ANALOGUE V DIGITAL

Wow this is going to be a good thread, lol.
Simply the current systems on the market arent for enthusiasts, just toys. So until someone comes along with a commercial quality system that works we will be hearing stories like yours. Sad but true.
Im an digital diehard, and basically the guys on the digital forums do in fact have some commercial quality upgrades. But most of us want plug and play.
I havent looked back since going digital. Luckily I have the patience to troubleshoot.
Essentially they are similar but with digital its all about changing lanes. Unfortuately you need extra components to achieve this. This is where the problem starts. These issues will be sorted and we are getting closer every day. And we need "best line" tracks, not the LC's the toy market offer us.
I believe it is the future once the issues are sorted. At the moment I dont expect anologue guys should have to put up with the problems that exist.
there will always be some forms of analogue.
Unless your willing to modify your digital system or pay someone to do it for you, it may be better to stay with analogue a wee bit longer until it happens. Digital will improve and it will impress. Right now its in its development period.
However connectivity problems occur on analogue as well as digital tracks.
But to sum up digital racing blows me away, and gets the imagination going. But you do need some like minded digital racers to get the full effect.

Cheers
Rick

I converted my Ninco home track to digital, takes a lot of getting used too. Now I can race against my two kids on the same track without any arguments. I have downloaded some software off here so that I can display the information onto a PC screen rather than the rather small LCD display. I haven't made the cable yet work keep getting in the way.

I had connection difficulties cars flying off at top speed etc all due to poor connections on the track. I agree about the controllers lack of feel, I think its because we are used to the feel of the wiper on the resistor inside the analogue controllers.

I am looking forward to the summer when my mates will come round and we can all race together on two lanes.

Wife nagged about the expense. I spent £500 in one month on N-Digital equipment. Gotta sell some as I have way too much.



Alan

QUOTE (Phil Stenning @ 20 Feb 2008, 21:02) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>for a start it agve me connectivity teething problems, but after that was addressed i still did nt like it, the controllers don t feel anywhere near as 'sure' as even the standard analogue do and as the majority of my racing i do is solo just seems a little pointless?
i ve got hundreds of cars and i use all of them so it would prove very expensive to chip the lot!
phil

Hey Phil,
Congratulations on your recent purchase. If you have read the threads in the SSD section, then you will know that there is some tinkering to be done, some money to be spent, and a lot of time to devote, to get the system running as smooth as an analouge track. But don't despair, because if you really want it, it can be achieved.

SSD does demand a much cleaner and securely fastned track. A track that works well in analogue mode, will not necessarily cut the mustard in digital mode. Any small flaws will be detected.
The feel of the standard throttles does take some getting used to. The Re-Pete modified Parmas are the way to go at the moment, but Slot.it will soon have their product on the market too.
Having an existing collection of hundreds of cars is probably the biggest issue for many people wanting to try SSD. The chip price is far to expensive, and a modest collection of say 100 cars is gonna set you back a grand.
I am in a similar position with the cars, so i chose to create a four lane track, devoting two lanes to analogue and 2 lanes to digital.

As for your comment about racing solo, well SSD is just what you need. You can set upto 5 pace cars to run around the track, whilst you pick your way through them. This is a great challenge. Even 2 cars set up to run on their own is great fun for a solo racer.

If you want the digital experience, straight out of the box, forget it. Sell up now.
If you enjoy tinkering with stuff, then get stuck in and reap the rewards.

Don't give up, the mods are so much easier than they sound. If you know one end of a soldering iron from the other than modding SSD isn't be a problem.
If I can do them, then pretty much anyone with a pulse can

Paul wrote a great note here :- Guide to SSD

which explains better than I can on what steps to take to get a great system.

Then whether you race alone or with a bunch of mates it is hours & hours of fun... analogue has no interest for me at all now.
Its like discovering DVDs after VHS. Yes Scaley has some catching up to do with the guys here at slotforum, but then again it does
in the analogue world as well.

So stick with it, do the mods and have some fun.

Mike

Phil,

I didn't see anyone comment here but your spot of already owning a lot of analog cars is a distinct position that would make an impact on your choice. I raced at a commercial track (analog) and never really got into it far enough to collect many cars. So, when I decided to get into a home track the only reason I made the decision to spend a lot of time and money was to try digital. I would NOT have gotten back into the hobby, building an analog track. I think with your large collection of cars I would create a dual system, where you have the digital system installed as well as analog. This way you could still run all your un-chipped cars and slowly chip or buy new digital stuff.

The lane change feature is neat but what I really found to be so cool with digital (and did NOT anticipate) was how much fun it is to follow close behind the guy in front of you. On my current track, passing is NOT completed right at the lane change section like the promo videos would have you think. If you know you are coming up on another, slower, car. You change lanes a lap or more before the actual pass occurs. There are big curves, and places where one car is faster than another, so you generally position yourself into the opposite lane and then pass where the speed and position is right.

I have thought of adding analog functionality, mostly to make it so we could buy cars, and drop them on the track and go. I hate having to spend $30 or more on a car and then another $22 on the chip, and then shoehorn it into the new car. But, when I thought of the fun we have with the digital, features, I think "I would hate to loose the ability to follow, have a single cross-over, run more cars at one time than the number of slots, loose the option to merge two or more slots into one".

Good topic and I'm sure the debate will never end.

Jim