[minimental]

QUOTE
HOT NEWS
We are glad to announce that NINCO will launch its digital slot car and track system in 2005. The system will be fully compatible with standard cars, standard NINCO track and also with all track which are already compatible with NINCO tracks.
this was taken from ninco's July 2004 pole position newsletter, i was just wondering if the fact the system does not require speacial cars and standard cars will work on it will make people with afair amount of cars wait that extra few months for a fully compatible system?

 

[Scott B]

Now we have, what, four or five commercially available digital systems so anyone buying would be well advised to wait and see how they all work and compare.

Of course, not buying digital is still a valid choice...

 

[Doug]

I'm hoping to put together a SlotForum article on all the systems with comparison tables etc.

If anyone is interested in helping me do this by either supplying items for testing, testing the products, taking some photos and writing up some results then please contact me.

 

[astro]

I think the wording of the blurb is optomistically vague. I do not believe it is possibe that you will be able to race 6 analogue cars - unmodified in any way - on ANY digital MCPL system present or future. This is due to the technology involved.

 

[Jamie]

First thing that sprung to mind was...

A Digital Raid set! woohoo!

The news that it is backward compatible for all cars; I hate to admit it but I share Astro's view. However if it was truly compatible with older cars, well it would just leave all the other systems standing, oh and not forgetting that Ninco is a great plexi-track in its own right.

Definitely looking forward to future news & previews from Ninco.

Jamie

 

[thomas]

Scalextric Digital should also be compatible - and Carrera has proven, that you can use their existing track and cars might be modified to run with Carrera ProX - you've just to drill a hole in the chassis to place the LED for the swithes and to add the decoder in the car - ANY 1/32-car! The longer guide is only used for lapcounting - so where is the outstanding news from Ninco? Nobody has seen more than an announcement!

 

[The Muffin Man]

I agree with astro, if you look at the wording it doesn't say "ninco digital does not need special cars" it simply says that it is compatible with std cars. To me this implies you can have both traditional slots (1 car per lane) and digital (multiples per lane) on the same track layout (effectively some sort of digital on/off switch???)

Oh and Nuro, I'm quite happy to volunteer some time/help with a digital comparison (maybe I could provide a "noobs eye-view"

)

 

[Xlot]

QUOTE Carrera ProX - you've just to drill a hole in the chassis to place the LED for the switches

Does this mean that Carrera's using a similar (although I suspect unmodulated) system as SSD for triggering the LCs ? Could we see some pictures of car underside and LC track sensor ?

If they do, the implication could be significant :

a ) it means that the LED method really cannot be patented, and

b ) Julius might then consider adopting it for the DCC Standard

QUOTE The longer guide is only used for lapcounting
(the italics are mine)

Cough, cough !!

Beppe

 

[Nep72]

QUOTE (Xlot @ 6 Sep 2004, 21:01)QUOTE Carrera ProX - you've just to drill a hole in the chassis to place the LED for the switches

Does this mean that Carrera's using a similar (although I suspect unmodulated) system as SSD for triggering the LCs ? Could we see some pictures of car underside and LC track sensor ?
...
Beppe,

As fas as I know, yes, the LED is just for LC and it's unmodulated. I'm waiting that Albert lends me his system.

By the way, I heard that LC activated for a long time might cause a plastic meltdown on the LC magnet; that's why it's not yet sold in Spain althoug it has been shown and priced at 149,95€ since July. Who can affirm or counter this?

 

[Nep72]

Oh, yes, Nuro, let me help you a little bit with my humble knowledgement about digital systems, table

 

[Xlot]

Hola Narcis,

QUOTE I'm waiting that Albert lends me his system
Poor Alberto, will you be able to put it back together again ??

So, this also means that Ninco can use LEDs - looks like we should be paid by Ninco for our posts on the other thread where we designed it for them (Julius will send a separate invoice)

Thomas didn't know anything about the rumored electromagnet overheating - and I would add a line for "Brake" to your table

Ciao

Beppe

 

[Doug]

Thanks Nep72.

Look at the info on Scalextric timing here.

 

[darainbow]

How can the LC overheat? The switch is only activated momentarily when the car passes over. Someone would have to park the car right over the switch.

Doesnt sound likely. Sound more like sour grapes.

 

[Carrera124]

QUOTE (Xlot @ 6 Sep 2004, 21:01)Could we see some pictures of car underside and LC track sensor ?
Look here:

http://www.proxudo.de/html/autos.html

 

[Xlot]

Thaks a lot, Crazy-Chris

one thing I don't understand (but my german is non-existent) : it would seem that the IR emitter is on the right side of the car, nearly alongside the motor. Then , there's a picture of the LC entrance, with what could be an IR sensor on the left ??
Also, considering that the emitter is well aft of the guide, the distance from sensor to LC blade tip seems very short

Since the system obviously works, what am I getting wrong ?

Another consideration : even more than SSD, it would appear that cars have to be quite aligned with the track for the sensor to "see" the emitter - this means that you need a straight before the LC piece, it's a limitation of sorts

Ciao

Beppe

 

[Seth]

Emitter and sensor are both on the same side: left!

 

[Xlot]

Oh, I got it - it's that dot just ahead of the magnet slide

 

[Carrera124]

The IR emitter is not alongside to the motor, it is the small white point next to the 4 little dip switches.

And, you do not need a straight before the changeover section.

 

[Xlot]

not nitpicking (as I said, the same might apply to SSD) - just trying to understand the dos and don'ts of digital : if you have a curve just before the LC and the car comes out in a wide slide, will the sensor pick up the signal ? I mean, in the extreme case the emitter looks like being shaded by the magnet slide

 

[Carrera124]

Of course, if you are drifting too wild, it will not work. But I never managed to get such a great drifting angle... and I am always racing without the additional rear magnet (if you use the second magnet, there will be no drifts at all).
But, removing the "normal" magnet might cause a problem. But in my opinion, there is no need to remove it because through it's moveability to the left and the right, the feeling is not-so-magnetic as you might think. We also proposed Carrera to use this construction in the normal cars, because it's really good. The magnet is always next to the metal rails, nearly indepent from the drifting angle.

And it seems that both the IR emitter and the sensor have some kind of diffusion. If you use a IR remote control (from your TV or something like that), you are also able to switch the lane changer when you are getting close enough to the sensor (~ 5 to 10 cm).

But if you want to, I can make a little test and check out manually what drifting angles are okay for the system.