Analogue old Skool to Digital new boy

[steve_andretti]

Im ‘Old skool’ Scalextric with a previous analogue permanent set up.

Looking to now go to digital to make use of lane changing and Arc pro’s race software.

Reading through some of the other posts , still not to clear what I may be able to do?

I have a very large collection of analogue cars and recently bought quite a few legends F1 series cars. Lotus 72, Lotus 49, Icyx Brabham  , Jim Clark Lotus etc. . these will be my main go to cars to run and enjoy.

So im in a quandry. Id like to fit most cars with digital chips , if they fit firstly ??

And run a full digital set up making the most of ARCpro etc.  But if the chips can’t be fitted to the more slim line F1 legend cars, id happily run them as Analogue.

I think Acr pro has an option to switch over to Analogue ?

Can the lane changer section of track be locked to form a crossover perhaps when not digital? This would even the lane lengths out over 1 lap etc?

Any help / advice much appreciated

 

 

[Andy P.]

Regarding whether chips fit or not woodcote mentioned the most important info in this thread.

ARC PRO has an analog mode that essentially turns it into an ARC AIR:

https://www.scalextric.com/uk-en/shop/sets/app-race-control-arc.html

One great advantage of ARC AIR is as long as the cars have black guide blades, any brand of slot car can be used on it!

The digital straight lane changer (I prefer the term "switch") can be left in any analog  set up. You just have to push the flippers into the "straight" position (some people put a little tape on them to hold them).

They cannot be used as lane changers in the analog sense as in ananlog each lane has its own dedicated power and switching to the other lane surrenders control to the lane you switched into.

If you want crossovers you can use the 90° R2 Sport crossovers or the older classic straight crossover (usinga C8222 adapter).

If you do use analog corssovers the must be used in pairs otherwise you only have 1 continuous lane running around the track.

My personal opinion though is that equal length lanes is more trouble than it is worth. Crossovers are always a spot for accidents and frankly if you want to race you should simply switch lanes and then add up the results. This is what is done in analog clubs I have ever been to so there is no reason to not do it at home.

Good luck!

[woodcote]

Hi Steve. Although I won't say it is impossible to chip the Scalextric F1 Legends cars, it will be a tough job to find the space and will almost certainly involve removing much of the driver and cockpit detail - think just head & shoulders and a flat sheet level with the top of the cockpit. Even chipping 1960s sedans and sports cars usually involves the amputation of drivers' legs...

 

I like the ARC software very much. I think ARC Air captures alot of what I like about digital. For me, the only things lacking are 1) running more than two cars, 2) lane changing and 3) no separate pit lane.The ARC Air powerbase works like a dream. Analogue mode on ARC Pro isn't as good - the power doesn't seem as smooth and it is noisy. It is not as an enjoyable experience as ARC Air if you plan to run analogue more than just occasionally.

 

I'd always suggest asking yourself why you want to go beyond ARC Air and go digital. In my mind, digital racing is for getting a group of people together and all being able to race at the same time. Some like digital for running alone against a pace car (or cars) and having software simulations etc - but ARC Air does that now, without the cost of chipping all your cars.

 

It is possible to find the unboxed ARC Air kit (powerbase, powersupply & two wireless throttles) for around £50-£60, split from a set. If you were to decide that isn't enough and upgrade later to ARC Pro, the wireless throttles can be used with ARC Pro with the addition of a lane change button (see post here). And you'd have the smoother ARC Air powerbase for running cars that you can't or don't want to convert to digital.

 

Hope that's helpful.