California Dreamin'
Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 11:53 pmI emailed a link to my friend in California showing a scratchbuilt 1/24 sprint car. I'm not sure if he breathed in too much dust push-starting CRA sprint cars or if he got into the medical marijuana, but this was his reply:
Nice, but…my sprint slot will have turning front wheels that simulate oversteer. Just got to figure out the backwards bell-crank type linkage to the slot guide.
I am brainstorming combining HO choo-choo DCC with slot cars:
· For example, link engine noise to the controller rheostat.
Have a sound chip of sprint car engines and a speaker at each driver’s station.
Hook the combined audio output to a 2.1 stereo system under the table for more audio OOMPH.
· Make a lap counter/timer integral to the layout, using transponders on each car. (with a scoreboard outside of Turn 2)
· Have the DCC smart enough that, at the start of a race, the cars go into auto-throttle for a realistic pace lap. (the driver can control the throttle from idle to pace speed, but the car won’t go any faster no matter how far the rheostat is mashed down)
As the cars come close to the Start/Finish line, DCC releases the auto-throttle and full power is available to the drivers.
For more realistic fun, the DCC could be programmed to randomly go green flag anywhere between the apex of Turn 4 and the Start/Finish line, just like in the real world.
· DCC ties into track Green and Caution lights.
Clever DCC programming could determine when a car comes out of the slot, and automatically throw a yellow, putting the cars in auto-throttle until both cars are sensed to be pulling power again.
Restarts could be programmed just like the starts.
· After the cars complete their heat or feature laps, DCC could be programmed to put them in auto-throttle again for couple of cool-down laps, then stop them at the Start/Finish line.
· Simulating dust that a dirt track kicks up wouldn’t be too difficult using a little theatrical fogger, again, hooked to DCC, that ties in with green light conditions. (green light = fogger output ‘on’, yellow light = fogger output ‘off.)
Here’s some clever small foggers: http://www.theatrefx.com/tiny-foggers.html
· An oscillating automatic tennis ball server could be modified to randomly fire dirt clods towards the 1:1 drivers’ area.
· To make the illusion even more complete, a 1:1 snack bar could be built in for the participants that serves only warm beer and cold hot dogs. DCC could again come into play here by randomly dispensing a dirt clod into a beer cup along with the beer.
There – that should give you something to talk about on the slot car forums, since I know nothing about DCC electronics and programming.
I would wager you could even lure some bored HO train electronics geniuses over to the slot side to help out.
Just give me credit for coming up with the idea, eh? J
Nice, but…my sprint slot will have turning front wheels that simulate oversteer. Just got to figure out the backwards bell-crank type linkage to the slot guide.
I am brainstorming combining HO choo-choo DCC with slot cars:
· For example, link engine noise to the controller rheostat.
Have a sound chip of sprint car engines and a speaker at each driver’s station.
Hook the combined audio output to a 2.1 stereo system under the table for more audio OOMPH.
· Make a lap counter/timer integral to the layout, using transponders on each car. (with a scoreboard outside of Turn 2)
· Have the DCC smart enough that, at the start of a race, the cars go into auto-throttle for a realistic pace lap. (the driver can control the throttle from idle to pace speed, but the car won’t go any faster no matter how far the rheostat is mashed down)
As the cars come close to the Start/Finish line, DCC releases the auto-throttle and full power is available to the drivers.
For more realistic fun, the DCC could be programmed to randomly go green flag anywhere between the apex of Turn 4 and the Start/Finish line, just like in the real world.
· DCC ties into track Green and Caution lights.
Clever DCC programming could determine when a car comes out of the slot, and automatically throw a yellow, putting the cars in auto-throttle until both cars are sensed to be pulling power again.
Restarts could be programmed just like the starts.
· After the cars complete their heat or feature laps, DCC could be programmed to put them in auto-throttle again for couple of cool-down laps, then stop them at the Start/Finish line.
· Simulating dust that a dirt track kicks up wouldn’t be too difficult using a little theatrical fogger, again, hooked to DCC, that ties in with green light conditions. (green light = fogger output ‘on’, yellow light = fogger output ‘off.)
Here’s some clever small foggers: http://www.theatrefx.com/tiny-foggers.html
· An oscillating automatic tennis ball server could be modified to randomly fire dirt clods towards the 1:1 drivers’ area.
· To make the illusion even more complete, a 1:1 snack bar could be built in for the participants that serves only warm beer and cold hot dogs. DCC could again come into play here by randomly dispensing a dirt clod into a beer cup along with the beer.
There – that should give you something to talk about on the slot car forums, since I know nothing about DCC electronics and programming.
I would wager you could even lure some bored HO train electronics geniuses over to the slot side to help out.
Just give me credit for coming up with the idea, eh? J