23 replies to this topic

[SlotsNZ]

Last week I jokingly challenged a certain Victorian canine to a track building race.
This was dastardly unfair, not only because I don't have a couple of boys to look after and amuse, and an international reputation of "tracklessness" to support, - but because I already had it in my head and was about to go buy the materials.

Started saturday, got it running today. Power is a variable voltage Lab supply I got ex an auction site, positive wired, XLR connectors, 3 stations along the windy side, near each end and centred, so resident drivers can marshal themselves if needed.

No barriers yet, no timing, no scenery and no undercarriage (waiting on some 18mm MDF packers to cut for supporting the folding legs).
It does however point cars in a circular motion.
Considering my reputation as "incompetent to change lightbulbs" I am quite plased with the result to date.

It's pretty simple, but I thought better to get simple "usable" than spectacular "half-finished, run out of steam, ideas, and dunno how to fix X, Y and Z"

I am concerned about the mating of the two halves, especially given Phil's word from the wise to Paul NZ. My framing is lighter than Paul's, and I was planning on dowels plus some through bolts and wingnuts to provide alignment and clamping. Might be a case of "fix it as it breaks" using some flat bar steel inset into the endplates, flush with the track surface, and driving the dowels and bolt through that . . time will tell.

Edited by gazza, 31 May 2009 - 07:09 AM.

[Sports Racer]

SlotsNZ, on Jul 5 2007, 01:34 PM, said:

Started saturday, got it running today.

Bloody Hell! You've certainly killed the "incompetent to change lightbulbs" tag. Awesome job and done in under a week!!!

Eno, can you post a picture of what you've done this week?

[SlotsNZ]

For those of you just starting out, or planning your first woody, this is my first - but won't be my last attempt. I decided to build a small track, and use it as a test bed for time, skills and ideas.
I made up my own "tools" as I went. Modeled on Luf's stuff.

I had emailed Luf to order some stuff, but apparently the email never reached him, and by the time I tracked him down via PM on SCI forum, I got his reply while I was in the garage furiously building on saturday.

At least that meant I made my own tools up for future use. In case some of you haven't seen the sort of thing he offers through oldslotracer, here's some pics of my rough but usable bits.

I made a fake (Luf-style) lexan strip with a $10 garden hose - the cheapest nastiest semi-hard plastic one I could get, with nails every 50mm, which I used for the most of the curves on the outside lane, but for the constant radius curve on one end, I used the outside of a series of Ninco R2 curves for a guide. These fitted with the router's own edge to give a cut 115mm in from the edge of the MDF sheet on both sides, which was my chosen sliding width.



For the 2 inner lanes I made up a bottom plate from plexi-glass that screws onto the router, and has holes for pairs of "pins" drilled at 90, 100 and 110mm from the centre. I simply dropped the pins into the holes at the chosen "offset" - with old slot car crown gears on grub scews attached to stop them bottoming out on the slot, and "drove" the router around the track.



This base plate has sides which are 90mm, 100mm 110mm and 150mm from the centre for routing against a guide, and pin holes as noted above.

If I was starting again, I would route at 3.25 or 3.5mm and place a strip of 3mm MDF in the slot and run against that I think. I think it would avoid the odd "jam" I got using the pin guides in the base plate.

I routed the other 2 lanes in around 20 minutes flat.

Warning, any "jam" of the router, any error, roughness etc in the first lane gets multiplied in the size of irregularity on the innner lanes. In hindsight, I should have gone around the outer lane and sanded out any little "lumps and bumps" in the outer lane before doing this. I spent about an hour on "remedial work" due to my impatience at this point.

For the copper taping I have made up a tool like Lufs'. A friend loaned me one of those on the weekend but the nylon pins in it are 1/8th, - just too tight to use on a 3mm routed track.

Edited by SlotsNZ, 05 July 2007 - 05:16 PM.

[Eno the Wonderdog]

That looks grouse Mark! Looks like it's be grouse to run either wat around (although I LOVE the idea of a widening curve onto the main straight a la Monza..)

Sports Racer, I have 2 boys home on holidays and a 6 month old.. I could show you the damage it's done to my larynx and my smacking hand..

[SlotsNZ]

Eno the Wonderdog, on Jul 6 2007, 01:57 PM, said:

Looks like it's be grouse to run either way around (although I LOVE the idea of a widening curve onto the main straight ala Monza.)

Thanks Dave, it's a pretty modest beast. Still unsure whether to treat it as a "temp." as originally conceived and just finish the must do stuff, use it, sell it, build a bigger one, or keep and finish it with some scenery, etc.

I wonder if I could kidnap Phoeno and make him do the pretty stuff as taser-point . . . . .

The idea was to test some different types of curve for my future creations. The one you mentioned is for decreasing radius exiting the straight when running anti-clockwise, or ala Monza when run the other way.

I put in the best shot at a sweeper on the back as I could to test that, then into what is a nasty, nasty, nasty little kink especially on Red lane to see the effect of tight, tighter, tightest exit to the sweeper.
A constant radius curve other end, just because I wanted to feel the flow of one of those. That was as many ideas as I could try on 2 sheets.

DANG am I having fun trying lots of cars on it. From NC-1 power classics and older McLarens to hotted Nincos and ScaleAuto powered animals.
I'm amazed at how many different brands actually run okay on wood. I had expected major problems with MRRC front engines, and older Nincos', narrower Carrera classics etc, but with clean and true tyres it seems to be good for most stuff.

Oh, and Dave, Vanquish CanAms run just faaaaaaaaantastic. Even better with a pro-race solid back end, but the ones with standard differential go okay too.

[Eno the Wonderdog]

SlotsNZ, on Jul 6 2007, 05:15 PM, said:

Oh, and Dave, Vanquish CanAms run just faaaaaaaaantastic. Even better with a pro-race solid back end, but the ones with standard differential go okay too.

Que??

[SlotsNZ]

I meant that the Vanquish MG CanAm cars go just great on it.

You know my weakness - well, you know that one anyway.

[Eno the Wonderdog]

SlotsNZ, on Jul 6 2007, 07:57 PM, said:

I meant that the Vanquish MG CanAm cars go just great on it.

You know my weakness - well, you know that one anyway.

It was more the pro race solid rear end bit...

[SlotsNZ]

Eno the Wonderdog, on Jul 7 2007, 05:42 PM, said:

SlotsNZ, on Jul 6 2007, 07:57 PM, said:

I meant that the Vanquish MG CanAm cars go just great on it.

You know my weakness - well, you know that one anyway.

It was more the pro race solid rear end bit...

aaahhhhh, well I came up with a "fix" for the exploding diffs on these things.

Ninco Pro-race 53.5mm axle, NC-5 or 6 motor, 27:9 Pro-race gears, re-use the original axle bushings from the diffs. VMG had used 2.48mm axles - same as Ninco, so the original wheels slide right back on and the thing dare I say this . . is as smooth and sweet as a slot.it. . . . gee I said it.

A lot cheaper fix than the NSR back end, or slot.it parts.

[SlotsNZ]

it now has legs, mating dowels, bolts and wingnuts to hold it together.

Underneath, I added more bracing on the ends after this shot, so I could fixed the 3mm MDF barriers around the end-curve



Barriers on. They sit 60mm (2 1/2 inches) above the track surface.

I clamped the two halves with everything lined up flat, then drilled and fitted four dowels and 3 coach bolts for alignment and to hold the two sections together.



Scenery and timing to come.

An electronics tech. in our club suggests I use some little voltage modulating IC - just a 3 pin job. That way I can use the main power supply at any voltage from 6 to 15, and supply the Infra-Red LEDs using the main (variable) supply instead of needing to apply a fixed voltage from a separate wall wart.

I plan to use a small combined emitter and sensor with a 3mm slot in it, and set it into the track, so there is nothing visible above track level.

[Stevo41]

I REALLY like the clean look of this track. All looks good and may in fact hurry me up to do my marking out / routing / painting / laying tape / wiring up.

How many amps will you run for 3 lanes?

Cheers,

Steve

[SlotsNZ]

Clean maybe hee hee, but a bit sterile. I decided I'd better look at it for a while before deciding how to mark out the lane edges, and do any scenery . . unsure. It was easier to build than I expected, I just had to bite it off a step at a time.

At the moment I'm running a 3 amp variable laboratory supply. I haven't had any guys over to christen it yet, I only got the table done and borders on today, so unsure how it will go with 3 cars.

Hungriest things on it so far are the Ninco NC-6 which are sucking about an amp at take off, likewise a couple of Scale Auto 28K motors. Most other stuff is only clipping the meter at under half an amp - including slot-.its, so 3 amp may just be okay if the regulator circuit is of decent stability. It's an older style Chinese made one, Linear, rather than switchmode, time will tell.

If it turns out not to have enough grunt, I'll split out the lanes, I have a few low amp lab supplies, and could run one per lane, and use the individual voltages to even up some classes of car . . . else I'll buy another of what I just sold . . a 13 amp variable supply.

Mostly I'll be running 9-10 volts for powerful motors, 12 volt for classics eg NC-1 powered stuff.

[SlotsNZ]

And now some warnings for young players - part 1c or thereabouts.

I found my top was going out of alignment . . muttered, pulled, twisted, redrilled dowels while reclamping . . then when Munter came over to christen it today he noticed the MDF had just warped up, and pulled away from the underframe at the joint where my gap between screws was too large. Added a couple more screws, fixed that.

Next problem, rather than "rubbering up" on the acrylic enamel, after 4 days the tyres were still going white, and it acted like I had steel wheeled cars on an icepan. Tyres would pick up the paint surface like a fine dust coating.

Turns out that the acrylic enamel just hasn't gone really hard. It isn't THAT cold, and it's been days, but the paint is a crap quality compared to the trade brand I use in my house renovations - got it at the hobby-hardware store. Hard lesson. Sanded it back smooth best I can, applying another coat later tonight.

Already tested the paint with marine varnish I had laying around. The varnish doesn't harm the enamel, and the grip just pushing cars sideways on the tyres is astoundingly better, then will wait till it is as hard as it will get, and top off with a coat of polyeurethane, and make it a smooth gloss finish more-or-less.

[SlotsNZ]

Here endeth 5 days of frustration

I had to sand back, mask the lanes, repaint, then put a water based clear over the top of that to get a surface with traction.
While I was about it, I got some pinstriping ripped to 4mm wide (scale 125mm/5 inches), and used it to "paint" the sides of the track and the entrance and "pit-lane to be".

It looks cleaner in the pics than the finished article.
The images hide quite a few imperfections caused by the re-working, but it's "acceptable". and the drive is pretty good.



First bit of grass went on down the main straight today . .amongst testing of about 50 cars on 1,000 laps across the 3 lanes.
Now if only it was 3 lane wooden digital. My weakness is on show. Love these puppies.

[Rob]

That looks terrific SlotsNZ, clean and elegant and I'm betting lap times are fairly quick around it too.

[Paul NZ]

Hey Slotz, its all looking great!!!

after reading your story again

Quote

I am concerned about the mating of the two halves, especially given Phil's word from the wise to Paul NZ. My framing is lighter than Paul's, and I was planning on dowels plus some through bolts and wingnuts to provide alignment and clamping. Might be a case of "fix it as it breaks" using some flat bar steel inset into the endplates, flush with the track surface, and driving the dowels and bolt through that . . time will tell.

What did you do with your join???

Mine has proved to be very strong and as I have sealed the whole track including underneath I don't expect it to move.

Cheers
Paul

[Paul NZ]

Also............. what are the cars like for grip on your surface?

mine seem ok and as you have seen I only have a couple of old cars that are very light and are also short. They tend to jump out of the slot if you hit the corner too hard but if you slow before the corner you can then drive around and out with full power (just like a real one I surpose)

I will know when I buy a couple of new cars.....

Paul

[phoeno29]

looking great, and good use on the hose. hopefully it will inspire others to give it a go too.

[Slider]

Good work Slotsnz you wont look back after the wood track . keep us update d
Cheers Slider

[SlotsNZ]

Enjoying it greatly Slider !

Thanks Phoeno, learning as I go. NEXT ONE will be better . . ie, there'd BETTER BE a next one . . .

Paul once I used the Cabot's clear - "Floor Clear" water based finish I got a lot better traction, plus it is"rubbering up. Trouble is, some cars like my Spirit Dallara, and a couple of Scale Auto powerd cars with plenty of torque, can put power on so quick they wheel stand and lift the guide clear out of the slot if you have your tyres completely clean.

I used 4 off 10mm dowels and three coachbolts. They just go through the 60 x 20mm end frames, tap fitted. I don't even have one of the coachbolts inserted at present.
So far it's stable . . . .

Rob, lap record now 3.484 on longest lane - 11.1 metres. that's about 10.5 feet a second in our old measurements, so it's running pretty quick for a small home track.

A few lads came over Sunday, managed to get most of them in the picture, they're a bit gun-shy.
There were 3 cars circulating in the pic, but the 1/125th flash just shows vague blurs.



One of them is Munter, I'll let you take guesses at which.

Edited by SlotsNZ, 24 July 2007 - 03:37 PM.