[Races2U]

Hello All-

I am about to attempt converting several cars, both digital and analog from various manufacturers, to Scalextric digital. I have converted other cars to Carrera digital in the past, but this will be my first time going to Scalex. I would appreciate any tips or pointers from anyone who's done this before.

Best regards,
Warren

 

[GregK]

Hi Warren,

WELCOME to the Forum .....

There are masses of details on all sorts of cars here ....... fill yer boots up! If you get stuck or need more help just ask away.

All the best - Greg

 

[Races2U]

I certainly appreciate the encouragement. I will be converting a Powerslot, a SCX, a Carrera, and 2 Turmo's to SCX digital. I am fairly handy with an exacto, dremel, and hot glue, but I really want to know if there are any pitfalls to watch out for when working with Scalextric digital IC's. Thanks again!

 

[MrFlippant]

Are you talking about Technitoys' SCX Digital, also known as Scalextric the Digital System in Spain?
Or, are you talking about Horby's Scalextric Sport Digital, also know as SuperSlot Digital in Spain?
They are completely different and have VERY different installation requirements.

Hornby's Scalextric Digital is very much like Carrera, except that the LED needs to be on the center line of the car.
Technitoy's SCX Digital is a whole different kind of system, and chipping non-SCX cars is quite a modding challenge.

 

[Slot Track Scenics]

Hi everyone,

I have a similar issue. I have got a Carrera Red Bull F1. that I want to run on SSD I have had the chip fitted and I have swopped the guide blade to the shorter one but it still seems to struggle especially on CLCs. Do I need to file the front down to make it thinner/sharper, shorten it some more (it is longer than the Scalex ones), or make it less deep?

Any experience anyone before I start cutting/filing?

David

 

[MrFlippant]

The "Scalextric compatible" guide from Carrera is not small enough for R1s. Heck, I've seen that guide get stuck in regular turns if the joins create a narrower slot.
Best bet is to sand the sides down to make the whole thing thinner. If that doesn't do it, take off some length. Depth isn't a problem on Sport track, but if you have any Classic pieces, they might be problematic. It also couldn't hurt to make sure there's a little ramp on the leading edge of the bottom of the guide, to make sure it skips over anything on the bottom of the slot, rather than catch it.

 

[Races2U]

QUOTE (MrFlippant @ 13 Feb 2012, 14:33) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Are you talking about Technitoys' SCX Digital, also known as Scalextric the Digital System in Spain?
Or, are you talking about Horby's Scalextric Sport Digital, also know as SuperSlot Digital in Spain?
They are completely different and have VERY different installation requirements.

Hornby's Scalextric Digital is very much like Carrera, except that the LED needs to be on the center line of the car.
Technitoy's SCX Digital is a whole different kind of system, and chipping non-SCX cars is quite a modding challenge.

I am talking about the Hornby Scalextric. I have seen how the Technitoys SCX system works, where the switch in the track is mechanically activated by a "pin" that pushes down through the guide blade of the SCX digital cars. That does seem like it would be very tough to convert a non-SCX car to a digital in that format. As it turns out, it looks like it may in fact be easier to convert other brands to Hornby Scalextrix digital than it is to Carrera. The circuit boards are smaller, and the LED actually has a lead on it, rather than being attached to the digital board. Also, the Scalextric digital does not have a polarity switch like the Carrera does, so no need for extra drilling/dremeling. It looks like this may not be so tough after all, although I may have a little difficulty getting lights to work, especially flashing roof lights on a police car and ambulance. At least I have a couple of weeks to figure it out.

Thank you again everyone!

 

[MrFlippant]

Ok, that's good. When you said "I will be converting a Powerslot, a SCX, a Carrera, and 2 Turmo's to SCX digital." I got worried.
Yes, SSD chipping is relatively easy.
As for the roof lights, what I did for my Carrera Charger police car was I wired the SSD chip and the head/tail lights to the braids, but the roof lights to the motor. That way, the roof lights are only on when the car is moving. That's what I wanted. If you want them on all the time, just wire them all to the braids. In this specific case, though, I kept the analog light board in the car, and took the power for the SSD chip off the motor outputs of the light chip. There was plenty of room inside the car body for the extra chip, since it had no interior.

 

[Slot Track Scenics]

Thanks for the Guide blade info. Greg. Very clear and helpful. Good luck Warren. I am sure you'll do it with the help you will get here.

David