57 replies to this topic

[MSwiss]

Frequent Slotbloggers might already know I take my birthday, scouting, family, and car club parties, real seriously.

Just in time for that week in between Xmas and New Year's, where I get a lot of local families in, with visiting relatives wanting to duel it out, for family supremacy, I finally got my fully adjustable, per lane, power system installed, in my race director stand.

What I thought was going to be about a 20-hour job, probably wound up being 40+ hours, but I am real happy with the results.

[Half Fast]

You can charge extra for more voltage on dad's lane if he's getting whooped by his kid.

 

Cheers,

[jimht]

Please explain just how much/why you might vary the power on each lane for a particular age group/car.

 

Are you trying to attain parity with no-brainer cruise control or make it that each car only falls off once or twice a lap?

[Eddie Fleming]

You may want to put a door with a lock on it. 

[gc4895]

A thing of beauty. Well done! 
 
I don't know of anything more discouraging to new or inexperienced users than repeated deslotting. Having control like that I'm guessing delivers a much more satisfactory and fun user experience for everyone on the raceway.

[kvanpelt]

So that's how Bernie has been winning all the GTP races!

[MSwiss]

You may want to put a door with a lock on it.

I need to get back to work so I'll answer Eddie and KVP's easy questions, and get to Jim's more complicated one, later.

Yes, it will probably wind up with a hinged Lexan^® cover.

[MSwiss]

So that's how Bernie has been winning all the GTP races!

 

What you see doesn't replace the regular Wednesday GTP/ Hardbody 12.2v, or the Group F, Retro, John Austin Fun Race, 13.5v.

That's why it took 40+ hours.

It uses eight new/additional relays.

[Eddie Fleming]

How that's cool!

[Dave Crevie]

This makes it possible for kid's rentals to have a reduced power until they get acquainted with how to drive the track, and still allow full power for those who wish to practice at race speed. The kids will be less likely to fall off and interfere with those people practicing.
 
By the way, wasn't that the name of an all-brass funk band?

[Half Fast]

Yes.
 
Tower of Power
 
Cheers,

[Bernie]

That's cold bro.....

[Dave Crevie]

Hey, if we don't laugh at ourselves, somebody else will.

[Samiam]

 

You can charge extra for more voltage on dad's lane if he's getting whooped by his kid.

 

Cheers,

 

In case you didn't already know, Swiss doesn't charge an extra premium on anything. Not for so-called "better batch" motors nor for x-tra voltage. 

[Larry Labounty]

  Great looking set up Mike !

[Guillermo Suar]

Are 0-30V? They look like the power supply I use at home. 

 

I've fried more than one 12V device for inadvertently raising the voltage. Not saying that you are going to do it but somebody might if you don't put a door or some kind of lock. 

 

An acrylic door would look really cool.

 

Just curious, how many amps are? Mine is only 5 but yours look a little bigger

[MSwiss]

Yes, they are 0-30V.

 

Yes, a cover will be necessary, when it is just used for Saturday afternoon rentals.

[MSwiss]

Please explain just how much/why you might vary the power on each lane for a particular age group/car.
 
Are you trying to attain parity with no-brainer cruise control or make it that each car only falls off once or twice a lap?

Jim,
The purpose of this setup, in importance, is;

1 - to get the speed of the rental cars (close to) identical. Most of my rental fleet is powered by Puppy Dogs, I bought for $5-$10 each. I typically run them at 6-8V, so the lap times will really vary, not only because of the nature of the beast, of an electric motor, but varying tire diameters. This will transcend all those variances. I will save money because I won't be replacing tires just to speed up the car.

2 - as mentioned by Dave Crevie, in post #10, my Saturday night racers will be able to still practice, on X lane, at full power, while 4 year old Joey, is blasting around at full speed, on 6V, on Y lane.

Early experimentation shows running these 10 amp supplies at .2V higher, will closely replicate the race power they run on.

IE-the Hardbody guys will set the adjustable ones to 12.4V to mimic their normal 12.2V race power.

3 - occasionally, especially with the 3-6 year olds, interject some parity in the amount of wins, in the 5 lap sprints I typically run with the 3-6 year olds.

4 - amuse myself, and astonish the racer, with the occasional turbo-boost blast, down the straightaway. Lol

5 - for semi-serious racers, possibly run handicap races.

While it is probably a bad idea to give inferior drivers, racing the same spec car, more voltage, it might be OK to mix voltages in an impromptu race, with cars with different motors.

To further answer your question, Jim, parties for 3-6 year olds, are (almost) 100% of the time, run at full speed.

At about 7 years old, I'll set up the power where the kids have 1 or 2 places to slow down.

With the old system, at 6-8V, the amount of the cars on the track, really affected if a car could be punched in a particular turn each time.

In a 8 heat, real race, with marshals, it didn't matter much, but in a 5 lap, crash-n-burn sprint, where if you fall off on your own, you were out, it did.

As more cars fell off, it became more and more difficult for the novice to stay on.
While sort of amusing, this will prevent that.

IOW, if you blip Green in the Deadman, X amount, the first lap, and the car stays in, if you do the same, laps 2-5, you should probably stay in.

I have annual car club events, coming up early next year, with pretty good racers, running on 8.5-10V.

Having steady power, per lane, should make those already fun events, better, with a bit cleaner racing.

[Half Fast]

Mike -

 

What is the name of those power supplies (i can't read it) and where did you get them?

 

Cheers

[MSwiss]

Bill,
They are a generic Chinese power supplies, available by various vendors, on Ebay.

There seems to be one company that makes the cases.

My two, large, 50 amp a track power supplies, bought from Mastech, has that style.

My 20 amp bench power supply, purchased off of Ebay, has a near identical case.

The eight 10 amp supplies are obviously smaller, but As mentioned, are made in the same style.

I have approx. $750, plus or minus $50, in this system, between the 8 supplies, 8 relays, toggle switch, connectors, and wire, I didn't already have.

I remember, years ago, Stu making an adjustable system (for each lane) for Jerry Kulich, that used the existing power system.

I seem to remember $400, as the price.

So for 15-20 years later, my investment seems OK, especially along with 80 amps of power, I have 8 volt meters, as references, for easier and quicker fine tuning.

[Mbloes]

I just need that thing to power my entire life.

[JK Products]

Super sweet Mike!

[Dennis David]

Mike, is the one set to 18 volts your lane?  

[jimht]

Thanks for the response, Mike.

 

Kind of expensive for some but it certainly addresses the issues you enumerated.

 

Regarding #4, I've found that it's more fun to lower the power gradually when someone is testing motors, someone like P.A. for instance, and I wish to emphasize that I have always apologized for such immature behavior and will continue to apologize when it happens again.

 

A less expensive solution to some of the issues:

 

Some 3M Dual Lock, Velcro and a stiffener of .015" steel banding strip.

Make sandwich as shown at top of pic and attach the 2 strips on the left on each side of handle behind the trigger.

 

 

 

 

[MSwiss]

I've done the same thing with a leather drink coaster and a rubber band.

 

It works OK, but not really fine, adjustable.

 

I'm guessing you are using low amp drawing motors, that the controller isn't getting too hot, running full time, in the middle of the resistor.