New Lower Voltage on Carrera Digital Lane Changer

[Perrotoro]

For the last few weeks, I’ve been converting the set-up for my multi-manufacturer fleet to 11.6 Volts for the more realistic scale speeds reasons discussed on this forum. Last night, I got to a Scaleauto Viper and got a few violent stops at one of two lane changers - and only one lane of that particular changer. The occurrences did not happen as a result of hitting the lane changer button – these were “straight-through-pass” occurrences. This repeated several times – I could adjust the braids a bit and get it past the changer with a click sound – sometimes more prominent than other passes. But soon it would return to sudden stops and de-slotting. I softened the edges of the guide with sandpaper, but this was not a finality fix.

Other cars were reasonably smooth at this specific lane changer location - or at worst a minor click.

I inspected the slot at the location – no seriously obvious protrusions or snags. I manually slid the Scaleauto car through the location and found the sharp-narrow Scaleauto guide to catch mechanically on either side of the slot at very minor protrusions in the slot at this location. Other cars would not snag significantly on this minor protrusion when pushed through manually.

I changed the Scaleauto guide to a thicker guide and eliminated the issue – though there is still a varying click – sometimes a little more audible – sometimes not.

I think I’ve had this particular Scaleauto car for a year now and never had these violent de-slots until after I began to set it up for the lower voltage setting. I had heard you guys speak of lane changer quirks with low voltage. But with the guide change basically eliminating the issue, I think I’ve eliminated low voltage as the issue.

What are the particulars I might look for with lane changers at lower voltage? Is it simply that the lane changer functions irregularly at low voltage? And what to make of the narrow Scaleauto guide? Is this a norm for narrow guides? I have two other Scaleauto cars and I noticed I had already changed the guide for one of these two. I can’t remember the reason for this change –possibly it was for the same reason – don’t remember harsh de-slots in the last two years though.

[buspor63]

I'm not sure if I comprehended the problem completely.

I do know that Carrera LC's like 12 volts or more. Carrera power supply is 13.8 volts, the Control Unit sends out about 12.3 volts. So, run the track at full power, then adjust the speed of each car with the CU. That's one of the great features of a digital system.

Thin guides are an issue. Typical situation, first pass, make lane change. Second pass, hammer down, full speed through the LC only to have the car make a violent lane change. The thin guide was not thick enough, or the car was not heavy/magnet enough to reset the mechanical part of the lane change on the first pass.

[Perrotoro]

Thanks Buspor63,

With respect to your PS comments:
Using lower Voltage Power Supplies is discussed at length on this forum. The reasons for lesser voltage include: more scale-like speeds, less magnet requirements, more realistic curve performance, limited amperage range of the stock Carrera 13.8V PS, etc.

So I purchased a Variable PS that Harry and others here use and like. I set it at a fixed voltage of 12V and the resulting voltage measured voltage across the track leads is 11.58-11.60 V. (Note: I may go back to the original Carrera PS one day but since most of my racing is home-alone, experimentation and change are more than half of the fun.)

With 11.6V, using the Carrera CU speed setting to give the desired performance for each car is still required. Thus, the ultimate objective of 11.6 V is not solely a speed objective – rather the cumulative objectives discussed above and in other forum posts. Interestingly, the 11.6V CU speed setting is very close to the 13.8 V setting for each car.

With respect to your guides and lane changer comments:
To reiterate, it’s not a lane change event – I was not holding the lane change button when the harsh stop/de-slot event occurs. And thus the lane-change re-setting is not at issue either since it’s not a lane change event.

This is about the 15th car in the progression of setting up each car in the fleet for 11.6V. This is the only car as yet to demonstrate this characteristic. And as stated, it was fixed by changing the Scaleauto stock (very thin) guide to a thicker guide – so my question to this aspect is: is this a Scaleauto thin guide characteristic – has someone seen this issue before with very thin guides?

Your mentioning that magnetic force is required to make the lane changer re-set possible is interesting, even though my issue in this instance is not about LC re-setting. If magnetic force is required to make the LC re-set, then maybe the guys here running low voltages have very little or no magnets – and thus maybe the general problem with Carrera lane changers (that I was asking about in my original post) has to do low voltage and reduced magnets. Or maybe it is just a voltage thing where a minimum voltage is required for the Lane Changer to function properly?

[slothead]

I don't know anything specific about Carrera lane changers but was thinking about the issues raised in this post. Years ago when I was designing an AC2car setup that would allow 2 cars in a lane I wanted lane changers that worked automatically - whatever configuration the switch was in when a car went through it the guide would flip it in the other direction. If the lead car went straight, the next car would change lanes, then reset the switch so the next car would stay straight, and so on. As a guide passed thru a switch it would push on the tail part of the switch and reset it.

Comments above have me wondering if the Carrera lane changer works similarly - it uses the mechanical force of a passing guide to set the position on the switch as needed. If so, then perhaps a thinner guide isn't applying force on the sides of the lane as intended.

[R/TRandy]

I am not sure if this is your problem or what the design of the Scaleatuo guide is. But I will share what happen with a Sideways DP I have. When I first chipped it, it would make a clicking noise every time it would pass though one LC. Then it slammed into the LC and stopped dead. After a few more times of it clicking as it passed through it again slammed to a stop. This time wedging the guide into the LC's gate and wrecking the LC. The gate is really a wire about the same size as the same screw driver in the first pic. I trimmed the front over hanging part of the guide off and it works now with out any problems.

[Hillman]

The guide on this car is most likely the culprit for this car, but Buspor is correct, anything under 12 volts on Carrera digital will make all lane changers and chips behave irrationally. I use my adjustable supply to switch from 13.8 v to 18v for 1/32 to 1/24 scales. You can tinker with adjustable voltage , but I recommend staying above 12 volts.It is worth restating that digital allows you to dial up or down power levels in the control unit ,without compromising volts. Analog racers who are not farmliar with digital don’t quite understand how much flexibility these cu’s offer.
I hope this helps, but as you adjust the voltage down ; you will notice this on your own track.

Hillman

[Perrotoro]

R/TRandy: "I trimmed the front over hanging part of the guide off and it works now with out any problems."

Thanks : that looks like an easy try.

I fixed the problem by replacing the thin Scaleauto guide with a thicker guide I had in the drawer. I noticed as I pushed the car manually through the "hang-spot" of the Lane Changer with the thin guide, it would hang on either side (left or right) of the vertical wall. When I put the thicker guide on and pushed it through manually, the hang was only barely noticeable. I know I need to put pics in but I've had trouble with that.

I rounded the leading edge of the thin guide (but didn't angle the bottom off - as your picture shows). I think I'll put the thin guide back on and angle the bottom as shown and report back. I think the problem is more with the vertical wall of the lane changer - it'll hang when manually directing the front edged of the thin guide to either side of the groove - not pushing down on the guide - so I'm not sure the angled bottom will help, but it's worth a try.

It may also assist with some of the other cars that click as they got through this particular spot.

[buspor63]

[lancelotalove]

I dont remember if Carrera digital lane changers are reset (moved to open or straight position) by electric or by the guide mechanically rsetting. If it is reset by the guide, then the guide thickness and length may have something to do with the lanechanger fully opening, and that would affect the next car going thru the lane.
If carrera is reset by electric, the lower power or voltage could keep the solenoids from fully activating the switch.

[32lbking]

Carrera LC's are reset mechanically by the guide.