It all depends on if you want to run Analogue or DC or DCC the last two the locos will need a receiver in stalling in them with Analogue its basic track power the choice is yours and how deep your pockets are. Hope this helps
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The aristo revolution can be installed in a loco and control lights and smoke.
However, there is a 15 amp trackside unit available and can be used like your 27mhz xmitter receiver.
I do not have one, but would ask others if there is a linear mode or option for this unit.
Hi Pennsy.....,
I am going to make three assumptions: I hope I am correct in them.
The first is that you have the 27Mhz. Train Engineer, the second being that it is in a black case and not the "Basic" version which has an orange coloured case and finally that you are based in North America.
Assuming my assumptions are correct I might suggest that you contact some of the better stocked American large scale dealers. I mention two that could, indeed, have stocks of the TE receivers you want. One is based in Annapolis MD, the other in Broomhall PA. You can PM me for full details: it may be against Forum etiquette to name them here.
Some months ago I decided to operate some of my locos using batteries. Consequently I needed a couple of extra TE receivers. I managed to obtain one here in the UK but the other I sourced in the form of a trailing car which I purchased from the Annapolis, MD, store.
If you don't need to operate using a trailing car you can easily remove the TE Rx from the car (typically an Aristo stock car). You say that this is to be a "spare" in the event of a failure of one of your existing units. In that instance you would have a spare case from the defunct TE Rx.
I hope this helps you.
Alan, Oliver & North Fork Railroad
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If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. Lewis Carroll English author & recreational mathematician (1832 - 1898)
The Aristocraft/Crest line is only made by Aristo and I know of no other receiver that will work with that system.
Revolution is in the same category.
When dealing with wireless control, only DCC gave a standard in that all decoders can work on all command/central stations.
Other than that, only analog has all engines working on all DC supplies.
So, when a company no longer makes a product, or goes out of business, you are in deep caca!!
I have seen a few of the 27 MHz Train Engineers on ebay if you can get on that. And regarding this Train Engineer (27mhz), it does allow you to set PWM or linear for the output, something the Revolution does not do at this time.
Ed
There are 3 different versions of the 27mhz receiver, and only the plastic case unit has the linear selection.
The 5490 on board and the ooriginal metal case receivers are pwm only. Also, all of the other receivers (75 mhz, basic TE, revolution) are pwm only at this time.
The new revo is supposed to have a linear mode, but not available at this time.
And the revo has an add on board for linear, but they used 2 back to back polarized capacitors which in my opinion is not good as the caps divide the voltage and one would have power reversed. If there is a diode inside the cap then it might be ok but the cap still would have a small amount of reversed voltage.
I would never use a unit like this in my trains without making sure the capacitors had a diode for reverse polarity protection which I would add myself.
Pennsy
There are thousands of the earlier versions of the Aristo train engineer (27mhz) in use in the market place today. They are very dependable, and service for these transmitters and receivers is still available directly from Crest. It is constantly available on ebay, and many dealers still have inventory. So relax, and contact old Aristo dealers for new stock. You can also post on the Aristo forum,(it still exists), and ask advice direct from a large knowledge base.
All the above comments are excellent.
Re. eBay: I saw a Train Engineer unit on ebay (US) less than a month ago (~US$180) so they do appear now and then. Oh BTW search outside the G-Scale category, sometimes they appear in other scales or in the general model railway category. That's where I found mine over a two years ago in Aus and nobody else saw it.
Recently I have been researching the Revolution system with a view to upgrading from the TE. My TE has served me well and i have used it in Linear and PWM mode for all my trains but Im upgrading as I had to replace one of the power mofsets and it has not performed well in PWM mode since. Im still thinking about cracking it open again and having another look as I do like my TE.
My Revo research has led me to teetering on the edge of purchasing the trackside receiver unit and transmitter package as I prefer the simplicity of this option, mainly because I am time poor and it, like the TE, requires zero mod's of the engines. If at a later stage (in retirement) i want to install receivers into the engines I will have that option. Crest has apparently split off from the main Aristocraft business so I hope it manages to keep operating for that long.
On the Crest website (I think that's where I saw it) its says the Revolution runs only in PWM but does not adversely affect non-PWM engines. I have not seen any reason during my train running using the TE to disagree with them on this. I have used PWM on an Aristo Rogers(native PWM), a Stainz and a Bachmann 2 truck Shay. All run well and their lights turn on long before moving off. However if you have sound cards the PWM can affect them. I have a white noise steam sound generator from Mr Rails (UK) that runs at full speed on PWM so I was about to purchase (Crest) or make a PWM to Linear converter to put in between it and the track power but havent got around to it yet. Hence I run the TE in Linear mode most of the time when I have the steam sound wagon on the track.
I hope this helps and if anyone disagrees with me on anything regarding the Revo system i will be pleased to accept your wisdom.
In the past, it was the LGB sound units and original MTS decoders that did not like pulsed power.
No longer being made, the old Sierra sound units did not like pulsed power or unfiltered DC.
Actually if you are planning to use the "trackside" Revolution receiver, it now offers the option of using either linear OR PWM, selectable from the transmitter. Since you are leaning this way, this should solve your PWM concerns.
It is the next shipment of revo trackside receivers that will have linear.
To date, linear is not available.
The transmitter does have a linear function, but does nothing at this time.
Good point, Dan. I noted that it was "out of stock" so figured it was a mute point. However, I am sure that some of the vendors have the older models in stock, so it isn't "mute".
Thanks for pointing that out.
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