[chippyjon]

hi all,have been away from slot cars for a couple of years due to work,women and funds but am back now.
a brief glance at the forum tells me things are a little different so some one please help me.
i have 2 old style unmoded 6 car pbs,is it worth having them seen too as the new pb seems to do all? i have a track that has a total lane length of about 80m using 2 and three lanes
and 16 lane changers i also have a 20v variable transfomer with 20amp out put.
the question is do i buy the apb? and do i use the trans that ive got?
how can i run pitstops,refueling? would i need to link in a pc?
please help and bare in mind that i'm a simpleton and slight techno phobe,
thanks to all,
jon

 

[Ade]

hi
having the old spec pb's modded to pbpro with a simple h board wich you will need with the number of lc's and track length will cost as much as a apbC7042.

I have run the old spec pb and when modded to the above spec was superb,the newer one has more features when configured with the ssdc software program,and there are more to come.

The software is capable of running both pb types and cables for connection are available from rikorocket here on the forum.

The main reason some people prefer the old spec pb is that it can be connected upto richg's lapdisplay tower,it is not configurable at the present time with the c7042(apb)..

Any more questions just fire away there are many helpfull members on the forum..

 

[MrFlippant]

Between upgrading a C7030 and buying the C7042 (APB), given that the prices are roughly the same, I would get the APB instead of upgrading the C7030.
As Ade said, it can do pretty much everything the PB-Pro SH (upgraded C7030) can do, and more. Unless you already have a RichG Lap Display, the APB is the better choice.
I still run a PB-Pro SH unit, but that's primarily because I have the Lap Display and love it too much to give up just yet. Without that, I'd have switched to the APB, even from the PB-Pro SH unit.
All the coolest "coming soon" features are headed for the APB, and the PB-Pro unit is already being left behind.

Yes, you will need a Pc link to do fuel related things, but other than the base itself and the cable to connect it, you don't need any other hardware. There is a nifty bit of kit called Pit-Pro, which is an upgraded Pit Lane Game, that provides some nice lights to go with things, and sensors to tell the computer if your car is in the pits so that you can restrict pit lane speed and/or restrict fueling to the pit lane only, but it's not required to track fuel usage and refuel the car as needed. That stuff is all controlled by a compatible race manager such as SSD Console or PCLapCounter.

Info about SSDC and the cables needed for the link can be found at http://ssdc.jackaments.com

 

[Martyn_]

Hi Jon, I've recently bought the SSDC software to enhance my APB7042- it really does make for excellent racing and tinkering.
Takes a few days to get the hang of it, but plenty of support on here for those who get stuck.

As an aside, I can just about see Hartland Point and Lundy from where I'm sat typing this (obviously not now, tis pitch black! ;o) )

Cheers, and welcome back.

 

[chippyjon]

thank you for your invaluable help,i have almost made up my mind to sell all track and router one
in mdf,still digital tho ,should be fun.
gonna start by making 2 pairs of garage doors this w/end followed by a clear out

i have no doubt ill be back with more questions for you all
by the way,for those of you who do router tracks try using a single flute cutter,so much smoother
and less tendancy to snatch.
hey snurfen,where you at?

 

[Martyn_]

Porthcawl mate. CF36 3LT. It's really rare to be able to see you guys, Ilfraconbe to Minehead never a problem, but has to be mega clear to see the light on Hartland!
We couldn't work it out one day, what the occasionally seen light past Ilfracombe was, so the old man got his sextant out and I'm pretty good with marine charts (he's a retired sea captain, the old salty sea dog!)

Looking forward to this routed track getting off the drawing board, it always amazes me when people can work material so well. I'm so ham-fisted I can barely tie my shoe laces!

 

[chippyjon]

having real probs with designing circuit,areas not an issue,just what do i want

 

[Ade]

hi
best bet for inspiration is the excellent tracks and scenery section,i have gained so many ideas that i will be using on my new routed digital track,+ a few tricks of my own.

 

[GregK]

This might be of some inspiration to you. I have a copy pinned to my wall above my screen so I can gaze at it when bashing away in UR30 .......

View attachment 9112

Ember from Orstralia suggested some great curves which I extended to most of the top row and Hank-where are you now-Scorpio suggested many more plus I added a few of my own. It also goes without saying that they are fully reversible and I take no responsibility for your impending excitement

 

[Ember]

Thanks Mr K.

Jon, I'd like to start by asking a few questions.
i) What sort of racing are you most into?
ii) What sort of cars are you most likely to run?
iii) How much solo use is it likely to get?

Always good to take a lead from the things that you're already keen on.

If you're into F1 or LMPs then you're more likely to need a wide open, fast track that's fairly flat, but with still with the occasional technical bit to keep you on your toes.
If you're into Touring Cars then a bit of level change here and there, perhaps a few squeezes. Some good corner variations to keep them unbalanced.
If you're into Rally then you'll need lots of elevation changes and plenty of corners with the odd straight here and there to keep up the speed.
If, like me, you like a bit of everything then a Targa style with a little bit of everything might be more up your alley.

Embs

 

[chippyjon]

Into racing all sorts so an going with targa type circuit,bit of fast,some complex curves and a few twisty bits,
But seriously How many lane changers is too many?

Hope to post track plan later,sticking to plastic till I get the layout right
Thanks for looking
Jon

 

[Michael363672]

Hi Jon

after plenty of discussion on here i think it was settled upon a lc every 20 ft
but if you can afford more then it wont hurt

michael

 

[chippyjon]

Well Michael ,its a 28 m lap length and I'm thinking maybe 11 as I have them laying about collecting dust

 

[RikoRocket]

Well I always thought the more the merrier, so that you can change lane at will anywhere around the circuit, but I have changed that view.

At the speed these little cars belt around the track you have done a long distance between thinking you are going to press the little change button and the time that the command gets to the car. 10 pieces of track is too few inbetween XLCs to be exact on changing at the one you want. Ten feet might appear a long way but you will still cover that distance in a split second and you then have to be really accurate in pushing the button.

Twenty feet is probably more reasonable in having ehough thinking and doing time. In the UK we used to have a car safety advert talking about leaving sufficient gap from the car ahead to allow for thinking time, and that was "the two second rule". We need that same thinking time when racing, not for a normal throttle response which is real time, but for deciding you need to change and hitting the button (just like hitting the brake in a real car).

Chant "only a fool breaks the two-second rule" - it takes two seconds to say it. Yeah, OK that is +/- a bit according to whether you are from the smoke or from the west country

 

[chippyjon]

Thanks all,I intend to run non mag cars at a slower speed as most of them are highly detailed and over time this will include a no of hand built cars

 

[UshCha]

Interestingly, on the "What does an Ideal race look like" thread, about 10 ft beteen LC,s looks nearer. This may be because of track design and size. On my small track circa 10m , 4+ sec lap, lots of traffic 4+ cars we need 4 LC.s 2 LLC and 2 CLC. So roughtly 1 sec apart.

Thre does seem to me, to be two ends of the spectrum. One end I would describe as updated analouge. Large "empty" tracks fast and well marshalled. These are proably heavily car biased tracks where car performace is king and drivers spend most of thier time racing round the track as fast as possible and the car performqnce is the dominating parameter. Fuel load is not too critical or not used as the heats are short. The other end is the high traffic with fuel load. This adds a major puzzle to be solved on the fly while trying to get round the track. "Threadding the needle" throght the traffic, working out optimum fuel strategy which will include traffic state as to the best time to pit. This gives some edge to the strategist over just pure driving of the car. This in turm means typically yellow flag marshalling as falling off is considered "bad form" as it spoils the racing. 1crash can wipe out 3 cars in close racing. Typically speeds are slower due to traffic. Of course their are all colours in between these two. In starting back its what you want to do that counts, This ramble is just to help (I hope) to set out your options.

If you go for the traffic end of the simulation (please note not "realism" for rivet counters), then long pit lanes with in and out sensors are better if you can fit then in. If you feel rich eventually you may even want a spot for the safety car that is programmed to appear eventually for Scopious.

 

[jweedon]

QUOTE (snurfen @ 8 Oct 2011, 19:28) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Porthcawl mate. CF36 3LT. It's really rare to be able to see you guys, Ilfraconbe to Minehead never a problem, but has to be mega clear to see the light on Hartland!

Off topic, but great to see N.Devon being mentioned - that's where I spent my formative years! Come to think of it, I bought my first 1:1 car from Bideford!

 

[chippyjon]

well i dont think ill ever be rich enough for scorpius lol
ive used trackpower to design a track but am struggling with posting it on here,
any suggestions??

 

[Martyn_]

What have you tried so far?
I'm about to try the same this afternoon.

 

[chippyjon]

I seem to have gotten addicted to trackpower and trying to cram as much track as possible on to my table ,not a good thing.
How did you get on with posting track layouts snurfen ?