SSD Racing Line Transplant, Sensor suprises, help needed Options

[drummer]

Great work, love to have a drive of that!

[zipp]

Its been a lot more work than i expected especially when i comes to the wiring and fitting of the flippers and sensors but i can't wait till the last one is done and i can try all the racing line parts of the track together.

No way Shaun!! That is RAD!!

Fantastic progress on your project. I really like how it's all coming together for you.
The racing lines you are choosing look like they will make for a superbly smooth lap. Nice job.

Do i take it that wherever i can see sensors on the track, there is also a sensor in the centre slot position (as per standard sensors)?

Thanx for all the pix, i look forward to seeing more of your track as you press on.
I certainly looks like you have put some serious thought into the development so far, and with the sky backdrop already done, i have a feeling that your track will look fantastic, once completed.

[Ian B]

I just want to echo Zipp's comments, fantastic work great planning but all far to clever for me.
Though I want to see this project develop looks like it is going to be a brilliant track.
Definitely one to follow well done

Ian

[MattZani]

i think they all look superb! Are you going to custom make all the Lc's? i see a standard XLC, surely you want to make it longer! unless its a slow section of track...

What are the white lines for in this section of track?


Matt

[RikoRocket]

Wow! Shaun this really takes SSD onto a new level. Forget scratch building cars, this is way more interesting, scratch building digital tracks. Awesome.

Riko

[injectorman]

You can see why Im waiting to go timber! I know how much works involved Shaun, and fun too! well done. Did I tell you about my latest idea, using prisms to carry signal to IR sensor? (prisms carry light, thinking maybe a perspex rod of small diameter)
Another idea, found 5mm thick relays online, so if you combine 2 relays with 2 electromagnets , (one each rail) and have ferrous based mass inserted in flipper we have a goer.
Cheers

[shaunbmx]

Its nice to see you guys like the work.

@Zipp.
You are right. Where you see a strip of sensors on the track i have also included the usual scaley sensor mounted between the rails.

@Matt
I did consider making a racing line around the whole circuit but i guess it would take me another 6 months and the track is for ever in bits so i have ran very few laps, just some tests which are mostly on half or just sections of track.

The XLC is after a hairpin and up hill, but it may change yet.
Also considered making the XLC shorter for the pits to fit in better as i wanted 3 of them. It would be simple as i would just reduce the sensor to flipper distance.

The white lines were just trying to figure out to make an OUT - IN -OUT line. I wanted to do it from the outside lane and back to the outside lane without touching the inside lane. I decided not to as it meant there would be no lane change possibility.


@Iman
I have lost count of the times i have said to myself this would have been easier to make a routed track. Reasons like the loft hatch not letting me get large boards up there and wanting to keep it sectional for when i move house etc. Made me go with Sport track. I have since realized i could have still routed it and it been a quicker build.
Maybe i will route a track in my next house.
I have CNC machines at our workshop so no excuse really and making any small components accurately for making routed LC's would be no problem's.

The light prism is interesting.
And the relays too, some one must solve the EXIT flipper problem eventually and get it 100%.

Shaunbmx

[injectorman]

I tested CLC.1 as it was still a basic set up using the Half Straight Sensor track. LH sensor all worked good open & close so i tried connecting RH sensor to CLC.1 just to see if it only had one function instead of 2. Results were i it would make a change but not a straight pass.


Shaunbmx

By this I assume you simply put the plug in the other hole. If you did this you should be able to open AND shut the gate. I assume yoy didnt solder any wire across any joints?

edited 5 min later
Ok for curiosity I tried the plug not completely seated and guess what, you only get one signal not both. Not saying that was the problem, just an idea.

[shaunbmx]

Iman

Wow i had to check back on the posts to remember that problem.

I was trying to get both sides of the sensor board to send a signal to ONE of the Plug Sockets on the board.

The reason i found out it did not work was i had just linked the connections from BOTH Plug Sockets together as below.




Doing this caused one side to send both CHANGE & STRAIGHT signal but the other side to only send only a CHANGE signal.


I think it was you and Rich G who suggested i needed to use diodes.
So i wired diodes in as below and signal from BOTH SENSORS on the board can be taken from ONE Socket.



Which way round you fit the diodes determines what socket will work correctly.

I have done several like this and can confirm it works well.

Shaunbmx

[Afterburned]

Hey Shaun, where do you get all of your sensors from?? I need a few for my routed track and really don't want to fork out for a whole CLC every time! Anyone out there got any going spare?

I will have a few lane changes without sensors if anyone wants to swap!!

[shaunbmx]

@Afterburned

I buy CLC's and take the sensors from there. Its quite a lot of money when your buying 4 or 5 at a time.

I try to be ecomnomical and not blow the boards up.

Spare parts for LC's would be a treat.

Shaunbmx

[shaunbmx]

If this one doesn't get you in the mood for cutting some track nothing will.

Its real easy and you can use with a standard Half straight sensor track. No placing solenoids, flippers or sensor boards.

This takes around an hour to complete, compared with all my other Racing Line Transplants which have taken at the least 5 - 8 hours each.


1. Take a CLC, remove the rails and cut in half like this.




2. Then take another and do the same.




3. Then place parts from the two 'different' CLC's together.
You have just made not one but 2 Racing Line Chicanes like this.




Use solder Iron to melt/tack track on the back then Glue together on the back with either epoxy resin which will set hard.

Or i have been using the hot glue gun to stick some track, i have a large one which gets real hot and it sticks to track amazing.

Shaunbmx

I just noticed the second one (the one i didn't use) goes OUTSIDE -to- OUTSIDE through the chicane not INSIDE -to- INSIDE.

Still may be of some use in the future.


Shaunbmx

[Don Quislot]

Nice trick, Shaun. I might use that some time. It looks rather simple to do it and it gives a nice new touch to a layout.

Thanks.

Don Quislot

[gtslot]

The beauty is in the simplicity!

I was scared off by the other version, but this I think I can do, and it will give me a few new options for my layout.

Thx,
Geoff

[zipp]

Still may be of some use in the future.
Shaunbmx

The chicane is a fantastic idea Shaun. Thanx for sharing. This seems like a mod that most will be able to do. I (the same as gtslot), was impressed but intimidated by your earlier creations.

With the 2 pieces you have left, could you place several straight sections in between them, and create a 3rd lane, straight down the middle? If you are in the lead, and use the new centre lane 3, this could prevent lanes 1 & 2 passing??.

Excellent ideas, and very neatly executed Shaun. Top marks.

I take it all the CLC's you have used, have the moving exit flippers?

I have some CLC's with fixed exit flippers, and i don't think your idea would work with them?, as the chicane piece you have created uses both the entrance flippers. This would leave 2 fixed flippers.
I wonder how easy it would be to swap them around