ARC Air braking function adustable?

[Theo_NL]

I have had an ARC Air power base for a few days now. I definitely had 'dynamic' braking, i.e. when I fully released the throttle, cars slowed down considerably quicker than with old analog 'no brakes'.

Now this braking effect has disappeared... Also, the brake button on the controller seems to just cut power, but there is little active braking effect.

Are there any settings for the braking that I may have changed inadvertently, or could the braking circuitry of the power base have been blown somehow? It's the same on both lanes...

Theo, NL

[gorp]

How does it work for you without app on ?

 

Does the set  quick start quide offer app addvice ?

Check out missing arc manual at slotracer.online for info about controls.

Do know you have less available than arc pro , but ...

 

You can just delete and reload app and just use it to count laps with original settings.

[Theo_NL]

App or no App, there is no more braking. And I  went through the apps (both Scalextric and Magic) step-by-step, forwards an backwards, but cannot find any setting for brakes with ARC AIR. If anyone finds it, let me know. 

I guess it's hardware failure; could it be that some cars generate so much back-EMF braking on my 6 m straight that it blows the brake circuit? The power base is on that straight.

[gorp]

Sorry you do not like the lack of brakes now and that brake button on arc air.

But that is the state of what life is now.

Perhaps you should just hardwire the track and put better 3 wire controllers on it for true dynamic braking or even check out the more expensive wireless controllers available for their features.

[Theo_NL]

Sorry you do not like the lack of brakes now and that brake button on arc air.

But that is the state of what life is now.

Perhaps you should just hardwire the track and put better 3 wire controllers on it for true dynamic braking or even check out the more expensive wireless controllers available for their features.

Not very helpful. I have hardwired home-made controllers with adjustable braking, but liked the wireless + timing of ARC AIR. Just want to figure out if its braking is not working due to a software setting, or due to hardware malfunction. And if hardware, what could have caused it. 

[Andy P.]

In another thread you meantioned lowering the voltage on your powerbase. Maybe that has something to do with it?

My only recommednation is set up the smallest oval possible, reset everything (delete re-install the app etc) and first try the cars without the app and then add teh app.

If you have an older standard powerbase install that too ad test as well.

I personally don't remember there ever being braking by releasing the trigger but it could be I am such a bad driver I just didn't notice!

I do remembe vaguely someone opening up their controller and discovering that the trigger was not moving to its extremes as well. Might worth a shot. It is only a few screws.

I am assuming the cars don't have any digital chips in them ... digital chips kill brakes in analog mode.

[Theo_NL]

In another thread you meantioned lowering the voltage on your powerbase. Maybe that has something to do with it?

My only recommednation is set up the smallest oval possible, reset everything (delete re-install the app etc) and first try the cars without the app and then add teh app.

If you have an older standard powerbase install that too ad test as well.

I personally don't remember there ever being braking by releasing the trigger but it could be I am such a bad driver I just didn't notice!

I do remembe vaguely someone opening up their controller and discovering that the trigger was not moving to its extremes as well. Might worth a shot. It is only a few screws.

I am assuming the cars don't have any digital chips in them ... digital chips kill brakes in analog mode.

Thanks for your reply, Andy.

My power supply is regulated and current-limited, and set to 12-13 V. It has a current readout which I've never seen over 1A, under heavy acceleration. My old analog set-up with home-made adjustable braking works just fine.

But also with the original supply of the ARC AIR: no more brakes. A 'smallest oval' is not very helpful if you want to test the braking, by the way... but also a simple straight: no more brakes, neither on trigger release, nor on the button.

There are no digital chips in any of my cars. Controllers go full range, everything works except the brakes, app or no app. As far as I know there is no software feature to enable/disable/regulate the braking, so it feels like a fault in the brake circuitry.The power base is just 2 weeks old, so I assume it's still under warranty. Do I void my warranty if I open it up to see if something has come loose? Or better to return to the shop?

[Andy P.]

Well everything is only held together by screws and if you are carely I doubt anyonw would be able to tell...

[Theo_NL]

Well everything is only held together by screws and if you are carely I doubt anyonw would be able to tell...

Hi Andy.

Well, it's now obvious why the brakes stopped working. Both R52 and R53 are dead, split in two (see picture below)... I'm not sure if brake transistors Q1 and Q3 are OK, but I guess the 0.1 Ohm resistors* acted as a fuse to save them :-)

 

The big question is: how can this happen?

- too much back-EMF, due to full-on braking from max. speed close to the power base?

- software glitch, causing the brake transistor to close before the power is cut? 

In both cases, this should not happen...

- any other ideas? 

 

* Before ARC AIR, I had built my own analog braking system, and I would not consider such tiny SMD's as adequate brake resistors. I used 5 W wirewound 10 Ohm pots (OK, that was maybe over-engineered)!

/media/tinymce_upload/c885d81765130b8a16629f4a07a6399a.jpg

[gorp]

If it is too good to be true, probably is not.

 

Your claim of dynamic braking on any arc product made me curious.

Could not figure out how any wireless controller could have that feature.

But not really familiar with most of app since seldom use it.

Rechecked missing manual at slotracer.online and then did search at slot forum.

Appears you are the only person making the dynnamic braking claim.

 

 

[Theo_NL]

If it is too good to be true, probably is not.

 

Your claim of dynamic braking on any arc product made me curious.

Could not figure out how any wireless controller could have that feature.

But not really familiar with most of app since seldom use it.

Rechecked missing manual at slotracer.online and then did search at slot forum.

Appears you are the only person making the dynnamic braking claim.

 

 ; 

In your own forum: https://www.scalextric.com/uk-en/forum/excessive-braking-effect/#post-403238

Quote from that thread: “From using ARC Pro and ARC Air, I am also assuming some form of dynamic braking - a small reverse current going to the motor when the trigger is released.”

Anyway, I took a peek inside the powerbase, and saw that both brake resistors R52/R53 are broken. How can that happen?

 

The ARC AIR is the only power base on the track; it controls all the power, and I understood it is protected against overcurrent (e.g. through loose strands of braids on the rails).

The power base recently was on 2/3rds of a long straight (6 m), so it would be right where cars brake from max.speed, with a very short path to the brake resistors (i.e. minimal resistance). But surely that should not blow up the resistors.

The only other explanation could be some kind of firmware 'glitch', allowing the brakes to be applied while there is still power on the rails... but so far I have not found any mention of such cases in the various fora.

[Andy P.]

Contact where you bought it or customer care at the right. I am sure we can sort something out.

[Theo_NL]

Contact where you bought it or customer care at the right. I am sure we can sort something out.

Hi Andy,

did that, and they suggested that I could try to carefully replace the blown resistors, and they'd still replace it if that wouldn't solve it. So, I replaced them temporarily with some 4.7 Ohm, 2 W that I had lying around, and the brakes work again. Added bonus: they are more gentle now, and brake current a lot less. I will eventually replace them by potentiometers for better control.

[gorp]

Not my post or my forum.

Never seen an actual arc air.

[Andy P.]

Bedankt Theo!

(worked in Den Bosch for a few weeks and that is all the Dutch I can remember...)

I will highlight this to product development... feel free to do so using customer care at the right as well...

[Theo_NL]

Bedankt Theo!

(worked in Den Bosch for a few weeks and that is all the Dutch I can remember...)

I will highlight this to product development... feel free to do so using customer care at the right as well...

Thanks, Andy.

Coincidence... I work in Den Bosch too... :-)

Meanwhile, I have replaced the broken SMD resistors by 25 Ohm potentiometers, so I can control the amount of braking from full-on to nearly nothing, depending on car and circuit.

I posted some pictures in Facebook Group 'Scalextric hobbyists UK' yesterday. 

 

cheers,

Theo

[Andy P.]

Right will see if I can see the pics there. Feel free to upload them here as well though. :-)

[Theo_NL]

Right will see if I can see the pics there. Feel free to upload them here as well though. :-)

I tried to upload to the forum, but I 'incorrect file type' if I select on my iPhone, and  '403 forbidden' if a jpg from my PC... :-(

[Andy P.]

There were some problems the last few weeks.

Maybe try something like Irfanview to resave them and re upload them again...

[96RAF]

As a Hornby forum ComMod can I add a bit of background...

A poster on the Hornby train forum posted a corrupt hyperlink a couple of weeks ago, which stuffed up trusted user rights and this has stuffed up posting pictures and making live links.

 

IT are working the problem but despite several prompts by the Hornby forum Com Mods the problems are still there with no forecast of a fix.

 

The only workaround for links is to paste them as usual then immediately click on the broken chain icon to make them into plain text which users then have to copy and paste into their browser to view. The only work around for pictures is to link them to an external site lime your own domain or flicker, etc.

Rob