Kevin, Phoenix will reprogram those old boards for like, $25, but in my last communication with their Jim Calahan, I was told there’s only so much they can do, which is probably OK since I’m not a demanding guy and don’t need much more than the basic sounds. Well, alright, I am, but not this time. Anyway, it’s a pity because there is a lot of stuff (sounds) in them chips. For example, with the Doppler effect, you could maybe replicate drifting or something.
BTW, I did unearth all of my original Phoenix literature and it says (quote), “as the engine reaches medium to high speed the crossing whistle blows. If you want to blow the whistle again, slow the engine speed slightly and pick it up again and the crossing whistle will blow again.”
This is the function I mentioned in my post. For the life of me I can’t get it to work, which is why I went down the “more battery equals more speed” route. Maybe it’s about track voltage, because those old Phoenix units don’t seem to come to life fully until they reach a certain voltage, which is why, maybe, the system came with an auxiliary 6-volt battery, which kept the power up until there was enough juice coming from the track. I’m talkin’ out my okole here, but it sounds right, don’t it? Of course, the crossing whistle, bell and doppler effect can be triggered by a magnet, which I have done in the past, but what’s the fun in that?
I tried to learn what the Aristo part numbers are for the various receivers and all I could find is that the main one is a 5490. And as luck would have it, I threw away my old Aristo catalog, so I don’t know what the auxiliary receiver’s part number is–the one that triggers the whistle, bell, etc. Anyway, I’m thinkin’ if Vince Morgan is still in business, I’ll check with him and see if he still has one of those as he seems to have saved everything he ever had in his inventory.
Or maybe I’ll call Phoenix tomorrow, 'cause I have other questions.