[Slot City]

At long last we have pricing and release dates for the first batch of Scalextric Digital products. Full details are on our website but a quick summary:

- The set will be £150
- Hand throttles are £10
- Power supply is £20
- Digital chips are £10
- Lane change tracks are £20 (including sensor straight)
- Cars are £35

Please note that all prices listed here are the 'suggested retail' and not our prices.

Release is scheduled for November.

To see all the products on our website click here.

Some products in the initial announcement back in January have either been cancelled, or scheduled for a later release. If its not on our website, it is not scheduled for release this year.

Thanks,

Jon,
Slot City.

 

[goldfish_samurai]

Thanks for the Heads up slotcity - Looking forward to digital. I am pleasantly surprised at the prices of the extras. Shame the conversion kit is quite pricey.

 

[fouldsc]

£104.99 for the conversion kit - I best hope my other half is feeling generous this
year !

Also if I want to race non digital cars is it simply a case of swapping the powerbase with the old one and away I go (I guess I could have both in my circuit
and just power the one I want).

Basically will those lane change curvers work in non-digital mode ?

 

[Slot City]

I'll be adding more information here later today, as soon as I get a chance (bit busy finishing the updates to our website at the moment).

I'll also try to answer any questions, so please post them here.

QUOTE £104.99 for the conversion kit - I best hope my other half is feeling generous this
year !

The 'suggested retail' for the conversion kit is actually £120 (£104.99 is our price). To be totally honest I see little point in buying it - it is pretty poor value when compared to the ready to race set (which contains a lot of extra track).

Jon,
Slot City.

 

[astro]

I am waiting for scalextric digital pro conversion system, whenever that comes out (it has a removeable pod for the powerbase so you can swap it with the analogue world pod when you want)

The prices generally look pretty reasonable, though the conversion kit price seems high

 

[fouldsc]

QUOTE (slotcity @ 21 Jul 2004, 12:45)To be totally honest I see little point in buying it - it is pretty poor value when compared to the ready to race set (which contains a lot of extra track).
I agree and will put that on my xmas list instead !

Do you know the answer to my previous question regarding those lane
change curves ?

Basically I want to slot a Digital Power base into my new circuit I am designing and
have two lane change points. I will then by magic of deciding which one to plug in
run in either analog (for old cars) or new digital - so to finally get to the point - will those new lane change curves work just like normal curves when in non-digital
mode ???

Chris

 

[astro]

fouldsc - i have been told emphatically by adrian norman that the plan was that you could leave the LCs in and run analogue. As noted in the post above with their plans for swappable analogue/digital pods in the powerbase, this seems likely, although there is always the possibility they might change their minds as things go into production!

edit - added stuff!

the game plan is with these interchangeable pods; the intitial digital powerbase is not this interchangeable one - you might need to take this out of the circuit to run analogue since somewhere or the other, the digital has to electrically join up the 2 lanes into one

 

[Slot City]

QUOTE Basically I want to slot a Digital Power base into my new circuit I am designing and
have two lane change points. I will then by magic of deciding which one to plug in
run in either analog (for old cars) or new digital - so to finally get to the point - will those new lane change curves work just like normal curves when in non-digital
mode ???

This is a good question, and one that I have already asked.

Whilst I haven't received a definite answer yet, I was told that they should work as normal curves so there shouldn't be a problem.

I'll post a definite answer once I get it (probably next week now).

Jon,
Slot City.

 

[fouldsc]

Thanks for the answers guys - if I can keep those lane change curves in
I (and I am guessing lots of others) will be very happy.

Regarding the joining of power on the lanes - I have been told (can't remember
where) that the system simply provides full power to both lanes at all times and
then sends the frequency modulated command to each car on each lane - in
other words it keeps no track of that lane you are on.

If this is the case it should be a simple case of not powering the digital base and powering the analog base you already have and away you go.

Though at a guess you might need to have challenger style "keys" in both sockets
of your normal sport base when running in digital mode to let full power pass through.

(don't quote me on any of that though - as electronics is not my strong point ........ honest !

)

 

[moped rider]

The conversion set looks pretty good value when you add up the total value of its contents if purchased seperately, assuming that you get 2 curved lane switchers.

However I would agree that the set with the track looks even better value.

The question is do you need the extra track or are you better off with the conversion pack and purchasing an extra car and controller for just over £30 or an extra controller and chip for around £20?

Its nice to have these sort of problems to think about isn't it!

Moped

 

[Slot City]

QUOTE The conversion set looks pretty good value when you add up the total value of its contents if purchased seperately, assuming that you get 2 curved lane switchers.

Unfortunately you assume incorrectly.

The conversion set only contains one lane change, compared to two in the ready to race set.

The lane change and elevated cross over are worth the £30 on their own, plus you then get the standard straights / curves and borders.

Jon,
Slot City.

 

[moped rider]

Only one lane change?

Tut tut Scalextric...

It sounds like somebody should be doing a deal to combine a conversion pack and 1 lane change pack. All royalties for this idea to....

Moped

 

[goldfish_samurai]

To me, the conversion kit sounds like a waste of time. Might as well by a complete set - Missus won't be impressed.

 

[Intergrali]

£10 for a chip

fork that for a game of soldiers

 

[astro]

some of the decoder chips for DCC trains cost £38, it would be nice if things were cheaper but under £10 isn't bad

 

[moped rider]

I agree with Astro. It certainly makes you think about the price of chips for model railways.

And at least Scalextric do give us the option of buying chips to upgrade our favourite slot cars. Clearly this thread is of no interest to some folk here but many of us may well be pondering our strategy now that we are able to place orders for digital equipment.

QUOTE Missus won't be impressed.

Many of us have been through this phase. Just make sure that the Mrs gets what she wants at around the same time. That normally solves any local difficulty.

Moped

 

[goldfish_samurai]

This is a strategy I am aware of - It works well with the odd car puchase, however the cost of a digital set will require a gift of biblical proportions!

But then Chrismas is not too far away, so I'll be hinting.... a lot.

 

[GT40]

Sorry Jon have you got that right "only one lane changer in the conversion set"

from what I've read so far on this site i thought you needed at least two or am I missing something?

 

[astro]

apparently the basic set comes with 1 Lane Changer, and one crosover

 

[lobsterboy]

You sure are GT---------------another lane changer track! Dosn't the scalex one cross over side to side, unlike the carerra system that just changes one way?