[Mr.V.]

What adjustable hand controllers do people recommend for use on a big wooden track .
It needs to be a trigger type not thumb and adjustable as it will be used for cars of varying classes.
Any recommendations - for on the shelf units.
Also what about custom thumb type controllers any recommendations on these as well please.
Any info would be well received.
Thanks

 

[dangermouse]

What type of cars are you running?

There are many options for adjustable controllers - which would suit 1/32 and 1/24 cars on a board track.

Professor Motor Controllers
slot.it SCP-1
Tru Speed
ACD Pro
DiFalco are just a few of the brands out there

each has its own pluses and minuses - I would recommend checking out what controllers other people at the track use.

DM

 

[Petr L]

Very interesting controller for 1/32 cars is Pro Controller 1 from Jura Micek & Fritz Kopriwa.

 

[300SLR]

DM has asked a vital question - What type of cars are you running?
Some 1/32 cars take much more current than others. (as of course do other scales)
A controller needs to be able to handle the current of the highest current motors you want to use.
Some types of controller are only suitable for the low powered motors.
The controllers suitable for higher powered motors generally also work well on low powered motors. However, controllers for higher current motors can be more expensive, that's not good value if you are never going to use high current motors.

QUOTE (Mr.V. @ 4 Dec 2011, 01:14) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Also what about custom thumb type controllers any recommendations on these as well please.
SCD electronic controllers are available in both thumb and trigger versions.
Both have the same fully adjustable electronics.

 

[Flange]

Do you want to spend £250 ? In which case a cobra ss would be the best or an engage , probably if not then the tru speed with adjustable nobs on top will do you well for under 100

 

[Ronan]

It might be worth getting some simple parma type controllers for use as "club controllers" and then if members want to get their own more sophisticated controllers then they can do so.

Something like a 35ohm parma would be a good simple robust controller to get.

The other issue is what type of controller hook ups and what polarity the track is. It would seem like a good idea to go for the opposite type polarity to Ninco/Scalextric home sets, and use a 3 pin plug for connection which seems to be the norm for UK clubs. That will also have the bonus of allowing visitors from other clubs to simply plug in their own controllers.

On our tracks in Dublin our powerbases/connections are mostly adapted from regular home set track pieces (ninco mostly) so the polarity is different compared to club tracks in the UK. Hence the fancy professor motor controllers I have won't work on a club track. This is because I believe they have a diode in them which means they are specific to one type of track or the other. Non-diode type controllers (like parmas) don't have this problem and can be used anywhere.

 

[300SLR]

QUOTE (Ronan @ 5 Dec 2011, 11:21) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>It might be worth getting some simple parma type controllers for use as "club controllers" and then if members want to get their own more sophisticated controllers then they can do so.

Something like a 35ohm parma would be a good simple robust controller to get.
Parma is a good choice for a resistance club controller.
Choosing the right resistance for a resistance controller needs a good idea what sort of cars you'll be using.
35 ohms is good for some cars, just about tolerable for some cars and little better than an on-off switch for yet others.

An advantage of adjustable controllers is that you can adjust them to suit a wide range of cars, rather than the several different resistance controllers needed to really suit a wide range of cars.

 

[Ronan]

True, 35ohm is to my liking but maybe 45ohm would be better for general use. That's what is used on one of the tracks we use and it tends to suit most cars.

 

[300SLR]

Hi Ronan
Sounds like the 35 - 45 ohm range suits your cars and track.
A very much wider range of resistances are needed to cover the full range of slot cars. (That'll be why Parma make a very much wider range of resistances)
From what I remember of Mr.V's other posts, his track is quite different to the set up you are talking about.

 

[Ronan]

QUOTE (300SLR @ 5 Dec 2011, 13:14) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi Ronan
Sounds like the 35 - 45 ohm range suits your cars and track.
A very much wider range of resistances are needed to cover the full range of slot cars. (That'll be why Parma make a very much wider range of resistances)
From what I remember of Mr.V's other posts, his track is quite different to the set up you are talking about.

Fair enough, although I would have thought that if the majority of cars to be run have standard motors (18-25k was what I was thinking) then they should work ok. Obviously for more powerful motors then something different would be needed.

 

[Mr.V.]

Thanks for your replies ---

Our track is a five lane braided wooden circuit with around 100 feet lap length.
Power is 20 amps and up to 16 volts per lane.
We will be running everything form basic Scalextric cars to super quick 24th scale.