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Wireless Digital Bonanza!

15K views 56 replies 25 participants last post by  Merc_A 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)


Q: Why are Slot Wireless Digital systems like London Buses?

A: You wait for ages for one then two come along at once.


I have on my test bench 2 Wireless Digital systems that have arrived within 4 days of each other.

We heard rumours of the Scorpius wireless system at the beginning of 2008 and development started in March 2008. Slot.it announced the oXigen wireless system in September 2008 at the Slotlandia Milan Model Hobby Expo and showed some early ideas.

The two systems initially offered compatibility with existing slot systems - digital and analogue; lists of features and various specs. Subsequently as development progressed and various releases made their way to some reviewers and testers, we have seen many changes. There was even talk at one point that the two systems would be compatible - merging to offer inter working devices. The two developers talked about it, but that fell through and now we have two independent working wireless digital systems with their own features.

I'm a technophile, loving gadgets in all forms and when something interesting comes for the hobby I'm all for it...

BUT this drawn out development process of these systems, broken promises and various pre-production releases somehow made me loose interest some time ago...

AND NOW two systems are ready. Will my opinion change? Will I end up unplugging myself permanently from my track? How will they work and how will they compare to each other? Will either or both of them be a market success?

This is now the start of an investigative and testing process followed by couple of reviews. I'll look at both systems and obviously compare the two as they are both here right now. Please feel free to ask me questions that you may have of either system and I'll try and include them and the answers to them in the reviews. I'm in constant communication with the developers and I'll present the info as accurately as possible.

Reviews are now done - Check them out, linked from here.



 
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#2 ·
Good to see they are finally available - I am looking forward to the review - I have been looking for another controller and was thinking of the wireless analog setup from Scorpius - I also have an SCP-1 now so I am keen to know how I can make it wireless as well. So looking forward to finding out all the details - for one will I be able to use the slot.it with an analog system? and if it is wireless - what is with the big cable hanging out the bottom?

cheers
DM
 
#3 ·
Yes, interesting a wireless system with a wire.

- That is the power cable on the oXigen controller and connects to a battery pack that you can clip to you belt or put in your pocket.

- The Scorpuis controller has batteries in the handle, but you have to unscrew the controller to get to them.

Both systems allow you to walk freely around the layout and race from whatever vantage point you like.
 
#7 ·
Cant imagine they'll let people walk around any layout in a competition or even at any of the smaller clubs. 25 years ago we put longer leads on controllers when building layouts so we could test certain parts of the track. First thing people did was walk somewhere with the controller and stand in the way. That was the beauty of the drivers station. All the fat people standing in one place. We just experimented with a new commercial layout and gave everyone the option of picking where they wanted to drive from and the first thing they did was pick the only two spots that would block every other drivers view. and that plastic wont want to be dropped on any concrete or timber floors or smashed into if left on the track by accident. Sorry to seem a tad negative but these are some glaring issues that jump out at me straight away. I doubt anyone will hire any of these out at the public tracks and you'll never being able to let a newbie use these at your home track.
 
#11 ·
I wonder if they have somewhere to put a wrist strap like on the Wii controllers - might stop one from dropping them - or there might be an opportunity to develop a holster to hold the controller


DM
 
#12 ·
Why would anyone drop them?

Is a classic wired controller drop proof?

I haven't dropped one yet. I suppose a wrist lanyard could be used on the Scorpius devices. The oXigen controllers have the battery pack on you belt so if you drop it, it will hopefully swing down and not hit the floor - unless you are very short
 
#13 ·
QUOTE Is a classic wired controller drop proof?

Nope, but 45ohm Parma's only cost $25 Au$ I wouldn't be upset if someone broke one. I'm sure I'd be a tad miffed if someone broke one of the more expensive ones. Lets face it, people just grab stuff.

I also have to add this comment. Most slot car people, more often than not, are without doubt the most unco-ordinated non-athletic people I have ever met. I don't think its very safe to have 6 of them running around the track edge retrieving de-slotted cars. Cant you imagine two large slot gentlemen charging to the scene of 1/32 scale accident from opposite ends and POW!

Unless you can film it and set the whole thing to banjo music
.
 
#14 · (Edited by Moderator)
Why would anyone drop them?

I was just having a friendly go at uksqueezea
and that plastic wont want to be dropped on any concrete or timber floors or smashed into if left on the track by accident.
I guess he was suggesting that as a wired controller is operated from a fixed place you wouldn't be moving around like you might with a wireless one....

cheers
David

edit:
uk beat me to the reply I had a good chuckle over his post
 
#15 · (Edited by Moderator)
Just a comment on driver positions.

I have had my BLST track for 2 years and run it buy myself with one wired controller from a fixed position. I test and time cars individually. The track was however designed for wireless digital - yes 2 years ago.

Testing this week has been a blast. I managed to get my 13yr old son to hep out a bit and we raced together wirelessly. The track doing it's thing properly for the first time. Amazing.

OK, so lets move around... guess what? I end up back where I was to begin with using the wired controller. I'm just used to that spot and I imagine anyone used to one particular position will want to remain there. My son however moves around and gets the job done without fuss.

We can situate ourselves next to the two black spots and do some marshalling at the same time. Works quite well.

When my son is not around, I set one car on auto and race against it practising overtaking manoeuvres etc. Works fine - good fun.
 
#16 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi Doug,

This is great news, I absolutely hate Carrera's wireless thumb activated controllers. However wireless offers so much potential when practicing alone or racing without marshalls. Slot.it's SCP-1 controllers are so much superior to the RTR versions so I am anxious to convert mine.

Will the Slot.it oXigen work in an analog environment? I race at quite a few analog wood tracks and love the freedom of movement wireless presents.

Cheers...paul

Just got this in from Maurizio...

Q: what does it do?
A: It enables radio, wireless communication between the hand controller (SCP-1 only) and any
system in the world - analog or digital, as long as there is a standard SCP-1 cartridge for it. If you
have a SCP-1, no matter for which system, you can turn your controller into a wireless controller.
Q: what is it?
A: A small module, a pocket size receiver which plugs directly into any SCP-1 cartridge, regardless
of polarity and type. It comes with a small plastic case which secures itself on the cartridge (think of
it as the middle half of the SCP-1 controller). It connects by 2.4GHz radio link to the oXigen
cartridge which is plugged into the controller, and transmits in real time the power, brake and any
other commands (lane change, lights, etc.) coming from the controller to the cartridge, thus creating
a wireless, remote control SCP-1 for all the SCP-1 supported systems: analog (common ground or
common positive), and digital (Hornby, Carrera, Ninco, SCX).
 
#20 ·
I've had the cars out of the garage and the track set up permanently all month. I've been running both systems - sometimes together to get more cars on the track!

Review and pictures done. I'm just working on a video.

Watch this space - should be done this week - but the wife expects me to finish a DIY job too ...
 
#24 · (Edited by Moderator)
The green tick for Oxigen working on SSD ought to have a caveat - it needs a special bridge rectifier adding to the system. Maurizio showed me the first one at Gaydon, a small round PCB that fits over the guide.
 
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