Power shortage

[Martin aston]

I have recently connected 5 sets to make my dream track in my garage but am suffering severe power shortage!!!!,is there a more powerful transformer I could use?,or car battery to get more amps?,how do I increase power safely.i have digital sets  with pitstop and lap counter.i need to run four cars!!! ...at the moment I struggle with 2 and have to use cars with no lights.please help.many thanks

[Andy P.]

See this top tip about track and power:

https://www.scalextric.com/uk-en/support/track-maintenance

Clean, tight connection got a very long way... also, depending on what powerbase you are using you should use 2 power packs, i.e. one per lane. That also helps avoid cars getting a power surge.

You can do this with older Sport powerbases that have two power jacks and a switch for using two lanes, ARC Pro; which has jacks for two power packs or you can use the newer Sport powerbases and disconnect one lane from each, a simple operation of removing the screws on the bottom, finding a lane you want to disconnect and twisting the connection until it comes off. Be sure to label the lane so you know which one is being powered.

One user claimed he simply only connected one controller to two different power bases and that worked fine. I personally prefer total control though. :-)

You can do the above in conjunction with ARC ONE that has been modified for the "brake mod" to use ARC ONE for lap timing, pit stops etc. and the sport powerbases for power.

[Martin aston]

See this top tip about track and power:

https://www.scalextric.com/uk-en/support/track-maintenance

Clean, tight connection got a very long way... also, depending on what powerbase you are using you should use 2 power packs, i.e. one per lane. That also helps avoid cars getting a power surge.

You can do this with older Sport powerbases that have two power jacks and a switch for using two lanes, ARC Pro; which has jacks for two power packs or you can use the newer Sport powerbases and disconnect one lane from each, a simple operation of removing the screws on the bottom, finding a lane you want to disconnect and twisting the connection until it comes off. Be sure to label the lane so you know which one is being powered.

One user claimed he simply only connected one controller to two different power bases and that worked fine. I personally prefer total control though. :-)

You can do the above in conjunction with ARC ONE that has been modified for the "brake mod" to use ARC ONE for lap timing, pit stops etc. and the sport powerbases for power.

 

[woodcote]

Martin - Andy's tip about the track connections is really important - that might improve things. Also checking the track rails are clean and the cars' braids are clean and in good condition.

 

You say you have a digital layout with pitstop & lap counter. That makes me think you're using the four-car powerbase? If so, only one 15 Volt 4 Amp power supply can be used and the powerbase will deliver no more (and probably a little less) than the 4 Amps to the track. In theory, that should be enough power for four standard Scalextric cars, but I'm pretty sure most people reckon on the four car powerbase only handles comfortably a maximum of three cars. Hopefully someone can chip in to confirm this and also confirm (or contradict) my hunch that a more powerful power supply won't offer any more power to the track. And please never use more than one digital powerbase or a mix of analogue and digital powerbases.

 

It's not just the cars that are using the power - it's also be the lane changers, pit entry and lap counter. The more lane changers you have, the less power available to the cars. I've always seen the 4-car powerbase as pretty entry-level, okay for running a couple of cars (four at a push) on a small basic set track with one or two lane changers. For anything more, the C7402 Advanced Powerbase or the new ARC Pro - each running with two power supplies - will run 4 to 6 Scalextric cars on a longer track with multiple lane changers, pit lanes etc.

 

I don't know how long your track is. If it is getting on for 30 metres (100-ish feet), then you'd normally need a couple of power taps even with the APB or ARC Pro. Using INOX also really helps with conductivity on digital tracks - a lot of digital racers swear by it and is worth getting a small bottle from Australia or the US and use just a couple of drops per race session.

 

I hope that is of some help.

[gorp]

powerbase 4 or pb4 only handles max of 3 cars and a couple of straight dual changers 

the 4-6 car lap counter also draws power

my counters are usually powered off track with 2nd pb4

some also power their lane changers off track

 

at slot forum you can find recommendations for better power than the stock power packs

but that will not improve the pb4

DO NOT USE BATTERIES ON A DIGITAL TRACK

digital is not analog