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Digital Slot Racing In Australia


aussieslotter

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No problems HiString I definately dont believe everything digital is better=)

And if everyone agreed on everything it would get pretty boring.

Edited by aussieslotter

Smoke, mirrors and obsolescence. It’s a jungle out there.

www.scorpiuswireless.com

 

 

 

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Rick

 

Same comment as most regarding the time and amount of cars I have as analogue. At present I am too committed to work, family, my current slot cars and mountain bikes to change. From what I hear your Scorpius system will fix most peoples complaints so eventually I will give it a go. At present as you know we have our own race group and most of us are still getting used to squeezes where you need to back off. I think digital will be the way to go too and look forward to a nice routed scale Oran Park or similar one day.

 

I am just slow to catch on like you suggest but I am currently having too much fun to change.

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Hey aussieslotter and others enjoying this thread - good fun to read - and has certainly got me thinking about and wanting to learn more about digital. First quest understanding the benefits of slot cars being digital.

 

I kinda get it for model trains - digital allows people to run model trains like they are real trains - running more than one engine and controlling them independently etc - but trains are meant to be run on tracks whereas cars aren't meant to run in slots I remember when I was a kid there was an AFX like system which used no slot - man I wanted that because I thought it would be so cool to drive a car and not be stuck in the slot. I think it had something like turbo passing (maybe Tyco made it does anyone else remember it?) I don't think it either caught on or worked well enough....one of the things I have thought about digital racing is you would need lots of passing or lane changing sections. Is this the case? Also do you find that once someone gets in front they stay in front? does that result in people chasing getting into bingles like in real racing?

 

A cool thing in trains are digital sounds do slot cars offer this? if so that would be cool to hear a real digitised sound of a GT40 humming around the track -

Is being able to have 6 or more cars on a 2 lane track the main benefit?- or is the racing more realistic? (like trains are) or is that a subjective question that has no real answer?

 

anyway lots to think about....

 

on another matter

Any one out there played with the AC2 system http://www.ac2car.com/detailed-information.htm

I enjoyed reading all about it. The concept looked interesting

 

I would say I need to find and read some good articles on the benefits of digital racing....so if you have some links please share else I will go seek the wisdom of the 'google monster'

 

cheers

DM

Edited by penfold
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First quest understanding the benefits of slot cars being digital.

 

one of the things I have thought about digital racing is you would need lots of passing or lane changing sections. Is this the case? Also do you find that once someone gets in front they stay in front? does that result in people chasing getting into bingles like in real racing?

 

I would say I need to find and read some good articles on the benefits of digital racing....so if you have some links please share else I will go seek the wisdom of the 'google monster'

 

The benefits? Lets see some of the existing and soon to be here functions:

Main thing is you can run many cars on a two lane track.

Change lanes, overtake.

Pistops, virtual fuel, virtual tyre wear

Simulated tank weight

Traction control

Recalibrate throttle curve digitally

Reduce cars speed to a % factor, eg 50% for a 3 year old.

Ghost cars

Digital cars can run on analogue tracks.

Anti collision function on lane changers

Safety cars

And more

 

The more lane changers the better, at least one before every bend if posible.

They dont get in front (only joking) but if they do you hunt them down, change to the other lane, pass them, then change back to your preferred driving line. This is the blowout bit. Imaging coming up behind a group of 3 cars, 2 in 1 lane, 1 in the other. Like real motor racing you have to plan your moves. Whos going to pass faster, get behind them and the two of you pass the other two. Now its just you and him. Take the other lane and go for it. Pressure him. Eventually you inch your way past him. Now change lanes and make him work for it. Defend your line. Get the idea? Yer bingles just like real racing. After a while you know who you can trust and who is still learning, just like real racing.

 

Have fun

Smoke, mirrors and obsolescence. It’s a jungle out there.

www.scorpiuswireless.com

 

 

 

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Rick

 

 

I am just slow to catch on like you suggest but I am currently having too much fun to change.

 

Vinno if your having too much fun now you'll probably have a heart attack having fun once my routed track is finished. Ill give you a Scorpius chip to throw into a Mosler or Slot.it or....., youll love it, not like the crappy Carrera set you guys tried a while back. By the way it will be hybrid digital/analogue.

Cheers

Rick

Edited by aussieslotter

Smoke, mirrors and obsolescence. It’s a jungle out there.

www.scorpiuswireless.com

 

 

 

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Interesting thread,

 

For me, I think most slot car manufacturers have made reasonably sound decisions with producing and marketing their digital products. For them it is about making money and keeping customers happy. For enthusiast's, it is a whole new ballgame as not everyone takes their hobby in the same direction which is where things get difficult for the OEM product. A definite mistake from all manufacturers is not making the products universally compatible.

 

We are fortunate to have forums like this where people who have the expertise to improve digital slot car racing are generous enough to share their knowledge with the rest of us. Having never raced on a digtal track before, I like the idea of it and have been patiently gathering information so I can make a decision about which direction to follow. I hope when all the pieces come together I will be happy with the result (only time will tell). It certainly takes alot of time to research the various forums to understand what is going on and make an informed decision.

 

For now I will enjoy analogue and hope things work as expected when I implement digital.

 

- Cam

Hoo Roo

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sax

the 6 car one looked really cool that would be a lot of fun..I have watched a lot of videos on youtube both digital and analog but honestly that is the first one where I have thought that digital would be cooler than analog - a lot of the time the videos really just looks the same only with a couple more cars racing around...

 

thanks Rick good list of possibilities - I would imagine that a race would be very interesting with all those options available. With all those options I am surprised that more club racers aren't getting into digital. It would seem to me that would be a lot more fun with a group of mates than racing around on a standard routed track (i haven't done either yet so I could be really really wrong about this) I could just imagine someone pushing it too far and running out of fuel :o or Can you have simulated tyre failure (to get that mate who always wins - eg my brother - or a simulated rain shower that meant if you didn't stop in the pits within X number of laps your car would not handle as well (maybe slow down a little)...sounds like some fantastic possibilities are there..

 

At the moment I am into driving at home and collecting cars I like. The kids and I just like to drive the cars and race a few laps. I am only newly back into slot cars and have lots to learn. I am planning a larger track so we could get more serious with racing - I was thinking a 3 lane track with a single lane rally track in the middle was the way to go - maybe I need to think again; racing four or more cars would be a lot of fun...and then having things like you listed programmed in would make for a serious fun...

 

I can't recall and it is too late to go and read it all again your system is designed to work with plastic and routed track and you have a system for making lane changes on route track? is that right ?

 

hmm lots of good fodder for thinking

cheers

DM

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For me my 5 year old son summed up how good digital is compared to analog when we visited the local hobby store and after only 15 minutes he had tried all their tracks (analogue multilaned)and lost interest. His response was to ask if we could go home and race on our track (digital two lane) so we could change lanes and do real racing

 

 

As an ex racer the the challenge of having to plan your overtaking and try to stay on the best race line is awesome and takes more than just good throttle control to complete a successful lap. It really balances ot the racing i do with my son (the whole reason i bought the thing) because i cant rely on my own lane being clear the whole time (he regularly changes lanes for no apparent reason) Im not sure there would be any challenge in it for me if he couldnt feel competitve.

 

There are definately teething problem with the integration of the technology and SSD is really a whole lot more fun if youre not trying to be super competitive.

 

As for the cost of the cars i think i prefer the quality of the racing too much to worry about how many cars i can accumulate. i have six and probably wont buy another until i cant fix one anymore as half the fun is repairing the cars my son breaks so i can see the look on his face when it is working again. (*although i did make one of my mates buy a replacement car after he trashed one)

 

 

Its certainly a healthy debate and while i wouldnt force digital on anyone else i am positive i made the right choice

 

Cheers

510emblem.jpg

 

I rather push my Datto than drive anything else!

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Gloveman,

 

Summed up beatifully, its all about the racing and having to think fast under pressure and sometimes its the crashes that is the most fun.

 

When my boys have mates over they can spend hours racing and the noise they make proves they are having maximum fun.

 

The only bit of hard work is making sure the track is clean at the start and then all the glueing & soldering that has to be done afterwards :P

 

Cheers,

 

Phil

Cheers

 

Phil

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I'm a recent entry into slots bar 30ish years ago with some AFX

 

Dunno why I chose SCX, maybe coz it was more available than other brands at the store I found it. But the idea of having more than one car per lane immediately grabbed me by the goolies and dragged me in

 

We're now doing races every couple of Sat nights, when the little ones permit us to get together and leaving the other halves to look after them once asleep (about 8pm is the earliest we can begin)

 

Had a bit of a problem with the pit lane which the SCXTechUSA guy replaced for me free of charge (including posting it from the US), and we are back up and running

 

Hoping my mate can get the F1 set, so we can alternate between the GT & F1 cars, will also add a good half or so more to the track I already have.

 

I couldn't go back to simple one car per lane. You'd have to consider lane lengths into your track design rather than doing whatever plan you can design

 

Also have the SCXD safety car which adds a completely new element to the fun and games. And now we have the pit lane working again, the refueling strategy can finally kick in with a looooooong oval type track where top speed is based on how much fuel is on board the car !! Thus overtaking is a definite task to be performed

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The very first reason I went digital is that my son and I were considering to going 4 or even 6 lane analogue.

Then I worked out the cost of all the track pieces and it worked out double the cost, double the track maintenance and the extra space needed, plus youre stuck with the tight radius one corner, large radius the next corner syndrome. Then we sat down and watched the V8 supercar race that arvo and basically had a good think at what I was really trying to achieve.

I also figure if detail to cars is important then why not multi car per lane racing?

One thing for certain you wouldnt consider digital for rally, womps, drag strips, etc, there is simply no advantage.

 

The downside is the systems were crap (still are) and so a lot of modification and a massive learning curve if you wanted to have it work like they advertise. Ive seen guys who love the digital concept sell their system simply because they didnt have the time or possess the know how or patience in order to make them hassle free. Who could blame the poor guy?

Remember this is not a digital V analogue debate (although there would be a small overlap in topics) rather "digital slots in Australia, slow to catch on?" discussion.

Smoke, mirrors and obsolescence. It’s a jungle out there.

www.scorpiuswireless.com

 

 

 

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One thing for certain you wouldnt consider digital for rally, . . . . there is simply no advantage.

 

Why not? I have almost "finished" a purpose built rally X track that I hope in the near future to be able to convert to digital/analogue with overtaking sections. Computer timing will be the challenge with up to three cars starting at 20 second intervals. Scorpious may be the answer!

 

FS

I can't believe that I wanted to grow up

 

Mount Salt Panorama Track Combined Road and Rally Track built near Salt Pan Creek Padstow - Sydney

 

A quick build rally track

 

2017 WRP Round 11 at Mt Salt Panorama

 

https://i128.photobu...zpss7sqiwfj.jpg

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I agree it is not about one or the other because for me the choice was easy when i started looking into it. I would suggest the slow take up has more to do with the size of the market than the quality of the technology. I guess a lot of people who already have their set ups running perfectly and their scenery built are going to be hesitant to want to incur new costs but for some one like me who has all that fun ahead of them i look forward to the challenges of learning how this system works. As for not understanding how it works a month ago i knew nothing about it and through reading what all the experts on the forum have to say and not being afraid to sound like an idiot when i ask questions at the store my understanding is increasing rapidly.

All my friends that have been over since i set up my system have not played slot cars since they were kids but have now bought their own cars and no doubt some will soon buy tracks. I bet they buy digital. so the take is really related to the current generation of non racers who are returning to the sport after long absences and which technology they adopt. I certainly see a time far in the future when analogue systems will no longer be produced by mainstream suppliers because there will be no market for them as that market have athritis and can no longer hold their controllers (may we all race until that time)

 

The very first reason I went digital is that my son and I were considering to going 4 or even 6 lane analogue.

Then I worked out the cost of all the track pieces and it worked out double the cost, double the track maintenance and the extra space needed, plus youre stuck with the tight radius one corner, large radius the next corner syndrome. Then we sat down and watched the V8 supercar race that arvo and basically had a good think at what I was really trying to achieve.

I also figure if detail to cars is important then why not multi car per lane racing?

One thing for certain you wouldnt consider digital for rally, womps, drag strips, etc, there is simply no advantage.

 

The downside is the systems were crap (still are) and so a lot of modification and a massive learning curve if you wanted to have it work like they advertise. Ive seen guys who love the digital concept sell their system simply because they didnt have the time or possess the know how or patience in order to make them hassle free. Who could blame the poor guy?

Remember this is not a digital V analogue debate (although there would be a small overlap in topics) rather "digital slots in Australia, slow to catch on?" discussion.

510emblem.jpg

 

I rather push my Datto than drive anything else!

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One thing for certain you wouldnt consider digital for rally, . . . . there is simply no advantage.

 

Why not? I have almost "finished" a purpose built rally X track that I hope in the near future to be able to convert to digital/analogue with overtaking sections. Computer timing will be the challenge with up to three cars starting at 20 second intervals. Scorpious may be the answer!

 

FS

 

Hey Mel Im not going to argue! :whip2:

Smoke, mirrors and obsolescence. It’s a jungle out there.

www.scorpiuswireless.com

 

 

 

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Aussie,

 

Late last night I read back through the threads covering the Lane Brain/Scorpius project and started to get a better understanding of what your digital may be capable of................awesome stuff and full kudos to you!!!

 

I can assure you that if the time comes that I seriously start planning a routered circuit, I'll be talking to you about going digital.

 

Cheers,

 

ChrisO :whip2:

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  • 3 weeks later...

:lol: Hey aussieslotter

Well you certainly got the debate running again. ;) I think the key is the reliability/performance of the new digital systems that are available, if they worked really well and did everything they were supposed to out of the box I think the manufacturers would really sell a lot more. I run analogue which was a conscious decision due to the probs with digital I had read about on various forums. There is no doubt we will go digital once we are convinced that the systems will work properly....have been fascinated by your developments in this area.

 

My approach would then be to only chip my favourite cars and keep a small analogue track for the rest (or as I think you suggested somewhere....have a dual powered track?) I am into digital trains and there were similar debates around loco chipping/costs/etc but the benefits outweigh the difficulties associated with complex wiring to the track in analogue. But manufacturer such as Hornby received a massive outcry from the British public when they announced that they were only going to produce Digitally chipped locos in future....so much so that they had to backtrack and now produce models that have either/or fitted....so acceptance of digital seems to be a gradual thing.

I can run many locos, all independently controlled from one hand throttle...no issues. But as I think I have said before the systems all (with a couple of exceptions) comply with NRMA Standards which means I can run any manufacturers train/chip combination without too much head-scratching!! Not so in the world of slot cars.Maybe thats one of the problems...no governing body to ensure compatibility of the systems.

I don't think though that the digital thing is an age related issue...I am the wrong side of 50 and I the benefits that digital brings into all area of our lifes.....its just a bit hard to understand how it works sometimes!!!! :lol:

 

If only the manufacturers would get on board with what you guys are doing and listen to the feed back from forum members then I think digital would really explode...... :lol:

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Rick is on a winner with his Scorpius system, the test in Finley was a great eye opener to what is possible with loads of power, real responsive controllers and the best bit of all wireless controllers.

 

PhilR's venue is also a top rate facility for Digital racing.

 

We are only newbies to slot cars but Digital was our only option because of the opportunity to overtake & race like the real thing, Oh yer and the kids just love it as you can see in the video link below (hope it works).

 

 

PS. you just have to love how much punishment these Scaley cars can take and just keep going :D

 

Phil

Cheers

 

Phil

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If only the manufacturers would get on board with what you guys are doing and listen to the feed back from forum members then I think digital would really explode...... :D

 

I agree with Slot Bender 100 per cent.

 

I reckon we also need to develop a complete aftermarket set track system, including properly profiled and sorted lane changers, from an independent manufacturer. How about Ninco-width-but-longer track pieces with borders already incorporated? It shouldn't be too difficult to draw up a list of useful profiles, considering there's only two racing lanes and single pit lanes to consider. It could be designed to adapt to existing set track as well.

Edited by chilla

Cheers,

Charles

 

"all I want for my birthdy is another birthdy" Ian Dury...bless 'im.

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Also agree. We need a triple and quadruple length LC.

Also if they could offer non constant radius curves, say a variety of 12 different types in various combinations could gives dozens of variations with the best line and lane changer built in, wireless, runs off rails, plug n play. The big 4 need some new products to excite us.

Until then its routed we shall go.

By the way on my routed design I have 4 LCs at 1300mm and 2 @ 2000mm, (so at 1:32 thats 64metres)

If its plastic yer Ninco would be the track of choice.

Smoke, mirrors and obsolescence. It’s a jungle out there.

www.scorpiuswireless.com

 

 

 

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  • 3 months later...
  • 1 month later...
Also agree. We need a triple and quadruple length LC.

Also if they could offer non constant radius curves, say a variety of 12 different types in various combinations could gives dozens of variations with the best line and lane changer built in, wireless, runs off rails, plug n play. The big 4 need some new products to excite us.

Until then its routed we shall go.

By the way on my routed design I have 4 LCs at 1300mm and 2 @ 2000mm, (so at 1:32 thats 64metres)

 

Rick, I agree with your comments here, the lane changers need to be longer and more options in the corners, this is exactlt why I am having a go at Routing a digital track, also just to throw my 5cents worth in, I had a three lane routed analog track, now sold, I still have my original Scaley classic (musy be around 40m of two lane) and my 9 yr old son is bored in 15 mins max. I started to collect the digital bits a few months ago and made up a few test tracks and now I can't get the boy off it so I can rob the hardware, he thinks that I should finish the whole track project and then on the last night fit all the LC's etc while he is asleep so he does not miss a day on the track! I have news for him but the wait will only fuel his excitment (and mine) when we turn the power on on the new track. As you say Digital is for the next generation but I will tell you that I would not build any other type of track now that I have tried digital.

 

PS love your layout and can't wait to see your routed track when you have it up and running B)

Paul NZ - Scale with Detail!

 

Narangba Club Local

 

Gold Coast Raceway 09

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