Pit Pro Delux

[floyd]

Im new to Scalextric and Im thinking about buying the Pit Pro

Then buying a Race Car Management system like SSDC or RCS64

Can anyone give me advice on weather it is a good idea buying Pit Pro and one of the management systems

[woodcote]

Hi floyd

 

Our digital racing club (who-digital.org.uk) uses that set up and we like it very much. It is based around the C7042 Advanced 6 Car Powerbase (APB, for short) and the Scalextric Sport Digital system. The APB connects to a Windows computer via a custom-made dongle. Pit Pro is a highly-modified Scalextric Pit Lane Game which senses cars entering and leaving the pit lane and informs SSDC or RCS64 via a second USB dongle to the computer.

 

Although ARC Pro seems to be the future for Scalextric digital, the APB is still being produced and available to buy. Both the dongle and Pit Pro have been developed and produced by talented individuals in the slot car community, with the sharing of technical details from Scalextric. SSDC and RCS64 (we've used both) have likewise been developed by groups of slot car enthusiasts with the blessing of Scalextric.

 

Most of the features of the race management programmes for the APB are part of the Scalextric ARC app and - in my mind - make the ARC Pro system a much more complete product out of the box compared with the APB (without all the after-market extras). There is considerable debate about how much better the APB + PC + PitPro + wireless controllers is compared to ARC Pro. Certainly ARC Pro comes in at a very competitive price point, even if it is inferior in some areas (eg no pit lane sensing).

 

At some point in the next few years, I suspect Scalextric will cease production and support of the APB. There's no guarantee that the aftermarket software and hardware will be around for ever either. What is very likely is that ARC Pro will be opened up for development in a similar way to how the APB was. The nature of the app also gives Scalextric the opportunity to develop the software on the bluetooth smart devices. There's also talk about the USB port on the ARC Pro powerbase being a possible gateway to developing PC-based software alternatives.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that you have the choice of investing heavily in what may soon become a 'legacy' product (APB) or joining at the start of the ARC Pro journey (it was only released last month) which could be an exciting ride and with a starting price significantly less than the APB (with all the necessary add-ons).

 

Have fun!

[Blagard-01]

If you can advise what you have already then I am sure better advice can be given. I suspect you are aware of ARC Pro which also has Race Management but more likely to be of interest is the wireless controllers it uses. A lot may depend on how many cars you plan to race at any one time.

[floyd]

ive  already got c7042 it will cost me £100 for the pit pro £30 for the USB cable and a further £30 for the RMS programme

should i buy them or not ?

Hi floyd

 

Our digital racing club (who-digital.org.uk) uses that set up and we like it very much. It is based around the C7042 Advanced 6 Car Powerbase (APB, for short) and the Scalextric Sport Digital system. The APB connects to a Windows computer via a custom-made dongle. Pit Pro is a highly-modified Scalextric Pit Lane Game which senses cars entering and leaving the pit lane and informs SSDC or RCS64 via a second USB dongle to the computer.

 

Although ARC Pro seems to be the future for Scalextric digital, the APB is still being produced and available to buy. Both the dongle and Pit Pro have been developed and produced by talented individuals in the slot car community, with the sharing of technical details from Scalextric. SSDC and RCS64 (we've used both) have likewise been developed by groups of slot car enthusiasts with the blessing of Scalextric.

 

Most of the features of the race management programmes for the APB are part of the Scalextric ARC app and - in my mind - make the ARC Pro system a much more complete product out of the box compared with the APB (without all the after-market extras). There is considerable debate about how much better the APB + PC + PitPro + wireless controllers is compared to ARC Pro. Certainly ARC Pro comes in at a very competitive price point, even if it is inferior in some areas (eg no pit lane sensing).

 

At some point in the next few years, I suspect Scalextric will cease production and support of the APB. There's no guarantee that the aftermarket software and hardware will be around for ever either. What is very likely is that ARC Pro will be opened up for development in a similar way to how the APB was. The nature of the app also gives Scalextric the opportunity to develop the software on the bluetooth smart devices. There's also talk about the USB port on the ARC Pro powerbase being a possible gateway to developing PC-based software alternatives.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that you have the choice of investing heavily in what may soon become a 'legacy' product (APB) or joining at the start of the ARC Pro journey (it was only released last month) which could be an exciting ride and with a starting price significantly less than the APB (with all the necessary add-ons).

 

Have fun!

 

[floyd]

If you can advise what you have already then I am sure better advice can be given. I suspect you are aware of ARC Pro which also has Race Management but more likely to be of interest is the wireless controllers it uses. A lot may depend on how many cars you plan to race at any one time.

ive got a c7042 loads of controllers with the brake and lane change buttons

ive got 2 straight lane changeing pieces of track

and 4 digital cars

[Blagard-01]

To get ARC Pro outright with 6 controllers will cost a little over £200. You can use one of the transformers from the C7042 setup to get full power to ARC Pro. Then you can sell the C7042 complete with a set of controllers and possibly a spare transformer. What you get for it is not known but I would anticipate you would get close to £100.

 

Bottom line is you may be financially better off getting ARC Pro providing you already have a compatible smart device that will run the ARC App.

 

While the ARC Pro does not have all the features you could get with the older RMS system you do gain in wireless controllers and the potential software updates.

 

I am actually in the same position regarding that decision, but since my only compatible device is a small iphone I dont see that as practical for six racers. If I already had a 10" tablet I feel sure I would go for ARC Pro. In the end there is little in it. If you have either laptop for RMS or Suitable device for ARC Pro that may swing it for you. If you have both then you have to weigh up what is important to you. 

[floyd]

To get ARC Pro outright with 6 controllers will cost a little over £200. You can use one of the transformers from the C7042 setup to get full power to ARC Pro. Then you can sell the C7042 complete with a set of controllers and possibly a spare transformer. What you get for it is not known but I would anticipate you would get close to £100.

 

Bottom line is you may be financially better off getting ARC Pro providing you already have a compatible smart device that will run the ARC App.

 

While the ARC Pro does not have all the features you could get with the older RMS system you do gain in wireless controllers and the potential software updates.

 

I am actually in the same position regarding that decision, but since my only compatible device is a small iphone I dont see that as practical for six racers. If I already had a 10" tablet I feel sure I would go for ARC Pro. In the end there is little in it. If you have either laptop for RMS or Suitable device for ARC Pro that may swing it for you. If you have both then you have to weigh up what is important to you. 

wireless controllers dont bother me really

can ARC Pro use pacer cars and can the pacer cars change lanes and use the pit stop

[woodcote]

@floyd - if your main priority is having pacer cars that change lanes and use the pit lane, then ARC Pro does not offer that... at the moment. The APB dongle + Pit Lane Pro + SSDC / RCS64 will give you what you want. There is clearly a desire for ARC Pro to offer more on the pacer car front - I guess that will come in time, either from Scalextric or from intrepid enthusiasts who will cook up their own solutions.

 

Have fun!

[floyd]

@floyd - if your main priority is having pacer cars that change lanes and use the pit lane, then ARC Pro does not offer that... at the moment. The APB dongle + Pit Lane Pro + SSDC / RCS64 will give you what you want. There is clearly a desire for ARC Pro to offer more on the pacer car front - I guess that will come in time, either from Scalextric or from intrepid enthusiasts who will cook up their own solutions.

 

Have fun!

i will mostly be using the scalextric on my own so having realistic pacer will make for better races for me

maybe i should wait until the ARC Pro has been about a while and is proper all singing and dancing

[woodcote]

I've not used the pace car functions with SSDC and RCS64, but I hear they are very good. The digital race management and simulations (especially in RCS64) are superb. A dongle for £30 and free 30-day trials of both SSDC and RCS64 would give you a taste of what's possible with the kit you already have. You can decide if the £100 Pit Pro is absolutely essential for the pace car functionality you require.

 

I guess your dilemma is whether to wait (a year? two years? three?) and hope ARC Pro can host a pace car system as good as what's on offer now... And if it doesn't, whether the Pit Pro etc is still available. Is £160 a once-in-a-lifetime investment? You could buy the APB add-ons now, get lots of use and pleasure out of it and then do what Blagard suggested with the APB kit if you decided to switch to ARC Pro a few years down the line...

[floyd]

I've not used the pace car functions with SSDC and RCS64, but I hear they are very good. The digital race management and simulations (especially in RCS64) are superb. A dongle for £30 and free 30-day trials of both SSDC and RCS64 would give you a taste of what's possible with the kit you already have. You can decide if the £100 Pit Pro is absolutely essential for the pace car functionality you require.

 

I guess your dilemma is whether to wait (a year? two years? three?) and hope ARC Pro can host a pace car system as good as what's on offer now... And if it doesn't, whether the Pit Pro etc is still available. Is £160 a once-in-a-lifetime investment? You could buy the APB add-ons now, get lots of use and pleasure out of it and then do what Blagard suggested with the APB kit if you decided to switch to ARC Pro a few years down the line...

what would be the differences between having the pit pro and not having the pit pro

[woodcote]

As I said, I haven't used the pace car feature in SSDC or RCS64 - that's not really my interest in digital. However, if I understand right, both programmes will make lane changes for the pace cars and make them pit for fuel (and tyres and damage repair in RCS64) - is that correct? If that is the case, being able to sense the cars in the pit lane is probably rather important to run that pace car simulation - probably more essential than with just straight, human-controlled digital racing when the drivers (and an ever-vigilant race controller) can see when a car is in the pit lane or not. Having said that, it is a very useful feature when we race.

 

You're probably best to talk to the developer of Pit Pro, who can talk you through how everything works when used with pace cars.