11 replies to this topic

[axman]

Hi all, just bought a box of old ex raceway rental cars and controllers. Amongst the stuff are some of these Circuit Master Controllers. The blub sheet says they are the best of Diffalco and Ruddock.. dont know what that means.. are they built by Diffalco and or Ruddock?  

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[idare2bdul]

It means they are neither

If they are out of business it may mean something

[Greg Erskine]

Hi Kim,

 

I believe they where made by John Fuga in Sydney. Stoo may still have some spare parts available.

 

http://www.auslot.co...__fromsearch__1

 

regards

Greg

[Raymond Van Campenhout]

Hi, 

 

would you have a picture from the other side of the controller (wiper board side) and one of the instruction sheet not covered bij the controller itself ?

 

Very best regards,

 

Raymond / Belgium

[Jim Difalco]

It means they copied my frame layout exactly with the same fuse location and the top circuit board offset on standoffs. Even the lettering on the circuit board is the same. I would say it is at least 15 years old from the shape of the frame. That is one I have not see before.

 

10-12 years ago there was also the CVSC controller from Brazil that exactly copied my frame and 10 band circuit board. Unfortunately for them they did not copy my quality or reliability. They used a screw for the trigger pivot against the oilites. They could not bother to trim the extra leads off the rheostats so it looked ugly. Hand bent brass contact over the wiper arm. Flux left at the solder joints. When they broke down there was no one to repair them and they stopped selling them after a year or so.

[Half Fast]

These controllers were known as Di-Fake-O's.

 

Cheers

[axman]

Thanks Jim and Greg for clearing that up.

Never knew these were the ones made here in Australia, it looked so much like a Difalco I thought it might have been one of Jims really basic ones.  This controller obviously only has basic functionality and without the interchange chips would not suit a serious scale racer.

I went to the link you put up Greg and that makes interesting reading. John Fuga, the manufacturer and a local Slotcar racer passed away many years ago so that is obviously why production stopped.  Apparently his motivation was to build a basic controller because here in Australia with the lousy exchange rate a HD30 sells for close to $400.

Maybe there is a market for something as basic as this in your production line-up Jim.  I was at Hornsby Slotcars the other day, a long term Difalco customer (and where I always buy my Difalco bits) and James was using an earlier Difalco as a hire controller for someone with a fast car.  

I've been trying to source a basic rental controller for a track I'm setting up and so far have drawn a blank except for some old Kofords that have a bunch of "choke" wires in the handle.

[scaleuser]

Topic shift? How is it that certain competitors of Difalco are copying his circuit? I guess the design is not patented or copywrited so nothing says you can't. In that case the acknowledgement that they are Difalco analogs is proper - an intellectual royalty at least. And pretty good advertising. It seems Difalco is regaining some of the market share it lost when Fettrollers hit the scene. 

[axman]

I like the simplicity of Difalco controllers.. have had 4 over the past few years and the latest with "traction control".

I also use ( mainly because I'm getting old) is an ACD.. Why? well my trigger is getting slower and sometimes when I brake I'm not lifting of all the way to the break stop on the Difalco. The ACD starts applying brakes the moment you lift off.. and start working long before you hit the brake stop. I was playing with my Difalco to try and do the same with a custom network chip but gave up. I reckon Jim could do it.. move the "dead band" up about 5 bands, put the right resistors in the plug in chip and you then also have the adjustability of the Brake pot on the end stop.  - Sorry off topic -  

[Jim Difalco]

Axman, there is a need for a more basic controller but the Circuit Master does not fits that criteria. The design still has brake, sensitivity and a remote heatsink which drives the controller cost way up. My DD201 30 band controller with the heatsink in the handle, sensitivity and brake features designed for Hawk type motors is a step in that direction.

 

The limiting cost was not having my own handles and triggers. Since this problem will soon be rectified you will be seeing much lower priced controllers with all new designs from me in the future. Including heavy duty rental units that will give the customer a better driving experience, be more reliable and need less maintenance than a resistor unit.

 

The feature you describe for early braking is not possible unless you are using a PWM controller so you can program that feature.

[Jim Difalco]

Scaleuser, I have a copywrite symbol on my circuit boards as they are considered artwork. But enforcing it would be futile. I just rely on the fact that I will build my controller better, with better parts and providing better customer service to keep the fakes in their place. But as Axman mentioned exchange rates in other countries drive the price up.

[axman]

Thanks Jim,  I look forward to the release of your new controller and must commend you on your commitment to the future of slotcar racing. I'm not a fan of the complexity of PWM but the ability to have early braking before you hit the brake stop certainly has appeal.