General Discussion about HM | DCC (HM7000)

[Official Hornby Hobbies]

Welcome to HM | DCC (HM7000)

[AndrewP]

This looks great! Is it going to be an open standard; if I wanted to make my own controller, is that going to be possible?

[LuLuJo]

Will this be usable with the e-links that I use. It says so on the advert but the elink does not have a port to plug in the dongle? The other controllers do have ports.

Thanks

[Clive-1266346]

This system looks very promising to me. Obviously very early days, but what I'd like to see at some point is an add-on Bluetooth control module allowing direct "Knob & Button" control of designated HM7000 fitted locos. On screen sliders is just not the samef shunting etc.

Also, is it/will it be possible to run the HM7000 app on a PC, rather than a tablet or phone?

[96RAF]

This looks great! Is it going to be an open standard; if I wanted to make my own controller, is that going to be possible?

 

 

No it will not be open standard and how would your controller differ from and improve upon the free download app control.

[96RAF]

Will this be usable with the e-links that I use. It says so on the advert but the elink does not have a port to plug in the dongle? The other controllers do have ports.

Thanks

 

 

The eLink can still be used as a track power source, but although a trial of fitting a port to the eLink was carried out the project was dropped.

[96RAF]

This system looks very promising to me. Obviously very early days, but what I'd like to see at some point is an add-on Bluetooth control module allowing direct "Knob & Button" control of designated HM7000 fitted locos. On screen sliders is just not the samef shunting etc.

Also, is it/will it be possible to run the HM7000 app on a PC, rather than a tablet or phone?

 

 

Ask marketing@hornby.com about both these items. A PC would require a touch screen monitor, whereas the whole mobile app concept is moving round the layout with your ‘controller’ in your hand.

[rpjallan]

A PC would require a touch screen monitor, whereas the whole mobile app concept is moving round the layout with your ‘controller’ in your hand.

 

 

The new M1 Macs can run iPhone, iPad apps because the processors now have the same architecture. Being only able to operate this on a mobile device is the biggest downside for me. Now I am getting older my eyesight/dexterity is not what it used to be.

Like I said previously in another topic, I have a phone, a good laptop (running Railmaster) & a good desktop computer. I have several spare monitors I can connect to my laptop if need be. I have the Railmaster hand held app on my phone but I rarely use it because it is just too small. I do not have and do not need or wish to spend the money on a tablet.

Just one more thing on this - on watching the demo video, the guy (George I think his name is) kept touching the wrong buttons & going to the wrong pages etc. It wasn't a great advertisement for ease of use (I didn't think anyway)...

[Bulleidboy]

Can the new Hornby "Stay Alive" (9 seconds) be fitted to any loco that may require a stay alive? - whether your using HM7000 or not. I have asked the question here as the new stay alive is one of the components of the new HM7000 range.

[96RAF]

The Power Bank has several additional components to support smart charging by the decoder. The caps only charge when the loco is moving so avoiding any stay alive associated problems during service track programming.

Although only two wire the input / output voltage may not be compatible with other decoders. I haven’t measured it but no doubt if you had a ‘scope and steady hands you could monitor what is happening on those two wires.

@rpj - have you ever tried talking to camera, watch the layout, juggle an ad-lib script and poke buttons on an iPad. It requires an agile mind.

[rpjallan]

I wasn't having a go at him. Just saying if he had trouble touching the correct button on an iPad of an app he developed, how am I going to go on an iPhone screen 1/4 the size!

[Jes TGU]

The eLink can still be used as a track power source, but although a trial of fitting a port to the eLink was carried out the project was dropped.

Does this mean I will have to buy the new hm7000 decoders instead of buying the dongle or or there another way to use my elink as the control and connect the app to it? Also, is it can use the dongle, can the app use the point decoder I have on my powerbus?

[P-Henny]

@JES TGU

At this very early stage of HM7000 development you are trying to run before you can walk.

At the current time there is no realistic easy upgrade path from Railmaster with eLink to the HM7000 APP.

The HM7000 dongle doesn't connect to an eLink and Railmaster does not have any interface to Bluetooth to allow direct communication between the HM7000 APP and Railmaster (no plans to do this have been even rumoured).

And even if you did have an Elite controller plus a dongle with or without Railmaster. The HM7000 APP at this time (according to other posts on this forum) does not support the operation of points and accessories via the HM7000 dongle.

Also, you cannot control R8247 Accessory Decoders or other brands of DCC Accessory Decoders directly from the HM7000 APP because the R8247 and other DCC Decoders have no Bluetooth capability.

Therefore, at the current time. If you were comitted to going down the HM7000 APP control route, you would have to either

1) Buy an Elite and dongle and assume (take the risk) that DCC Accessory Decoder control via the dongle connected to an Elite will be added at some near future date.

2) Replace all your loco decoders with Hornby Bluetooth ones and replace your current points decoders with HM6010 Bluetooth ones. This you couldn't do if your current decoders are integrated into the points such as for example DCC Conceps iP Digital ones.

3) Continue using your current Railmaster system for operating points and current locos. Then fit Bluetooth decoders to any new loco purchases and/or current locos and control them from the HM7000 APP. This would be a separate overlay control system and not integrated in any way. Then overtime, migrate point control from Railmaster to the APP as HM7000 products develop.

[96RAF]

There is already a thread running about this here https://uk.hornby.com/community/forum/hm7000-seems-great-what-about-e-link-and-railmaster-338482?ccm_paging_p=1#end-of-replies

If you want to stick with eLink and RM the HM7000 decoders function perfectly in regular DCC mode out of the box.

Maybe when HRMS release the big update they have been talking about for ages it will have some cross functionality to HM7K, who knows?

[Jes TGU]

Does the r7377 power bank only work with hm7000 decoders and where does it plug in? Also, does it charge while the loco is sitting on the rails or moving along?

[P-Henny]

@JES TGU

If you navigate to the top of the 'Hornby DCC' forum and open the 'Hornby DCC FAQ Index' sticky then have a read of FAQ2.

This FAQ predates HM7000 and is not written for those products, but it does give information about 'stay alives' in general. What they are, where they electrically connect in a decoder circuit [note that the HM7000 decoders have a specific socket on them to connect the HM7000 power bank (which is in effect just a stay alive by another name)] and how they work. Reading FAQ2 may fill in some of your knowledge gaps.

Yes, the HM7000 Power Bank is made specifically just for the HM7000 decoders and plugs into a socket physically located on them.

[96RAF]

The HM7070 is peculiar to the new decoders as it has a three pin plug but only two wires. This is an anti-Murphy device to prevent the power bank being plugged into the speaker socket and vice-versa. Compare wiring before using on a three pin socket of any other make decoder and likewise compare wiring if using another make three pin stay alive with a Hornby decoder. Misuse will void the decoder and power bank warranties.

In addition the power bank and decoder circuitry is such that the Power bank only charges when the loco is moving, this being to preclude any possible surge current problems when using a service track for programming. In general use this will not be a problem anyway as programming can be done OTA on the main track.

[Nightraker]

Did anyone see the YouTube video with Simon Kohlen..having a zoom interview about TT120 and HM7000...where Simon stated he was excited that the App will be upgraded extensively including eventually with block detection...we've heard that before...but you never know?..just saying🤣

[Fishmanoz]

Mods, might I suggest this thread now be locked?

At least from my perspective, and particularly now there are so many specific threads in the sub-forum, this thread is making it difficult to know what specifics it contains as they are all “hidden” under the General heading. Much better to have the info under titles relevant to the content.