19 replies to this topic

[dan49]

Does anyone recall the Parma controller with micro switches from back in the late 60"s? I had one but can't recall the cost and specs on the thing. Anyone care to refresh my memory on this????

[Bill from NH]

Dan, I have one I built in the early 70's that still works well. Both of my kids used it when they raced flexis 10-12 yrs ago. I don't recall what either the kits or the assembled controllers cost back then. I have a NOS frame & a Parma microswitch kit to construct a second one, this one with a 4 ohm wet-wound resistor.

[Guy Spaulding]

Was there actually a production control with micro-switches. I thought they were all hand-built.

Here's the one I built and used for Grp27/7 in the early '80s.

It uses a spring-loaded hinge wiper, J-B Weld coated .5 ohm resistor with double-barrel heat-sinks. Also, there are two 30A micro-switches in the handle for brake and WOT. It fared well against the new external resistor controls that were gaining popularity at the time.

[team burrito]

Before the Turbo controller, you had to solder a brass plate to the steel econo frame. You need a lot of heat & acid flux to solder the plate & it wasn't easy. It was tricky, set-up a double micro switches, but it was so cool to hear it go "click-click, click-click".

[dan49]

I thought I had purchased my Parma/micro unit direct from Parma in 1968 but maybe it was a custom unit from a third party. This was considered a very high tech piece of equipment in my circle of friends. The click click of the switches was about as cool as it got back in the day. I was making $2.50 p/h at that time so whatever the cost was I'm sure I had to save a long time to justify the expense.

[Rotorranch]

The factory assembled Parma double micro controller retailed for $25.00.

I have one around here somewhere.

I did find this one though.





Rotor

[Gus Kelley]

Hey! Thats the controller that made John Gorski famous on the east coast and numerous others. Here in NorCal were several known builders amongst were the brothers Jimmie and Johnie Ng and many of us including myself building our own from kits and scratch built. Gus in Sacto

[Bill from NH]

Gorski & Parma didn't build their microswitch controllers the same way. Have PDL show you the Gorski.

[zipper]

I bought mine in about '71, the Parma double micro did cost here about 60 $. A Cotton was over 100 $ when my pal ordered one from the US. Mine got heavy modding during years - 2x 3-barrel resistors; the upper is for resistance adjusting between about 0.6 and 1.2 Ohms. Twin magnesium heat sink bolts, shunted micro switches, adjustable external resistor for brake, 3rd micro switch for blast when using choke etc. Btw - after having blown several micros I took one apart and put the shunt wire into it. Then we sent a couple to Jan Limpach - after a while we could see the Parma ones modified in similar way. Mine could stand as much amperes that the red wire melted...

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[brnursebmt]

The Parma micro controllers I saw in the counter along about 1975-76 were assembled and retailed for $25.00. They had a "experimental" sticker on each side of the clear handles. Double micro's mounted on a brass strip soldered to the stock steel frame running down the handle. Double barrel resistor. Out of my price range as a 14 year old.

[TSR]

The first Parma "double micro" controller was issued in late 1970. It was a copy of sort of the Gorski, itself inspired by the work of Bob Emott.
The original Parma had Russkit handles molded in colored translucent polystyrene, but that was quickly replaced by genuine Lexan after the handles began melting.
The main difference between the Gorski and the Parma was that the smaller brake micro was mounted on the top of the frame on the Gorski, while the Parma had two large micro switches of the same size in tandem on a longer brass plate set below the frame. Before that, Parma had the same basic setup as the Gorski but changed quickly to the later and easier design.

[stoo23]

Wow !!

Blast from the Past !!

When Very Much younger, probably about 13 or 14, I too Saved all my Allowance and paper Boy Money to get myself one of those New Fangled Red Parma controllers like that pictured above and then Saved even More to get a Double Micro 'Kit' to fit to it,..one with the Two Larger Micros fitted in the handle.

As virtually No one else even Had a Parma, let alone one with the Micros fitted, it was Quite a vertical learning curve for a youngster !!

I seem to recall Hours and Hours being spent 'Futsing' with it to get it to Work correctly,..(I thought It/I was So Cool !!,..lol),..but BOY,..didn't those Metal Triggers Get HOT !!!!

They were actually rather expensive in the day here in Australia,..well relatively,..especially as a 'Kid' !!,..Sadly, Just another of My OLD slot car bits I no longer have,..sigh,..

[TSR]

The biggest issues with "double micro" controllers was massive heat inside them plus weight. The triggers were very hot despite coating on them. Johnny and Jimmy Ng had wooden triggers on theirs, that helped. When my own controller melted the solder that retained the brass plate to the steel frame, that was it for me and this is when I designed and built the prototypes of what became the Parma "Turbo", of which original name was "Ice Box" as it was so much cooler in your hand and proved to be very reliable.

[Bill from NH]

That joint between the plate & frame was a good candidate for silver solder. An "L-shaped" piece of piano wire soldered to the outside of the joint helped too.

[TSR]

Yeah, that helped until the solder melted...

[zipper]

I covered my trigger with synthetic chamois - worked well (got fed up with the blisters...). And used comm solder in critical points.

[TSR]

Cool! I mean hot! I mean uh, really a good idea...

[Kevin Juliot]

This thread and seeing Guys Turbo got me to dig out this controller that I built in the early 90's for scale racing. I used some of the idea's I'd seen in the magazines of the 60's, like double micro's. I also had an adjustable brake pot on it but it burned up at some point and is no longer there. It sure worked good but some guys didn't like racing next to me with all the clicking going on.

[team burrito]

Johnny and Jimmy Ng had wooden triggers on theirs, that helped.

They taught me how to build a proper controller after I melted my handles. Later, I figured out how to build a variable resistor controller & made one for Gary Beedle. The only problem was he wanted double wires; needless to say, it was a bitch to fit inside the handles!

[Rotorranch]

I KNEW I had a double micro somewhere!







Mine has the small brake micro on the frame, the power micro on the add on brass piece.

Rotor