If you really want to enjoy your awesome track I suggest getting it up off the floor. I bought a couple of cheap bed frames on Amazon and cut Extruded polystyrene XPS to fit. No plywood. Its extemely light. Easy to move. My knees have thanked me. Great video.
With the nsr tyres I dab a tad of glue either side and they go alright! The air ride makes em run a little loose, also a quick scuff or truing of your tyres will help alot for grip i find
Lovely F1 car ...i went all Analogue with my Carrera track and its great that I can run everything without the expense of buying tons of chips . Ive never bought any aftermarket tyres yet but I must try sometime.. Thank you for sharing your post 🤗.Greetings from Northern Europe ...Harry
I understand completely. It can get very expensive adding Carrara chips to all your cars. But since I like formula 1 cars and there aren't many with chips, I will bear the expense 😆 Believe me, I don't buy many! Greetings from America and just have fun with it. 🤙🏼
Good to see the truer is working out for you. A couple notes: - The o-ring from the motor is intended to go to the larger part of the idler wheel, and subsequently the smaller part of the idler for the o-ring that goes up to the axle). That reduces the speed of the axle (especially for those that don't have a variable power supply so it doesn't spin too fast) and also increases the torque so it won't bog down the motor as much. That's why the o-ring in original specs didn't fit. - For the axle pullies, they may have been printed with a low infill (20% is common). If so, printing at 80% infill will make them stronger. Or, instead of 4-40 grub screws, try 3mm as they are a slightly smaller diameter. - Because it's plastic, slight deformation can happen which is probably why the axle isn't perfectly level with the sanding bed. We've noticed the same issue so we've just been doing one tire at a time so we don't grind one more than the other. For version 2.0 we have added an adjustment so that it can be leveled. - Sorry about the F1 axle not fitting. I don't have any F1 cars so didn't think to try them out on the machine. If you have calipers, take a measurement between the wheels on that axle and let me know what it is and I can add the capability for F1 in the next version. Thanks. Cheers.
@johnniehobby Thanks for actually responding to my video, it provides some really valuable information. I feel a little foolish now not having reviewed your assembly instructions a year after I first view the video 😆 Anyway, I have implemented some of your helpful tips and immediately turned the drive pulley around. I had to do a little trimming of the swing arm as the thickness of the o-ring I was using actually came in contact with the swing arm because the o-ring didn't fit flush with the pulley. Maybe 3/16 is just a little too thick for the drive pulley o-ring? I'm still experimenting with my NSR formula 1 cars that have 2 mm axles and the bearings are set in the chassis. I'm not sure they'll fit the swing arm even if I can get them out of the chassis which I expect I should be able to do. And hopefully the axle pulley will tighten down on the smaller axle. Thanks for clearing things up, I'm sure those who read this will get a better understanding of whether or not this tire truer will actually work for them. It certainly works for me, but there are a few small hurdles that need to be jumped. The Carrera formula 1 car rear axle is 32 mm with a center to center bushing width of 28 mm so the overall width of the swing arm only needs to be a few millimeters (3or4?) narrower to accommodate that axle. Thanks for your input! Ted @BP Slotracing
I'm deeply into the 70s and 80s HO (Aurora, AFX, Life-Like, Tyco, etc) and the not quite slot based Anki Drive and Overdrive racing system. I havn't got them out of the attic recently though...maybe I should. Although last time my daughter almost set the house on fire by cleaning the track with steel wool while it was plugged in.
Well, the nice thing about the modern Carrera digital track is that the rails are stainless steel so you never have to use steel wool to clean them! Hope your daughter didn't suffer any burns from that near incendiary catastrophe 😆. With these new digital sets, the rails are always hot as opposed to analog where the rails are proportionally hot depending on the controller position. These modern sets are definitely not your grandpa's (me) road race sets of old 😆 Break some of those old sets out. It'll make you feel like a kid again just like the trains 🤙🏼
Yes some rubber feet have been ordered and are on the way! I'll also be doing some measuring and tweaking to make sure that the pads are the same thickness and the wheel height is identical so I'm not truing one tire smaller than the other 😆. Thanks for your comment 🤙🏼
If you have trouble altering your grip to operate the lane change button, operate it with the thumb of your other hand. Just keep your other hand close to the top of the controller and the button will be in easy reach of your other thumb. Running the correct engineers tap through the holes to create the threads should help to stop the splitting of the pulleys.
No trouble altering my grip. It just takes a little bit of practice and muscle memory. I did notice that if I stabilize the top of the controller with my left hand that I could easily change my grip and access the lane change button. Thanks for watching and you're for your suggestion 🤙🏼
@atftbone You see, this is why I encourage comments on my videos. That is an excellent idea and I'll be checking it out. Thanks again for watching and commenting 🤙🏼
I wish there were more videos like this one out there. Really well done. I will certainly try this myself (I already own the car). Only I wonder if it would not be easier to use a MPL QX2021. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. (this is my third attempt to make a comment, do not know why the comment keeps disappearing. I try now without a link to a page with the description of the MPL QX2021).
Thank you for watching. I really appreciate your feedback. I'm not familiar with the chip that you described, but I will take a look. I'm always open to new ideas and products. In the meantime, good luck getting your car going on your career track. It will be worth it, have fun!
@@blackpearlvoyager4174 I have no experience with the MPL QX2021 chip either, but they claim that their chip is "the slimmest!- only 3mm (0.11") tall/thick- ideal for F1, low bodies and tight spaces". By the way, I am also a huge Alonso fun (I am Spaniard). I have quite a few of Alonso's cars in my slot car collection, some of them non-Carrera Digital and waiting to be chipped, so my interest in digital chipping of Carrera cars is quite high. Looking forward to more of your videos!
Great video!! Thanks. I am a former RC pilot too. I am currently an N scale railroader and slot car enthusiast. Just getting started in slot cars. I have started to hone my soldering skills. I am going to get some of those heat sync pliers.
Well, I'm glad you found some useful information in my video, I appreciate the feedback. I have found that slot cars have been a reasonably cheap hobby compared to some of the other things I do, imagine it's the same for you. Have fun!
Hi Ted, I can relate to you! I'm pushing 60 and I would spend hours and days and could not wait for Christmas for possibly a new car. I have just begun to search and learn about these new systems and cars. Your help/input would be greatly appreciated. The track you bought will run both the 1/24 and 1/32 Cars ? Is the track/set you bought the "Carrera 30016 Spirit Of Speed, Digital 132 Set w/Lights" ? If not what track would you recommend. Stay young at Heart! Thanks.
Yes, all Carrera "132" sets, whether it's digital or analog, is scaled for 124 and I have several 124 cars that I like to run, specifically the GT40s. But by and large I run 132. And yes, the Spirit of Speed includes three very good 132 cars, including one monster called the pink pig that is extremely quick and sticks to the track light glue! Three cars and three controllers and that makes this a very good value for the money and I would recommend it as a good starter track. For 60 or 70 bucks more you can purchase another controller and your favorite car. Later you can add a pit lane and the Bluetooth adapter and just kind of ease back into it. It is definitely not the slot car track of your youth, very much better now! You will enjoy it very much.
@@blackpearlvoyager4174 Ted, Thank You for all of the information and the Reply back. I'm looking online now for this Starter Set "Carrera 30016 Spirit Of Speed, Digital 132 Set w/Lights", sounds like this is the correct set to begin with. Do you have any specific place you buy from online ? I have to buy online as I live in Northern Wisconsin and we basically have no places to buy this up here! Thanks Again, Dean
WAS a fan? Did he pass away recently?😂 I just picked up a Carrera No8 Ferrari from 2011 from when he was driving for them, nice car. I'm still a fan until he retires again 😁 Thanks for watching!
Cool ! I like your track set-up. I just found you tonight. Subbing. If you don't mind me asking, how long is that track? And how wide, at it's longest point? I'm about to get started pretty soon I think, with a set-up. I need to get some plywood... and start planning. And wondering how long and wide that is - as a reference point.
@@blackpearlvoyager4174 Thanks! I'm going to be gong with a 5X12 set-up for now. That's all the room I can muster up for the moment. But I think I can do something cool with that. Thanks for the great response!
I too have gotten back into the hobby recently, and also have a Carrera track. It’s a little older though, it’s a Carrera exclusive, which was produced before they came out with their digital system. But I do want to get a digital set, the track is compatible so it won’t be a problem. The biggest problem is the cars, I have like 16, all analog, and 5 different manufacturers, Carrera, scalextric, fly, ninco, and scx. I’m not even going to think about chipping all those cars😂 I don’t have room to build a permanent track, so I’ll just switch out the digital/analog power section when needed. But it is reassuring to know there is a channel where I can go to in case I change my mind😊 keep up the good work ❤
I think you've got the right idea. I have watched others in the slot car hobby spend hundreds or nearly $1,000 on a conversion box to connect to their Carrera track. And I always wondered why you couldn't just buy an analog power track to run your analog cars 🤔 The problem is, once you've gotten a digital track and you're running digital cars, you really don't want to go back to analog. I don't plan on buying too many more analog cars because as you noted it's pretty expensive and can be time consuming to convert them. Most Carrera analog cars are chip ready though and they're just plug and play so you might be able to get by with a few digital chips and just switch them from car to car as you need them. Still not ideal. Thanks for watching!
@@blackpearlvoyager4174 yeah, my biggest problem is that I don’t collect a certain type of car, make or model, I collect my heroes of today and yesteryear, mostly the latter. That’s why I have cars from different manufacturers. I’m also 60+ so the list of my heroes go back decades, it will be interesting to see what I can find from who
Nice job Ted, now you are like me bringing back this fun hobby. The first slot car I owned was a formula one then I had the famous Aurora brand ones, that was such a fun track and cars. We are going back to the earliest 70s 😊. Take care my friend. Otto
You are correct, that's the beauty of the Carrera digital 124 scale track. I like the larger cars and plan to get a few more. The track will accommodate them and so why not? 😁 Not to mention the GT40s are beautiful cars! Thanks for watching 🤙🏼
Do you mean crossover as in lane change or overpasses? 😆😆 I'm still trying to decide where to put the double lane change. Even now. It actually affects the top speed along the front straight away when the cars lose power across the bare spots. Thanks for the suggestion, but I think I will wait to add more lane changers when I build a much larger track. Thanks for your suggestion and for watching!
I prefer the look of your new track. I have a carrera track also, and I have an F1 that de slots on an S bend. I plan on getting more F1 cars but this time with magnets. Cheers
The Carrera formula ones all have pretty good magnets if you can find them. I was surprised to find that the NSR formula cars also have magnets, but they're pretty small and they make for a challenging race. They are very different to drive, makes for interesting racing. Thanks for watching!
Actually, I built that from a kit that is offered by a company called magneticracing.com. it's a UK company but they have a really good website and if you like assembling and painting your own advertising structures for for your slot car track this is a great place to go. Thanks for watching!
You can get the Dunlop Bridge on E-Bay pretty cheap. Just the bridge - minus the digital lap-counter. If you just want the bridge. I have it - just the plain bridge. And I love it. A nice little (cheap) addition to a track. Not quite as nice as this one. More generic. But still looks great. It's all set up and ready to go - out of the box.
Both actually, I run mostly 1:32 but the track scale is 1:24 and so it can accommodate the oversize 1:24 cars. That's one of the nice things about Carrera digital. I have two Ford GT40 Mk 2s that I like to race with someone every once in a while. I am still looking for a Ferrari 330 P3 in 1:24 scale but have still yet to find one. The Carrera 1:24s are a bit more rare, less common I guess, but they're still out there and there are collectors and they do make for fun racing 🤙🏼 Thanks for watching and have fun!
The only time overpasses have ever worked is when they are in fully landscaped track layouts that made the over or underpasses look natural. You are right about the use of overpasses. I like your layout and I would like to duplicate it as much as possible. In fact maybe we could do some comparisons on track lap times. I have always wondered why there isn't a group of track owners that have the same exact track layouts so they could compare the lap times. Anyway nice video! What is your over all width and length of the layout you set up?
The track layout ended up being about 6 ft 7 in (2m) wide along the narrow dimension by about 14 ft. 10 in (4.5m) on the long dimension which made for a nice long front straight away. That makes it 41 ft 6 in around and as it turns out the lanes are almost equal distance mismatched by only a few inches. That should make for really competitive lap times in either lane. It's been great so far for the room that I have, but it's still a bit larger than two sheets of plywood and would need a custom-sized table to set up on. Good luck and let me know how you like it. When you get it built. I'd be happy to share some lap times with my fastest cars. Cheers!
@@blackpearlvoyager4174 I wish I could fit that size in my small garage! Looks like I will have to go around 5 1/2 by 12 feet to have any room. Anyway keep on providing us good videos! Thanks🤠
Autorennbahnplaner is definitely a great program which helps to take the "hit & miss" out of track design. I would suggest that you get the track off the carpet onto a table, or rubber matting underneath it to stop the detritus from the carpet getting sucked into the interiors and motors of your cars. Nice simple layout to drive upon.
Oh how I would love to get that track up off the floor, but unfortunately that's not in the cards at this time. Eventually I will be moving to another location where that will be possible, but until then I'm just going to have to use my Swiffer duster before each use 😆. I'm not sure if I can find a rubber mat quite as large as the track, but your idea got me to thinking about possibly some large sections of cardboard that could be slid under without disturbing things too much. Otherwise I have to do routine car maintenance a little more often 🤦♂️ Cheers!
Sections of cardboard should do the job. The matting I was suggesting is made up of 600 x 600 mm interlocking pieces that come in packs of six, and by removing the outer edges you can lock them together to provide a base to put your track down on.
Maybe that interlocking flooring they make for garages could work. My layout will also be on the floor, but it will be sitting on 1/2" plywood and then a putting green surface on top of the plywood.
@@CarreraTrackOntheFloor yeah I think if it is going to be a permanent location then definitely some plywood underneath would help. In my case, I'm not staying too much longer at this house and the new place will have plenty of room for an even bigger layout 👍🏼
Yes, that whole layout is somewhat flawed, especially when you start adding features to it without making other changes. It finally got to the point where I had to do something 😆
You sound like me! Growing up I had nothing but hot wheels, including the old sizzler race track. Always wanting a slot car track, my dad purchased me a 4 lane AFX track in the late 80s. Unfortunately, life kept me from using it! Fast forward to now, I'm 67 and retired and found the old AFX track. Thought, wow, what fun! But then I did some research and found The Carrera race system! Just purchased a used track with over 90 ft of track. Looking foward to doing this right! Any ideas are always welcomed!
I'm happy to hear this triggered some good memories for you. I know it certainly did for me. Be looking for some more videos coming soon. I have altered my track layout to eliminate the overpass, I just hate overpasses, and looking for some faster times and less deslotting 😆 Welcome back to slot cars and digital racing, I would say it's not my grandfather's race track but I'm a grandfather now and so I guess it's not my race track either! It has been a good way to get my grandkids off their phones and doing something with their hands other than scrolling left or right 😆😆 Cheers 🤙🏼
Aspetto il video per la digitalizzazione. Anche se ho con la mia 86/89 ho riscontrato un piccolo problema che va in tilt al rilascio netto dell'acceleratore
Non ho sperimentato personalmente i problemi con il chip FT che hai appena descritto, ma qui c'è qualcuno che li ha. Vi incoraggio a guardare il suo video.
Hi, i resolve the problem with the ft2022 decoder chip , the solution is put the alimentation of the cu out of the cu and conect to the track near the cu in another piece of your circuit. This solution avoid the guaranty, but works. Sorry for my english, im from spain.
@@djhardest6964 ho risolto tale problema. In pratica era smart race che impostando la frenata dall'applicazione e poi dalla CU la cu andava in tilt perché rilevava due settaggi diversi
