I was part of a group of people testing the
Scalextric Sport World system. A sort of hybrid digital and analogue system that connected the track to the internet.
We were sworn to secrecy whilst testing the system, but when it was released, we were allowed to talk about our testing and we were able to help first-time users understand some of the complexities of the system.
Because the testers were from all over the place, we were able to test it in a variety of conditions and with a variety of computers and other variables.
I'm finding it hard to believe that the Hornby DCC system was tested sufficiently before release to the market. Any DC expert would have tested the components with a variety of other systems and would have identified the need for some sort of compliance warranty.
In 2004 we were eagerly watching the
NMRA conformance warrants for any news - to try and get an idea on what the Hornby system was going to be called for one, but it's now obvious that Hornby are only now starting the process of getting any compliance warranty.
Likewise, we watched every update of the
DCC Manufacturer ID list to see when Hornby would be added. The list was updated a week ago and Hornby are still not on the list. Some of the Hornby divisions are there: Arnold, Rivarossi. Sanda Kan Industrial, Ltd. are there so perhaps it is their ID that will be on the decoders if they are making them.
We haven't heard anyone publicly stand up and say that they were helping to test the Hornby DCC items, so unless they are still sworn to secrecy, it seems evident that testing was only done in-house.