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Speed burst over sensors


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Malcolm - these little speed bursts in digital are not uncommon and usually occur when the chip momentarily 'loses' the digital signal, reverts to its default analogue mode, sucks up all 15V of power and then (hopefully) calms down again very quickly.

 

Most commonly, this is due - as Andy P said - to poor connections or dirty track. It can also be caused by shorts when the braids go over a lane changer (including pit entry). This is best resolved by keeping the cars' braids nice and neat and pushed into the guide blade. You don't want them splayed out, like you might with traditional analogue racing, and they must be cut shorter than the end of the guide flag. A ferrite man between braids and chip helps reduce interference - together with another one between chip and motor. Almost all Scalextric cars have these ferrite men, but other brands do not.

 

Some of the older straight lane changers were very prone to shorts, as the plastic insulation between the X and the straights was insufficient. These were simply modded (thanks to Riko Rocket) with a little enamel paint on the rails. Scalextric subsequently modified the lane changers with larger plastic pieces and all new straight lane changers have been like this for some years now.

 

One thing that really helps with connectivity in digital racing is using INOX MX3 - a couple of drops on the braids of a couple of cars at the start of each race session. INOX is easy to get in Australia, NZ and the US, but must be imported to Europe. It is a worthwhile investment and a small bottle will last a very long time.

 

Hope that helps!

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This is best resolved by keeping the cars' braids nice and neat and pushed into the guide blade. You don't want them splayed out, like you might with traditional analogue racing, and they must be cut shorter than the end of the guide flag. 

 Thanks, great advice! I have trimmed the braids and the problem has been reduced a lot. Not eliminated, but much better. I'll try the INOX MX3 as well.

One thing that really helps with connectivity in digital racing is using INOX MX3 - a couple of drops on the braids of a couple of cars at the start of each race session. INOX is easy to get in Australia, NZ and the US, but must be imported to Europe. It is a worthwhile investment and a small bottle will last a very long time.

 By the way, what is it exactly? I have also heard about products for cleaning wheels. I had imagined that use of liquids / oils would have a detremental effect on both grip and conductivity. It seems counter-intuitive for me, but I'm more than happy to learn!

Thanks again.

(BTW, to other peoples' replies to my post, the track is in good condition, but thanks also for the advice. All appreciated.)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I totally agree about the INOX. You can apply a tiny bit to the braids on the car or you can apply a thin coat to the metal rails on the track with a soft cloth, making sure to only apply it to the rails. It improved conductivity between the joints in the track pieces so much so that I did not need jumper cables on my slightly oversize track. It also does help with problem you mention some of the time.

 

Interestingly, I had that problem with one of my non-dpr, non-scalextric cars and the problem turned out to be a shorting motor, which eventually burned itself up. A new notor solved the problem just fine, but I doubt that is the problem for you.

 

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Rubberbanding is gorp-speak for putting rubber bands aka elastics around your throttles to maintain speed...

Only in digital mode?.... hmmm...

There is nothing physically different at that spot in digital or analog so I need to think about that one..

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