10 replies to this topic

[Dan Matarazzo]

Hello,

I am currently designing a science center exhibit based on alternative energies. One particular exhibit is going to be a solar-powered slot car track, suspended over the open atrium (two floors up).

The goal is to have a four-lane track in either a simple oval or circle. Each track needs to be controlled by a separate solar panel. The visitor would use a shield to cover more or less of the solar panel to control the speed of their car.

I would greatly appreciate any thoughts or ideas your community has about this idea. Especially any help you could offer for fabrication and parts. This is going to be built mainly in-house, so stock parts are a big help.

My main questions are:

What would be the best scale for a setup this big? (The atrium is approximitly 45'x50'.)
Is it possible to run the power from a solar panel directly to the individual slot car track?
How can we control the max speed so that the cars don't come off the track?
Is there a way we could physically anchor the cars to the track, like a looping roller coaster?
Are there any specific types of kits that are designed to run on low power?

Thank you,

Dan

[tonyp]

The first place to start would be to know what kind of voltage/amps you can produce.

[Cheater]

Dan,

To expand on what Tony posted, slot cars use permanent magnet DC motors where the speed is determined by the applied voltage.

Just to put some numbers on the power situation, most 1/24 and 1/32 slot cars run on 12v nominal. Most HO cars use 18v nominal. Lower-powered slot cars will draw less than an amp.

The speed of slot cars can be controlled by regulating the maximum voltage applied, though there is a limit to how low you can take the voltage.

Regarding your question about "anchoring" the cars to the track so they won't deslot, there was at least one system of this nature available in the early days of the slot racing "fad", but it was quickly abandoned and as far as I know, no one has used this approach since that time. 1/32 and HO scale cars with traction magnets might be worth trying in this application.

[Joe Mig]

I would think you could just use the solar panels to charge the batteries and use it like any other slot car track running off the batteries through a control panel to the controller.

[Cheater]

Dan,

I think durability is going to be an issue for you, depending on how much run time you expect the cars to get every day.

I've heard of slot car tracks behind glass in bars and know of trains that run through doctor's offices. If they get a lot of run time, durability is usually an issue. There's no regular maintenance and they won't take that for very long.

[macman]

Edo has a track set up in an art exhibit with a thingie running on a figure 8 style track... It seems to run continuously.

[CruzinBob]

'cheater', on 16 Nov 2011 - 8:11 PM, said:

..."anchoring" the cars to the track so they won't deslot, there was at least one system of this nature available in the early days of the slot racing "fad", but it was quickly abandoned and as far as I know, no one has used this approach since that time...

T-slot was a method of keeping the cars from flying far from their slot. Ray Gardner suggested I remploy this method in the early days of my mobile biz. Wish I had and it's even more viable today by using special design channel for the slot AND braid. Would be a great project for a local school with capabilities.

'macman', on 17 Nov 2011 - 7:49 PM, said:

Edo has a track set up in an art exhibit with a thingie running on a figure 8 style track... It seems to run continuously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx1EW9Z09zQ&feature=colike.

Dan,

This has the makings of a huge hit for you depending on the effort and $ put in. I have a friend in AZ who has his house on solar. He also has a slot car track I built on which he hosts local club races. He has monitored useage and has reported making $ while racing slot cars in his AC house

Feel free to contact me for any additional thoughts.

[Dan Matarazzo]

Thanks for the help! This will be an interactive exhibit, so the visitors will control the speed of the cars through the solar panel. The cars will stay "fixed" on the track, meaning the visitor can't touch or reset the cars. That is why I think some type of anchoring system or rail is needed. The magnetic approach seems feasible. There is a similar exhibit in the Chicago museum of science and industry But they have a small track that is encased by a large acrylic tube. I'd like to do this but on a larger scale.

I'll let you know how this advances, and reach out when I'm stuck again.

Thanks again!

[John Streisguth]

Looking at that set-up, the large radius turn allows the cars to travel at a fairly decent speed while staying in the slot. Any type of magnetic downforce will require more horsepower to overcome, so my suggestion would be a track with large radius turns, and then use a rheostat in between the solar panels and the track to control maximum speed, which could be helpful if you have some days with stronger solar power than others so that you can "fine tune" the maximum speed the cars can attain.

[Ramcatlarry]

Where are you located? I am a past member and director of the Illinois Solar Energy Association. I am near Chicago and could work you through the details.....

[Dan Matarazzo]

I actually work for a Science Center in New Jersey, but I can use all the help and expertise I can get. I'm still working out the details but hopefully by next week I can post a more specific design. Possibly with some schematic drawings.