[markw]

Hi all

I converted my small layout to DCC a couple of months ago by buying a hornby mixed goods digital set which seemed like the cheapest and easiest way to see if DCC was the way forward for me on the new layout i'm planning. All worked well so i went ahead and bought hornby accessory decoders too and i now have all the point motors DCC controlled as well.

Great -- I'm loving this DCC thing and have definately decide it's the way of the future for me.

Anyway, to get to the point my wife bought me a Bachmann class 20 with DCC sound for my birthday and i have a problem with it, when i use the loco on my layout with the hornby select i can't get functions 5 to 8 to play ball, they just don't do anything.

The model was demonstrated in the shop with a prodigy controller so i know the decoder is good and all the functions were working. Has anybody else come across this problem or indeed found a fix for it. Is it worth me hassling Hornby or Bachmann about it or should i just not bother, i'm thinking about buying a Lenz or digitrax system to replace the select when i go to the dortmund exhibition in april anyway.

All repsonses gratefully recieved.

Thanks

Mark

 

[Brian Considine]

Welcome to the forum Mark,

Have a trawl back on the earlier DCC threads regarding the Select & draw your own conclusions.

Go for Lenz (not the Compact though) or Digitrax - you won't regret it.

 

[Gary]

Its best to contact your stockist in the first instance as you probably have a Select with non operational functions 5 to 8. This is a known issue reported by Model Rail and a number of Select users who are operating Bachmann sound locos have discovered that they have consoles with this issue.

The Select will operate the Bachmann Class 20 with sound and all Select features function with Bachmann sound decoders including inertia settings.

It is not really possible to draw any conclusions on the Select by trawling through previous threads as suggested as there are too many high end users providing input who have no practical experience with the Select. The fact is the Select does the job it has been designed to do and Markw has admitted that up until now he has had a good experience. It is unfortunate that he seems to have a Select that is not fully functional however that is easily rectified if the stockist is contacted.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Gary]

Forget to ask but please let us know how you get on if you go back to your stockist or Hornby.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[markw]

QUOTE (Gary @ 5 Mar 2007, 21:13) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Forget to ask but please let us know how you get on if you go back to your stockist or Hornby.

Happy modelling
Gary

Thanks for the response.

I Bought the set from somebody at the warley exhibition for a good price cash deal and i can't remember who, I think they wre from harrogate or somewhere up north. Does anybody know, under the terms of hornby's warranty should i be able to tack it back to a local dealer to have it replaced. My Local dealer is just a small toy shop that hold just a few odd sets instock around christmas time and next to nothing the rest of the year. My nearest model shop is several miles away so i don't get to go there very often, guess i'll try and get something out of hornby first via email and phone.

Thanks again, i'll let you all know how i get on.

Mark

 

[Peter_Harvey]

I'm sorry to say but ditch the select and buy a EZ from hattons its a better system any way and it will work with everything unless you want to go into dcc in a serious way, the hornby dcc is not a moedelers dcc system its a toy train dcc system with most of the bits missing.

Pete

 

[Brian Considine]

Hi Mark,

Good advice from Peter !

I suggest you phone the Hornby Service Helpline on 01843 235525 & ask about sending the unit directly to them for sorting out - at least you will have a fully functioning Select to sell if you go for Lenz or Digitrax. Hornby's Service Department is usually pretty good.

Don't forget if you send it back to enclose a list off all the faults.

There should be no "out of warranty" issues as the Select has only been available for a matter of months.

The only other thing I could suggest (& I don't know if it's possible on the Select anyway) is to try a factory reset - often works with all manner of things digital (not just model railways !).

Please keep us informed.

 

[Doug]

Why not ask Hornby to exchange the old Select unit to a New Elite unit. Just pay them the difference.

 

[Gary]

Make sure its the market price difference not the retail price difference however that is a very good idea that Doug has come up with. Hornby should offer discount trade in vouchers with all the sets to give an incentive to those who have outgrown the Select to trade up to an Elite.

QUOTE Trade in your Select with the voucher and get £40 off the price of an Elite

Sounds good to me!

Don't know how it would sound to Hornby!

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Oakydoke]

Seeing as you can pick up a secondhand or split from train-set Select for £28 to £38, I doubt if the trade in allowance would be more than £20 to £25.

Anyway, Hornby aren't going to be interested in such a trade in scheme. They'd say, "use your old Select as an additional throttle/controller with your Elite".

 

[markw]

QUOTE (Peter_Harvey @ 6 Mar 2007, 07:22) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>the hornby dcc is not a moedelers dcc system its a toy train dcc system with most of the bits missing.

I knew that when i bought the set, I got it cheap, paid £105 which represented exceptional VFM, for me it's served it's purpose which was to confirm that DCC is the way forward for me. I'm now saving my pennies toward a more "professional" system as intimated in my original post, I'll keep the £30 toward that rather than spend it on a Bachmann EZ-command.

I Think many serious modellers had their seeds firmly sewn when they were given their first hornby train set for christmas many years ago. Surely if Hornby can bring entry level DCC to the masses of potential future modellers out there it's got to be a good thing. OK I have a gripe with mine but that's becuase it appears to be faulty rather than becuase it doesn't do what it says on the box.

Mark

 

[markw]

QUOTE (Oakydoke @ 6 Mar 2007, 14:06) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Anyway, Hornby aren't going to be interested in such a trade in scheme. They'd say, "use your old Select as an additional throttle/controller with your Elite".

You're probably right , but i like the idea and if you don't ask you definately won't get.....................

 

[Dennis David]

Mark seems to have a good attitude at least. Should hold him in good sted as he continues along the DCC trail. You would think that they would go for the trade in just to keep things in the family so to speak. Once he switches he'll be less likely to buy Hornby DCC accesories.

 

[Oakydoke]

QUOTE (markw @ 6 Mar 2007, 14:34) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>You're probably right , but i like the idea and if you don't ask you definately won't get.....................
In your case absolutely right. Give it a try.

I was commenting on Gary's suggestion of a trade in scheme.

 

[Ravenser]

Clearly there is a problem with your Select. It seems that early Select units may have had this fault - at least Model Rail's unit did, and it's been suggested that the first Selects produced went into the sets and that those sold separately may be better.

I'd contact Hornby directly . Regardless of warranties, F5-8 should work and if they don't they you have some recourse. Added to which I get the strong impression much of the Hornby dealer network hasn't got a clue about DCC. My own local shop has been sellling the sets despite the fact that neither the proprietor nor his 2 regular assistants have ever handled any kind of DCC equipment themselves. If you approach Hornby directly , at least you'll be dealing with someone familiar with DCC and the Select

It's worth saying that the Select (and Elite) are designed to be Xpressnet systems , so in principle it should be possible to use the Select as an extra controller with a full Lenz system (not the Compact? but presumably including the Roco Multimaus) Mind you , in principle F5-8 on the Select work .

However a Select definitely cannot be used in connection with a system from Gaugemaster, NCE, or Digitrax (although for the record it should in theory be possible to link it to a ZTC system), and presumably the same will apply to Bachmann's Dynamis

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (Ravenser @ 6 Mar 2007, 23:58) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>My own local shop has been sellling the sets despite the fact that neither the proprietor nor his 2 regular assistants have ever handled any kind of DCC equipment themselves.

Interesting - I wonder if this is typical.

From my own experience both Fleischmann & Marklin (those Germans again !) run factory courses in the UK for their dealers. I have been on both of them. I'm surprised (unless someone tells me differently) that Hornby don't appear to do so.

 

[Gary]

Toys R Us and Argos and others no doubt will be selling digital sets. Would you expect their staff to be trained in DCC?

In Germany do Marklin and Fleischmann have a presense in the equivalent German outlets?

Hornby have an established dealer service center network to support servicing and this list is included with every set. Not every Hornby outlet is a service centre. Non service centre outlets either contact their local service centre or Hornby directly who may refer them to their local service centre.

Thats how it works in the UK which seems a reasonable approach and no doubt a similar approach is utilised in Germany.

How many other DCC manufacturers can offer such a comprehensive network of service centres to support the hundreds of thousands of annual sales made?

We should remember that this is the market that Hornby, Marklin, Fleischmann, etc are in.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[pedromorgan]

i think that is fairly typical.

Gary i dont think the select is as rosy as you put it earlier in the thread.
I am not a DCC expert but i work with digital signals all day long and i have huge question marks about the select. i really dont want this thread to go the way the other one did but i really think its about time we had some information from hornby regarding the issues.

Peter

 

[Gary]

Everybody has huge question marks about DCC!

The only way to have those huge questions answered is to go out and buy a DCC set up and try it for yourself.

Thats what markw did!

We can talk about DCC until the cows come home but until you try it in your own time you are never going to know!

Its simple really. If you believe the Hornby Select is not for you then look elsewhere!

If you believe that it is then fine!

markw was drawn in by the value offered by one of the Hornby digital sets and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this way of thinking.

We can sometimes focus too much on what something does not do and loose sight of the fact that it does actually do something!

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[pedromorgan]

Gary i dont have question marks about DCC. i have question marks about the select.

without going down the libelous route again i am not sure that i would want to put one of my (admitedly i only have 7 out of a total of over 100) decoder fitted loco's on a track that was controlled by a select.

Peter