Xlot's new digital track in progress....

Beppe,

So this is being built in expectation of using the technology which Scalextric produces? You will still need to insert the chip into the car, right?

Is this a custom guide where both its brushes and the chip are beneath the track surface?

Are you going commercial with it?

Wow! We have some real bright spots out there, folks!!

-Maltese

I understand what you mean, BEPPE

It is good to see that there is still innovation in the hobby. The track looks VERY good. For over a year I have been trying to follow the history of the AMT system. I was amazed at how ingenius it was. Like you, I thought that it just fell short.

There is a website of a guy out there who maintains his AMT collection and still runs on his track. I asked for a video and he said yes, but I never heard from him. I would have loved to see the AMT system in action.

By the way, you said that your guys had "8+8" modules. Are you saying that you will be able to run 16 cars? Or were you saying that they had 8x8' modules that they are ready to run 8 cars on?

Keep on creatin', sir!

-M

Beppe! VERY nice work! I love to see a vision come to fruition.

I wonder, does the touchscreen show the status/laps/timing at the same time it is doing the work of "checking in new Joes"? Or is there a separate interface for buying track time? I am wondering if the folks doing data entry would block or interfere with status display.

With regard to race versus practice mode I would consider these options:

1 - I would definitely want to make racing an option. Since it is a cost issue, I would make an official "race" cost the price of a set number of racers in order to hold the table for a race. That minimum can vary with busy days via a settable option. So a group would have to purchase, say, 6 seats in order to race even if its just the two of them. This way the owner gets cash for six racers no matter what. That number could be 4 on a non-busy night, etc. I would want to race my buddy and just for that 3 minutes keep the brat next to me from getting onto the track and blocking my darn race. I would pay extra for that session.

2 - In light of the above, I would allow a person to either book and buy a session when would commence when the last "qualifying" session ends. The screen would queue up sessions, assigning letters A-? to the sessions, calling racers of session (letter) to take the wheel, Display there chosen session name (if you trust the brutes), line up and given a countdown to start the race.

3 - For non-busy nights customers may also be allowed to purchase a "package" containing no more than a qualify session of 2 minutes and a race for a specified time.

Such a feature could be used to draw the die-hards in on the non-busy nights for an experience they would not normally have on a busy night as the table turn requirement is higher.

When there is more time a customer should be allowed an enhanced experience to the extent that they are willing to pay for it.

Congrats on your progress.

-M