So I finally got around to installing the Revolution with sound into my K-27…Easy as pie!
Except…No lights, none. No markers, cabs, fire box, or headlights.
I seem to recall hearing of this before, is there an easy fix or am I hosed? I used to run the non-sound board with track-power (tender mounted reciever) with no problems.
If you are installing battery power and a Revolution receiver with steam sounds in a Bachmann locomotive with a Plug and Play socket, you may find the lights do not work. A quick fix is to leave the Bachmann DC/DCC board in the Plug and Play socket, and install the Revolution Receiver with steam sounds with its adapter board on foam above the DC/DCC board. The battery pack would be wired through a switch to the INPUT screw terminals of the adapter board to power the receiver. The MOTOR (output) terminals on the adapter board would be wired to the battery screw terminals on the Bachmann Plug and Play printed circuit board.
(http://ovgrs.editme.com/files/BachmannK27/PickUp.jpg)
The receiver would then power and control both the motor and lights of the locomotive.
If you have a Revolution receiver with sounds that has ceased to function, you may have blown the surface mounted 5-amp fuse on the bottom of it. The fuse can be tested for continuity using an Ohm meter or multimeter.
(http://ovgrs.editme.com/files/Home/RevolutionFuse.jpg)
Replacement fuses are available from Mouser Electronics, or Digi-Key Corporation, or Digi-Key Canada under the manufacturer’s part number 0437005.WR for the 5-amp, 32-volt version and 0437008.WR for the 8-amp, 32-volt version.
If you are not comfortable removing and installing surface mounted components, send the receiver for repair to:
Aristo-Craft Trains
Attention: Navin
698 South 21st Street
Irvington, NJ 07111-4109
U.S.A.
Tel: 973-351-9800
The sounds work fine…As a mater of fact everything worked with the old ‘non-sound’ Revo board.
I did find this…
http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/afv/topic/aff/35/aft/126914/Default.aspx
I may try the jumpers and pray that no “magic smoke” appears!
Though I must admit Paul your “simple solution” sounds pretty simple to me! May just go that rout. I did find one of the screw terminals for the battery input on the Bachmann board was “non-functional” and I had to directly solder to the PCB on the back-side.
The problem is that all the Bachmann locomotives that have a socket require DC power be fed through the item in the socket. While this is true for all DCC ann other RC units, it is not true of all the Revolution products.
A good check to see if you have DC power in the locomotive is to listen to the fan in the locomotive. If you hear the fan all is well, no fan no DC power.
If you are using Battery power simply connect the + and - of the battery to the + and gnd solder pads in the tender. If using track power install a rectifier with the input leads the track and the output + - to the locomotive’s + and gnd solder pads in the tender.
Hope that helps.
Stan
Stan, if I follow your suggestion would that not require placing the power-source switch in the “Track” position?
What I find beyond infuriating is the complete lack of information provided by both Bachmann and Aristo…Shame on both of them! Common problem, offer a solution to your customers. Seriously poor customer service from both.
Mark.
With respect.
As Stan has said, the Bachmann socket works flawlessly with DCC and other PnP ESC’s such as my RCS # PRO-PnP.
Why should the onus be on Bachmann to solve a design fault of the Revolution pcb?
Tony,
If it is common knowledge that a highly popular receiver does not work with a highly popular product then a company truly concerned with customer service would have easy access to the solution on their website.
Do they need to?..No. Should they?..Yes. That’s the thing many companies miss, they forget that customer service goes beyond dropping a product on the customers lap but should extend to helping a customer use a product in a common and expected manner. As an engineer I am constantly required to assist my customers as they incorporate our products into other systems, goes with the territory.
I did find a “tidbit” on the Bachmann site under “Hybrid Drive Operation”. I suppose it would have killed them to add “or with Revo sound equipped receivers”. EDIT: Don’t do this…You’ll blow the fuze on the Revo board.
FYI, I followed the directions in the link copied in my 3rd post…Cannot say I’d recoment that to anyone else. While there was no “magic smoke”, the Revo board is also now entirely dead. Guess I should have left the non-sound version in place.
Hmm…if all other products work and a new version of the revolution does not, yes, the manufacturer would be wise to correct the problem.
The manufacturer is Aristo. I cannot see how you think Bachmann should fix a problem caused by Aristo, who apparently had it working before they changed something?
Some new Aristo locomotives have a bad socket… should I call the manufacturer of a plug in board and insist they correct what Aristo broke?
To extend the analogy, you bought a new Ford, works fine… you buy a set of custom wheels, very expensive. Next year you buy a new Ford aand the wheels no longer fit, much to your chagrin, they changed the location of one lug from being equally spaced. Do you call the wheel manufacturer and insist modify your wheels to meet the now non standard design?
Greg
Mark V said:
Though I must admit Paul your “simple solution” sounds pretty simple to me! May just go that rout. I did find one of the screw terminals for the battery input on the Bachmann board was “non-functional” and I had to directly solder to the PCB on the back-side.
I found the battery screw terminals on the Bachmann PnP circuit board were not the same quality as Phoenix Contact screw terminals, so I replaced them. They have unusual 3.8mm spacing between the pins, and are available from the Digi-Key Corporation, or Digi-Key Canada under the manufacturer’s part number 1727010.
(http://ovgrs.editme.com/files/P8SoundK27/P804.jpg)
I also added Phoenix Contact screw terminals for the P8 wiring. The ones for the green power wires and the orange and gray motor speed (voltage) sensing wires also have unusual 3.8mm spacing between the pins.
This particular locomotive did not have a rear light on the tender, and Doug preferred to have the headlight on in both directions. To accomplish this, the grounds for both the front headlight (solder pad J1:4) and the rear headlight (solder pas J1:9) must have a jumper soldered across them. In this installation terminal blocks were soldered across all the six pads from J1:4 to J1:9 to fasten the orange and black wires for the chuff activation circuit, and the jumper wire for the headlight grounds.
The terminal blocks are available from the Digi-Key Corporation, or Digi-Key Canada under the manufacturer’s part number 1725669 for the three-position or 1725698 for the six-position.
Greg,
“Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction”.
Taken from the internet as a result of a Google search for “Customer Service”. No Greg, I do not expect Bachmann to fix the problem…I DO expect them to post a note about the problem on their web-site as there is an apparent easy fix requiring very little work. It would “enhance” the customer experience. As I mentioned earlier by way of explanation, as an engineer I am often asked to integrate my products with someone else’s system.
Aristo clearly needs to post the same on their website as primary.
Of course if you’d like to use your vast knowledge of all things “G-scale” perhaps you’d like to offer a suggestion to help?
Paul,
Your assistance is most appreciated. I did as you laid out and kept the Bachmann board in place…works as well as the old non-sound board did. Again, thanks.
I did indeed blow the fuse on the old board as confirmed by meter. A quick jumper shows that is the extent of the damage and new fuses are on the way.
I plan on sending a description of the issue and the resolution to both Bachmann and Aristo, what they do with it is up to them.
Mark V said:
Stan, if I follow your suggestion would that not require placing the power-source switch in the “Track” position?
What I find beyond infuriating is the complete lack of information provided by both Bachmann and Aristo…Shame on both of them! Common problem, offer a solution to your customers. Seriously poor customer service from both.
Mark
If you are using battery power keep the switch in the battery position and also connect the locomotive ± to the battery ±
If you are using track power keep the switch in the track power position and use the rectifier.
I share your frustration. Aristocraft built a product for their locomotives not for the socket. Hopefully in time they will build a more universial product.
The above suggestion is a general one and I have not tested it with with the sound revolution as I do not have one. I would suggest calling Navin at Aristocraft. He is aware of reported compatibility problems and may have a solution by now.
Stan
“Mark V”,
I cannot argue with your last statement to me, I agree with what you said.
Aristo needs to step up to the plate, especially since they are selling hardware that is used in other products…
But, I’ve unfortunately encountered the “attitude” that the only concern is Aristo hardware in Aristo products.
When Aristo modified the space that is to be reserved around the socket (like in the PCC car and many of their new steamers), they took a “who cares” attitude… so instead of furthering the hobby, they just made sure that their own stuff still works.
It’s too bad that an idea that started as a standard is now more of a private playtoy.
So, I also agree that Bachmann should put up at least a note, since I doubt that Aristo will.
Greg
Greg Elmassian said:
…It’s too bad that an idea that started as a standard is now more of a private playtoy.
That is the most disappointing thing of all. Such a great idea too.
http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/35/aft/126914/afv/topic/Default.aspx
I had the same problem which Kevin Strong was able to solve with a pair of jumper wires, see link and good luck! It really is a great combo when it’s all working!
Thanks John,
Looking at the pictures it appears you may have had the older Revo without sound…Oddly I ran an older one in the ‘K’ prior to installing the sound version and it worked great. When I did the ‘jumpers’ as shown I blew the Revo-w-sound receiver! POOF!
Just a fuse, more on order (I ‘jumpered’ the fuse to prove it out).
I did as Paul Norton suggested and just left the original Bachmann board in place and ran the battery through the Revo Rx to the battery terminals on the Bachmann board.
The “generic” sounds are actually not too bad with that big Bachmann tender acting as a “boom-box”!
interesting, actually the photos are from the original Revo I had installed it was tested and found to be delivered as inoperable (older style without sound). Kevin installed one of his newer ones (with sound) he had on hand and we found that it didn’t have the power to any of the lights and that’s why the jumpers were added. Later I had my bad revo replaced with a new model with sound. It sounds like there has been some different iterations in either the bachmann socket or in the revos themselves (maybe both?) which explains the differences in our operations.
Makes it fun eh Jason?
I will now default to leaving the Bachmann card in place. Funny, this is my first battery install using the “standard socket” and it was a disaster (previous installs used the Revo with track power)…All the others useing the none plug-n-play adapter board worked great. I did get my replacement fuses and the blown Rx is now functioning again…It will go into my battery car.
