Are LGB sounds and "Aristocraft" Revolution compatible?

seigezapf

Registered
28 Oct 2015
130
81
76
Southern Colorado
Best answers
0
Country flag
I recently purchased an LGB 69232 sound tender to hook up to a 2-4-0 (20232) locomotive. I put a battery under the coal load and hooked the loco and tender together. No sound.

My track is powered by a 24 volt battery run through a "Aristocraft/Crest" Revolution receiver.

I am wondering if the type of power on my track is not compatible with the LGB sound.
 

beavercreek

Travel, Art, Theatre, Music, Photography, Trains
24 Oct 2009
17,704
705
Colchester, United Kingdom
www.facebook.com
Best answers
0
Country flag
Your battery would be delivering linear DC so no problem there.
Is the Revolution receiver is the larger trackside 'base station' version.
Although this should not cause any problem with the sound..is your 'base station' a linear version or a PWC version?

If you are talking about the smaller 'onboard' Revolution receiver, then have you got the sound unit cables coming from the receiver motor outputs?
The onboard receivers give out PWC but this in theory should not cause problems with the LGB sound board unless it is of an age and it only likes linear DC...
 

seigezapf

Registered
28 Oct 2015
130
81
76
Southern Colorado
Best answers
0
Country flag
Thanks for your comments. The receiver is an onboard receiver (Crest) but it isn't onboard. It is in a plastic project box next to my battery (24 volt wheelchair battery). I control it with a Crest Revolution TE transmitter. It is about 4 years old.

I don't know the age of the sound tender or how to test it off-track. There could be other problems other than the power supply - the locomotive, the tether, the LGB sound board (though the tender was described as new).

UPDATE: I figured it out - at least on my test track. First all the 20230 was not designed for sound, so the switch on the boiler was set to the wrong number. That should have been obvious, but the obvious often escapes me. Second, and more important, the tether I used was already on the locomotive. The 69232, however, uses a special tether in which the wiring for four of the five wires are relocated in the pin (see top connector in photo). Of course as you can see this tether was labeled 69232. As I said earlier about the obvious. I should note that the tether only works when installed with the re-wired connector on the tender side.



I am not sure if the 20230 has a chuff sensor or if this work on my Aristocraft mediated outdoor track.
 
Last edited:

Dan

Registered
28 Jan 2010
656
52
Eastern MA, USA
Best answers
0
Country flag
The 9 volt battery under the coal loadon the 69232 is for backup sound only. The sound board originally got its power from the track via the cable from the engine.
Engine switch had to be on the highest setting (to the right) for motor, lights, smoke, sound to all work.
When using pulsed power, many LGB sound units and digital boards may have issues. You need linear power for many engines with sound units or other electronics. Aristo did design their engines for pulsed power, others did not!!
 

seigezapf

Registered
28 Oct 2015
130
81
76
Southern Colorado
Best answers
0
Country flag
Thanks for that info. I see that revoelectronics has an inexpensive PWC to Linear board with a PWC input and a Linear output. But it looks to only be rated at 0.5A. I do not think that would work for my purposes. Then there is a "plug and play" board (57079) that does the same conversion with a higher 5 amp rating. I can't immediately tell whether I could hook that in line between my receiver and the track or whether I would need to involve another receiver plugged directly into the board. Aristocraft did make a board (57091) for the purpose of converting trackside pwm to linear but I don't see that board to be available any more.

The 69232 works OK with PWC power. I may have other equipment that will need linear power so I think I'll try out that plug and play board.