HM7000 Suggestions box for improvements

[David-348062]

I am impressed with these decoders which offer good value for money and I am sure they will only improve as time goes on.

I realise that the form factor i.e. physical size is fair for a sound decoder and is limited in width by the size of the 21 pin or 18 pin Next connectors, however it is also quite long, which prevents it fitting in many smaller loco's. 5mm of one end of the decoder is used as the bluetooth aerial, would it therefore be possible to replace this with a single wire of the correct length thus reducing the overall length by 5mm?

[dBerriff]

A simple one I hope: can we please have the option to flip the control direction buttons. Years of using the Select have convinced me that Left is forwards for UK practice.

[Artyp]

I agree with DB.

[Pendragon Sailing]

Could the Hornby Team issue a document with THEIR recommended sound profiles for Hornby Locos that do not yet have a specific sound file available? The steam profiles in particular. Might help people to chose a more appropriate one rather than uploading and testing all of them…….just a thought

[GMD]

Agree with DB re direction of travel arrows. It messes with my head!

Also, more than one throttle on screen at least for tablets. Appreciate phone screens are smaller and more fiddly.

Loving it so far!

[St1ngr4y]

How about a locomotive function to fade the sound volume to a value configurable by a CV ?

[96RAF]

Hornby is now aware of this thread and will monitor suggestions and provide feedback likely via me or one of the test team.

[John-350809]

Further to size - a list of which hornby locos are suitable for each decoder would be nice as I’m ready to buy both. May be a nice spreadsheet would be great. Tnx

[Allan-350550]

This comment is more about the internal design of the loco. The design externally is obviously and correctly about the model being a true representation of the prototype. However, the interior does not appear to give any realistic thought to the dcc requirements.

I have just attempted to convert my Hornby J15 to TXS. I chose this because it is one of my favourite and most reliable locos. It also has a tender for the chip.

fitting the chip, speaker and power bank is a physical impossibility. I ended up removing the coal which has offered a suitable footprint but it protrudes above the tender sides.

There is also an issue the the cable from the chip to the 8 pin plug. All this state of the art technology and we are expected to unceremoniously stuff the cables anywhere they may fit and screw down the lit before it springs open. Hoping that I have not damaged anything.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant but I think that cleverer people than I can develop a better solution.

[SteveM6]

I too have converted the J15 - fairly straightforward imho.

I removed one of the ballast weights inside the side tanks and fitted the decoder in there (almost as if it was made for it - although it wasn’t).

I then drilled a hole in the cab floor and threaded the wires for the speaker and power bank through the hole from the cab. The power bank sits on the floor of the cab with the speaker blacktacked to the inside of the cab roof using the smallest enclosure.

Two crew figures added to hide the cab contents.

[Chris-351013]

I guess if it were technically feasible this would have been done long ago, but I would be really interested to understand why not.

Would it not be possible to separate the DCC connector from the controller PCB, connecting it by wire? Thereby potentially reducing the PCB dimensions and also providing greater flexibility for the positioning of it.

I'd hazard a guess that it might just simply be a cost factor.

Maybe even having a common controller PCB design with interchangeable connectors

[96RAF]

@Chris

The old Sapphire decoder had a removable harness, so it would fit either an 8 or 21 pin socket. The problem is your universal decoder then becomes the size of the largest common denominator - the biggest socket, which precludes use in small locos.

[Rallymatt]

A feature that would be nice, would be to an ability to re-configure the function number list. I’m probably not alone in having a DCC controller that stops at F20, meaning lighting functions are out of range.

Making some of the sounds syncronise with movement would be a good development, brake and flange squeal etc. I have another sound loco that does this and it really does simplify getting the most out of the work that’s gone into creating the sound files 😁

[sotars]

My grandson age 3 is able to control trains on my extensive DCC system using a Roco Multi Maus and even WiThrottle on my iPhone and iPad. Unfortunately the throttle control in the HM7000 App is too small and fiddly for him to use. So my plea is for a simple throttle control that little fingers can use. Either a larger version of the slider and + - buttons or indeed a virtual control knob.

Alex Thomson

[David-348062]

Hi, I agree with Sotars that the throttle controls could be enlarged. The + and - buttons are so small that it is not easy to activate them reliably. I use an iPad and prefer to use them as they allow you to ramp the speed up and down whilst being touched giving instant control, whereas the slider only changes the speed when your finger is released and relies on the inertia setting to change to the new speed.

[dBerriff]

Seriously?

[96RAF]

Moderator Post

@Daedalus

You continue to offer flippant suggestions that a naive beginner may follow to their dismay. In some cases such as your suggestion to put a poly-fuse into a paralleled power supply it could even be dangerous in the wrong hands. Use of parallel supplies has been commented upon by Hornby as not recommended.

Cutting the antenna off a 7000 decoder will null the warranty and your suggestion may not even work and could render the decoder inoperative.

Take this as a formal caution against posting advice that inexperienced users may be tempted to follow. If you have sage advice to bring to the forum please provide enough detail that a user could safely follow your preferably tried and tested suggestion.

I also refer you to this previous directed post . . . https://uk.hornby.com/community/forum/atdaedalus-350355?ccm_paging_p=1#end-of-replies

[HST Mainline]

On Android, this goes for at least the HM DC app, the slider for operating the loco is so close to the edge of the screen, that grapping the slider may result in triggering the "Go back" gesture.

A larger "handle" for the slider could mitigate this issue.

This is worth looking into with the HM DCC Android app before release.

[gilbo2]

Suggestion:

To be able to share/sync data between handheld devices so that trackbuilder layouts and locos do not need setting up twice, eg between an iPhone & iPad.

[David-348062]

Steam chuffs:

I realise that there is no facilty at present to synchronise the chuffs to the wheel rotation other than adjusting the speed steps using CVs 67-94 to approximate to the 18 chuff sets. However, I think that with the addition of one or two additional slower sets of chuffs, any creeping or shunting operations would be more realistic. If memory capacity is an issue some of the top speed sets of chuffs could be sacrificed as they would not be as noticable.

[Wayne-in-Oz]

Extension leads for both 2 pin Speaker and 3 pin Power Bank (male to female plugs leads). This would make it a lot easier to put the Power Bank and/or Speaker in a Tender like the Railroad Scotsman for instance.

[Pendragon Sailing]

Hi Wayne,

If you’re handy with a soldering iron, its a simple matter to add a length of wire between the business end of the speaker/PB and its connector. I’ve done it on a few speakers. Just make sure the solder joint is a good one (as the wires are small gauge) and cover the join with a heat-shrink tube to add strength and insulation.

[Liam-350165]

I would like a synchronized output signal with chuff sound. So it could act as a switch for a smoke or vapouriser unit.

[96RAF]

I would like a synchronized output signal with chuff sound. So it could act as a switch for a smoke or vapouriser unit.

 

 

That will be a standard function on the atomising steam equipped locos, probably turned on by a CV setting for non steam units.

[Wayne-in-Oz]

Hi Wayne,

If you’re handy with a soldering iron, its a simple matter to add a length of wire...

 

 

Hi,

Yes, I know and have done that too. The idea of the extension lead is to allow unplugging the tender if needed.