Model Railway Forum

My initial concerns are:
1) my bluetooth is already paired with my watch for fitness monitoring - that will have to be dropped as, as far as I understand it, bluetootih can only communicate with one device at a time
2) how quickly will the bluetooth switch between locos/decoders given that, as above, bluetooth will need to switch because of being able to communicate with one device at a time.
3) related to 2- if running double headed, how will bluetooth be able to communicate with two devices at once? With DCC it is either programmed into the controller or two decoders have the same address (temporarily), again, as I understand consists/double heading

Other questions will obviously come to mind before they're actually available in 2090!

I read somewhere that the latest form of bluetooth can connect to multiple devices. I don’t have any more info.

As I understand it Bluetooth can communicate with multiple devices simultaneously. It certainly does in our house.

Does this help?

https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/new ... CGUJyAr8pU

R-

Im so pleased i will not need it.

And me Brian. Exceedingly pleased.

Each decoder is linked to the app and each acts as a node which in a mesh all talk to each other, hence if one loses contact the others find it and help it to mesh again.
Double heading is not yet supported by the app but it is on the list of things to do, although the new decoders support double heading.

Going off at a slight tangent here but a question that is asked from time to time is which TTS decoder will fit my xxx class loco as I don't want to pay through the nose for an expensive decoder. The usual response is that as Hornby don't produce a TTS decoder for that class, try to get close by matching the number of cylinders and the region where the loco was made.

There is a screenshot Rob produced on the Hornby forum that shows the interim list of sound files available which has some new locos listed (W1 hush hush) as well as some old files where the decoder hasn't been available for some time (4F) . Odd that the J36 is missing even though the model is still in production.
One of the selling points of the new system is the unlimited number of times a decoder can be loaded with a sound file giving the user the chance to sample sounds before picking a close match.
Perhaps an easier way would be for Hornby to make a sample of each file available as a play only file for comparison purposes.

Another extension of the system is that with 8 pin, 21 pin and Next18 decoders being available it will be possible to use them in other makers products - I plan to find a close match for a V2 to bring sound to my Bachman version in due course using 21 pin TXS decoder rather than cobbling a TTS and an adapter plate together.

Steve M wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 12:01 am …… an easier way would be for Hornby to make a sample of each file available as a play only file for comparison.

Good idea Steve, we’ll pass that up the line, unless you have already?
R-

RogerB wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 6:54 am

Steve M wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 12:01 am …… an easier way would be for Hornby to make a sample of each file available as a play only file for comparison.

Good idea Steve, we’ll pass that up the line, unless you have already?
R-

I'd not thought of suggesting it direct to Hornby. SK probably wouldn't take my call if I tried.

Walkingthedog wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 5:43 pm I read somewhere that the latest form of bluetooth can connect to multiple devices. I don’t have any more info.

Apparently Bluetooth 4 and later can by creating a mesh.
It seems my knowledge of Bluetooth was 10 years out of date as this has been around for that long.

So to make this work you need a device supporting Bluetooth 4 or later, no using that tablet stashed away in the cupboard!