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Tech Tips
Dave Bodnar
Electronics & the Children's Hospital Layout
The new layout at Children's Hospital has a number of sophisticated and
not-so-sophisticated electronic features that make it more
interesting for visitors of all ages.
The most apparent feature is a set of 8 buttons that are evenly spaced along
the platform's skirt. From left to right they
perform the following functions:
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Start the main line train
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Activate the pony ring animation (with sound)
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Activate the lion roaring sound and illuminate the
blinking lights within the circus tent
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Play one of four circus sounds from the monkey band
platform (repeatedly pressing the button switches from one sound to the
other)
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Start the two carousels along with the sounds of
children laughing
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Activate the prairie dog / meerkat animation along with
the sounds of birds in the nearby tree
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Convince the elephant to lift his head and trunk as he
trumpets loudly
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Start the Mr. Rogers Trolley on its point-to-point run
An attentive observer will note that the main line train
starts out after an announcer says "Train Leaving on Track 1 - All
Aboard!". After a few laps of the layout it always decelerates smoothly
and stops right at the station.
Mr. Rogers Trolley always starts out from its main station with a "beep beep
beep" that will be familiar to all who remember the
TV show.
The sound effects are produced by a number of small MP3 p | 