[MrFlippant]

I've done my first video in a planned series of instructional videos on the new powerbase C7042. The first one is a simple "getting started" type video for when people just get their new base out of the box. It covers the default Basic mode, including pre-race mode, programming cars, F1 (lap limited) and Endurance (time limited) races. Future videos will cover things like pacer cars, yellow flag, analog mode, and more. Feel free to make requests of what should be covered in a future video. I appreciate all constructive feedback.
Thanks!
-Greg

 

[deadpedal]

Really enjoyed your video sir! Looking forward to the "pro" vids... especially pace cars. It looks to me from my experimenting that you can't really have a pace car be a true participant in a race. They are there putting up lap times, but are otherwise irrelevant.

 

[MrFlippant]

Yes. Pace cars are traffic most of the time. The only way for a pacer to be competition is to make it a fast mag car (like a stock Slot.it), and your car is a magless one that's not as fast. Then you can tune the speed of the pacer so that you just can't quite pass it. Once you're able to pass the pace car, speed it up a notch.

 

[Profoxcg]

we need to make the ghosts behave like they do in PB-pro. Where you can record a fast lap or have variable throttle.

 

[distantkiwi]

Is that done by PB-Pro or by software on a PC?

 

[MrFlippant]

That's done by the software, not PB-Pro. It needs PB-Pro because a standard powerbase (old type) cannot be controlled by a computer, it can only report data to the computer. PB-Pro allows the computer a lot of control, and so SSDC can record a lap and play it back. The new powerbase is capable of this level of control as well, it's just a matter of the new SSDC coming out and getting the new Aux cable to connect it to the PC.

When I speak of "pace cars" I mean constant throttle ones. I've more or less given up on recorded lap pace cars, at least for my current layout, because it takes too much tweaking for the car to reliably lap without coming off, and by that time, it's no kind of competition. I have what some may consider too many R1 turns (3!), but even on a layout with nothing tighter than R2, a recorded lap will never be a real match for a human driver. Andrew has plans for fancier things in the new version for the new PB. Time will tell if it's better than what we have now. I still doubt it will be a match for a human driver unless the car is faster/better than the one the human is driving, in which case, might as well KISS and do what I originally suggested for constant throttle cars.

Of course, this is completely off topic, and belongs in an SSDC thread of some kind. Anyone have any requests for future videos?

 

[distantkiwi]

Can you shoot an old PB6 not a PBPro with a shot-gun. I'd like to see that.

 

[deadpedal]

My main gripe about it is I feel I should be able to set pace car fixed speed, then set up a race, set them on the starting line and have them sit there until the race count down is finished. As soon as I set a pace car down, it starts moving. It doesn't get a start "fault" for doing that. Just wondering if I'm doing something wrong in order to have them participate by the current race rules better. Anyway, the pace car video is what I'm looking forward to.

 

[Slotrace.dk]

Great video.

3m43secs - a count-down at the restart would have been nice.

 

[CocoPops]

Thanks MrFlippant looking forward to part 2.

 

[MrFlippant]

Kiwi, sorry, I don't do "will it blend" videos. Besides, I don't have an unmodded PB6 to shoot. ;-)

Deadpedal, what you're looking for is the "set grid" option. I forget what button it is to do it, but it might be the enter button. I haven't experimented a lot with that, but it should stop all cars. Then you can press the Start button for the countdown. As long as power at start is off, then all cars will be still until the countdown is over. This should keep your pacers in check until the race actually starts. Of course, there's no use to false start detection in that case, since no one can go until the countdown ends anyway.

Rene, yeah. There's no countdown from pause mode, as far as I can tell. Maybe the PB-Pro guys can add that later.

CocoPops, Thanks!

 

[RikoRocket]

Better start a new thread to compile a list...

Great video. Good to see the software is still at build 00084 as that is the one that we have all been messing with. Maybe it wasn't the best ideaa to show a CLC in the circuit, OK for digital but maybe you can cover this in a later video when you go onto analog. Brilliant idea to do a video though Mr F and interesting to see you are not as young as your picture!

 

[MrFlippant]

Birth year, 1971, and proud of it.

As for the CLC, it depends on if I have to take the oval down prior to my next video or not, but either way I will address the use of them in analog circuits, whether I have one in my track for the video or not. It's almost too bad I did the split on my garage layout PB, or I could more easily drop this one in place and film in there. At the same time, it's probably better, since the people who will most benefit from these videos are the rug racers. Maybe next time I'll actually set up a bigger layout on the floor. ;-)

 

[Profoxcg]

QUOTE Birth year, 1971, and proud of it.
eww you're oooold,, jk

 

[distantkiwi]

QUOTE (MrFlippant @ 14 Aug 2010, 07:07) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Birth year, 1971, and proud of it.

I always thought that was a good year for births, only the best were born that year.

This picture from here made me think of an idea. How about gears, push the brake button and if the trigger is being released, then it down gears(power level stepped down) press it while trigger is being pressed in and the gears do up.

 

[RikoRocket]

So what stops you from being in top gear all the time so you have max speed? Unless you have no brakes in top gear some in mid gear and loads in bottom gear?

Nice example of anti-collision from way back when on the chicane I see. Injectormans holy grail but 30 years ago!

 

[richardtheforth]

QUOTE

'Turd' isn't a manufacturer I'm familiar with

 

[distantkiwi]

"turd" he he he

QUOTE (RikoRocket @ 14 Aug 2010, 12:21) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>So what stops you from being in top gear all the time so you have max speed? Unless you have no brakes in top gear some in mid gear and loads in bottom gear?

How about you can't change gears up unless you have the throttle at full, and same for going down.

1st gear, allows 0 to 50% power with the throttle
2nd gear, allows 50% to 75% with the throttle eg let go of trigger and you will continue to travel
3rd 75-87
4th 87-100

or somthing like that.

so you have to go up and down gears to get around corners and go fast on straights. I'm guessing it would need to be a large track.

 

[RichG]

Sounds aweful to me...

Don't you find squeezing the throttle, keeping the car on the track, avoiding other cars and lane changing enough?

Rich

 

[ArtfulRogue]

Excellent video Mr F, I'm really looking forward to your next one.

1971 ? You're just a youngster........just think how old us that were born in 1970 feel......40 next month, noooooooooooooooooooo