Matt K Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 I have been working on my layout for over a year now. It is a 150' layout that covers an "L" shape of 16' x 16' x 6'. I have the c7042 and several power taps. I have several LC's and a pit lane with the pit game. It is full of scenery and I am still working on finishing the scenery. I will most likely be working on the scenery for the next several months until I am satisfied with it. Of course I have used the track here and there during the set up, but last night I had 3 to 4 cars running at a time for several hours. Overall I was very pleased with the track, however, I did have a few issues. A couple of times the cars would just stop and i would have to reprogram them to a controller. A few other times the car would just stop, but if you moved it would take right off again just like they do when you need to add powertaps. I know that the power is not the issue as I have 8 powertaps set up around the track. The cars all were running with pleanty of speed and power so I know that power is fine. Also, 2 times cars just went to full throttle and out of controll until they flew off the track. All of the LC's seemed to work flawlessly!! Every now and again, the powerbase would not catch a laptime for a car and just display dashes in the lcd display. It seemed that everything would run fine for 15 - 20 minutes and then an issue so it wasnt all of the time, just spottingly. I have heard that once you get the computer cord and update the firmware on the powerbase that these issues all go away. I am gonna order the computer cable tonight and I plan on ordering the pit pro in the near future. I also plan on running ssd racemanagement software and use the computer monitor instead of the small readout. Also, the instructions and directions for use of the c7042 are kinda lacking and hard to put to use. I had to go to the internet and find much better videos and instructions on using all of the features of the powerbase. Any help, ideas or support here would be greatly appreciated! Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIH Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 Do your cars have InCar-Pro upgraded chips? The loss of ID and max power are known issues on a number of Scaley chip revisions - although some seem better than others (or some revs are worse than others - depending on your viewpoint) InCar-Pro corrects this. The out-of-the-box firmware on the APB has a few issues. Get it upgraded as soon as you can. Ian Quote Linux: A '90s reincarnation of a '80s Operating System based on a '70s design philosophy Website: www.electricimages.co.nz InCar-PRO: Chip Main Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 congratz onthe build Matt when are we going to see some pics or videos of the track cant wait to see it Quote ɹǝʌo ǝɯ ןןoɹ sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted August 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 I will try to get some pics up tonight after work or at least in the next few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miveson Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 Have to agree with MIH - the original firmware had a number of lap counting issues that were fixed in later revisions. When you boot up you should see the build number, from memory the initial ones cames with 84 or 85. Where did you source the digital chips (or did you buy scalex digital ready cars)? Each chip has a revision number on the circuit board. Quote Slot Car Photos V8 Tipping Competition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 Have to agree with MIH and miveson regarding upgrading the firmware asap. The latest updated firmware is version 1.09 with the v0.85 being what was originally released with the APB. If you haven't got a cable for upgrading the firmware (same cable which is used for SSDC) it would be best to get your hands on one or borrow one off someone who has one to at least upgrade to the latest version. Not sure if you have tried it yet but Inox MX3 is great for any of your power loss problems, applied with a rag on your finger to the rails only, makes a huge difference. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted August 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 mattcrackers, I cant get ahold of Inox MX3 anywhere here in the USA. I read on the forum that for those of us here in the USA that we could get Inox MX3 at any Harley Davidson shop, however; I have been to 3 Harley shops and they use the stuff to work on bikes but do not and will not sell the product retail! Any help would be awesome! Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 G'day Matt, If you have a look at the Inox website (www.inox-mx3.com) it has a list of the distributors in the US, this should help you get hold of the stuff. Well worth it. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted August 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Matt, Thanks again for all the info. I will have a look at the website and get some ordered. I had 3 six year old nephews and my 5 year old daughter running cars around the track while I was attempting to fix the problems, learn to use the options on the powerbase and keep cars on the track!!!!! A very busy time for my first multi user day on the track! Needless to say I needed a Foster's after the evening was over!!!!!! Have a good evening and thanks again! Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIH Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 You don't need a huge amount of Inox. Use it sparingly on your track - you don't want to get it on your tires. You can get a 'smallish pump bottle' (125ml / 4 fl oz) of Inox in a spray pack. Its likely to be enough to last you 5-10 years. The issue with cars stalling seems strange. I'd be checking braids, and also track interconnects - make sure they are tight. Ian Quote Linux: A '90s reincarnation of a '80s Operating System based on a '70s design philosophy Website: www.electricimages.co.nz InCar-PRO: Chip Main Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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