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shayne

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Hi All,

 

I am new here and relatively new to slot cars, have only been enjoying this great hobby for 5 months.

 

As i spend most of my time racing against myself (left hand vs right hand gets a bit boring) does anybody use the scalextric challenger set with ninco track, i also am after info on a lap timer/counter that i can use with ninco track?

 

Thanks guys.

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Welcome aboard Shayne.

 

I can't answer the question on the Challenger setup, but in regards to lap timing, how handy are you. If you are into moding your track and can solder there are plenty of PC based lap timing solutions that can be used. The only issue is that you have to build the hardware & if you are racing on the carpet, it can be a hassle to set up each time.

 

Where are you located. I'm sure there is an Auslotter or two nearby that could help you enjoy your hobby!!!

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Welcome Shayne. Yes, I would say the challenger would work well on Ninco. If you are too fast for the challenger than just grab a slower car for yourself to drive or remove the magnets.

 

I wish I could race as fast with my left hand as with my right !

JamieB

ITeLECTRICAL

 

 

Check out my Current logoEbay_x45.gif Auctions

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Welcome aboard Shayne, I have the Challenger, but haven't used it a great deal, mainly because it doesn't like the inside of the C8201 hairpin and I had 2 in my track. I went through the same thing a while back - left vs right hand and I know how boring that can be :D

 

cheers

Shane

2 x australian ego champion

 

regards

Shane

 

 

Fulel racing in first track build --> https://youtu.be/nG1EyFkbJSs

 

 

 

My second track build --> 

raceday - https://youtu.be/8WXYQ528iKM

 

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Hi Shayne,

 

There is a cheaper and simpler solution, although not quite as effective as the challenger system. Its called the "Tie a rubber band around the trigger" method. This involves placing the rubber band around the body of the controller and using it to hold down the trigger of the controller at a set posiiton. You can adjust the trigger posiiton by adjsuting the tension of the band (by tying knots in it, and/or using plasticine or something under the trigger to hold it steady once you have found the correct throttle posiiton).

 

Now using this method, you have to find a constant speed that the car can maintain right around the track, as you can't adjust the speed during the lap as challenger does. Now, you might think that won't be much fun, but when you think how long it will take you to get up, get to the car, place it back on the track and get back to you controller, the pace car could easily get in one or two laps (unless the track is so small you can reach every corner without letting go of the controller - or you sprint all the way).

 

The other thing to do of course is to pick a really good handling car, probaby with magnets as the pace car, and try to compete against it with slower, poorer handling and/or non-magnet car. You will soon find you can't be too reckless in your driving, and it will be quite a test of skill to keep ahead of the pace car over 40 or 50 laps. It become even more interesting if you have lots of chicanes and cross overs that you have to negotiate as well, and get your timing right. Even if both cars come off, the pace car will still get a head start on you each time, as it will take off as soon as you put it back on the track.

 

There are obvious limitations here. You need to design a track that is not too tight or complex, or you will have to set a much slower speed to keep the pace car on all the way around. I would recommend only using R2 & R3 curves, and put the pace car on the outside lane, so it can hit the corners a little harder. Putting a little "S" at the end of a long straight can also slow the car marginally before it hits the full 90 or 180 degree bend.

 

I have also heard of people taking this one step further and placing strips of tape over one of the rails at the approach to each bend, to reduce the speed of the car a little just before it hits the corner. This should let you set a higher lap speed for the pace car (much like challenger does), but I always imagined it would be quite fiddly to set up and get the positioning and length of the tape strips right. I'd also be worried about the braids lifting or wearing through the tape after a while. Still, it should give you something much close to the challenger experience, for the cost of some electrical tape and a rubber band.

 

Good luck with whichever way you decide to tackle it!

 

PS. Of course, having a variable output power supply makes things even simpler, as you can do away with that expensive rubber band, and just tie the trigger down on full blast and adjust the power supply output instead. :D

Graeme

~~~~~~

 

(Life is like a sewer....................What you get out of it depends on what you put into it!)

https://gtoutweb.com/index.htm

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