[MrFlippant]

The SCP 2.4 GHz (actually, SCP 3) was shown in Germany at the Toy Fair, where the veil was lifted also on the type 'C' chip which required much more work than we expected (ah the beauty of the undocumented IC bugs

).

I've included some preliminary information in the revised oXigen base manual,

http://www.slot.it/Download/oXigen/Manuals/BaseDescriptionO2.en.pdf

You may note that the name SCP3 is a sticker covering the old SCP2 name, but the hardware is real and is working well.

For the lazy or for those who want to save a download

SCP-3

The SCP-3 is natively compatible with oXigen. There is no need to add any cartridges to it, to use it in an oXigen system.It's also compatible with all SCP cartridges.

In its basic form it sends and receives data on the 2.4GHz frequency channels with enough power to cover normal home conditions and distances. However, it can also be upgraded with a high power module if really long distances must be reached. Further, when the high power module is fitted, the original transmitter becomes a Bluetooth device, which can be paired to smart phones to save racing data and other information. Firmware is updated through a dedicated app, from any mobile phone.

It operates like any other SCP controller, but comes with two LED displays for better ease of use, so that for example IDs are displayed as two digit numbers. For the rest, refer to the following "SCP2 and SCP1" paragraph.

Type 'C' chip

The type 'C' chip is the most compact, powerful, compatible chip of its kind.

It's a truly universal device: natively compatible with oXigen, Scalextric SSD, and Carrera digital.

Its shape is such that it fits on a Scalextric digital latch, in which case its double LEDs match the proper position for all of the above said systems, but may also be installed rotated 90°

Like its predecessors, it can either be run in 'universal AC or DC' mode, or DC only. Switching between the two is done by changing a small screw's position on the PCB: no soldering is required.

Firmware can easily be updated from any mobile phones.

Ok, that NEEDS to be a new/NEWS post. Pretty sure the doors have just been blown off of the digital world.

To be clear, when you say the Type C chip is "natively compatible with oXigen, Scalextric SSD, and Carrera digital." does that mean that I can put that chip in a car, place it on an SSD track and control it with a Scalextric Digital controller... then place the car on a Carrera Digital track and control the car with a Carrera digital controller? Or, will it simply work on those tracks but still need control by an oXigen compatible controller?

Yes I mean that you can drive the model with the original controllers.

One last question before I faint...

What happens if I put that car on an analog track? Can it be driven by an analog controller, or will it wait for digital control signals from one of the three supported systems?

 

[GRUNZ]

Are you guys in a bar having this discussion?

By the way, great stuff Maurizio. This shows that even though the different digital systems are not compatible with each other it is still possible to have a chip to rule them all!

 

[MrFlippant]

Not this time. ;-)

Besides, this is WAY better than having a chat with Maurizio over some beer and sushi (Trapper's!), because we get to talk about it publicly!

I had only heard mention of this stuff through the rumor mill, so I'm extra stoked about it being for real, and out of the bag, so to speak. I can't wait to tell the guys in the club about it. This is even better for the poly-digital racing community than the Carson chip, or any other "universal" chip. The icing on the cake will be if the chip will respond to analog control like SSD and Carrera chips do.

 

[Sam D]

Let me get my head round this. If I put one of these chips in my car I can run it on any digital system and analogue?

 

[MrFlippant]

Waiting for confirmation of what happens when a car with the Type C chip is placed on an analog track and someone pulls the trigger on a connected analog controller.

I'm hoping the answer is yes.

 

[MrFlippant]

Oh, and you wouldn't be able to run it on a Ninco digital system (which appears to be dead) or the SCX Digital System (which requires much larger and more complex chip), but yes, any Scalextric (Hornby), Carrera, or oXigen digital track.

 

[GRUNZ]

My guess is that the chip will not respond to analog input by default. The main reason being that in pure oXigen tracks the power is DC and always on the rails.

If the chip would behave as a SSD chip the cars will take off once placed on an oxigen track.

However, it might be the case that if the chip mode is SSD with the switch (screw) set in AC it might respond to DC as does a standard SSD chip.

Personally, I am not going to use my chipped car to run on an analog track.

But having a chip that responds to DC current is useful for cleaning tyres or checking rpms at the wheels.

 

[MSM]

you wouldn't be able to run it on a Ninco digital system (which appears to be dead)

Let's not forget that Slot.it supply a chip which can be fitted to Ninco track to change it to oXigen.

Now, what are the chances that Ninco will admit their digital system is dead, and start fitting oXigen chips at the factory? Best track gets best digital.

Zero to hero in one leap.

 

[Gysse]

MSM : great idea !

 

[MrFlippant]

Gio, I have a feeling you're right, but I did want to make sure. Since both SSD and D132 have ways to "figure it out" maybe this one will as well. I probably won't be running the same car as analog and digital, but it's one of those things that often comes up in the never ending threads about digital v/ analog.

Certainly, any track can be fitted with O2 electronics. I just didn't want to muddy the waters with that tangent. This chip is meant to appeal to those with stock digital tracks, especially those who want the ability to run the same car on multiple types of tracks without fettling with the chip installation.

 

[Gysse]

When will the hardware be available in shops ?

 

[MrFlippant]

Also a great question. I'll be snagging some of these as soon as they are available.

Also, the SCP3 is on my list.

 

[Mcewan]

Shut up and take my money...

 

[GRUNZ]

I am not sure about ninco being the best track out there...the more I race on it the less I like it. Good for rally stages but for the rest I find it too rough and uneven.

However, it is the de-facto when comes to large digital competitions and I have to live with it.

The thing is that although ninco has brought back home the tooling for producing the track, are they going to produce also digital pieces or only standard ones?

Moreover, ninco tracks at club level are usually quite big with long straights: their lane changers are too short - good for home tracks at best.

Slot.it has already the solution for that.

I have 3 SCP2 and plenty of oXigen carts but the SCP 3 sounds really good to pass.

Plus I like the small footprint of these new chips. Not to mention that I have also some carrera track on top of my SSD/oXigen track.

Being able to seamless use my chipped cars on my tracks is for sure a big advantage.

I wonder if the long range module comes with cables to take power from a driver station or it is only battery operated.

 

[MrFlippant]

I'm thinking the long range cart is the standard O2 cart, and that when you use it with the SCP3, it provides the range we have now, and lets the on board radio do the bluetooth data transmission noted. I don't remember reading any reports from races that range problems were being discussed. But hey, nothing wrong with even better than the one we have now.

 

[GRUNZ]

Well, for that much that I have known Maurizio, he does not name the same thing differently just because it sounds cooler...you know like the "Ultimate long range wireless module" or something along those lines. My guess is that is something new but if one wants can also use one of the current oXigen carts with the SCP3.

Anyway, this year lots of interesting stuff coming our way.

 

[MrFlippant]

That's a good point. Now that you mention it, I think you're right. There will be a new cart that has even better transmitting power than the original. Yes, the fact that the SCP3 is still 100% backward compatible pretty much nails me getting one. I can still have my "main" controller do everything I need.

 

[GRUNZ]

I will be curious to know if the bt link with the phone could also be used to rely lap times so that I could use my headphones to listen to them in realtime.

 

[MrFlippant]

That would be cool. The little red box thing is nice, but cumbersome. If the controller is going to talk to a smartphone anyway, then adding functions like that makes sense.

 

[Slot.it]

Thanks for your enthusiasm!

The SCP3 can use the existing O2 cartridge, but the high power module is just a small device which plugs inside the controller, on the main PCB. We've modified the back of the controller so that the whole area where we put the large 'Slot.it' sticker, is now a removable frame. It can be removed from the outside without disassembling the controller. The small module plugs in there and is even more powerful than the cartridge. It's a quite simple operation.

Yes the plan is to use the mobile phone as a lap timing playback device. However, it will take some time before we do everything! Note that if used with an analog cartridge, we would like to make this possible with the standard module as well (as the module itself will not be busy driving the car, it can be used as a BT device), but a track interface box will be necessary, anyway, to trigger lap timing.

About driving on an analog track, by choice, the only way is to use an oXigen controller, be it SCP, SCP3 or ARC. In fact I believe that this is a much better option than adding a 'drive on analog' feature.

See, the big advantage of a 2.4 GHz chip compared to traditional chips, when used on an analog track, is that as long as it's got power on rails, it works. So, to drive on analog track, you may just use an analog controller, keep it to max with your left hand or a rubber band, and run a oXigen chipped car with no further changes.

Any digital chips driven with an analog controller on an analog track cannot overcome the huge problem of track power coming and going as the controller dictates.

A key feature of both the SCP3 and Type C chip is the firmware upgrade 'OTA', over the air, from the mobile phone. This gives us room to fix bugs and add features, but, equally important, gets rid of the specialized bootloader and PC that are necessary to upgrade firmware. They will still be necessary to run oXigen.

In the beginning every Type C may come with a dedicated firmware (I.e. one for O2, one for SSD, one for D132), as we haven't merged everything together yet. However, the firmware upgrade operation is very simple and quick and only requires a smart phone.