Hornby HM7040 Bluetooth Legacy Dongle | Digital Wireless Control

[@stevejh6630]

Bought a 7040 dongle a few months ago (plugged into a Select and app on Android) and it has rejuvenated my enthusiasm. All but one loco is non-bluetooth and all the "legacy"-fitted chips work fine. Add a basic function map and edit it to suit the individual loco. No more trying to remember what function number to enter to achieve something, all there on the display! No more trying to remember what the loco number is either, set a picture for each! A real joy running locos, not checking lists. Yes, you still have to modify CVs via controller but the amount of time spent doing that is negligible compared to actual running.

[@marcdempsey5850]

Hi Rob, well that is yet another positive step forward for Hornby Digital control. Remote access to the elite & select controller and all those possible options. I recall there was an option to use iPhone or iPad but that again was at cost; this appears to be much better. Be interested to see how this dongle takes to those who use the Hornby elite & select. Great video. All best Marc from Leighton Buzzard

[@EdwardSaul-kb9wn]

Well, This is an absolute game changer. best thing i have bought in years. Cannot praise it enough. Thanks.

[@LittleWicketRailway]

Agreed, very useful but of kit.

[@treinenliefde]

Quite a handy option. Although I don't need a wireless system, making a dongle that should in theory connect to all RJ11/RJ12 compatible systems is a smart move and is in my opinion much more practical than installing HM7000 decoders.

[@shanehandcock3009]

Excellent video - got me thinking I could use it in my ROCO/Flieschmann Z21 unit. Plugged the dongle into the Xbus port at the front of the Z21. Works a treat controlling multiple DCC locos via the App through dongle into Z21-- and so easy to do too! Game changer !!

[@johnsinclair8253]

Great help !Thanks

[@LittleWicketRailway]

Glad it helped!

[@DavidJones-hd1jj]

One thing not mentioned in the setup paperwork is that the app has Select and Elite modes on account of the Select's limited addressing capability. I do not know what the practical result is.

[@brucewoods9377]

I use DCC-EX ++ and it is great. But then I don’t know if it is compatible with the new Hornby Bluetooth Decoders

[@LittleWicketRailway]

DCC-EX will work with Hornby decoders. They're just like normal decoders, but with the extra option to control them directly via the app.

[@brucewoods9377]

@@LittleWicketRailway yes I know as I have a number of TTS and non-TTS Hornby decoders running off Blue Tooth through DCC-EX ++. It’s these new Hornby Blue Tooth decoders I’m interested in. Can they be programmed via JMRI, and run through DCC-EX ++ and Engine driver on my iPads?

[@DavidJones-hd1jj]

If you are using DCC-EX then it is the command station you are controlling with Bluetooth, not the decoders. I have not tried setting up an HM7000 decoder through DCC-EX as it is easier to just use the app, but I presume you could do it with the board in DCC mode.

[@scs.modelrailway]

Would this work on NCE powercab?

[@DevonGeorge85]

I could not get on with this dongle. Just didn't seem to work properly. I suspect it something I'm not doing right but even with hornby's help I couldn't see what it was.

[@LittleWicketRailway]

It won't be for everyone. Hopefully you were able to return for a refund 👍

[@eurovnik]

Compatibility with other XpressNet devices is poor on the two I've tried. The dongle doesn't work at all with a Roco 10764 and Multimaus. And it doesn't support long addresses on a Lenz LZV100/LH90. Both of those command stations work fine with all other XpressNet devices. E.g. I can use the Lenz throttle on the Roco and vice versa. Disappointing and shortsighted by Hornby to just ignore the potential sales to non-Hornby XpressNet devices. For less cost than the dongle you can put together a whole DCC-EX Command Station with superior functionality. I'd go that route to get WiFi control if I had to choose.

[@HighFell]

This has been discussed in various situations and the issue is ExpressNet is not a consistent specification, manufacturers have all gone and done different things with it and so for Hornby to attempt to make their dongle compatible with non standard non Hornby control systems is close on impossible due to IP protections. ExPressNet is not covered by strict NMRA protocols sadly.

[@shanehandcock3009]

It works fine on my Z21 plugged dongle in the XBus port at the front of the Z21

[@ivovanzon164]

Well that's because the 10764 doesn't generate it's own waveform and uses some non standard tricks to get the signal from the controller to the track. The connection on the Hornby controller is practically the slave port of the basic Roco unit with the master unit being the device itself. On the Roco unit this task is delegated to whatever is connected to the master port.

[@eurovnik]

@@ivovanzon164 @ivovanzon164 So the dongle should work when plugged into the 10764's slave port when the Multimaus is plugged into the master port. Just like the Lenz throttle does and the Z21 dongle made by MXion does. Poor by Hornby.

[@eurovnik]

@@HighFell then why are the Lenz and Roco throttles totally interoperable and why does the similar Z21 dongle made by MXion work fine? Whereas the Hornby one doesn't. Suggests the issue is Hornby's implementation of XpressNet, not anyone else's.

[@johnwalker914]

Wonder if it will work on Railmaster and e-link?.

[@Haymarket47]

I’m pretty sure it doesn’t

[@VictoryWorks]

Apparently not, which is a shame. They could actually update Railmaster to use bluetooth functionality already on the PC it is installed on (if it has it inbuilt or with a basic dongle), but I think Hornby have pretty much given up updating RM now as it's had nothing since 2021

[@brat96th]

ELink doesn't have an Xpressnet socket so the dongle is not applicable.

[@johnwalker914]

@@brat96th Thanks for replying. I've just come home from vacation so will crawl under the table tomorrow and see what I can see.

[@brat96th]

@@VictoryWorks -Hornby doesn't have anything to do with RM, as it is supported by the 3rd party sub contractor that wrote it originally. Hornby only supports the hardware not the software.

[@wapphigh5250]

sure but it doesn't work with everyones else way better DCC control set up's like NCE and Digitrax just Hornby's crappy 1980's (over 40 yr old now) DCC control - go figure. So why is it a game changer when it doesn't support more than 95% of the DCC control systems on the market?

[@LittleWicketRailway]

If you use a Hornby system (and a lot of people will) then it's a relatively cheap way of getting wireless control of locos with standard decoders fitted. It may also work with some other systems that support Xpressnet, so potentially Lenz. Obviously Hornby aren't going to develop a system for another brand's technology. A quick Google suggests adding wifi control to NCE costs around £80 and Digitrax is similar, so Hornby need some credit for doing it for half the price.