New routed track design
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How big is it? It left me wondering how easy marshalling would be in the middle. In style it seems more like a rally track than a road layout - if it is a road racing track you might want to think about having a long straight - ideally diaganoally across the middle - to allow the cars space to stretch out at speed.
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There isn't much point in creating a digital track without lane changers -- and lane changers are difficult to make in a routed track.
And if you do have lane changers there is limited value in having three lanes.
Frankly your layout looks overly complex. Have you ever built a routed track before? I always recommend that first-time track routers build a small test track first, just to learn the ropes. That exercise not only helps develop your skills, it also tends to inject some realism into ideal track designs.
Ed Bianchi
And if you do have lane changers there is limited value in having three lanes.
Frankly your layout looks overly complex. Have you ever built a routed track before? I always recommend that first-time track routers build a small test track first, just to learn the ropes. That exercise not only helps develop your skills, it also tends to inject some realism into ideal track designs.
Ed Bianchi
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I think it boils down to the skills one has in working with wood.
There is a nice example of another user here that has built a fantastic 2-lane routed digital track with 0 prior experience in routing track.
If this is a 3-laner circuit (as opposed to a single lane rally stage) then you would be better off reducing the amount of track, adding more space for borders and smoothing out some of the corner.
There is a nice example of another user here that has built a fantastic 2-lane routed digital track with 0 prior experience in routing track.
If this is a 3-laner circuit (as opposed to a single lane rally stage) then you would be better off reducing the amount of track, adding more space for borders and smoothing out some of the corner.
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7 Posts
It's 3m x7m the track is a combination of Adelaide street circuit and Philip island circuit
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No at this stage 3 lane road track
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Ok, I see. I do not think that the proportion of this drawing are right, but I think that a 3 meter wide table will make hard to marshal cars that will come out in the middle sections.
Also, I would consider putting the pitlane closer to the border of the table so that people can easily pick up their cars from the track to do some work on them without covering too much track section when reaching out for them.
Also, I would consider putting the pitlane closer to the border of the table so that people can easily pick up their cars from the track to do some work on them without covering too much track section when reaching out for them.
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The track isn't being made with timber it be made out of 5700mm l x 240mm w x 25mm plastic with lane grooves routed dead straight then steam heated and formed to shape this way I can form any radius corner and elevation in one and it's very light weight will only need around 7 pieces for the complete track also there will be lane changes just hadn't put them in yet
This product can be formed in any angle twist rise decent whatever way you wish it to go it will go I have used it in many other applications but not for a slot car track but I have full confidence that it will work
This product can be formed in any angle twist rise decent whatever way you wish it to go it will go I have used it in many other applications but not for a slot car track but I have full confidence that it will work
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Yeah the picture is just of the track on a bit of a3 the area it will be in will access from all 4 sides plus the middle
Sounds interesting, what are the plastic planks normally used for?
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What tracks do you currently race on?
Are you asking for feedback on how to improve the design, or are you simply showing us your plans?
If the former, then I'm sure we can help you out, but I don't want to discourage you by diving into it.
If the latter, then, have fun! I look forward to how it progresses, especially with this fancy material that will be bent in all kinds of ways.
Are you asking for feedback on how to improve the design, or are you simply showing us your plans?
If the former, then I'm sure we can help you out, but I don't want to discourage you by diving into it.
If the latter, then, have fun! I look forward to how it progresses, especially with this fancy material that will be bent in all kinds of ways.
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Im haven't raced on a track for probably 20 years and back then was scaletrix and I'm very open to ideas and critique
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The planks are composite decking planks they come with all the clips to hold them down to whatever surface the bending part is the tricky part but I've been Doing this for quite a few years now and one of very few in Australia
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I agree this could be a very interesting build to follow. My suggestions to reduce the amount of track still stand.
It will important also to think about where to place your lane changers.
For instance, you want to make sure that from all the lanes, cars are able to converge to the inner lane so that they can pit in few corners from the pit entry.
I would remove that second pit lane entry as it is crossing the inner lane which could case unwanted crashes.
It will important also to think about where to place your lane changers.
For instance, you want to make sure that from all the lanes, cars are able to converge to the inner lane so that they can pit in few corners from the pit entry.
I would remove that second pit lane entry as it is crossing the inner lane which could case unwanted crashes.
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That makes sense.
OK, in the spirit of helping you get the best track you can, I'll start with a general impression rather than a deep dive into every straight and turn.
Scale accuracy aside, I see a track that has altogether too many short straights connected by sharp kinks.
Turns that start sharp, go wide, and then end sharp, are generally to be avoided, but if you must have one, then only have ONE such turn.
Nesting turns is fine, but make sure you allow plenty of room for the outside lane of the nested turn to have space to drift AND crash without entering the inside lane of the turn it's nested into.
You have a very large and wide table with no obvious access to the inside to marshal crashed cars. No one's going to want to crawl under the table for an access port every time a crash happens in the middle, and long "grabber" tools are unwieldy at best. I would suggest shortening some sections to allow a man to walk into the center area of the layout to take care of crashes.
Unless you plan to use two lanes as analog with analog pit lane access for them, there's no need to complicate your pit lane by having two lanes have their own pit lane. Just make sure there are lane changers from the outer lanes toward the inner lane, so that a car has the ability to move to the pit lane without having to make an entire lap to do so.
It would be a good idea to plot it out in some way for dimensional accuracy of the drawing, to plan for the actual radii, length of straight, access around and into the table as needed, etc.
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95 Posts
If you are starting with straights routed in solid plastic and forming them into curves be aware that the material will get thicker at the inside radius and thinner at the outside. You'll need to shim the track sections to mate them up level. A 0.010 inch (0.25mm) mis-match at track joints will produce a noticeable bump. You'll want to do better than that.
I agree with MrFlippant that a 3 meter wide platform is too wide. Even 4 feet (1.22 meters) is a difficult reach for most people. A 2.5 meter wide platform will be more accessible. By going to 2 lanes you should be able to thin the track down enough to fit on the narrower table.
That is, except, I don't know what the tight corners you've drawn scale out to in terms of radius. I'm also suspicious of the lane spacing. You really need to re-draw this track to an accurate scale. I'm concerned that your design just won't fit once you draw it with practical radii and lane spacing.
Ed Bianchi
I agree with MrFlippant that a 3 meter wide platform is too wide. Even 4 feet (1.22 meters) is a difficult reach for most people. A 2.5 meter wide platform will be more accessible. By going to 2 lanes you should be able to thin the track down enough to fit on the narrower table.
That is, except, I don't know what the tight corners you've drawn scale out to in terms of radius. I'm also suspicious of the lane spacing. You really need to re-draw this track to an accurate scale. I'm concerned that your design just won't fit once you draw it with practical radii and lane spacing.
Ed Bianchi
The diagram shows 70 mm lane centers and 240mm track width - so presumably that means 50mm spin out space from the slot to the outside of the track. I that what was intended?
70 mm lane centers would be OK for 1/43 but it's narrow for 1/32.
Routed tracks normally have a lot more than 50mm spin out space, but it'll work with barriers round the outside if that's what you want.
Near the number 6 and several other places the diagram shows very little space between the lanes on different parts of the tack. If they are at different levels by a reasonable bridge height that can work . If they are at the same height they need to be far enough apart for an crash barrier between the two parts of the track..
There's some good advice about layout in the other posts above.
70 mm lane centers would be OK for 1/43 but it's narrow for 1/32.
Routed tracks normally have a lot more than 50mm spin out space, but it'll work with barriers round the outside if that's what you want.
Near the number 6 and several other places the diagram shows very little space between the lanes on different parts of the tack. If they are at different levels by a reasonable bridge height that can work . If they are at the same height they need to be far enough apart for an crash barrier between the two parts of the track..
There's some good advice about layout in the other posts above.
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