Upgrade your Scalextric Power, Transformers & Hand Controller

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Power & Control Upgrades

05 Feb

Track Power and Controller Upgrades

5 Feb 2019 16:38:15 By Pendle Slot Racing Track, Power/Controller Upgrades,

Is your circuit suffering from power drops or surging? Do you want to expand your track or need to upgrade your current power supply and hand controllers? If so, here is our expert guide to improving and upgrading your circuits power and power supply.

Hand Controller Upgrades

The first step to improve your slot racing experience is to upgrade your hand controllers. The standard hand controllers that are supplied with most racing sets are very basic and don’t offer very much control over the car. You may notice that the controllers are not responsive enough and only work on the last 50 percent of the controller trigger. The standard controllers usually behave more like an on/off switch, meaning the car is not very enjoyable to drive.

DS Racing Hand Controllers

Upgrading from a standard 'race set' hand controller to the DS Hand controller will result in much better car control and improved overall driving enjoyment. The DS hand controllers are a very popular choice for home and club racing. These controllers offer a greater sensitivity and progression of the power right across the throttle stroke, meaning you have total control of the car at all times. At Pendle Slot Racing we can supply the DS controller with the appropriate connector plugs so it can be used on any circuit.

Choosing the right OHM

The ohm is simply the sensitivity of the controller. For example, 15ohm is the most sensitive and 55ohm is the least sensitive. For home circuits we recommend the 35ohm resistor.

Shop - Hand Controllers

Track Power Loss - The Possible causes

Before deciding whether or not you need to upgrade your power supply, first check that your cars and track are in good working order.

Car Maintenance

Make sure your cars braids are in good condition and are clean, we recommend using the PSR Braid Cleaner.
Check out our guide to Basic Slot Car Car Maintenance.

Clean Rails

If the circuit hasn't been raced on for a while it may need a quick clean. We recommend cleaning the track rails. Simply use a lightly oiled cloth with PSR braid cleaner and wipe the track rails to remove dirt from the surface, this will improve car pickup around your track. If your rails have tarnished or gone dull it may be appropriate to use a Track Rail Rubber.

Clean Track Surface

The track surface may also need to be cleaned as dust can build up and reduce the grip level. You can simply use a cloth to wipe clean or a few laps driving a car around the circuit will help to clean the rails and surface.

Power Taps

It is possible to improve the power consistency around track by adding power taps. These are basically wires that are links from rails near the powerbase to other track pieces that are positioned further away from the powerbase. Generally you only need to use this method on larger or older circuits.

Power Supply Upgrades

Still suffering from power drops & surging? Want to expand your track circuit and your current power supply isn't up to the job?

When buying a racing set the power supply is usually fixed between 12v-18v with a very low amp rating of around 800ma up to 1300ma. Most current models fitted with strong magnets require around 800ma to get them to move from a standing start which means both cars end up fighting over the amps that are available. We normally recommend at least 1 - 1.5 amps per car.

To upgrade and improve the power and drivability of your circuit simply replace your standard power supply and powerbase with one of the transformers available through our website. We have various options available which are ideal for powering small, medium or large slot racing tracks for your home or club circuit. You can choose from fixed voltage or variable voltage transformers depending on your needs.

For instance if you have mixed abilities and small children using your circuit then choosing a variable voltage transformer is a must as it gives you the option to reduce the power supplied to the circuit making it more driveable for young or inexperienced users.

When you replace your power supply we also recommend that you remove the existing standard powerbase from the circuit as this can restrict the performance your newly purchased transformer. However we are able make and supply wiring looms to connect the power supplies to all types of home or club tracks including analogue and digital circuits. Used in conjunction with DS we can also offer a range of lap counting systems.

Power Supply

Track Power Setup Examples

Typical Standard Track Power Setup
Power is fed through powerbase - PCB limits the power available to the track. As the car is further away from the powerbase it increases the amps drawn which then results in power drops.

Power & Control Upgrade Example