Chipping Cars

[bump]

If I have an analog car and I add a digital chip to it, how easy is it to switch the car back to analog? If I took, say, a Scalex V8 and chipped it, does it or could it have something simple like a switch (like Carrera's underchassis reversing switch) to flip it from analog to digital or back? Or just unclip a lead or something?

 

I keep thinking I'd like to have a digital track at home but our race group is definitely analog. Having a small field of V8 Supercars on a 2 lane track with a working pit lane sounds just the thing to upgrade Maison Rouge to digital with a little redesign for those sensor tracks.

[FloridaSlot]

i would think that that would work...if not you will need to do it to the track...sometimes digi , sometimes analog..

 

cheers

[tvwino]

Glenn,

I have decided to pick the fields of cars I want for digital, and chipped them permanently - while retaining separate cars for racing. I must admit, it's getting expensive to do it this way.

 

I personally didn't want to be fiddling with the innerds, switching chips in and out of cars.

 

A few thoughts on the approaches...

 

Use a switch (like the autoart and carrera cars) to enable or disable the digital chip. The positive for this, is that you don't have to open the car up or mess around with electronic components. Every time you touch an electronic component, you apply some element of stress to it, potentially shortening it's life (boy that sounds dramatic). The downside, unless it's in the right place anyway, is the added, unnessary weight when you are non digital. For many cars, it will simply be too cramped to fit a switch internally anyway. I thought hard about this approach, and decided against it.

 

Use small computer idc type connectors to enable the board to be plugged in and out. It means the car can be setup for analog racing without a digital board weighing things down, but the downside is that over time you might end up with connection issues - and you'd have to figure out suitable ways of keeping the SSD board secure, without it being permanent. I use hot glue on mine, except where the SSD mounts are already present in the current crop of Scaley cars.

 

You could use the car, with chip onboard for analog racing - but you'll have less motor speed (the SSD chip swallows 1.5 volts for you), and no brakes - YOU LIKE A CHALLENGE I'M SURE.

 

Personally, I tend to have cars setup for analog racing (I use the term 'setup' loosely), and then a separate set of cars I've chipped for digital. I assign a suitable id to each car, based on it's primary body colour matching the colour of the controller - that way there is no messing around setting car ids all the time, except when friends bring cars over to run.

 

If I "HAD TO" switch a car between analog and digital, i'd opt for the small, tiny, microscopic idc computer connectors.

[FloridaSlot]

i think puting the switch "in the track" would be the way to go...use you analog cars , then at the flick of the switch it will run digi (and isolate the black box from harm) and just to make it more compatable with more poeple put the switch in the car now your readdy to go anywhere ,(except a scaley track and have brakes...lmao) pretty simple to do too

 

cheers

[tvwino]

i think puting the switch "in the track" would be the way to go...use you analog cars , then at the flick of the switch it will run digi (and isolate the black box from harm) and just to make it more compatable with more poeple put the switch in the car now your readdy to go anywhere ,(except a scaley track and have brakes...lmao) pretty simple to do too

 

cheers

Hey FloridaSlot,

I agree, be good to be able to switch back and forth between analog and digital at home, just haven't had time to think about the requirements - although having an external connection box that the powerbase connects to makes plenty of sense. There's certainly been a few ideas floated...

 

However, even this will not solve Glenns dilemma - as he wants to have a car that can be setup for both, probably looking at digital for home and analog for going racing at Charlie's, Bo's and various other analog tracks.

 

Is the switching between analog and digital easy for Carerra - as there's more to it for Scalextric than initially meets the eye - in part due to the construction of the LC's, although the latest versions might have improved things somewhat.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[FloridaSlot]

hi...yeah I think the carrera setup is the one to do that way (scaley works for analog..be there no brakes)..but with the carrera digi, you just need to be able to seperate the black box from the curcuit (it goes up in a puff of smoke if you dontand the lane changers can stay in the circuit if you want) and to make that work i think all that is needed is a 2 way switch..one way for analog the other way for digi...it will be quite easy to do and then you are ready to race whoever , as long as they have carrea digi or analog cars....

A small switch setup in the car, then you can take your digi car to any track and race (except scaley digi)..and a good small switch setup would be to use simple jumper switchs (cheap too)..three pins, one jumper , too easy

Thats how I'm seting my track up..its being built now..I have the frame for the table made and it folds up agaist the wall, 7.2 m long and 1.675 wide and I can fold it up in seconds

 

cheers

[bump]

Thanks for the input so far, guys.

 

I was browsing Professor Motor's tracks directory and was interested in the write up of Jimmy's track. Although its analog, it features a lane change capability. People have posted questions about how many changeovers to have based on the experience he's had with it. I was thinking as many as possible to simulate a real race track but that's not his idea. He has just one on his very large routed track, plus one for pit lane, and he goes into his reasoning why one area is probably enough. He also has interesting comments on the need for enforcing rules regarding lane changing, much like real racing (blue flags etc). Well worth a read if you're planning how many lane changes and where to put them. His article is

here.

[RePete]

Thanks for the input so far, guys.

 

I was browsing Professor Motor's tracks directory and was interested in the write up of Jimmy's track.

Yeah I have asked Jimmy a few questions myself and am planning an Oval track based around his ideas

 

I'm thinking of having 2 sets of 4 lanes which are bunched together with a LC to switch between them

 

If I run AC and put diodes in the cars like Jimmy does I can run 8 cars on the oval which should look tops seeing them draght around the track

 

A little touch will be to wander the lanes coming down the straight so it looks like the cars are jostling for position

 

Heres a plan to give you an idea

 

 

The idea of merging the lanes before the LC is to avoid crashes caused by guys cuting in front of others

 

I would try and smooth out the inside lanes where they merge and have an idea to create gaps for the merging lanes to drive into

 

By laying short strips of sticky tape over the rails I can cause the car to brake a little and open up small gaps

 

Also to prevent guys hoggin the inside lanes I would set up the switches so they can only operate the LC every 2nd lap

 

Dont know when I'l get the time and space for it but I can imagine it would look great with all that traffic buzzing around

[tvwino]

Thanks for the input so far, guys.

 

I was browsing Professor Motor's tracks directory and was interested in the write up of Jimmy's track. Although its analog, it features a lane change capability. People have posted questions about how many changeovers to have based on the experience he's had with it. I was thinking as many as possible to simulate a real race track but that's not his idea. He has just one on his very large routed track, plus one for pit lane, and he goes into his reasoning why one area is probably enough. He also has interesting comments on the need for enforcing rules regarding lane changing, much like real racing (blue flags etc). Well worth a read if you're planning how many lane changes and where to put them. His article is

here.

Glenn,

it's an interesting article, and the question/answer style makes it a decent read - fairly subjective too.

 

I have been keen to try the Carerra Digital NASCAR Oval (come on Roland, bring yours into the shop for a few days please!!), to see what it's like.

 

I must admit, I don't agree with the concept of only having 1 lane change on an oval, and forcing cars to take the slower outside lane at some point. To me, that isn't realistic. I do agree though, that once people are used to digital racing, they learn to take the fastest lane (if there is one), and stay in it until they need to calculate a passing manouver.

 

I have 5 lane changes, and there are 2 of them that are used regularly for lane changing, 1 for switching to the inside before the back straight, which will need to be done in the future when planning a pit stop on my track, and the other is a typical overtaking place at the end of the home straight. The other 3 LC's are in the middle section, and are useful for avoiding carnage in the other lane sometimes, as well as keeping the driver in front on his toes, not knowing where the next overtaking move comes from. If you limit the number of places you can overtake, the lead drive is able to relax too much, and just be careful, defensive and obstructive for the one part of the circuit where he is vulnerable. The changes in my middle section add a dimension in that you can change lane back and forth without losing too much on the car in front. It becomes quite strategic at times. I've not had complaints about the LC's yet - although I'm always looking at refinements to improve the realism, or racing fun.

 

I will likely add more LC's, once Scalextric bring them out for straights and other radius curves.

 

The usual mistake that novice digital drivers make, is seeing that there's a lane change, let's use it - regardless of what is around them. You learn not too pretty fast though.

[aussieslotter]

Hi tvwino,

So did you end up getting your straight LC's. and I agree, the more overtaking points, more realism is achieved. Twelve months on since your last post and things are starting to hot up now, with modifications to powerbases and car chips, reprogramming the ssd protocol, pit lane detection, fuel useage and refilling, stop go penalty areas either available or on the horizon it opens up an entire new sense of realism. When you coming over?

 

Aussieslotter

[tvwino]

Hi tvwino,

So did you end up getting your straight LC's. and I agree, the more overtaking points, more realism is achieved. Twelve months on since your last post and things are starting to hot up now, with modifications to powerbases and car chips, reprogramming the ssd protocol, pit lane detection, fuel useage and refilling, stop go penalty areas either available or on the horizon it opens up an entire new sense of realism. When you coming over?

 

Aussieslotter

Hey Rick,

I've managed to dismantle the old track, and I'm building the new platform in the downstairs room, where finally there will be room to marshall it all. It'll be a couple more weeks yet, but during this rebuild I'll be adding in the straight x-overs as well as 3rd lane and pit portions. I had a run on Dave's (Drummer) new layout with pit and straight x-over sections, and it's great - and as you say, it's evolving so much all the time now. I've got to get myself a control tower from RichG too, as well as figure out the timing system to use now - the one I have never went beyond beta I don't think.

A lot has changed during my digital hiatus.

 

I'm definately coming over next Sunday, with the eldest son if he's not doing a shift that afternoon.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[aussieslotter]

Hi Mike,

I guess you also know that digital cars run on analogue too. Going down Drummers track for a few laps Friday week to check it out.

Keep it in the Slot

[aussieslotter]

If I have an analog car and I add a digital chip to it, how easy is it to switch the car back to analog? If I took, say, a Scalex V8 and chipped it, does it or could it have something simple like a switch (like Carrera's underchassis reversing switch) to flip it from analog to digital or back? Or just unclip a lead or something?

 

I keep thinking I'd like to have a digital track at home but our race group is definitely analog. Having a small field of V8 Supercars on a 2 lane track with a working pit lane sounds just the thing to upgrade Maison Rouge to digital with a little redesign for those sensor tracks.

Scalextric releasing a number of cars this year with chassis designed for plug n play chips as per the Takara cars.

see scaley website for details.