woodcote

Hi roadracer - I have posted the how-to in the digital section, but it will be Monday before the pictures are approved and you can read it. I have also posted it on SlotRacer Online here: https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=1015

Hi Mark. Left hand simply means the pit lane entry leaves the track to the left. It's the C7014 left hand pit lane you'll need.

Hi couchflyer - welcome to the forum! It is best to email the Club email address: newclubs@hornby.com. I am sure they will help get you signed up.

Hi oh-no-its-john - welcome to the forum! It would try the Scalextric Restorations website, in the 'Guides & pick-up braids' page of the Spares drop-down menu. If you don't see what you need, I am sure Gary will be able to help. I am pretty sure you can solder loops braids onto the brass braid plates on those early 60s cars. Good luck!

Hi mixa. I joined last May and I received my 2020 club car and the 2020 catalogue together on Wednesday 8 January. I suspect you'll be receiving yours soon. If not, send the Club an email at the address on this page: https://www.scalextric.com/uk-en/memberships I understand there will be news about other exclusive cars, competitions etc as the year goes on. There was a competition for Club members in December to win a 2020 club car signed by Matt Neal. The 2021 club car will be announced at the UK Slot Car Festival this May.

Thanks for the reminder! I will do that this weekend 😀

Hi Ac112 - welcome to the forum! I'll try and answer your questions... 1) Sunset Speedway comes with one power supply. This is sufficient for running three cars at the same time. To run four cars, you will probably need another power supply. For five or six cars you will definitely need that second power supply. 2) The two new cars will require a digital chip fitted to work in the same way as the three in the Sunset Speedway set. The police car is Digital Plug Ready, so you will be able fit a C8515 digital plug - either a new one or one swapped from one of the Sunset Speedway cars. The Monster Trucks are not Digital Plug Ready. They look as if they will be tricky to convert to digital, to be honest, and are probably best to run in analogue mode - one car per lane. Make sure you are using just the red and green controllers in analogue mode - they controller power to the lane rather than the car (as in digital) so need to try and connect the car, just put them on the lane, puller the trigger (red or green only) and go. Lane changing (including entry to the pit lane) does not function in analogue mode - pit stops are carried out by stopping in the middle of the powerbase straight, on the ARC PRO logo. I hope that helps!

Hi Mark. 1) The default position is neither open or closed... When operating in digital, the lane changers (including in the pit entry) sense the car chip's LED. If the lane change button in pressed, the flipper will open (to change lane), if the lane change button is not pressed, the flipper will close (to go straight on). In analogue, there is no signal from the car to sense - so you have to manually close the flippers and hope they stay there... What I (and many others) do is to use a little bit of tape (I use Scotch Magic) to fix the flipper to the inside rail to keep the lane running straight on. Just remember to remove the tape when switching to digital (ARC Pro and the C7042 Advanced 6-car powerbase both have an analogue mode). 2) Yes, fine to fit them and use them with analogue, although I would tape the flippers (as above). Definitely a good idea to plan and build the track and scenics with the pit lane in place. However, do make sure the entry and exit pieces are the correct way round. The entry piece has a moving flipper, on the exit piece the flipper is fixed - that's why there is a left-hand pit set and a right-hand pit set. It's best to have at least a half straight between a corner and the pit entry so the car can straighten and the LED and track sensor line up. One last thing - the powerbase should be outside the pit lane complex (unless you will be using pit lane sensors with the C7042 powerbase), otherwise laps won't be counted when a car pits. 3) A straight lane-changer = one and a half standrad straights. Hope that helps!

Only ever done in the classic track, never in Sport - so not for 20 years. I'm sure you can still find some in very good condition.

Hi Diggery - welcome to the forum! The Nissan is a drift car with a 360-degree rotating guide. So yes, remove the screws for full drifting action! The spare guide assembly for the Nissan is C8330 'Drift Guide Blade, 2 Braid Plates, 1 Screw'. I hope that helps.

Hi Spiderweb. I suggest you contact Scalextric Customer Services (details below or right) and see if they can help. That's the insides of a powerbase that I am not familar with! Good luck.

Hi Tom. The green and yellow leads should go to the front of the car - to the guide plate and braids. I strongly suspect that the pop and burning smell was a component (or components) on the chip being destroyed by power being applied to the chip in the wrong direction. Although the instructions could be better (in colour, perhaps - or link to pictures and a video online?), the wires are labelled correctly. I suggest that you contact Scalextric Customer Services (details right or below) and see what they can do for you. I hope that helps.

Hi Spoony1975 - welcome to the forum! Scalextric Track Designer is an old piece of software - 15 years old, in fact. Although some websites still have the program available for download, it hasn't been distributed or supported by Scalextric for many years. It is possible to get it running okay on a PC with an old operating system (Windows XP), but it is going to be very glitchy on Windows 7, 8 or 10. A modern alternative that does more than Track Designer (including 3D layouts) is Ultimate Racer. There is a free trial version and then the full track design option costs 15 Euros. I hope that helps.

Yes, that's right. It does encourage strategy - pit early and get out first or go long and hope everyone has completed their stop. It works unless everyone else chooses the your strategy! If you have room, you can add a second lane in the pit lane. That needs a second pit entry and exit - and that does take up a lot of space!

Hi Malc - welcome to the forum! You only need one pit lane, but ideally one long enough to hold four cars. A pack of single lane straights (C7016) does the job. I have seen some racers use a couple of pit lanes - one coming off each lane - but I prefer the realism of just one. Hope that helps!

Hi kd017 - welcome to the forum and welcome back to Scalextric! I'll try and answer your questions: 1) Yes, it is perfectly possible to turn all the features in the ARC app on and off. There is a BTCC format described here on the Scalextric website (www.scalextric.com/uk-en/btcc-race-scalextric-arc) which has no pit stops, but uses the Max Power feature to simulate 'success ballast' - something that can also be used to limit speed for beginners. I've written a detailed guide to racing with the ARC app here: slotracer.online/arc-pro-guide/ 2) Yes, the ARC controllers fit somewhere between the tiny Micro Scalextric controllers (designed for 3-year-olds' hands) and a big chunky 'adult' controller. They are very nice wireless controllers and fine for 5-year-olds all the way through to the biggest grown-up hands. 3) Buying a set is the most economical way of starting with Scalextric digital. The ARC Pro range starts at £200-250 with the two-car C1404 ARC Pro Le Mans 24 hour set. This comes with two digital cars, two ARC controllers, a small loop of track and one power supply. What it doesn't have is a pit lane (you'll need to add that to enjoy most of the ARC app features). You'll also need to add an extra power supply to run more than three cars, plus extra controllers (up to a maximum of six) and more cars, each with a digital chip (decoder). You can add any Scalextric Sport track to extend the layout - Scalextric Digital uses the Scalextric Sport track system. The new-for-2020 C1413 ARC Pro Platinum GT set gives you pretty much the full set-up for £400-500 - four cars, four controllers, two power supplies, pit lane, bigger track etc. This set will be available in the autumn. 4) ARC Pro is only two years old. There have been a couple of small updates to the powerbase, but I suspect what will be available in 5 years time will be essentially the same as what was first released for Christmas 2017. The ARC app has been updated from time to time, and that is the usual, simple update process on your phone/tablet. There may also be third-party accessories made available (there is already the Magic ARC app) - but I suspect the ARC Pro powerbase as produced by Scalextric to stay exactly the same. Having said that, I would recommend getting one of the two sets mentioned above that have the very latest version of the powerbase. A couple of additional things... To work with the multi-car-per-lane digital mode, all cars must have a Scalextric Digital compatible decoder ('Digital Chip'). Cars that are sold as DPR (Digital Plug Ready) are easily converted to digital using a C8515 Digital Plug (C8516 for modern F1 cars) - it is a 1-2 minute plug & play conversion and most Scalextric cars are now DPR. Non-DPR Scalextric cars (usually where there's not enough room for a digital plug - 1960s & 70s-style F1 cars or front-engined classic cars) take the C7005 Retro-Fit chip, which requires basic soldering skills (and a soldering iron!). Finally, ARC Pro also has a traditional one-car-per-lane analogue mode - there's a small switch on the left side of the powerbase that toggles between digital and analogue. This means you can use non-digital cars to race one-car-per-lane, using most of the features of the ARC app, but no lane changing or separate pit lane. Pit stops in analogue mode are carried out on the powerbase straight. This is essentially the same as the ARC Air system, which is an analogue-only set-up using the ARC app and the ARC wireless controllers, but requires no digital chips, lane-change track pieces or separate pit lane. I hope that helps!

Hi trowta - welcome to the forum! There is another way to do it. If you absolutely want to keep your Ninco track system, use the adapters to add the ARC Pro powerbase as Andy P described and then use Ninco lane changers with the Slot.it oXigen Lane Changer Driver for Ninco/Carrera (part # OX0203A). OXigen uses the same lane changing protocol as Scalextric digital, so these modified Ninco lane changers are fully Scalextric Digital compatible. Professor Motor now distribute the Ninco lane changers without any electronics for this very purpose. The total cost of the Ninco lane changer + oXigen driver is only about 20% more than a Scalextric lane changer. To make things very neat you could transfer the ARC Pro powerbase electronics to a piece of Ninco track. It would be a big job with no guarantee of success, but perfectly possible. I'd suggest asking for advice in the Scalextric Digital sub-section of Slot Forum if you wanted to pursue that route. I hope that helps.

Hi Pembo - welcome to the forum! Yes, the 'slim can' or 'FF' motor in the Mini can be pretty brutal. One alternative is to change the motor for something less powerful - searching for FF-050SH-10200 will give you something rated around 14,000 rpm at 12 volts, as opposed to the 18k of the Scalextric motor. Some enthusiasts will go for even less powerful FF motors, the FF-050SB-09250 will be around 10k rpm at 12 volts. Although the motors are quite cheap, sometimes they may need the shaft shortened so the gears will mesh properly - take precautions (eye protection etc) if you attempt this. A simpler alternative is to reduce the voltage on the track or to the car. Running at 9 or 10 volts, the car will be much more manageable. The Scalextric ARC Air (analogue) and ARC Pro (analogue and digital) allow you to change the power to each car via the Max Power feature in the ARC app. It is a neat way of running these cars. I hope that helps.

Hi big-bill. The only solution is regular tweaking of the braids - keep them straight and angled up about 45-degrees. When I've done club or public events with the older Micro Scalextric cars, I've either used two sets of cars - tweaking one set while the others are racing - or have spent a few seconds carefully tweaking the braids before the start of the race. I also give racers a clear message that if they crash, the cars may need repairs before being returned to full performance. As for the copper braids, I get mine in 1 or 2 metre lengths here: https://www.copperbraid.co.uk/slot-car-braids/ - I tend to 'scrunch' up the braid a little after it is fitted (push very gently from back to front) so the weave opens slightly and the width increases by a millimetre or two. The new Micro Scalextric cars are designed to run on the new 2019 9-volt Micro Scalextric system. This is quite different to the older track system (see here: https://www.scalextric.com/uk-en/forum/new-micro-scalextric-track-system/) and the cars' motors will probably fail with prolonged use on the older track at 18 volts. Scalextric have upgraded the braid plate design on the new cars and it is more robust. Because the new track has flat rails (instead of the old vertical 'knife-edge' rails) there is more contact area and the braids last much longer. Overall, I think it is a vastly superior system. I hope that helps.

Hi JaayKaay - welcome to the forum! The program all the Mac users talk about - and the only Mac-compatible slot track designer I know of - is Rail Modeller: https://www.railmodeller.com/home-railmodeller.html Like most of the Windows programs, it is about the price of a new Scalextric car. I hope that helps.

Hi DougieD - the new cars will run (pretty quickly!) at 19v. At the full 19 volts, the motors may start to fail after a while, so your idea of using the speed limiting switch on the controller is a good one. The switch limits how far the wiper will travel up the resistor on the controller and will probably give you 9-10 volts maximum on the lower setting of the two-position controllers. The newer four-position controllers offer 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% - so 50% would be the ideal setting for those. I hope that answers you questions.

Hi spiderweb - welcome to the forum! Definitely one for Scalextric Customer Services - link to contact details below or right. Hope you're up and running again very soon.

I was very lucky and got a close up look and a play with these two cars. They do look fabulous. The Batman-inspired car shares its tooling with the Ginetta LMP1 that Scalextric released last year. The Batman decoration is really unusual, almost like it is etched onto steel. Photographs don't do it justice. The Joker-inspired car is based on Scalextric's new hyper car - the Rasio C20. I think the basic car shape looks nice and the Joker livery really brings out the best of the Rasio. A very good looking pair of cars... Functionally, both run very nicely, both have working headlights (the Joker has working rear lights too) and both are easily converted to Scalextric digital using the C8515 digital plug. The Batman vs Joker set features both cars, plus plenty of stunt track pieces and the new Spark Plug wireless control system, which is a lot of fun. The Spark Plug app will get an alternative DC Comics skin and features when the set is released. There is also the Micro Scalextric Batman vs Joker set that also looks fab - the Micro Scalextric track and cars are around 1/64 scale - they don't out of place next to a OO railway layout. There are now five DC characters represented by Micro Scalextric vehicles. Personally, I am excited by too many things in the Scalextric catalogue. Not sure how my budget will cover my wish list! Top of that list are the Micro Scalextric 007 set, the Mk3 Capri and the Sam Posey Dodge Challenger Trans-Am. I haven't looked closely at the Hornby catalogue yet, but I love the sound of the Steam Punk stuff that I've heard about...

Hi roadracer! The Stock Car Challenge does indeed run anti-clockwise, but there is nothing different about the cars - they are fully compatible with all Scalextric systems and will run in the same direction as other cars. It is the powerbase in the set that is different - the power is wired to the opposite rails than usual, so the cars run in the opposite direction - as they should do on a NASCAR oval. If you have an ARC Pro digital set, you may need to add a small amount of black tape to the rear edge of the Monte Carlo guide blades to successfully count laps. I hope to post a how-to guide soon.

Hi Brian - I would strongly recommend that you don't do that as it risks damaging both powerbases. What you can do is to swap out the ARC Air for the ARC Pro - only have one powerbase track section in the layout at the time. Your lane changers will still be an issue with ARC Air. You can tape the flipper open (remembering to remove the tape when you go back to digital) or replace the digital pieces with standard track sections. That's the same however you use analogue with Scalextric digital lane changers in the layout. Since I wrote that comment, I do run more with the ARC Pro analogue mode at home and I'm getting used to it. It is ideal for a permanent layout, running mostly digital and with regular testing of analogue cars and occasional analogue racing sessions. I do tape up lane changers and pit entry with just a small amount of Scotch Magic.