Can I install Power Taps on my Digital Arc Pro Layout?

[Hammertime]

I read the forum notes from 2017 suggesting that power taps and curved lane changers were causing problems with the ARC Pro.  The same thread continued about solving problems with the curved lane changers (I do not have any) so I am not sure if the original problem was with power taps or if it was isolated to the curved lane changers?  I saw the modifications for the curved changers, but I didn't see any comments suggesting that power taps were okay?

I was planning to install my power taps this weekend (tomorrow or Sunday).  I had the regular Scalextric Booster cables on my old 7402 layout and they seemed to help.  I changed my layout when I bought the ARC Pro, so I need to re-drill my table.  

I run 4 lane digital (except when we compress to 2 lanes over the start finish line) on a 7' x 14' table.  I intend to connect 8 female spade connectors to another area of my track, similar to what I did on my 7402 digital layout.

Am I going about this the correct way or is there something different about the ARC Pro power that I need to consider?

Thanks.

Chris 

[woodcote]

Hi Chris. The only thing to consider is that each lane through the powerbase must be kept electrically isolated - as you would with an analogue track. So, the boosters must connect exactly the same rail on the same lane.

 

It also means curved lane changers need to be modified, racing crossovers must be used in pairs and pit lane exits cannot be used to to merge the two lanes that pass through the powerbase. The latter can be an issue in 3 or 4 lane sections.

 

I hope that helps.

[sgtada]

Good morning. Please explain this to me. .. 

ARC pro...

======= lane1

===X=== lane2

create a10mm dead zone in both rails at point X then ‘cross-wire‘ underneath using two jumper wires. Easy... Can I put this mod on the same piece of track as the "jumper cables"? Thanks. 

Do I put the jumpers before or after this mod?  What gauge wire should I use to make my own jumpers? The Scalextric jumpers are pretty thin and I know we should get as much power to the far track as we can. Also I can't get the 3 meter jumpers in the US or even in the UK.  

I read different things here, and other forums, that are part of what people have written about, but we only get a few sentences which leaves us to wonder what the full conversation was. Too many times we are left in the dark in understanding the full modification like when someone said we should set up a multimeter and read the OHMs - but didn't tell what value we should get. What is acceptable as a drop off?

Thanks for your spirit, diligence, hard work  

[Andy P.]

Hi sgtada; Remind me what you are trying to achieve?

Is it analog compatibility with curved digital lane changers?

[sgtada]

Good morning Andy. Thank you for your quick response. I want to add "jumper cables" on my digital/analogue track but also want to do the straight lane cut and solder for isolation of the electricity between tracks. My question is; can I use the same piece of track to do this?  The electrical outlet is the only one easily useable and its next to the back wall where I plug in the PRO Arc power-base. It's tough to disconnect the track, so I don't want to keep doing that so I won't wear out the connections of the track. Thank you. Cheers, Thomas

[sgtada]

Oops forgot to ask ; Do I put the jumpers before or after the cut and solder isolation mod? Does it matter and why?  I have the piece of track I use for the "jumper cables" 2 feet after the ARC Pro and have no straight track in between that I can use for either mod. Can I use a piece of track before the ARC Pro for the "jumper cables" or cut and solder isolation mod or both?   Thanks again, Thomas

[Andy P.]

can I use the same piece of track to do this?

I am still not entirely sure which piece of track you mean to be honest. I seem to remember a user posting something about a 78 mm straight piece that he created a dead spot on to ensure mutual exclusivity of the two lanes.

In general, as long as the lanes stay separate how you go about doing it is completely up to you.

Regarding where to put the jump cables: The ideal solution is to run from as near the powerbase to the farthest point away from the power base using as thick of wire as possible.

How wire is gauged is different in different countries but anything with a core 2 mm in diameter or higher would be much more than sufficient.

The female plugs are readily available online.

[sgtada]

Hello. Sorry for the confusion... Thought you would read what I was writing - easy to follow.. I asked if I could/should attach the "jumper cables" to the same piece of track (straight) as the "modifing tech of the Digital Curved lane change (c7007 - c 7008") for the ARC Pro so the ARC Pro will work as analogue and digital when we want at the flip of the switch on the side of the ARC Pro.. It would be more than great for we ' "Common" people = less educated than you in the Scalextric Digital ARC Pro "world" ', if you and other experts could give us more Information on these "Modifications" for the ARC Pro than you and other experts have been giving us.  NOT that I am giving you and others DISRESPECT for what you have given us but for many of us we have little education for what must be done to rectify the problems of Scalextric Company's design/engineering department and don't know what you are suggesting to rectify these problems. ....... I also need the photo image of the "Modifying" of the straight track for the electrical separation for the proper function of the ARC Pro in analogue/digital operation without modifying the ARC Pro itself. .. Images if the modification of the c7007 and c7008 did not show 2 wires , only one from positeve to positive and the other from negative it had only shown the positive.  I pray you understand my words here tonight and in the future. God bless, Thomas . . .sorry if you fee I am "long winded" here tonight = just frustrated!!!!!!!!!! In the military we had "FM" - field manuals, if someone need an operation or anythig setup or repaired/installed/downloaded, when we were in the "field", without any support and noway out, we could READ these instruction manuals and be able to SAVE LIVES to get the mission completed. Again God Bless. May the Great Lord love you and yours forever

[sgtada]

again oops: can/will you give us a photo image, that works, of the DPDT toggle switches for the ARC Pro straight tracks placed before and after the ARC Pro powerbase that is supposed to negate the use of modifying the Digital lane changers?

[woodcote]

Hi Thomas. I run ARC Pro on a twenty-eight foot track. I don’t have any jumpers, but all the track tabs are tightened and I use Inox as a rail conditioner. I really like being able to run digital cars in digital mode and analogue cars in analogue mode at a flick of a switch. I have a couple of curved lane changers from a very old digital set, but have decided not to use either of them. I am very happy with the ARC Pro set-up I have - which is running ARC Pro with components it was designed to work with.

 

I guess my question is whether your layout is long enough to need jumpers and whether you 100% absolutely must include the curved lane changers? If you do, look at a set-up that is as simple as possible and meets your needs. Jumpers are relatively easy - they need to be made as for an analogue layout, the same rail to the same rail. Ready-made power jumper cables are available, if that would be helpful. Google ‘Scalextric power jumper cable’. These will need fitting to two track pieces (same rail to same rail), but no soldering is required.

 

There are several relatively complex options for the curved lane changers, some designed for digital-only layouts. If you want both digital and analogue, I would consider the option of omitting them altogether - as I did. If you are planning on doing a mod yourself and you don’t understand it, I wouldn’t do it.  I’m sure that would also be the advice of Scalextric - they have designed ARC Pro to work in a certain way, which does not include compatibility with track pieces that have been obsolete for nearly ten years. Reading back over old digital threads on other forums, curved lane changers were never liked that much, which is interesting...