[LMP]

I don't know how practical this is, considering it'd probably be a mare to manufacturer. But.......

Take the idea of brakelights. The more you ease of the acceleration, the brighter they come on.

We have all seen the red-orange glow of brake discs hard under braking.

Don't you all think it'd be totally awesome if slotcars had brakediscs that glowed when you braked? It'd be the best thing ever!

Plus, it'd help during night races simiralyl to permanent lights, because you need to see the most when your going round corners you need to brake for.

What do you think?

 

[astro]

good idea lmp, but not at all high on my list of priorities!

Not trying to be negative - but you did ask our opinions... For me, lights are great, I m in too minds even over brake lights, one of my favourite lit cars is the scaly l88 corvette, the constant rear lights look better than the brake lights on my C5r to me.

Cheers, Dave

 

[Jamie]

Lets forget the real practicalities etc for a moment.

But hell yeah, I think it would look pretty amazing!

 

[Tropi]

QUOTE Take the idea of brakelights.
The more you ease of the acceleration, the brighter they come on.
I'm not quite sure of the usefulness of variable brightness.
Does this happen on full size cars?

 

[peter]

QUOTE (Tropi @ 9 May 2004, 23:43)I'm not quite sure of the usefulness of variable brightness.
Does this happen on full size cars?
recently I met an old french car on the road, and its headlights did apparently have variable brightness as it seems they adapted to the rpm of the engine as the driver went through the gears...

It is probably not a common feature of french cars I think since I have not noticed it before - maybe a deluxe version... for export only

//peter

 

[Tropi]

That sounds like the battery was buggered and everything was working directly off the alternator - or even a dynamo, if it was old enough.

 

[LMP]

Your right Tropi - It would probably be easier if they just 'came on' when you decelerated.

And Dave, I aggree with you about permenant lights and brakelights. I think the permanent lights do look better.

 

[McLaren]

I think lights draw power away from the motor and add weight to the car.

If manufacturers want to include lights, I'd like it if they would either be easily removable, or come as an additionable kit.

Lotus

 

[Otello]

I admit at first reading I thought: Oh my goodness, is this this guy speaking about putting real electromagnetic brakes on slotcars, working with a capacitor like brakelights?????? Mmmmmm... Why not?

OK, my problem with a foreign language...

Seriously: I'm sorry but I don't think it's a good idea...
At least, I tried the Overdrive lightkit with the exhaustflames and I was disappointed: those yellow blinking lights made me think about... well, just yellow blinking lights, not flames...
IMHO, a poor simulation is worst than no simulation at all.
Of course this case is slightly different, as the brake disks are inside the body, but there's another problem: plastic bodies are a little transparent, so more likely you'll see the lights through the body... the result will be absolutely not realistic. (You may have the same problem with standard lightkit if the leds are installed too much inside the body.)

Ciao
Otello

 

[Maltese]

Such a thing would REALLY turn me on!! If the LEDs had black backs then perhaps the light would not come through the body...either that or coat the inside of the body ourselves a little bit.

If it adds to the realism then great! I have also been kicking around the idea of an actual very simple working brake in the car...(I've got another project afoot right now, however).

I thought the Overdrive kit did this already

I will have to read up on that again.

I am sure there would be a little weight gain, but if you are comparing performance or racing in a class that has these VERY COOL (and removable)features active/installed then its not a problem. (Lights should be able to be turned on and off, though...

I say "Do it" LMP04. Go on and take your product to market! You might not be able to quit your job, but you may contribute to a class of racing that takes things to the next level of realism.

 

[McLaren]

QUOTE IMHO, a poor simulation is worst than no simulation at all.

Have I stumbled into another MotoGP thread?

Seriously, I think all of the lights just look unrealistic. I would remove them anyway...

Brake lights have been done before, can't remember how or who by, but a friend of mine had a good idea. A momentum induced mercury switch. A little bit of plastic tubing at an angle of about 5 degrees, bottom bit at the back, top bit at the front. Two little bits of wire poking into the end of the tube, which are connected by the mercury when it runs foward under deceleration. Then just link up the two wires to a light and at guide and you are sorted.

Lotus

 

[Maltese]

Lotus,

Do you run any night race simulations? Do even headlights look too unrealistic? Are they too bright or is it the "fluctuate with the motor thing"?

Maltese

 

[McLaren]

Fluctuate with the motor thing (have seen other 'always on' capacitor versions too).

But the main reason I don't think they look right how they project out of the front of the car. Real lights splay out like a couple of triangles in front of the car, but model ones don't, they just light up the front of the body and a little bit of the track.

Lotus

PS. Stated above is fact from my experience. Others may have experienced cars which look more or less realistic, but I haven't found any that look all that good to me.

 

[jonny s]

You can`t be right or wrong on this one (phew!) it`s a personal choice as to if you like the look or not.

From a practical racing point of view I like the Fly lights. We have run four events `racing in the dark` and it was good fun. The new generation of lights worked really well,staying on as they do. I found it easier to marshal too, as drivers covered one headlight with their lane marker colour and the other as white light to help the marshal find the correct lane. The youngsters tended to do better with their eyes being newer! I have to say I like the spectacle of six cars lighting up the club scenery as they go round. I reckon the brake light aided me when the car was travelling away from me, I could easily recognise my car as it responded to my braking action on the controller. We`ll be doing some of this at the Fly event in June on the saturday night.

Gary, I reckon you should speak to `Gary the Gadget` on a Saturday. He likes a challenge and reckon he can do this! Don`t tell him I said so!!

 

[LMP]

Will do, I think it'd be great.

 

[andy]

you could have heat reactive paint on the discs. then have a smaller heater which comes on when you brake. i think that would look better, but who am I to say

 

[LMP]

That'd be great if the paint reacted instantly, and the heaters didn't drain power.

 

[Maltese]

Just drill a small hole in the wheel and poke and LED through it. On the back of the wheel have a couple of +/- contact points which extend about 1/2 the circumference of the wheel so that the orange LED only lights up where the "caliper" is not...but the circuit will only be open from power generated from the dynamo effect.

-Maltese

 

[andy]

wouldn't it be difficult to do teh wiring for that, you would have to have it set up with co axel wire