woodcote Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 If you have ARC Air controllers that you'd like to convert to ARC Pro use, Slot.it have designed some lane change buttons that can be easily fitted and do the job very well. Additional ARC Pro controllers are available, of course. The ARC Air and Pro controllers are identical inside - the only difference is that there is no lane change button (or hole for it). The electronic lane change switch sits inside the Air controller ready for action and is lined up perfectly with an inner hole... /media/tinymce_upload/4b597f45be83f68981e674ca899cb69e.jpg What you will need is an "Air to Pro button for Scalextric Arc Air controller" from the Slot.it 3D Print Shop on Shapeways ($5.94 for four buttons). There are seven bright colours to choose from - perfect for people like me who are always forgetting which button is which. I chose orange. All that is required to fit the button is to create an outer hole. The modification may invalidate your warranty - so do check the ARC Air controller is functioning properly before starting. Slot.it recommend drilling a 5.5mm hole approximately 13mm above the upper edge of the brake button recess. I preferred to dremel out a smaller half-hole on each side of the controller, using the inner hole as a guide... /media/tinymce_upload/c868a1215688135c86ce33365765d3d6.jpg I then put the two sides back together and found I had a bit of a rough and lop-sided hole... /media/tinymce_upload/271b9613259f51fb13f4c2eb1efe7fd0.jpg With the two halves still together, I dremelled a bit more and then used a round jewellers file to make a round, smooth hole, probably nearer 5mm in diameter. I then separated the two halves, inserted the button and reassembled the controller... /media/tinymce_upload/451c0e5806124dc3ff3e141f73cd7938.jpg The new button feels good and gives a solid 'click' when pressed. I powered up ARC Pro, switched on the controller and tested some lane changing - it works a treat. Although not an official Scalextric upgrade, Slot.it did help design and develop the ARC wireless controllers - so it's semi official, I guess. The Slot.it 3D print shop is also home to the PCR chassis for all the current Scalextric models, allowing the use of Slot.it performance parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barryhi33 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Great tutorial woodcote - many thanksBe interested if anyone knows a UK supplier for the buttons ....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodcote Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 Shapeways is a 3D print shop and products like the buttons (or the PCR chassis) are printed on demand - so there is no physical stock being held anywhere. Originally, everything was printed and shipped from the USA, but there is now a distribution centre in Europe. It takes about a week for your Shapeways box of goodies to be printed and then delivered - half the time it used to take from the US. Here's the link to the buttons again: https://www.shapeways.com/product/3TTC4CXE4/air-to-pro-button-for-scalextric-arc-air-controlle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barryhi33 Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Ah ok - as they were priced in dollars I thought they were being shipped from USA. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rider68 Posted August 9, 2019 Share Posted August 9, 2019 Thx for the info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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