Testing The Hornby HM7000 system with DCC Concepts HMDCC-compatible Stayalive, to see just how much difference it makes, if any! Affiliate Link to Hornby's HM7000 system below: prf.hn/l/JpQ1onZ
Good demonstration. I'm running n-gauge, and the HM7000 decoder fits inside Dapol's 'speaker ready' class 50, and probably all the big diesels that are speaker ready, but fitting a stay-alive as well is too difficult. I have found the quality of running has improved immensely by using my regular controller, rather than the bluetooth connection to my phone. It seems to be the bluetooth that causes the long interrupts, and if you can avoid it, then a stay-alive is less important. Of course, with smaller Bo-Bo diesels or shunters such as demonstrated here, then fitting an HM7000 with any kind of speaker is more than challenging, let alone a stay alive as well ... unless you are a TT or OO user of course.
Good point Graham, yes it's the bluetooth that really impacts the connectivity issues. If your dcc--to-rail connections are solid then I'd agree that a stay alive ought not to be needed. In that case just use the HMDCC app for updates etc, and switch back to DCC mode for control.
Good result. One question. How much does it cost to implement these changes per loco? If you have a large collection of engines. You even mention that the cost will soon mount up. Ummm, yeah. 15 years is not really old. Most of my collection is Vintage (4 times as old as your Class 08) so this is not a fix for all of us. Thanks for sharing the process. Happy Modelling.
Thanks for the question. Yes I should have included figures! The three pack cost me £42.45 plus shipping. Thats £14.15 per stayalive. Of course if you are adding decoders too then that’s quite a jump on top of that, especially if its older locos that have no dcc sockets. Hope that’s helpful. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thats the right answer of course - assuming you have not already laid the track, and assuming that it won't take you hours and hours, and won't cost you as much in solder and cabling as the £15 to get a stayalive! I suppose it's about how much you value your time. For those who get satisfaction from knowing the track is beautifully laid and that all parts have perfect power - there is no argument with that. For those more impatient, or those less gifted in soldering then the stayaolive is a great option to have. Thanks for watching.
I would got slightly further and I know @peachy agrees. I have a TT120 layout with sections of perfectly laid track you could eat your dinner off that cut out using an A4 with HM7000. I added a power bank and that solved it. Some experts on the forum say this shouldn’t be necessary but with the reset logic of the HM7000 decoders and the long reset time I think it’s a must have
I’ve had very few cut outs with my Night Hawk, but not none so will be looking to fit it and likely the 50 that’s due tomorrow with them. When it removes even the whiff of the suggestion of a cut out it changes how you feel about operating the layout. Well for me anyway! Thanks for watching
Hello Mac, a question not particularly related to this post but towards HM7000 usage generally, if I may? I'm looking to invest in some tablets for the layout I'm building soon to enable multiple users to cover main line, branch line, sidings and loco yard control, do you have any suggestions for cheap but not nasty tablet options and perhaps what to avoid? Apologies for hijacking but this is a topic that doesn't seem to be covered much with the assumption that a tablet is already to hand, I find using a phone can be a bit fiddly at times!
Not a problem at all to ask. But what’s your budget? If you want solid and reliable at budget prices then Amazon fire might fit the bill. But you would need to a) install Google play store onto it and b) double check that it’s compatible. I’d recommend posting this question onto the Hornby HMDCC forum. There’s lots of super chaps who will be able to offer you solid advice. Thanks for asking!
@@mactrains thanks for the response. The budget is obviously a consideration but it's really about value for money and suitability, the Fire tablets would be an obvious choice on cost but don't appear to support Google Play, which I suppose is no great surprise really. Some of the Chinese options look reasonable but the uncertainty on software update support leaves doubts when looking at buying a few! Still I haven't built the layout yet so time is on hand to do the research as you have suggested, so thanks again.
@@East_Mallingford_Railway absolutely. And as it’s predominantly only required to keep Bluetooth connectivity, surely a tiny capacitor could be added to the decoder board?
