What is your experience with digital

[DrumPhil]

Below are shots of my former Carrera digital circuit. I greatly appreciated what digital offers: multiple racers in only two lanes, easy marshalling, easy autonomous cars, good timing system, plug-and-go wiring, features like refueling and adjustable brakes and speed right out of the box. I enjoyed it a lot for a couple years, but only rarely was able to get a group of racers together in our little town. It ended up being too large an investment for a personal hobby, so I cleared it all out in 2013.

Turns out I still love racing, though, so now I'm back in the hobby but with a little better focus. I really enjoy modeling scenery, which works with either digital or analog. I have to keep costs down, so I'll be routing my own track (with 2FER's help) and sticking with analog cars. I also want to focus on cars from the 50s-70s, some of which are too small to easily chip for digital. And the nicer brands are expensive enough without adding $20 for a chip. So while digital racing certainly has strengths, I'll be sticking with analog for now. It's all good, though.

PWR II a.jpg
PWR II b.jpg

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Nice job on the scenery and the track design.

[buspor63]

I run Carrera digital and couldn't imagine going back to analog. We always run about five classes of cars with six or so racers. Most of the time is just BS time, but we wrap it up after about four hours. We open run whatever, then run some heat races, then a winner take all final for each class. I have the Yingling software I could use when I really want to know whats going on, but mostly we're more informal.

I find the Carrera controllers a good value for the money, sure I can spend $80 on an aftermarket one, but at $15 shipped off the Bay, i'm buying extras. One upgrade I did go for was a higher amp and volt power supply, to run six D124 cars, you really need about seven amps.

The current Carrera cars seem to fit the taste of our local group, plus, strangely, we all already had Carrera equipment. We chip Slot.its, Racers and NSR cars for our "open" class.

We have three Carrera plastic tracks ready to race on, another is building, plus my wood track. The whole racing in traffic is really a lot of fun. Strategy of who's ahead, behind, when to pit for gas.

[Dangermouse]

I agree - track design is good - a few of the digital tracks I have seen - seem to try and cram as much track as they can into the available space - the two examples posted so far have nice flow about them.

[KD11]

I have a Carrera digital Oval track set up that is 6ft X 17ft. As I race most of the time alone, the system is great for this. I can program ghost cars to race against. Digital racing with six cars on two lanes to me is more realistic that what I do racing on our local 6 lane analog commercial Oval track. I like the analog racing for the sheer speed, running 48k rpm motors in a sprint car is something that I don't think would work on a digital track. I have great fun doing both types of racing. The bottom line for me is having fun and meeting some great guys racing be it analog or digital. Good times to be had either way. I would say to all don't knock something because it is new, different, or because you haven't tried it. If you have the opportunity to race on a digital track I think it would likely change your point of view. But then again I could be wrong.

[mattb]

This has been a good thread. It answered a few questions I had about digital, scale, and where slot interest is strongest. I think the info posted here shows there is some strong digital interest, maybe not near a majority, but still numbers large enough not to disregard them. I think I can make a couple generalizations.

#1 I am too lazy (not really) to want to change my comfort zone and slot racing as I have known it for 55 years.
I really don't want to think that hard when I am racing, fuel stops and such. I just want to watch my car and push it to the limit without other stuff to think about. There may be more guys like me just don't want to re-learn slot racing.

#2 I like 1/24 on big tracks and it really is different than digital in 1/32. Not a totally different hobby, but certainly very different.

#3 Digital offers a type of competition for guys that have no one to race with. Not sure a lot of these solo racers would prefer digital by themselves to analog with a couple other guys. It is an alternative for them.

#4 The expense of converting to something you are not sure about might keep some guys from trying it.

#5 The lack of a standard is probably the most common criticism from guys that are into digital. I can see Carrera ruling the digital landscape and that in a few years their format may become the standard.

Different subject, but I do applaud Carrera for their efforts in America. No other company is even coming close to them. In Hobby Lobby Monday and there were no less than 3 sets on display and a little bit of accessory track. It was 1/43 stuff, but at least it was there. That makes me believe Carrera should promote big cars thru the sets they sell to the kids and for gifts. If there is a future as good as today for slot racing it will be these kids. My suggestion is a dvd in the set box, not paper stuff, a dvd that maybe runs 60 minutes. Get it made by professionals so it starts out exciting and maintains that edge. Get these kids and parents engrossed in it and not want to turn it off right away. Show some great landscaped home tracks, some cool racing on ovals and road courses, 1/32 and 1/24. Work into digital racing and show some cutting edge video of all this stuff, show some other slot cars besides out of the box plastic cars. Let them see where they can take slot racing. Just my 2 cents.

[Dangermouse]

One of the things I notice in any digital discussion is that digital racers seem to be looking for more of a simulation of 'real' racing. I have found in digital I do spend a bit more time worrying about the other cars on the track because they can block me or crash into me or when should I pit etc whereas in analog I am mainly concentrating on my lane - how quick can I get through that turn where is the best brake point for that lane. I get how people who are into motor racing might prefer digital than analog because you can have a race with lots of cars on the track and race simulation becomes part of the experience.

I am not really into motor sport - I am into slot cars because I am into cars - I love learning about the drivers and the circuits and I marvel at the engineering behind old and new cars - so for me being able to drive a slot car version of a 70s F1 or a GT40 or a 50s GP car or an SS100 is what I am looking for - hence I make resin kits and I like tuning cars as well. Today slot cars are a good representation of the actual car. I really only got back into slots after discovering that companies like Fly made slot cars that looked like the real car rather than the unrealistic plastic toys I had as a kid.

[sidedraft]

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I think I can clarify a little bit here. SD, what so many of us in slot cars are saying is that these features you mention are some of the very things that we don't like. Changing lanes in slot car racing?, several cars in one lane?, these are things so foreign to established slot car guys, they serve as a huge distraction that takes a lot away from the fun. Its not something that will get resolved until all us original slot car guys from the early 60s die out. We don't object to digital's existence, we just aren't interested in it. That's a big difference from "try it, you'll like it".

[strangebrew]

I'm sure I would have nothing against digital. I don't think I would have the eye-hand coordination to handle lane changes & the assorted
goodies that go along with it. As I stated before, My interest lies in short track oval racing. I too spent more than 20 yrs. in 1 X 1
dirt oval racing. Thing is, I like to build cars to go left & my fun comes from building things like bias, offset, stagger & unequal wheelbases.
In my 1 x 1 world, we had no mirrors & knew where other cars were by where the "bump" came from. Your head couldn't be on a swivel.
Thus, there is no need for fuel mileage or pit stops in the slot racing I do.
If somebody had the preferred lane & was blocking....they would find themselves entering the next corner deeper than they expected & be
"persuaded" to try another line, instead of forcing a car to run a different lane to pass.
............I mean no offense to the digital guys, It's just not for me..................... :whistle:

[Czar]

[patwa]

Gentlemen, I am lucky enough to run at home a magless wood track , Drag strip in 24 and 32 scale and multi lane digital oval track as well. They all are a bunch of fun, each with their own challenges and techniques. For my money when it comes down to really competitive ,red mist ,visor down racing, digital has aspects of real racing that are hard to match with any other form of slotting.
For instance applying pressure from behind your competition just by filling his mirrors, so to speak, and playing that mental mind game is a great thrill,hard to replicate in other forms of our hobby.
We find that lanes will change during the race (160 lap races at Indy down under). The high line working for some and the pole line working for others, not sure about why this is but it happens.
This is the type of thing that I believe blurs the line between hobby and sport.
There is a lot of nostalgia involved in the infectious disease that is slot racing and lets face it, we are all replicating fond memories of our past. That past may be distant or not so much, but without a
doubt there is room for all to play. I am however perplexed at comments by some who draw opinions of something that they have no experience of. Take what you enjoy about our hobby/sport and let the fun begin. Cheers.

[mattb]

Do most digital racers run magnet cars?

[borninthe50s]

Matt: I run all non-magnet on my wood, hybrid digital track. In fact, I used non-magnetic braid on my track, so magnets are not even an option.

I, too, am an analog racer who started with slots in the 1960s and picked it up again in the early 2000s. Like Harry and some others, I believe "it's all good" and "to each his own," but for me personally, I am totally sold on digital. Just the ability to run in the same lane, block and be blocked, and pass when you have an opening adds an exciting dimension I had not experienced before -- and you still need to concentrate on running your best lap. I'm sort of baffled by the guys who say they don't like innovation, because as far as I can tell a lot of innovation goes on in the analog world as well, most recently with the explosion of podded chassis for model race cars and 3D printing of parts and bodies, to name just a few. I think these changes just make the hobby more fun, but I also admit I have a pretty narrow focus and there are a lot of ways to enjoy slot cars and slot racing. I hope it continues. 50s

[DrumPhil]