Hornby HM 7000 sound decoder

[George Stein]

Writing from the USA. The HM 7000 decoder looks quite interesting. Anyone with experience, solid reviews, etc. please comment.

[Bigmet]

Positive comments in the attached thread:
viewtopic.php?p=719878#p719878

[aleopardstail]

Writing from the USA. The HM 7000 decoder looks quite interesting. Anyone with experience, solid reviews, etc. please comment.

check out the Sams Trains you tube channel, he has done two reviews

key take away is the thing does not mean the size requirements set out by the NMRA specification it claims to comply with, and as such won't fit in a lot of locomotives

[centenary]

Writing from the USA. The HM 7000 decoder looks quite interesting. Anyone with experience, solid reviews, etc. please comment.

Although the concept behind HM7000 is great, I found the set up process a bit of a pain if it doesnt install properly on your phone or decoder, if Im honest. I watched a few You Tube videos such as by Hornby Magazine where everything went ok. But if it doesnt, you can end up in a doom loop!

My idea was to have several mobile devices to control locos but it seems with the HM7000 system, each loco is effectively 'locked' to one device at a time. If you want to control the loco via another mobile device, you have to go through an unlocking process (unless Ive got that wrong!) and install on another device which isnt what I want.

Alternatively, some just use the mobile device to set up each loco and adjust cvs which the HM7000 is very good for, I must admit.

The price in the UK is very competitive with other sound decoders although some have reported longevity issues.

Personally, Im sticking to Loksound decoders and, when I switch over to DCC Ex, will use the EngineDriver app.

[SRman]

I tried one, an 8-pin version, initially in a Hornby 4 VEP EMU. The sounds were surprisingly good, once I had actually got them on the decoder (it's a little torturous doing so). The electric traction motor sounds were among the best I have heard. However, the synchronisation is not so great, with the traction sounds persisting sometimes after even a fairly gentle stop.

After that, I put the decoder into a class 73 electro-diesel, where it remains now. The sounds are, again, quite good.

As with any brand of sound decoder, playing around with different speakers can improve things further.

The down side of Hornby's HM7000 decoders is that there is no way to remap functions, which means you can't bring them into line with other sound decoders in your collection/fleet, or get them to operate features like extra lighting on some high-end models. For the price, though, they represent excellent value for money; they don't have all the abilities of the more expensive, high-end decoders from ESU and Zimo (among others), but at the price you can buy two of the Hornby ones for every one of the others if you shop around a bit.

[centenary]

The down side of Hornby's HM7000 decoders is that there is no way to remap functions, which means you can't bring them into line with other sound decoders in your collection/fleet, or get them to operate features like extra lighting on some high-end models. For the price, though, they represent excellent value for money; they don't have all the abilities of the more expensive, high-end decoders from ESU and Zimo (among others), but at the price you can buy two of the Hornby ones for every one of the others if you shop around a bit.

Yes you can change the function map on HM7000although I havent done this myself.

Step-by-step guide to remapping a function tile

Open the HM | DCC app: and select your locomotive.

Navigate to Locomotive Settings.
Click on the Functions tab to view the function map.
Tap a function tile: (e.g., Function 1) to open the Edit Function page.
Change the function's details :

Name: Rename the function (e.g., "Brake" for F27).

Function Number: Change the F-number to your desired value (e.g., F27).
Button Type: Select the button type (e.g., Switch).
Icon: Change the icon to a more appropriate image.

Save your changes: by tapping the Back button to return to the Function Map screen.

Other ways to manage function maps

Import a Sound Profile:
You can import a pre-made function map associated with a specific sound profile. This is useful for quickly setting up all functions for a particular locomotive type.

Rearrange Tiles:
You can also rearrange the order of the function tiles on a page by holding your finger on a tile and dragging it to the desired position.

For advanced users

CV Editor:
For more in-depth control, use the Advanced CV Editor to modify individual configuration variables directly.

[SRman]

Thanks for that info, Centenary. I had asked Hornby, and they said it couldn't be done, at the time. They have been progressively adding features, though, so maybe this was one of the improvements.

[centenary]

Thanks for that info, Centenary. I had asked Hornby, and they said it couldn't be done, at the time. They have been progressively adding features, though, so maybe this was one of the improvements.

Happy to have helped!

Yes, Im think they added the remapping functionality when they release the improved consist update.