[Edo]

Guys
my Carrera is wired negative.
My 4 Professor Motor controllers for Carrera work fine.
When I went to Egg for the SF Birthday bash I took my PM controller with polarity swich and to be able to use it I had to change polarity.
Now I got a MBslot controller which I will try soon but it does not have a polarity swich and i hope it will work as is.
My question is:
1-suppose it is wired the other way than my track what should I do?
2-Rewire the track the other way?
3-What about the other 3 PM controllers that do not have a polarity switch then?
4-Will they work as is or I have to install polarity switch to them and change polarity for new wiring?
5-Any suggestions and diagrams for standard wiring if such a thing exist?
I would like to have my track wired like it is usually done in Clubs and commercial tracks in Europe.
Thanks for you attention.
Best regards
Edo

 

[GRAH1]

It would be great if the whole of europe was wired the same ,Its took us 40 yrs to get round to traveling in the same direction so Id say that makes 2044 the deadline for getting the same wiring .
Seriously though in the UK we use 3 pin 2 amp sockets and plugs that have been around for about 60 yrs and most tracks are wired that way negative ground positive feed theres a good article on wiring on chris frosts sitehttp://uk.geocities.com/slot_racing/

 

[Edo]

Hi Graham
your (now mine too) British friends at the SF birthday just plugged the controller in and away they went fine.
If I had to switch my polarity does it mean that my track is wired the other way?
Is the BSCRA way a sort of an European standard then?
Thanks
Best regards
Edo

 

[JEXY1]

Hi Edo

When we arrived at EGG we removed the three pin lighting plugs that Graham refers to and wired up some bannana plugs (kindly supplied by Swiss). The three cables coming out of the Parma controlers are coloured. Match the colours up and away you go. If there is a problem just swap the two power leads around.

There is every chance that clubs wire up differently but it's only a five min job to swap the controller cables around.

Good luck

Gareth

 

[slik]

Hey there Edo,

Can't answer your questions I'm afraid but I will be watching this topic closely as I am now after a PM controller.

Edo where did you purchase yours from as I cannot find anywhere in the UK that does a PM controller with brake adjustment like yours has. I'm not too bothered about all the extra knobs but one with a polarity switch and adjustable brakes would be very cool.

Cheers,

Julian.

 

[Edo]

Thanks Gareth
but apparently it's not that simple: it seems that with the wrong polarity electronic controllers can blow (which does not happen with resistance controller like Parma). That is why you have to have a polarity switch for the right polarity before you plug them in.

Hi Julian
I got mine from www.electric-dreams.com which is PdL store (Costa Mesa CA).
They had to build it as some of the parts are optionals. Professor Motor explains all here:
http://www.professormotor.com/cat_controls.shtml
I have also 3 plain ones, no frills, at my Carrera track: great controllers, good with every type of car.
I strongly recommend the polarity switch and adjustable brakes (and also the sensitivity control: if you run on different tracks, I noticed, it gets useful).
Now I have a super duper MBslot with brakes, sensitivity and traction control, which I am waiting for the adapter (in Italy they use a strange contraption called Magic plug).
(Maybe with that I can beat all of you next year in Egg

Unfortunately it has not a polarity switch hence the questions above.
Thanks
Best regards
Edo

 

[slik]

QUOTE (Edo @ 30 Sep 2004, 16:06)Now I have a super duper MBslot with brakes, sensitivity and traction control,
Hey there Edo

Don't tease us like this without posting some pictures!

Traction control!

Please tell us more and maybe a mini review when you have the adaptor?

Cheers,

Julian.

 

[Edo]

OK Julian
let's hope it does'nt go up in smoke when I plug it in

Guys anymore assistence on the matter above?
Cheers
Edo

 

[hawkwind]

Your Prof. Motor controller will not go up in smoke if you have the wrong polarity. If for example you have a positive wired track like Carrera and a negative wired controller, you will notice that when you squeeze the trigger you will basically have an on/off switch. Maximum voltage as soon as you pull the trigger. If it has a polarity switch, just switch and your controller will work fine but you can only race in one direction. You need the controller and the track to have the same polarity in order to use the polarity switch to be able to race in both directions. So don't be afraid to connect up and test.

If you have a PM controller for Carrera and decide to rewire your track to negative than the polarity switch will only work in one direction and basically be an on/off switch in the other direction. So if you have decided to rewire Carrera then make sure you get the normal PM controller that is negative polarity.

Hope this helps,

Brent

 

[pault86]

This Dynamic Braking Tutorial may be helpful. It has a good deal of information on controllers and links to other articles you might find informative.

At present the technical explanation of braking is overly simple but not inaccurate, technically. It simply doesn't mention current. Braking is actually caused by the magnetic field induced around the rotor windings from the current flow created when you short circuit the motor while it is running as a generator. The field produces a developed torque in the generator that is identical to the developed torque that spins the armature in normal operation as a motor.

Since the formula for developed torque gives some good insight on motor characteristics of importance to rewinders I have decided to go ahead and expand the tutorial to include a precise electrical explanation with at least one more diagram in the near future.

If all this is gibberish, that's why I kept it simple to start with, take a look.

Paul
Circuit TrustChrist

 

[Edo]

Well
we spent the whole day rewiring the track the BSCRA way (positive) and the PM controllers (initially for Carrera-wired negative) do not work (we swiched the wires in all possible ways at the plug).
Not even the one with polarity switch that was working in Egg (with the polarity reversed) is working now .
Yes I did read all the articles suggested in this thread and it sounds like we have to go back to negative wiring so I can keep those PM controllers. Is it true?
Any ideas?
Thanks
Edo

 

[pault86]

Edo,

If you want to use electronic controllers they MUST MATCH the polarity of your track wiring. Swapping the controller leads around at the driver's station will not make an electronic controller work if the polarity of the controller does not match the polarity of the track wiring.

As for your PM controller with the reversing switch I wouldn't worry about it too much just yet. Just set it aside until you can get to a track that you know for sure is wired with positive polarity and test it there.

Is this the controller you boght from Philippe de Lespinay at www.electric-dreams.com? I am surprised the page does not state what polarity track wiring the controller is designed for. If this is the controller it is clearly not resistor based so polarity will matter. I would contact PdL, I've spoken to him a few times and he has always been very helpful and gracious.

The same is true for Andy aka Professor Motor.

Between the manufacturers and the custom home tracks there just is no standard for the polarity of track wiring and probably won't be as long as people wire their tracks to work with the controllers they have. Most experienced racers that have expensive controllers are probably equipped to handle whichever polarity track they encounter, either with two controllers - one for each polarity - or a controller that is dual polarity or has a reversing switch. Less experienced racers will probably be happy if you have a decent controller - like the PMs - for them to use when they come over. Unless there is some reason you haven't mentioned, it probably isn't necessary to change the polarity your track normally uses.

Sorry for your day of frustration, seems like we always learn the most about stuff when it breaks.

Paul

 

[Edo]

Thanks Paul
when I went to Egg I just had to swich the polarity on my Professor Motor Controller for Carrera (which is wired negative) and it worked.
Now we changed my Carrera track into positive (like the one in Egg, I think) but the PM controller does not work (it's like a reverse 0n/off switch) whichever polarity you swich on it.

No that's not the controller I bought from Philippe. I got from him the PM's standard for Carrera and one PM with polarity swich.
The one I just got from MBslot (Italy) is this below and I have not tried yet for fear of damaging and because I have to fit a XLR plug first.

The idea was to have a track wired (positive) like the clubs in Italy, in Switzerland or England.
Off course I could switch it back to negative but then I won't be able to use the MBslot I just got (but the PM's would work).
I have ordered 3 polarity swich from the Professor for the standart PM controllers but I am still wondering how come the one PM with the polarity swich is not working either way.
One more suggestion perhaps?
Thanks
Best regards
Edo

 

[pault86]

Hi Edo,

That's a beautiful controller! You do have a good reason to change your wiring - making your layout match the club tracks is a good idea.

I only see two possible reasons why your PM controller with the polarity switch will not work after you rewired your track to positive polarity. The first reason is maybe the switch is broken. Switches normally have a long life time but maybe this is the occassional one with a defect.

The second reason is maybe there is a mistake in the track wiring. I am not familiar with Carrera track - I use Scaley Sport. If you are still using a Carrera power track could there be something inside the power track that is causing the problem? With Scaley Sport there is a rectifier circuit in the powerbase so even if you changed the input polarity of DC to the powerbase the rectifier would always pass it with negative polarity, the way Scaley track is wired. To truly change the polarity you have to get rid of the Scaley powerbase and build your own wiring harness and driver's staion. Have you tested your track since you rewired it with a positive polarity controller to be sure the track wiring is correct?

I would do two things:

1. If you think there may be a problem with your conversion from negative to positive polarity wiring post your question about how to rewire Carerra track from negative to positive again, both in Tracks and Scenery and in the Master Class forum. You need to find somebody who has done this before, ideally somebody near you who could look at what you've done and make sure it is right. In your new post maybe you could include some pictures of your power track and driver's stations to show how you have run the wires.

2. Contact Andy at Professor Motor either by phone or by email, tell him about your rewiring, and describe in detail how the controller with the polarity switch is working now. He might be able to pinpoint whether the problem is in your track wiring or controller. If you go to Professor Motor's website you can find his email address at the link for joining the Professor Motor Club.

Good luck, Edo, don't give up and I'm sure you'll get everything working, it just takes time.

Paul

 

[Edo]

Thanks Paul
we'll get to work on checking the rewiring job to make sure we did not make mistakes.
"Have you tested your track since you rewired it with a positive polarity controller to be sure the track wiring is correct?"
No only with the PM controller with polarity switch that does not work either way.
We might try the MBcontroller above tomorrow to see what gives.
Thanks again!
Best regards
Edo

 

[Edo]

Hi Guys
I just wanted to tell you that Professor Motor has offered me to exchange my controllers for new ones wired the right way for my newly rewired track. He's going to charge me only for shipping expenses! Is'nt that a very good after sales service!!!
I musst say that since I have come back to slot cars 6 months ago I have dealt with and met only the nicest people.
Thanks for all the help.
Edo (happy old newbie)