[Charles R]

Silly question... if I jumped the three controller wires to two lane connectors (instead of one) would everything blow up? Or would the controller simply operate both lanes?

I know I could just swap the clips from one lane to the other or even add a A/B switch however I'm just wondering...

 

[MrFlippant]

you would jump just the two that go to the rails, from one set of rails to the other. The result would be one controller controlling both lanes. Nothing will blow up.

 

[Charles R]

you would jump just the two that go to the rails, from one set of rails to the other. The result would be one controller controlling both lanes. Nothing will blow up.

I have done that... jumping one set of rails to another. In this case I was thinking instead of buying four controllers and since both lanes typically won't run at the same time I could run the three controller wires to two "stations" via jumper wires. Then if I wanted to run them independently simply disconnect the jumpers between the (black, white, red) posts. And if I wanted to run both at the same time I would have to connect a controller to the lane not jumpered.

To make it less confusing I was thinking of running a jumper from one lane's controller red post to the other lane's red post... repeat for black and white.

 

[Charles R]

Everything showed up today and I'm sort of off and running... closer to jogging based on my abilities. I used doubled sided foam tape to mount the terminal block since I didn't want screws coming through the finished side. So far so good. I opened the Policar straights but only stared for a few seconds as I didn't want to get distracted.

 

[Merc_A]

Hello Charles, I read the whole thread but now I’m not quite sure if the swap of your 4 lane Carrera to 6 lane Policar is definitive? I wonder where you stand now with your track choice.
Regards, Merc

 

[Charles R]

Hello Charles, I read the whole thread but now I’m not quite sure if the swap of your 4 lane Carrera to 6 lane Policar is definitive? I wonder where you stand now with your track choice.

Good question! And I'm not sure I have an answer. I really want to run four lanes so if the Policar track looks fine I'm pretty sure I will go there. Just got in a few straights and so far it seems OK... rails look to lock together smoother than Carrera however the rails themselves appear to have minor impressions every so often (more so than Carrera) which cosmetically isn't great. I'll know more when I connect the three straights to do the wiring for power.

I'm not convinced I'll like the new layout better (outside of running four) so it will come down to something new (unknown) versus something I already love. However a body in motion is hard to stop... and I'm heading that way.

 

[Roguejackal]

I’d be surprised if you have any problems with power as long as you use the clips to hold the track together, Maurizio has said they have used the same track for many shows and never had an issue with power drop outs

 

[Merc_A]

Good question! And I'm not sure I have an answer.

Well i've been thinking about your wishes. Let's go for the 4 lanes, then look what are the options. a 6 lane policar track has a minimum radius of 626.5 mm so 1253 mm diameter. A 4 lane carrera track does 1200 mm. The other thing i read is that you love the "flow" of a track where swooping bends flow into eachother. The latest policar 6 lane track only has one large curve and option A and B look rather, well, not swooping but - compared to your old carrera layout - more rectangular with less variation in curves.

So why not go for 4 lane Carrera with borders? And if the Carrera borders are not to your taste, you might want to make your own out of 8 mm mdf - or have them 3D printed in a material / colour to your taste.
If your concern is the tightest table width (1.2 meters), you might consider a carrera R1/R2 banked curve, that would provide you with a fast and interesting curve - and a banked curve takes less room on the table, for the tilted road surface takes less width. And you could do without borders but accept a railing because a banked curve might do without run off area.

Apart from that, from what i've seen in the track plans, my feeling is you would love one long straight and then a set of nicely flowing curves back to the long straight again.
Have you ever considered laying the carrera track in a slightly turned layout, where the straight goes from top right to bottom left, so making a figure of 8-ish?
Let me add a few examples, based on your table dimensions.

 

[Merc_A]

ok one more sketch and then i'll stop! This one simplifies the layout but still provides a nice flow of bends.

 

[Charles R]

Between shoveling snow I finished the controller/terminal station more or less. All that is left is power in (to the terminal block) and power to the lanes (from the DPDT switches). Now none of it is tested... so there is that!

 

[Charles R]

Well i've been thinking about your wishes.

First off I much appreciate you taking the time.

Let's go for the 4 lanes, then look what are the options.

Unfortunately 4 lanes with Carrera is out for sure. I have used their shoulders and they simply aren't for me - lots of complaints in my Digital thread. I also have my doubts with Policar but it's still a possibility.

The other thing i read is that you love the "flow" of a track where swooping bends flow into eachother.

I'm thinking as the layout gets shorter I'd probably like less sweep. The current layout is 60 ft and the "sweep" is about perfect. If it gets much shorter I don't want one long sweep.

The latest policar 6 lane track only has one large curve and option A and B look rather, well, not swooping but - compared to your old carrera layout - more rectangular with less variation in curves.

I'm sort of stuck on C. It has some sweep along with a few points of interest. I found going from 81 to 60 feet the length isn't that important. Although just the right amount of sweep pretty much removes turning laps rather they run together as one long road.

So why not go for 4 lane Carrera with borders? And if the Carrera borders are not to your taste, you might want to make your own out of 8 mm mdf - or have them 3D printed in a material / colour to your taste.

Short story I'm not making any shoulders.

Let me add a few examples, based on your table dimensions.

I like several of your possibilities however I just don't see four lanes. And again it I do it would be with Policar. I have a few Policar straights (to wire track power) and I'll probably order some shoulders to check them out. However keep in mind I just prefer the look of more lanes and unless I can't come up with a 6 lane layout I can live with I'm pretty sure 6 it will be...

 

[Sb332]

Charles, it might be worth trying an experiment before you completely rule out Carrera borders. When I painted my track I painted it in place with the borders attached. The paint filled the joints and smoothed out the transitions. If you paint on a flat surface it can be surprisingly smooth and the paint holds the pieces together really tightly if you start lifting the track for overpasses or camber. Not sure if you would be open to painting your whole track but might be worth experimenting with one piece and one border.

 

[Charles R]

Charles, it might be worth trying an experiment before you completely rule out Carrera borders. When I painted my track I painted it in place with the borders attached. The paint filled the joints and smoothed out the transitions.

I have seen some really nice painted tracks however much like making my own shoulders I don't see it happening. I know many can't relate, I'm just not fond of shoulders. I had plenty of them on my first two layouts and the lack of is what I like best about the current one.

 

[Merc_A]

Points taken Charles, so it’s a 6 laner for you. Then it would still be worth a try in Carrera, their R4 curves are so wide and elegant. the only place you run out of table is the far right. There seems to be some space left when I see the situation in your room though, said the architect. I wonder how much room you have on the right side outside of the photo?

 

[Charles R]

I wonder how much room you have on the right side outside of the photo?

You can tell from the image the tables take up roughly half the room (one side) and I'm not sure I want to give them any more importance. I could add two 2 1/2' by 6' tables at the narrow end of the tables (wide end is restricted by the space needed to open two home theater closet doors) and I have thought of having them built.

However I do like them being "tucked" into the room as they don't dominate. Any bigger and they take over the room and it becomes a slot car room. Not necessarily a bad thing but it might be beyond my commitment. Also if I ever punt I already have three "large" tables to dispose of and having two more would just add to the issue. Bottom line without going full bore I think the tables are what they are going to be...

Which is why I am looking at Policar. I give up some things however at the same time I'm gaining some. Like the ability to fit in 6 lanes. So it's back to (perhaps) a lessor layout versus running 4 lanes instead of 2... I'm comfortable changing I just want to make sure I'm getting the best 6 lanes I can... given the space.

 

[Merc_A]

That’s a huge room 😊 but I get your point, no way you want to broaden the table one foot to enable a Carrera 6 lane R1/R2/R3 180 degrees curve on the narrow table.

 

[Charles R]

That’s a huge room 😊 but I get your point, no way you want to broaden the table one foot to enable a Carrera 6 lane R1/R2/R3 180 degrees curve on the narrow table.

That's a wide angle shot so it looks bigger... again if I add to the tables in my mind I'm committing the entire room and based on my usage it doesn't feel appropriate. Now if it was used for club racing on a regular basis it would be another story. I have had friends enjoy driving the cars off the table (repeatedly) but that isn't going to happen.

 

[Charles R]

Today is a good day. Hopefully I'm done soldering! I was doing better (than usual) until my tip more or less disintegrated. Soldered the two power wires and the two wires going to each of the four lanes. To my eyes 16 gauge appears rather thin but it's what Professor Motor recommended and what I used on the current layout. The insulation is thinner so the wire appears to be thinner... worse case I'll turn up the voltage. I much prefer the rail clips I got from CarreraSlots as they have a hole to wrap the wire around before soldering and the ones from Scaleauto didn't.

 

[Charles R]

New thread coming... sold the Carrera track and must say I will miss it. Will work on layouts with Policar (6 lanes) for a bit before I commit to an order... should be fun.

 

[Dingleberry]

Wow... making moves!