Hi slot racers one and all....
This bank holiday weekend I have broken down my oval layout and with a 4 car powerbase, C7030 PBpro V1.5 and a C7042 APB I go for Christmas I have been testing what was best for me for my new layout. Doing that made me realise what a minefield it is at the moment and thought it might be good to share my thoughts on what the new powerbase can do for different users and whether they should upgrade or not.
These are just my conclusions based on the options I see available to me, cut me down in flames or follow my advice the choice is yours but they are my opinions based on a lot of testing.
I'm an analogue user... What will it do for me.
Well this is an expensive upgrade for you but it will bring a lot to your slot racing... with the powerbase (£100) two C7024 power supplies (£70) two digital throttles (£30) that is a £200 investment...
What do you get for Your money????
Well first of all you get lap counting, timing and several race modes to add some spice to your racing.
You have independent power supply to each lane for smooth racing
Configurable Track calls to slow or stop the race when a car deslots and false start detection
Pace cars giving solo racers a drone car to race against
Easy change of direction of racing round the track and supports drift type cars without problems
You dont need to chip any of your cars
If you buy the new cable from Riko and upgrade the firmware to version 1.04 you can then connect to SSD Console for full Lap reporting and Timing on your PC!
Best of all if you decide that you want to move to digital you can buy a four chips and a couple of straight lane changers for about £100 and go fully digital and switch easily between digital races and analogue races without having to remove the lane changers from the layout.
Go Buy one today its the best advance in Scalextric analogue in years!
I have a 4 Car powerbase should I get a C7042 or a C7030...
If you are already digital with a 4 car Powerbase then it is probably cheaper for you to go with the new advanced powerbase. You will need the powerbase (£100) and one more C7042 (£35) making a total investment of £135. Compared to buying a C7030, getting it upgraded to PBPro +SH & Dual analogue, a lap tower and power supply, total cost around £350 the new powerbase looks like the best option.
The C7042 will give you access to all the powerbase features such as
Lap counting, timing and several race modes to add some spice to your racing.
You have independent power supply to each lane for smooth racing
Configurable Track calls to slow or stop the race when a car deslots and false start detection
Pace cars giving solo racers a drone car to race against
The ability to race with analogue cars and test and race Club cars like NSR's and Slot is at home without chipping them.
With a bit more investment though you can really add to the fun, if you have a PC or laptop you can add SSDC console and Pit pro to your layout this will set you back about £100 but adds a whole new dimension to the racing and you will never look back.
I Have a PBpro V1.5 Build 1.8f but its not got Simple H What should I do...
To Buy a C7042 (£100) and two C7024 power supplies will set you back a total £170... The feature set of the new powerbase is identical to the software you already have in the C7030 in real terms... You already have single analogue drive capability so just buy a laptower from RichG... You then have twin displays (one on the powerbase for programming and the lap tower for timings) the RichG laptower is streets ahead of the Scalextric one in so many ways... If you dont need the twin analogue function get a laptower and stick with what you have.
If you want dual analogue Drive to get your Powerbase to twin analogue with simple H and a lap tower and a decent PSU will cost you £300. To buy the new APB C7042 with 2 x C7024will cost £170 and you can sell your old powerbase to cover some of the cost... If dual analogue is important to you then Its probably best to change to the new powerbase.
If you already have a pit pro and SSDC things change a bit. If you get the dual analogue mod done all your existing PC setup and Leads will work... If you get the new APB it will cost you £20 to upgrade to SSDC V5, and another £30 for the lead to the new powerbase... so the cost differential is not that great... (£80) Personally I would stick with the C7030 get simple H Dual Analogue and a laptower as the simple H power delivery is so much better and the laptower is so much prettier and you have twin displays... The Guys will support you for years to come... No need to change.
I Have a PBpro with simple H and good PSU what should I do...
This is a no brainer... get Riko to do the dual analogue mod and buy a laptower if you don't already have one... it will be cheaper for you than changing to a C7042 and you have all the greatest Scalextric bits ever made... Look down on those APB owners and laugh... Knowing that you had that software years ago, you have all the features, better power delivery, a laptower you can see in the dark and a separate programming display on the powerbase
So there you go its a simple case of what you already own...
Now with that decision made its back to planning my new layout....
Oh what did I do?
Because I had not invested in the simple H mod, nor got SSDC or the cables to connect to a PC, I want dual analogue drive and I got an APB for Xmas from my lovely Girlfriend... New Powerbase won the day but I will miss my Rich G Laptower a lot.
byeeee
