connectivity, the response of locos to App controls (speed slider, stop button) is much slower on the circuits allocated to the non-host HM6000 unit than those allocated to the host unit. In the former case, there is a material delay before the loco responds to a change in control, to the extent that actions to slow and stop a loco need to be taken much earlier on these "non-host" circuits. This is not the case when operating with BLE connectivity, which I am sticking with for now - although I appreciate that I will need to switch to mesh to install any firmware updates.
2. The process of un-provisioning units connected under mesh (e.g. to switch devices) can be cumbersome - generally I have to do a forced delete and factory reset. Maybe as a result of this, I now seem to have lost the unique 4 digit -#### number assigned to a HM6000 unit when scanning with mesh connectivity (they are both labelled on the App as simply HM6000) - would reinstalling the App on my devices cure this? Also, on occasions, I have ended up (under mesh) with both HM6000 units shown on the App controlling the same physical HM6000 unit.

[96RAF]

@johnp

Hornby response as below:

1. This is a known latency issue, it’s passing the signal from the host (parent) to the non-host (child) device. In theory, doubling the time for the signal to hit the non-host HM6000. It is advised to use the ‘Live Swiping’ with a HM6000 host. OR, just swap to ‘drag/drop’ swiping. We are working to speed this communication up in due course.
2. Yes, this is a known bug of losing the -#### number assigned, we are working to fix this.

[JohnP1707822380]

@96RAF

Thank you for pursuing this for me - it's good to know that these things are being looked at.

[Ighten 1707822464]

Request for improvement

Could speed slider be tied to the physical phone or tablets volume..

[Ighten 1707822464]

Request for improvement

Option to change the colour scheme to the opposite.. ie a black background.. the white just irritates especially at night.

[derekr1707821591]

Bug?

The HM6010 with firmware v1.8.2 switches itself off after 59 seconds, if you then goto the home screen and press resume everything comes back on for a further 59 seconds.

Derekr

[derekr1707821591]

HM6010 firmware v1.10.0 still goes to sleep after one minute, but now i find this problem happens in all firmware versions back to 1.7.1

Do I take it it is a "feature"?

Derekr.

[96RAF]

HM6010 firmware v1.10.0 still goes to sleep after one minute, but now i find this problem happens in all firmware versions back to 1.7.1

Do I take it it is a "feature"?

Derekr.

 

 

Still a bug. I will report it in again.

[OP6]

Bug report android firmware v1.2(B61r1)

As of this morning, after an update hm6000 app no longer works. Bluetooth connection no longer possible. Reinstalled the app, in mesh the app crashes when trying to scan. In ble it doesn't find anything . Have two units reset using button , cannot be found in ble. Tried a different phone, exactly the same thing. I can't be the only one.

This is an absolute joke. Hornby get the finger out and get it sorted before I send this junk for a full refund .

Request for improvement: stop releasing updates that render the app useless.

It has ruined my morning, wanted to test the new train and can't because of this rubbish. Can hornby get anything right??? Pathetic "company"

[SteveM6]

Having got that off your chest it may be more productive to contact Hornby Customer Services as the company do not monitor this forum.

[OP6]

I have, do not have any expectations.

Since you replied, does your app work?