Aristo Revolution system your thoughts and experience

[Cliff George]

to be honest DCC as we know it will be killed of the minute someone comes up with a chip that works via wifi or bluetooth

I'm not sure I agree with that. bluetooth probably doesn't have the range needed (at least in our scale) and wifi as we know it today is very power hungry. Zigbee (does the Revolution use that?) probably has the range and lower power, but is lower throughput also.

Maybe it is a good idea to change DCC and separate the command stream to the decoders from the power to drive the motors, lights etc, but I see that as an evolution of DCC not a completely new system. Power could then come from the rails, or batteries.

 

[Cliff George]

According to the Massoth forum the DRC 300 isn't going to be out until next year. There also doesn't seem to be any documentation available yet, although there is a basic question and answer document, with circuit diagrams, also available on the Massoth forum.

 

[whatlep]

Can someone give UK prices (and where from) for one controller and three locos fitted with Revolution chips for battery power (no need for smoke, but lights definitely wanted)?

Also, can more than one controller be in use simultaneously to control the loco fleet if required, or is each loco tied to a particular controller (linked?)?

 

[mike]

so, if i turn up with myloco, will it run on your aristo revolution powered track?

 

[Tony]

Can someone give UK prices (and where from) for one controller and three locos fitted with Revolution chips for battery power (no need for smoke, but lights definitely wanted)?

Also, can more than one controller be in use simultaneously to control the loco fleet if required, or is each loco tied to a particular controller (linked?)?

You can shop around but Peter Sporerer does a revo controler and one chip for £240 extra chips are £75- £90 http://www.peterspoerermodelengineers.com/90275/info.php?p=2
he also does complete Battery kits but as with everything its best to shop around even in the states where the prices are even further apart

Tony

 

[Tony]

so, if i turn up with myloco, will it run on your aristo revolution powered track?

No but thats my point you are limited to running on A DCC powered track only and when you get there you will have to reprogram it to run on the owners base station


Tony

 

[Tony]

Also, can more than one controller be in use simultaneously to control the loco fleet if required, or is each loco tied to a particular controller (linked?)?

I have three handsets each has all the locos preprogramed.......... i have never turn more than one on at a time so i dont know what would happen but the options for each loco...speed steps,, braking,, sounds smoke etc are stored along with its name, running number etc all you would need to do is press the link button on the loco and the controler at the same time and that controler would be the default for that loco so 2 controlers could be used at the same time but i dont think they could be linked to the same locos together which would be pointless any way wouldnt it
I will try tommorrow and see what happens
Tony

 

[whatlep]

so, if i turn up with myloco, will it run on your aristo revolution powered track?

No but thats my point you are limited to running on A DCC powered track only and when you get there you will have to reprogram it to run on the owners base station


Tony

I don't understand that last comment Tony. If I take one of my LGB MTS fitted locos to another railway, it will run in analogue mode on a non-DCC line and very happily on any other DCC system with no reprogramming required unless another loco in use at the same time has the same loco id. I have proved both many times on other GSCers lines.

 

[whatlep]

(snip) all you would need to do is press the link button on the loco and the controler at the same time and that controler would be the default for that loco so 2 controlers could be used at the same time but i dont think they could be linked to the same locos together which would be pointless any way wouldnt it
I will try tommorrow and see what happens
Tony

Thanks Tony. I guess I have a lack of imagination on this one as DCC enables control of a chip to be moved between controllers (i.e. drivers) dynamically whereas I'd understood all the 2.4GHz systems to have fixed linkage between a single controller and chip. I'll be interested to hear what happens if two controllers are simultaneously on and both have been linked to the same locos.

 

[Tony]

so, if i turn up with myloco, will it run on your aristo revolution powered track?

No but thats my point you are limited to running on A DCC powered track only and when you get there you will have to reprogram it to run on the owners base station


Tony

I don't understand that last comment Tony. If I take one of my LGB MTS fitted locos to another railway, it will run in analogue mode on a non-DCC line and very happily on any other DCC system with no reprogramming required unless another loco in use at the same time has the same loco id. I have proved both many times on other GSCers lines.

Yes i take your point but on analogue your loco will only run as controled by the voltage given to the track all of its other fuctions
wont work as they would on DCC As for reprograming ive only seen a couple of DCC tracks il admit but each time the visting loco spent ages trying to link to the host system and in one case the owner just gave up.... i appolojise if that was not the norm
Tony

 

[Bram]

Can someone give UK prices (and where from) for one controller and three locos fitted with Revolution chips for battery power (no need for smoke, but lights definitely wanted)?

Also, can more than one controller be in use simultaneously to control the loco fleet if required, or is each loco tied to a particular controller (linked?)?

Hi Peter,The price in UK is C £250 and the includes a TX and receiver, that's if you can get them. It is best to buy from USofA.
Yes you can use more than one TX to control the fleet, there is a Knack to linking though

 

[Tony]

Yes you can use more than one TX to control the fleet, there is a Knack to linking though

Bram do tell more please

Tony

 

[Tony Walsham]

I am sure that if the battery R/C adaptor from Massoth was actually available we would have it being crowed about from way on high.

 

[whatlep]

Thanks Bram and Tony for the prices. If I've understood correctly, the kit required would work out as:
£430 for 1 controller and 3 chips/ locos (£250 + two £90s) = about £143 per loco
£610 for 1 controller and 5 chips/ locos = about £122 per loco

Remembering that my interest is purely battery-power related (and I also confess to interest at the techno-geek level!), the prices per loco seem to be in the same ballpark as the Cliff Barker system I use now for battery control, though with much more upfront cost. Against that, the Aristocraft controller obviously has more features. Decisions, decisions!

 

[Tony]

I found this Guys site on the interweb last night from searching on youtube....... he does a plug in board so that you can control servos with a Revo transmiter that in its self is very intresting if you want to control something mechanicly with a revo handset (like live steam locos) but look at his other "home made stuff" he sells..... i think the bloke is a buddy marvel.... I love the IR distance detector (eggliner) and the controlable reverse unit... and auto crossing
youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G_FlOu6GpM
His home page
http://www.trainelectronics.com/products.htm

Tony

 

[beavercreek]

I found it here for £69:
http://www.gardenrailwaycentres.info/shop/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=2532

Alec.

I seem to have seen it the wrong way on the Massoth site! I thought that it said 300EU or 300US Whoooops
At £69 quid it does seem like a good value way to make DCC into RC. But it will be available next year it seems

 

[bunnyrabbit03]

As I mentioned earlier on, Greg's website does answer many of the questions asked (and he is not pro Aristo et all):

http://www.elmassian.com/trains-mai...e-control-mainmenu-32/aristo-rc/revolution-te < Link To http://www.elmassian.com/...risto-rc/revolution-te


I just dislike the proprietary nature of the system. Example: sound. Why come up with your own sound modules rather than go for an industry standard SUSI interface? You might be able to connect basic sound systems to the Revolution through wiring etc., but not advanced ones.

 

[beavercreek]

Yes I see where you are coming from regards the sound. Phoenix do say that their board is fully compatible and are working on how to use all the functions through the Revo chip.

I think that Greg's review was good and very thorough but he was a little harsh as he directed a lot at the track power problems and the large size of the capacitor board to overcome them.
I really see the revo as a more flexible and controllable form of RC for battery. Although I would like to be able to say that it is a really usable track power alternative to DCC or even old TE, I do not really think that it is an alternative to those unless you have large locos (with internal space for the cap board and the chip) or scrupulously clean track with no problem dead sections (like point frogs etc.

As I just want to have a brace or three locos batteried up and be able to use them when I do not want to clean track for normal running. I saw the Revo system in operation at Tony's, was impressed with its control features and I managed to get the Revo handset and three chips for 200 on ebay, so I think that it is a good solution for me in this situation. Would I change everything, including all the track power to Revo (even ignoring the fact that I have DCC waiting in the wings) then my answer would probably be no. But for battery...yes....if that makes sense 8|

 

[spike]

operation at Tony's, was impressed with its control features and I managed to get the Revo handset and three chips for 200 on ebay, so I think that it is a good solution for me in this situation. Would I change everything, including all the track power to Revo (even ignoring the fact that I have DCC waiting in the wings) then my answer would probably be no. But for battery...yes....if that makes sense 8|

I was deliberating on those on ebay but could'nt make my mind up.
Looking at reviews the Revo looks easy to operate, particular like the way they name locos.
Anyways good choice me thinks, Mike!

 

[bunnyrabbit03]

As I just want to have a brace or three locos batteried up and be able to use them when I do not want to clean track for normal running. I saw the Revo system in operation at Tony's, was impressed with its control features and I managed to get the Revo handset and three chips for 200 on ebay, so I think that it is a good solution for me in this situation. Would I change everything, including all the track power to Revo (even ignoring the fact that I have DCC waiting in the wings) then my answer would probably be no. But for battery...yes....if that makes sense 8|

Hi Mike,

Yes, of course, ultimately everyone has different needs.

There is, by the way, a very interesting thread on an open source WiFi implementation project on the German Spassbahn Forum (if you can read German):

http://www.spassbahn.de/forum/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=9 < Link To http://www.spassbahn.de/f...=Thread&threadID=9

Very long, very technical, but possibly the future.