Large Scale Central

Aristo RS-3 and Train Engineer

General Discussion
#1

About a week ago I picked up an Aristo RS-3 from an estate sale. I expected to be able to plop it on the track and start operating, however the unit has a RCC card added to it. The card is a w6h-24ghzdsm, no other ID on it. Can hardly find any info on it but it seems to be a Crest Train Engineer Revolution 2.4 GHz wireless receiver. I have the earlier AristoCraft Train Engineer system with the ART-5473 transmitter. I have been unable to get the receiver to respond to the controller. I have confirmed the controller is working with the track power receiver that was purchased with it. I suspect that this in an incompatibility between the TE transmitter and the TER receiver, however with Aristo, Crest and Polks GeNext all gone, information seems to be hard to come by. I tried removing the receiver card and the locomotive still would not move under track power (motor switch is turned on.) The light and sound card are working so the unit is getting power. The RS-3 instructions note a plug in the socket where the receiver mounts. That plug was not with the locomotive. Is that what is needed to run the unit from track power only? If so can an equivalent be home made?

I know the original AristoCraft Train engineer system is old and the company is gone, however that’s all I’ve got and there won’t be any money to replace it with a newer system any time soon. I need to either figure out a way to get the card working with the TE I have or a way to bypass it and go back to track power control.

Assistance would be greatly appreciated.

#2

Welcome aboard Christopher, if you go to www.revoelectronics.com you’ll be able to get what you need. The Revolution system has been re-introduce into the market by Precision RC who originally manufactured it for Aristo-Craft and Crest. There are others here that will comment on this subject, but I believe the receiver in your RS-3 will not talk to the older TE system.

I hope this helps.

Chuck

#3

Yes, you can make a shorting plug to run on DC only:

The shorting plug has the outside 4 pins jumpered on each side, and then 5 & 8 jumpered. You can see that the plug can be inserted in any direction.

http://www.elmassian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=562:aristo-dcc-socket&catid=19&Itemid=682

Greg

#4

Chris the old Aristo system ran on 27mhz (I have one of these), the CB radio frequencies. These need long antennas for best operation.

The newer Revolution runs on 2.4 Ghz (This is what many manufacturers went to for a frequency for better range with short antennas).

So you have incompatible items. You need the revolution transmitter to run the receiver.

#5

Chris I would call RLD hobby and ask him for the shorting plug he may have one laying around and be able to help you out.

cheers richard

#6

Chris, I have the plug if you need one.

Nico Corbo

4-Track Engineering

#7

Thanks to everyone for the informative replies. They were very useful.

I do want do clarify one thing. It sounds like there is no compatibility in either direction between TE and TER. Neither controller can mate with receivers in the other system? In other words no backward compatibility with Revolution?

#8

They are not only different protocols, they are completely different frequencies.

The original Train Engineer is old, very old. The Revolution Train Engineer was invented in 2009, that is 8 years ago too…

Completely different animals.

Greg

#9

The TE transmitter that you have operates on 27 mHz. The Revolution in your RS 3 operates on 2.4 gHz, several orders of magnitude higher frequency. That is why they won’t talk to each other. The confusion arises from the fact that they are both called “Train Engineer.”

#10

And for more confusion there is the 75mhz train engineer plus the 27mhz basic unit (orange transmitter and recxeiver)

The orange one is only 2.5 amp and there are no accessories for it. Also this unit does not work if other 27mhz units are transmitting nearby.