Wireless Throttles for Display-Pro, Freedom to Roam the Track- There is no going back... Options

[chris99]

As a matter if interest and if the WiSlot throttles could work in all modes, which would you choose between them and the Truspeed II?

Hmm, apples & bananas & an unfair playing field here with the option of SCS - the Wislot controller has been impressive in its performance & reliablity and the buttons are perfect such that I don't use my Slot it much now - badly placed LC button and knobs that tend to mask true control a bit - great for beginners but not so useful later on - and the power drain on battery power is high.
The Truspeed II (actually the third iteration I think) has such a good feel especially with the alternative 2 finger trigger and bigger casing and as I have SCS , it's wireless ... but with a cable which still catches things ... and the Truspeed does sometimes feels a bit scratchy quickly and seems to need more regular cleaning, whereas the Wislot has only been cleaned twice in over 100 hours use .... but the Truspeed has such fine control (especially with the adjustable spring) that it makes the throttle curve knob less necessary ... but the WiSlot braking adjustment knob is becoming indispensable ... and then there's the price difference of course ...

I've never tried the Prof Motor or any other controllers and most of my use is trying to beat the fastest lap and power sliding so not a typical customer?

Anyway, 5-4 to WiSlot I think ... but Truspeed or similar with knobs would win the day ... or would it at that price if I wanted more than one - aaarrghh head exploding.

Does that make any sense?

Chris

[Briand]

As soon as WiSlot works in all modes it will beat everything else hands down, why

No wires, and surely that is the point of a wireless throttle. The fact that it is also is a cracking throttle will result in a very busy production line when the finished product is finalised.

And remember guys NO WIRES that should be the tag line.

Brian

[RichG]

Yes makes complete sense, and probably about where I am in my thinking.

As a matter of interest when you cleaned WiSlot, was it because they were giving problems or just because you thought you should?

If there were problems can you describe them? Was it just feel or were you getting the old style unusable Scalextric throttle syndrome?

I am still very convinced that with the way they are wired & the mapping at the throttle ends that they should be intrinsically more reliable than standard. Trouble is I don't use mine enough to have a problem. However I did take all my old throttles (about 8) that had been discarded and used the resistor without cleaning and only one of them showed any inconsistencies.


Rich

[chris99]

As a matter of interest when you cleaned WiSlot, was it because they were giving problems or just because you thought you should?

If there were problems can you describe them? Was it just feel or were you getting the old style unusable Scalextric throttle syndrome?

No, it was performing well without glitches. or jumpiness. It was more that I was opening up the case to change the battery and I wanted to make the trigger action feel smoother. In particular, I wiped a Q-tip with a touch of Inox on all the trigger sliding surfaces. Against my better judgement, I also put a nano drop on the wiper board (sliding resistor) surface to try to make it slide more smoothly, but that's physical feel not electrical continuity.

The only thing that irritates a bit is the slight lateral play in the trigger, which is inherent in the stock controller. I put some oil on the trigger pivot post and in the sleeve and that helped, but this is nit picking as we're still talking about a £12 controller.

Battery life is great. The latest Sony just keeps on going. I also bought the cheapest battery on Ebay at £1 and tried to measure the lifespan, although it wasn't straightforward as the controller would reset every 5 to 10 hours, but I think I got 50 hours out of it. The Sony has never reset so maybe the battery quality caused the resets (as if I'd replaced the battery) - it was only after putting the controller down and picking it up again that it happened - it never reset when in use and I couldn't reproduce it by banging the controller down on the table for example.

Cheers
Chris

[Minardi]

Sounds all very good guys, keep It up, very interested where this is heading !

[RichG]

As the voltage drops on the battery you get to a point where the controller will not switch on, this is because there is a preset brownout voltage, I think 2.7V. If the throttle is powered up and the voltage is below this the throttle will not come on, however if the throttle is on when the voltage drops below 2.7V it will stay on, as there is hysteris in the level.

So if you are doing an extended test, leaving the throttle powered up it will appear to last longer, however if powered down it will not then come on again. However the battery can then recover and will switch on and give another few hours.

The good thing about this is that it is very unlikely even with an ailing battery that the controller will go off on you. A good battery is probably worth the investment.

There is a way of reducing the brownout voltage which would probably give some more 10's of Hours, however to do so I have to change the Arduino bootloader which is preloaded into the chip when you buy them. This is a bit of a pain and needs some research so have not attempted it.

So good news on the cleaning, a bit of Inox is good, I only put it on the edges of the slider, not on the track itself. Risk is that it picks up dust. Lateral slop in the trigger is a bit of a pain. There is a thread where someone fits a brass tube to get rid of the taper. However as you say they are good for the price.

I am getting close to declaring that with the improved way of reading the slider, that the jumpiness problems that plague the standard throttles are unlikely to occur...


Rich

[Briand]

The early work you did on the battery saving mode has really paid off they seem to go and on, one of my throttles is still on the original battery. I have a brand new Duracell Ultra here which I am willing to clock with the aid of the pace car function, and several cars. Would be interesting to also compare that with the cheap batteries available on ebay.

How long do the batteries last on average in other wireless throttles available today?

Brian

[chris99]

I have parts to make up some based on the PM handles and also a couple in Truspeed handles. Both have their plusses & minuses, but as you can see it's some way off. So don't hold your breath..

Hi Rich,

Just out of interest, what minuses do you see in these two controllers apart from the cost?

Chris

[RichG]

I only mean + & - relative to eachother not to the modified Scalextric, and in practice it's too early to make that judgement.

Costs of the component parts are similar. PM is cheaper but you have to allow for import VAT & handling charge etc.

Big plus for TS is that they are UK based so supply chain is shorter.

Small minus for TS is that the handle is slimmer which may make accomadating the battery harder.

Plus for the TS is that it is designed for digital (Not filled with cooling slots) and accomodates in drop in pieces the BK & LC button plus the Brake & Curve butttons on the Top. PM would need the casing to be drilled for pots.

So overall on leadtime & ease of build TS comes out on top. What I do not know is people relative preferance for TS v PM?


However decision not being made yet. I want to keep both options open untill I have built a prototype in each.


Rich

[Mr. Olufsen]

Lateral slop in the trigger is a bit of a pain. There is a thread where someone fits a brass tube to get rid of the taper.

Chris, here it is: Link. I'd promised to turn the adjustable spring + pivot post replacement into a separate topic but forgot, it's buried so deep I almost could not find it.

/Christian

[MrFlippant]

Between the PM housing and the TS housing, I'd vote for the TS hands down. The PM has these "points" in the back that can dig into your skin between thumb and forefinger. The TS does not suffer from that issue. It's a VERY comfortable controller, and the optional long trigger as mentioned is a great thing once you get used to it. I might end up replacing my SCP1 with an SCP2 for that reason alone. I know some like the PM housing for their wireless controllers, but I think it's because they didn't have a choice, or look hard enough for an alternative.