[moped rider]

Many of you will be aware that all electrical goods of European based manufacturers have to be tested for electrical suppression and radio and microwave signal interference. Goods that are approved have a "CE" rating. European slot cars have what can be described as a brown blob next to the motor which is the device that insulates the electrical motor and prevents it from interfering with TV, radio and mobile phone signals.

The USA does not have similar regulations and goods purchased from a retail outlet in USA by individuals in Europe do not have to comply with the "CE" regulations. However, goods exported from the USA to Europe for sale from European outlets do have to comply with the "CE" regulations.

Just to advise that coding chips sold in Europe are designed to be fitted to units that have the "CE" suppression device in place.

If they are fitted to a unit that does not have the "CE" suppression devise you will risk a malfunction of the coding chip.

This has come to light as a result of a railway modeller purchasing trains from the USA and subsequently fitting DCC coding chips from a European source.

Now I do know that it is common for our slot car friends from the USA to remove such suppression devices if fitted. It may be better to leave them in place if you have any plans at all to try out digital slot cars as the various companies who produce digital coding chips are European and the chips must have been designed for slot cars that have these suppression devices fitted.

Clearly chips manufacturered specifically for the USA model train market to be fitted to USA trains will not have this issue but as the slot car market is more global in nature then there may be an issue with chips designed for slot cars if suppression devices are removed.

I don't know what the experiance of Davic users is but a bit of feedback could be useful.

Cheers
Moped

 

[moped rider]

Of course the slot car market is more global in nature.

The same slot car by Ninco or Carrera or Scalextric is sold and exported to every country worldwide where there is a distributer and interest in a Scalextric Ford GT40 or a Carrera Ferrari is global.

American outline trains predominantly sell in the USA. British outline trains predominantly sell in the UK. German outline trains predominantly sell in Germany. Japanese outline trains predominantly sell in Japan. Each of those countries has its own model railway companies and manufacture is predominantly for the home market only.

The Americans often wonder what that little brown blob is that slot cars have under the hood and there have been questions about it at SCI in the past. As it is easier to include this capacitor or whatever it is in every slot car made then no matter where in the world the slot car is exported to it will include the specification required by European legislation.

Cheers
Moped

 

[moped rider]

It was a reply from a DCC expert in UK's "Model Rail" to a question put by a reader who had a problem with a European coding chip in a USA outline train that he had imported form the States. Basically model train manufacturers in the USA are not obliged to incorporate interference suppressors within their models and they don't! The locomotives do not comply with the "CE" requirements of Europe.

If you are operating a European DCC system then you may have difficulties with loco's from the USA. Conversly an American DCC system may not be able to operate European locomotives. Its all to do with the amount of suppression that the chips are designed to cope with.

As Prof Fate has kindly indicated, all slot cars appear to have these suppressors fitted no matter where in the world you are. The chips for digital slot car racing will have been designed with this in mind as standard.

The only thing I can say is that it would be advisable to leave these suppressor units in place and not remove them.

In the past it has been known for folk to remove them as it is said that this increases the performance of the car. It is one of those little "modifications" that club racers undertake in the main.

If you do happen to remove these suppressor units in Europe then you may be breaking the law and if it is proven that you have interferred with the equipment of the emergency services for example, or somebody's heart pacemaker, then you may have to suffer the consequences.

Moped