4 Lane Powerbase?

[ray_lego]

Why dont the make?

[Andy P.]

For analog setting up a 4 lane set is extremely simple with the available options. The only thing I would like to see is an ARC app that can keep track of 4 cars.

For digital what would be the point?

You can expand a digital layout to four lanes using pit lanes on either side but since you can put up to 6 cars on 2 lanes I don't see the point.

[MIleage712]

I can see the point. From my experience the racers near me often have 4 lane analog scalextric tracks in place already. Often time they are quite well landscaped. Having the ability to make a 4 lane digital track would better suit moving into the digital realm of racing.

Personally I have a 4 lane Scalextric Sport track with just a little over a 100 foot lap length for each lane. I've considered digital but like the side by side racing visuals of four cars battling for the lead. This would be even more exciting if I had 6 cars on four lanes competing in a similar fight for positions. The prospect of removing two lans is not very attractive for me.

Now Scalectric might ask, what is the attraction for you as a business?

   1. Retention in the hobby

   2. Conversion Sales to move to digital. Either I will have to purchase a digital 6 car set or individual pieces to get my track converted. After that I will have to purchase digital chips for several of my 104 cars so I can race digital without have to switch the modules from car to car when I'm enjoying my collection. 

   3. Greater satisfaction from long term customers knowing Scalextric is providing a sanctioned and cocumented method of getting to digital from analog. 

Now I'm sure your mind may now be either tired of my diatribe or you may be coming up with some ideas of your own to help enthusiast such as myself switch from Analog to digital. If this were possible along with a method for quickly getting back to analog for club racing etc. Then wow! that would be something for me to spend my leisure dollars on.

I will leave you with this. If one customer speaks up and ask a question, there are undoubtedly good reasons to stop and pose a single question. How many others might want an answer to that same question...  

Thanks for taking the time to provide for this forum and your attention.

Cheers :-)

 

 

[Cjr]

I have a similar issue, I often run a 4 lane Brands Hatch replica track. For analogue I get away with two powerbases (although it is frustrating not having a 4 lane lap counter!!!),  in future I wouldn't mind having digital, however how many real life tracks have a start/finish straight 2 cars wide?! Yes I could position it on a chicane, but it would be weird having the start line there.  3 lanes would be better, as you would have the grid either side of a centre lane. If we are being really picky, most true circuits scaled down probably work out at 5 scalextric lanes wide at the start! I haven't got the time to custom build something like I have seen with the Slot it Oxygen system,  the advantage of that being you can run 24 cars too if you had a club. 

I reckon a 4 lane width, 8 car supported,  digital powerbase has its market out there as well as a 4 lane analogue Lap counter.

[Andy P.]

"however how many real life tracks have a start/finish straight 2 cars wide?"

Pretty much every single racetrack in the world?

Sorry.. I had to say that. :-)

[Cjr]

"however how many real life tracks have a start/finish straight 2 cars wide?"

Pretty much every single racetrack in the world?

Surely you mean Pretty much no race track in the world?!? 

Yes the grids are two cars wide but there is always space to dive down the inside or the outside in the grid. 

And how come cars can cross the finish line 3 sometimes even 4 abreast in real life. The grid doesn't define the track width like it does in Scalextric form.

No race track is laid out like a traffic lights gran prix!  ;)

[Andy P.]

I read your sentance as "how many have a starting grid (!) two cars wide"... 

You have to admit though most races come down to two people if at all...

[Cjr]

That is a fair point Andy, it would only be particularly used with people's reaction to the start sequence, and possibly lining your self up for corner maneuvers.  Say you have 3 cars relatively close going along a 2 lane straight into a fast 3 lane corner , the lane change pieces are quite sharp and so will deslot/unbalance your car if you chose to use one at speed. Therfore the back of those 3 cars could be a better driver but is held up behind the other 2 as changing lane will lose just as much time. If you had a 3 lane straight you could have chosen lane in the last corner and be set up for the next sector. And car 3 could take a faster line on.the corner. 

I could be totally wrong with that second point as I don't have digital to test this,  but I imagine racing with older non magnet cars you don't want to be lane changing at high speed?

[Blagard]

Why dont the make?

I found the 4 lane powerbase thread interesting. Certainly I can see how the dedicated enthusiast with a four or more lane analogue layout is getting left behind. The ARC system for analogue tracks is very clearly aimed at bringing traditional "sets" more up to date. I am sure it does add a lot to a two lane analogue layout.

Digital brings 2+ multi-car racing to all without the need of those big wide layouts. The downside of course being the cost of conversion. Going forward, the modular arrangement means you only need a maximum of 6 saloon car modules and 6 F1 modules to race all your DPR cars. It does not do away with the need for conversions to cars that can't take a DPR module. I have gone digital and regret not buying more C7005 boards on black Friday! - I simply cannot afford to convert all my old cars, yet my suffering there is probably nothing compared to the enthusiast.

The real issue is whether there is a commercial market for a third system for multilane analogue and I strongly suspect there isn't. Maybe the arc air/one can be adapted. With digital available to newcomers, just how many four or more lane analogue setups are going to happen before the demand for systems that could work with it dries up. With the digital powerbase set for two lanes no matter how many lanes the layout expands to, still has to come back to just the two on the power base to record information. Additional sensors wired in across more lanes might work but having three or more almost simultaneous inputs in a close race may confuse the system. Either way with new analogue or digital, I suspect the multilane enthusiasts will have to look to the themselves to find a way of adapting the systems if they want to go forward.