55020

Traction magazine used to run with the same sales model under their old publishers. Having taken out a digital subscription I naively thought I would have access to the magazines I'd "bought" once I stopped my subscription. That didn't happen. An email to Steve Rabone resulted in a "tough, but that's the way it is" style response. At least now they have the same publisher as BRM and the problem has gone away, although my lost issues are gone forever.

I might take you up on your very kind offer at some point later this year.

Fitting the decoder 180 degrees out shouldn't affect the running, as the pins from the track and the pins to the motor are diametrically opposite i.e. track is 4 & 8, motor is 1 & 5. Fitting the wrong way around places pin 4 into the 8 socket, pin 1 into the 5 socket, etc, etc. The obvious affect will be any lights that the loco have will probably not work (due to no common return being made) or they might work literally back to front. As to the OPs question, a number of manufacturers have a CV to enable/disable resumption of functions after a power interruption. If this is enabled then it might account for the behaviour being described. Only problem is, without knowing the manufacturer of the decoder it will be impossible to know which CV to alter.

Tim, I agree with everything you state. Let's hope this project doesn't drag down DJM, and that Dave today has a thriving business that delivers what could be a great model rather than using this influx of cash to keep his boat afloat. However the lack of published accounts for FY 2016-17 is a red flag, which will hopefully metamorphose into a red herring sometime soon

There are quite a few on here who believe that only those who have given money to DJM have a right to post, so to them I apologise as I am going to post anyway! I've been following this thread for a while and I couldn't help but draw parallels with a crowdfunded project I almost bought into through a website called Indiegogo. This website hosts crowdfunded projects, sometimes raising millions. Although they do charge for their hosting and other services (just as Paypal do), it provides both the entrepreneurs and backers a framework in which to operate. The project was for the development and production of a modern day Sinclair Spectrum called the Spectrum Vega +. In 2016 a UK company called Retro Computers raised more than £500,000 and have yet to deliver anything but promises and excuses. Most backers went along with the "lies" issued by the company for about 18 months, then things started to fall apart. It looks like legal costs incurred by Retro now account for about 75% of the cash that individuals have given to Retro. The latest news is that Indiegogo are now going after Retro to try and recover some of the cash, something that will no doubt result in Retro becoming insolvent and the backers getting a fraction of the money they donated to the directors of Retro. Of note is that Retro have not filed their 2017 accounts with Companies House!! There is a lot of information on a website called theregister.co.uk if you'd like to read more. Just search for Retro Computers. I am not saying that there are direct parallels between Retro Computers and DJM. What I am highlighting is that crowdfunding both works and can fail. Sadly it is the customer who carries the risk.

A decent Class 06 at some point would be very nice to see. The Hornby toy really doesn't cut the mustard and deserves to be confined to model railway history.

Dangerous places, these exhibition halls. I always wondered how lightning works, then one day it struck me

I moved away from the Teesside in 1977, so never saw Stockton station after it had it's roof removed. Photo C7691 demonstrates how a great and historic station was decimated to save money. I'm sure there are many similar examples around the network. Dave, do you have a picture of Stockton taken with the roof intact?

Nothing from Aberdeen MRC, that's surprising. Is there a reason for this? The Kinloss MRC layout is spelt wrong. Teesside has two s's (sorry, personal bugbear of mine!). I'm a big fan of the Perth show and have managed to attend all the shows since I returned to the UK almost 6 year ago. Bring on the next one

I received my copy in the post yesterday. Great read. Bring on the next one!

A cheaper source here? http://billstrains.com/KADEE-COUPLERS-and-UNCOUPLERS-ONLY/

SWD have simply "cut and paste" from the ESU website. When I had my issue I sent SWD three separate emails asking if they would deal with my claim, none of which were answered. So I decided just to deal directly with ESU in Germany. I was very happy with the service when dealing directly with ESU, which I can't say for my limited dealings with SWD! Postage did cost me marginally more, but that was the only negative. Steve

Hi Albie, I managed to fry one of my V4.0 decoders, so sent it away to ESU and they sent me a new decoder free of charge. All of the details are contained in this section of the website http://www.esu.eu/en/support/warranty-repair/ The website is a little bit confusing in that they talk about a two year warranty, however when specifically discussing decoders it mentions three years. Good luck! Steve

Who by, a blind man?

No email for me yet. I bought #15 so maybe got lucky - just!! ?

Yeah, the updates aren't incremental and contain a complete "load" of the firmware. So a reload might just sort out your problems. Let us all know how you get on, assuming we don't hear your scream first

Try this search engine http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/ModelRail

If you have a responsive ECoS, I would try a reload of the latest firmware (as Rob suggest earlier in the thread). It's a "no jeopardy" option that might just make a difference. Steve

I totally agree. At best it is completely underwhelming, at worst it is nothing more than "click bait". A real missed opportunity to offer something of value.

Cheers, that's a pretty comprehensive comparison Although the sounds on your TCS decoder aren't anything I've heard my Class 55 Deltics make Joking aside, it does also highlight that the speaker needs to match the types of sounds being reproduced. For example, the Deltic requires a speaker that makes a good job of reproducing lower frequency bass sounds. This is something that Richard and others have commented on. Phone's are an obvious source of very compact speakers, with some devices doing much better than others. HTC phones (One 9 & 10, U11) seem to regularly come top of music sound tests, but this might be due as much to the sound processor as to their speakers? I wonder if anyone has looked at using phone speakers other than the iPhone ones? I'm going to stick to the "traditional" - especially EM1 & EM2s (as DC-Kits call them!) for future installs. What's really good is that we have so much choice these days.

That's a pretty bold and wide reaching statement. What would be much of much greater value would be a video comparing an iPhone speaker with a quality bass reflex speaker. Anyone....... ??

I believe it's a user-fitted item, so it should be very easy not to fit it to the B&G version

The reblow process re-programmes the chip and loads in a totally new sound file. This sound file could, should you require it, be of a totally different loco type to the original one. Please note that not all sound decoders are capable of being reblown.

Just create a new profile and delete the old one?

Hi Don, Thanks for reading my input and responding. I agree that the original Cobalt motors do seem to have had a few issues, that appear to have been modified out over time, especially with the current range of "ip" motors. I also have had issues with the original batch, with some clicking and some eventually refusing to operate. The number falling in to this category is small, but probably reflects your experiences. My comments were trying not to jump to a conclusion with regard to reliability, but to simply respond to the video. Your reply shows I was off the mark! Hopefully you didn't think I was being too critical. As many others have suggested, I think an email to Richard at DCC Concepts might be an easy a hopefully fruitful way forward. As something of an aside, I've been using Cobalts for many years and will continue to do so. Steve