[falkster]

I've been having issues ever since I built my track, there is only a tiny section of the track that isn't affected.

When I built the track I had dead spots so I dismantled and nipped up every joint which didn't make much difference. I then soldered power taps every 2 metres which didn't help much either. I then copper taped every joint but this turned out to only conductive on the upside. Finally I have finished the copper tape, again, but this time with tape that has conductive adhesive.
The cars won't cover more than a few inches without stopping. This can be 30 ft from the power base of 6 inches, a brand new section of the track or an older section of the track. Sometimes I can tap to cars to get them going and they might do half a lap but if the car comes under load (up a raised section) it will just stop:

I can't get on with the scenery until I sort this issue out but I feel I've pretty much tried everything.

I'm not electronically minded so any ideas would have to be in words an idiot would understand please.

On the plus side because Ive not sorted the power issue out due to my lack of time, I have been collecting scenery which is just ready to go, I've made the boxing in sections for the raised parts and bought a printer to print then laminate the logos.

Still need to paint and line the car park

All the infield has been drawn out and cut out of foamed PVC that will be covered in PVA then covered in sand. I'm trying to do sections in one piece.

 

[RichG]

QUOTE (falkster @ 4 Apr 2012, 12:01) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I've been having issues ever since I built my track, there is only a tiny section of the track that isn't affected.

When I built the track I had dead spots so I dismantled and nipped up every joint which didn't make much difference. I then soldered power taps every 2 metres which didn't help much either. I then copper taped every joint but this turned out to only conductive on the upside. Finally I have finished the copper tape, again, but this time with tape that has conductive adhesive.
The cars won't cover more than a few inches without stopping. This can be 30 ft from the power base of 6 inches, a brand new section of the track or an older section of the track. Sometimes I can tap to cars to get them going and they might do half a lap but if the car comes under load (up a raised section) it will just stop:

Something very wrong here? With nipped joins, power taps every 2 Meters & copper tape you should be good to go. Where is the tiny section that is not affected?

Have you tried putting together a small circuit?
Are all cars affected in the same way?
Which Powerbase & PSU's do you have?

Rich

 

[falkster]

I say 'not affected' but its just not as bad as the rest of the track. I can keep the trigger full blast and it will just keep the car moving. It's all car, I've even bought a new car to check. The power base is the standard 4 car with the standard power supply.
I've got a friend lending me his 4 car base tomorrow to check that as that's the only thing I've not checked.

Failing that I'm going to padlock the loft hatch and plaster the landing ceiling - a bit like a time capsule.

 

[RichG]

Take the Powerbase out of circuit, and try a car on that. If that's ok put togerther a small oval and see what happens? If that's ok then you can start looking for some bad joins or some other problem on the main track.

Rich

 

[falkster]

QUOTE (RichG @ 4 Apr 2012, 13:15) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Take the Powerbase out of circuit, and try a car on that. If that's ok put togerther a small oval and see what happens? If that's ok then you can start looking for some bad joins or some other problem on the main track.

Rich

I'll give that a try but I'm sort of hoping it is the power base otherwise I'll literally have to start again.

 

[MrFlippant]

It sounds like you have great continuity, but maybe conductivity is suffering? Have you tried the magical INOX MX3 on the braids or rail?
If you're trying a new power base, be sure to try a different power supply as well.

 

[falkster]

QUOTE (MrFlippant @ 4 Apr 2012, 16:54) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>It sounds like you have great continuity, but maybe conductivity is suffering? Have you tried the magical INOX MX3 on the braids or rail?
If you're trying a new power base, be sure to try a different power supply as well.

Hi Greg, I think I know what you're saying but I thought one would go hand in hand with the other.

I don't know what the product is? What does it do?

I was going to use a friends base and supply. Fingers crossed!!

 

[MrFlippant]

You can get similar, but not as long lasting, results with WD-40. Just clean the rails with the stuff.
INOX MX3 is a lanolin based lubricant, that also happens to have a remarkable ability to enhance friction electrical connections of all types, in our case, the one between the braids and the rail.
Your track seems to have great continuity, that is, the electrical power throughout the rails is consistent and able to carry the amps needed. The conduction, that is, between the rail and the braids/car, might be where part of the problem is. I hesitate to say that it's the only possible problem, but I had problems similar to what you are describing a while ago, though slightly less severe. I would clean the track and things would improve, but then get worse again soon after. It wasn't until I tried INOX MX3 on the braids and rails that the problem went away. Maybe once a year I'll have a car behave like that, and a little cleaning of the braids, maybe a twist to get them to touch better, and a drop of INOX MX3 fixes it right up.

I believe someone or some store(s) in the UK are selling it now, but it's still on the rare side. If the friend's base and PSU don't change anything, hopefully someone nearby will be able to help you get some INOX MX3 to try out.

 

[Ade]

hi
i have a spare bottle if your stuck.

 

[falkster]

QUOTE (MrFlippant @ 4 Apr 2012, 21:33) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>You can get similar, but not as long lasting, results with WD-40. Just clean the rails with the stuff.
INOX MX3 is a lanolin based lubricant, that also happens to have a remarkable ability to enhance friction electrical connections of all types, in our case, the one between the braids and the rail.
Your track seems to have great continuity, that is, the electrical power throughout the rails is consistent and able to carry the amps needed. The conduction, that is, between the rail and the braids/car, might be where part of the problem is. I hesitate to say that it's the only possible problem, but I had problems similar to what you are describing a while ago, though slightly less severe. I would clean the track and things would improve, but then get worse again soon after. It wasn't until I tried INOX MX3 on the braids and rails that the problem went away. Maybe once a year I'll have a car behave like that, and a little cleaning of the braids, maybe a twist to get them to touch better, and a drop of INOX MX3 fixes it right up.

I believe someone or some store(s) in the UK are selling it now, but it's still on the rare side. If the friend's base and PSU don't change anything, hopefully someone nearby will be able to help you get some INOX MX3 to try out.

Thanks for that Greg, that makes great sense. Ive got some on ebay now and will buy it. I suppose its better than totally replacing my track with brand new. My wife still thinks Ive only spent £150!!!

 

[falkster]

Someone on a different forum (not slot car related) said that the power won't be able to get through the adhesive to power the cars and I should make small cuts in the copper tape.
I'm getting more confused by the minute!!

 

[ss67]

I'm not saying this is the problem but:

How big is your track? and how many cars are you trying to run?

The 4 car powerbase is not great and stuggles with more than 3 cars and a couple of lane changers.

If you are running more cars or have a bigger track you really need a 6 car powerbase & 2 power supplies.

The new one (C7042) is best to get now, if you can afford it (About £100 plus power supplies)

Or if money is an issue I have an older C7030 powerbase (V1.5) you can have for £30 with one power supply or £45 with two supplies.

 

[johnsxr8]

I looked to see if you mentioned it but have you also tried another controller i have had standard scaley controllers cause simlar problems years ago when they are used a bit and havent been cleaned

 

[falkster]

At the moment I've only tried one car at a time - not getting friends round to keep pushing their cars round the track with my grabber.

Yes John I've tried other cars, other controllers I've even tried switching cars with different controllers.

The continuity thing does seem to ring bells though, I did try brand new braids and it seemed to be better for a very short time but no more than a lap.

I wonder if there is someone near me that does mobile repairs on scalextric - maybe I could suggest it to the bloke that fixed my dishwasher.

 

[falkster]

I am so happy I could almost cry lol!!!

My bottle of INOX MX3 turned up this morning and 3 laps with two cars we are problem free!!

Thanks for all the help guys, I can now get on with adding my more permanent fixtures, bridges and fences!!!

 

[MrFlippant]

Excellent news, Falkster! Great stuff, eh? I hope your track is now smooth running for weeks and months on end!

 

[TheNail]

Fantastic news Chris, looking forward to the next invite (by train!)

 

[racingcargrandpa]

Hi Chris you seem to be describing similar problems that I have worked through thanks to the forum. You might also wish to experiment with braids. I found the arcing with the standard scaley braids laid down a lot of carbon on the track which also impeded power and resulted in a lot of cleaning. You might want to experiment with copper. Just like yourself I started in the loft (kept banging my head) and now its taken over the whole of the garage. Feel free to get in touch if you want to compare notes.

 

[falkster]

Thanks for that, I'll get some copper ordered - it would be nice if they were made like the quick release scalextric ones. I won't be moving out of the loft, I already have too many man caves - my wife would go spare!!

 

[MrFlippant]

I usually just pull the scalextric braid off of the round plate and replace it with quality copper braid. My favorite these days is JP Slot, which comes in three thicknesses, great for choosing the right stiffness for various cars. I also rather like NSR braid. Then comes Slot.it braid. SCX and Ninco braid is pretty good, too, but only after the other sources are depleted and I'm in a pinch... which is rare.

Sometimes I'll make up a few plates in advance so that I can quickly swap in copper braids when I get a new car, or if I haven't changed a car's braids yet, and they finally wear out. The only time I put Scalextric braid in a car any more is when the car is part of a racing series which does not allow 3rd party braid.