Powered Up Train Tacho motor block problem

[sp1984]

Hey

I have Crocodile 10277 fitted with PU train hub and L motor. As controller (and programming editor) I use my smartphone.

I did simple programs in PU applications:

simple program to drive a loco with one slider to set speed in both directions (fwd/rev).

Controller part:

Program blocks part - motor power block:

 

Its simple infinite loop with motor power block controlled by a slider (green one).

Everything works here good.

However I prefer to use tacho motor block as it provides much better speed control - i.e. it maintains set speed especially at lower speeds.

So I did exactly the same program just swapped motor blocks - tacho motor block program:

 

But this program has issues:

while it starts normally it cannot stop and has problems with setting (changing) new speed with a slider.

First program with motor power can be terminated with red squared button in upper right corner (in place of green arrow on attached screens), so in that case locomotive stops.

But that program with tacho motor is not responding to termination with red square button and after trying to terminate it suddenly loses bluetooth connection with hub in locomotive.

Is it some software or hardware issue/error or I just made program in wrong way and should build different program for tacho motor version?

Version of Powered Up app: 3.7.0 (Android).

Kind regards

 

Edited May 21, 2022 by sp1984

[Hod Carrier]

It sounds like a similar problem to one I found about a year ago. There was some in depth discussion and investigation over on this thread which you might find helpful and illustrative. The problem seems to be that there’s a bug in the City Hub which LEGO have yet to deal with. I did raise the issue with them and never heard anything back. 

[JopieK]

Time to open source the firmware so we can help them solve such a problems.

[Lok24]

Yes, a well known issue that makes the complete PU useless in many cases.

It is reported to LEGO long time ago since 3.6.0 Android at least

See if the software Update next week makes a change.

 

[Hod Carrier]

I finally got a reply out of LEGO in response to the issue. After a year of waiting the answer I got was short and succinct. Basically the Large Technic Motor (PN:88013) is only compatible with the Control+ app and not the Powered Up app, or so they say.

So I went and downloaded the Control+ app to see what's what, but it appears that it only comes pre-loaded with control profiles for existing large Technic sets and doesn't have any facility for creating your own custom profiles. Brilliant!!

When morning comes around I shall be sending LEGO a long and distressing missive asking them just what the heck they were thinking releasing a line of products branded as Powered Up that are not fully compatible with the app; an app that, I shall be reminding them, includes programming blocks that take advantage of the tacho motor functions. I will want to drill down more into this issue and see what the truth of it is, because frankly it smells fishier than a Grimsby trawler.

More later...

[Lok24]

11 hours ago, Hod Carrier said:

Basically the Large Technic Motor (PN:88013) is only compatible with the Control+ app and not the Powered Up app, or so they say.

Nope, it works with other programming tools for the Hub, i.E. Pybricks or BAP or others. It is just the City Hub, with the technic Hub it does work.

It's not the Powered up App.

Did  anyone try the new version 3.8.0 released two days ago, if there is a new FW for the Hub??

Edited June 3, 2022 by Lok24

[Hod Carrier]

24 minutes ago, Lok24 said:

Did  anyone try the new version 3.8.0 released two days ago, if there is a new FW for the Hub??

I did update and (briefly) try it. It didn't suggest that it was updating the firmware on the Hub when I connected to it, so I presume it's just alterations to the app.

[sp1984]

Hey

I tried L motor with technic hub and tacho motor function  worked well so it is definitely city hub issue. However I found other bugs in technic hub but it is another story...

[Toastie]

22 hours ago, Hod Carrier said:

so I presume it's just alterations to the app.

But this could do the trick - as I believe the issue is not the City hub's firmware but the communication between hub and app, as other controlling BLE software using the LWP3.0 commands (e.g., Legoino, VB6 with BLE stack) work flawlessly.

Best,
Thorsten 

[Gimmick]

Does this also happen with other speed-related motor-actions?