RAF96

Hopefully this week along with an Android app fettle.

I use 2.5mm ring main wires for my bus and 0.75mm lighting flex for my droppers and my RRAMP meter shows 15.4 volts across the whole layout - single garage sized folded-8, twin track powered by an Elite controller on a 4-amp PSU. Absolutely no power issues to date 5 years down the line.

A battery will give unlimited amps within its capacity if dead shorted, so even a little battery can hurt if you are in contact with the metal creating the short. I saw a spanner drop onto a car battery once. It was smoking hot before someone had the sense to smack it free with a hammer. You have never been shocked until you have felt HF current try to use you as a path to earth - not to be recommended. There is a good reason why painters and electricians work with one hand in their pocket, the former doesn't touch wet paint and the latter doesn't provide an earth point.

Screwfix and Toolstation and on occasion Aldi and Lidl sell them for around a tenner. It is worth checking they can cope with up to 10 amps DC current as some meters have a 200mA limit which precludes their use for motor stall current checks. @melmerby do you have a link file for use with your USB scope to translate the binary commands into text. I wrote one initially but never got it finished. Apologies for the fuzzy screen grab.

There have been reports of alien stay alives being used successfully, some with plugs and some hard wired, providing they have charging circuitry included. There does not appear to be any problem with programming as the decoder MCU enables the charging circuit after a time lag which is longer than a programming burst. Class 73 profile is the largest file so any glitch in the loading process is more likely with this one, whether the download from the Hornby server to the app or the bluetooth transfer to the decoder.

TXS decoders need a load to provide the ACK for programming. Why should Hornby provide details of their power bank circuit. No one else does. Any competent electronics guy could reverse engineer it anyhow. As previously stated several times in forum the decoder MCU controls a delay to prevent the power bank charging initially to allow programming, and this is the purpose of the transistor in the power bank. When triggered it opens the charging circuit. The diode and zenner diode are standard circuit design for stay alives and can be found in other makes.

pins 16 and 20 according to the famous and comprehensive never read manual.

Standard reset procedure, write value 8 to CV8 or do it from the app. I can't show a screen grab as I don't have any decoders alive at present. If the problem is just sound related then value 5 resets the sound but leaves other CV settings as is.

The JST connector details have been posted on this and other forums several times, so go look, noting that the power bank uses a 3-pin plug with only 2-wires used. The plug and pin bits are readily available, but you need to be very dextrous to assemble them. You can pay a factory to assemble these at some cost. I had a quote at around £2 each for supply in hundreds. Note also that any alien stay alive whether shop bought or diy needs charging components to work with the 7K decoders. The Lias one carpet-boy used is listed as having these. His 2-3 second run on for the motor is about average for the type, so not as amazing as he declared it to be. edit - his 8-pin decoder has the C+/C- pads to solder to but not all variants have these - look at the decoder manual where each variant is shown from both sides.

A simple switch on the points such that when the point throws it lights an led. That way it matters not how the points are motorised, and you get a true indication of point position. The switch-led circuit is a basic light switch -i.e. power - switch - device.

Talk about doom and gloom.

My DoG TXS installation was a straight swap for the previous TTS instal. Originally used a Brit profile, then loaded DoG onto it. I have TXS in a MN with the decoder in the smoke box and the smallest enclosure sitting on the chassis step.

TXS was slammed for being larger than NMRA spec, so unlikely to be smaller than TTS.

Try setting the Elite-Select switch in the dongle settings screen to each option, as these settings affect the way higher functions are implemented. Hornby has replied that of their 3 x LZVs in hand, one is at rev 3.6R hence they will look up their testing notes next week and let me know. I think George meant they wouldn't be looking at supporting other protocols e.g. Railcom, etc

2/ - Function list here - https://d63oxfkn1m8sf.cloudfront.net/8917/0868/1362/SD027_-_4VEP_Function_List.pdf

I can escalate the report I have already made to the Tech Team, but you could simply address the matter direct to George at HM.customercare@Hornby.com who is the project engineer for the app, decoders and dongle. He will be able to respond direct to you with how the fettle is going. I know the Tech Team were looking at getting their LZV updated so they could try emulating the problem. Their problem may be finding someone with the update chip in stock. You are correct about not being able to read and write legacy decoders over the air via the dongle - the loco has to be on the programming track under a DCC controller service mode programming conditions.

I am sure there was a comment on the Hornby forum that the sound decoders in the International models were ESU not TXS but the 2024 international range launch did ref to TXS fitted locos. A question for Hornby tech to confirm-deny. SD500 is the only one listed so far (for Rivarossi E656 FS). It is presumed the Hornby sound Tech Team schedule will be driven by the International Teams demands - if and when issued. @simons9 at present the app only support dcc and bluetooth switching of accessories by way of the HM6010 module which is essentially a bluetooth version of the Hornby R8247 acc decoder. @The Meerkat set the app so that it doesn't drop out along with putting the device into never sleep mode.

C is positive either 12 or 14 v depending upon which 6010 port it is. A and B are switched negatives that can be pulsed or steady depending upon settings in the HM7K app. I have seen a wiring diagram of a similar signal, where the red and black power the device and the other 3 simply flip the internal electronics direction by way of an on-on toggle switch. There was a caution not to apply external power to the 3-way connections. I would not use the 6010 for that switching. This topic refers and has the wiring diagram. https://community.hornbyhobbies.com/topic/35205-wiring-Dapol-two-arm-junction-signal/#comment-374774

Only if it can be shown that the unit was the cause of failure if indeed it does cause a failure. Jenny Kirk has some on test and will be putting the results on her channel.

The Hornby speaker plug/socket is 0.8mm pitch.

Apple has shown that moving old to new device takes everything as a clone, hence also carries over exact functionality. Whether Android device 'swap to new device' software does that is in their hands. To be proven on a case by case device to device basis.

There is a universal reset code which may still be valid - Reset1234 - case sensitive. Else use a4c13800xxxx where xxxx is the last 4 of your decoder in lower case for any letters.

The jack plug used by digital kit is 6.3mm x 3mm x10mm. The analogue jacks are standard 5.25mm as used on many cctv systems.

What is important is to keep disparate circuits apart from each other to avoid induced cross talk. Track Bus, Points and Signals Accessory Bus, Lighting Bus, Loco Detection Sensors and associated circuits, etc. Twisted pairs is also a recognised way to avoid cross talk. Where such looms cross try to do it a right angles. Given that - the underside of my boards is a rat's nest of wires running from A to B as direct as possible, as and when they were added over time. When I move house I intend to rewire it all properly - honest.

The OP photo is not of sufficient clarity to see if there was a solder bridge or stray wire strand across those 2 pads, but likely something was conductive at the gap.