controllers 101 - Printable Version
+- SlotRacer Forum (https://slotracer.online/community)
+-- Forum: Racing (https://slotracer.online/community/forumdisplay.php?fid=27)
+--- Forum: Controllers (https://slotracer.online/community/forumdisplay.php?fid=53)
+--- Thread: controllers 101 (/showthread.php?tid=1911)
+- SlotRacer Forum (https://slotracer.online/community)
+-- Forum: Racing (https://slotracer.online/community/forumdisplay.php?fid=27)
+--- Forum: Controllers (https://slotracer.online/community/forumdisplay.php?fid=53)
+--- Thread: controllers 101 (/showthread.php?tid=1911)
controllers 101 - OXO cube - 1st-Feb-21
early December 2019 being laid up due to arthritis in a bad injury from my youth
i decided to have a mess with my sons Scalextric
this quickly turned into a bit of an obsession
and i hoped to begin attending my local club track ( pendle )
then covid hit
since then after scouring the net , i have yet to find a comprehensive guide to controllers
i understand there are many different types with many extras
i dont think i am alone
in the hope that someone in the know
will one day explain these mysterious things
in terms that a complete novice can understand ( myself )
or point us noobs in the direction of a concise 101
fingers crossed
kev
RE: controllers 101 - CMOTD - 1st-Feb-21
Our Slot Racers Manual has a section on analogue controllers which should provide the basics. LINK
Check it out then ask away if you have further questions. If you are after Digital controllers then the choice is more limited but others on here will be able to help.
RE: controllers 101 - OXO cube - 1st-Feb-21
that is exactly my point
the link supplied is a great overview
but does not go into any detail
therefore a one stop shop is required
rather than pm/ post ping pong
where the original question can often be lost or smothered by other peoples preferences / plugs
just a thought
seems strange a 101 is not available
or is it and i cannot find ?
would make a good youtube video imo ....
RE: controllers 101 - JasonB - 1st-Feb-21
I thought a 101 was a basic introduction?
Sounds like you're looking for something more than that.
RE: controllers 101 - OXO cube - 1st-Feb-21
sorry my bad Jason you are correct
definition of 101 :- It is usually used when someone gives or asks for a “beginner guide” in order to teach or learn something new.
RE: controllers 101 - JasonB - 1st-Feb-21
No problem.
RE: controllers 101 - woodcote - 1st-Feb-21
Kev - what often happens at a club is everyone looks at the quick guys and buys whatever controller(s) they use. That's not a bad ploy, but might not be the ideal solution. However, what is even better about a club is that - if you ask nicely - you get to try other people's controllers before you buy - and you might even get an extended loan of one.
The first club racing I did was simultaneously at a BSCRA club (metal chassis, lexan bodies, big amp motors etc) and a weekend HO series with pretty much stock 'toy' cars.
At the BSCRA club I was loaned and then sold (for £25!) a SCD transistor controller - a perfect entry-level controller for that type of racing. It had two knobs (sensitivity and brake) and let me concentrate on improving my driving, rather than fiddling with the controller set up. The top guys had £500 controllers to go with their £2k+ annual racing budgets. I was never going to be A (or B) final material, but I had fun and learnt a lot.
At the HO club, the quickest guy turned up with 35 ohm and 55 ohm Ninco set controllers hanging round his neck - and he was untouchable. Others tried all sorts of fancy electronic controllers from the UK and USA but couldn't get near him. I looked at that and decided to get a 45 ohm Parma Eco, started getting some decent results with it (a few runner-up spots) and I still race stock HO cars with the same Parma eleven years later (If I was buying now, I'd go for a DS 45). For higher-performance HO cars I use a Truspeed MT1 PWM controller - which has the same two knobs (sensitivity and brake) as the SCD and works for me (simple to set up = I concentrate on my driving) and works well with the faster HO cars.
I also race 1/32 digital and have a Slot.it SCP2 for oXigen events. This has a lot of knobs. It also has a super-soft trigger, which I'm not too crazy about. With practice, I'm getting more used to it... but I have to say I don't enjoy spending so much time and brain power on fine-tuning the controller and wondering if I've got it right. I prefer to just concentrate on my driving and tweaking the car. It's another complex variable I could do without.
Nowadays (or before Covid) I occasionally race at 1/32 hard body clubs (East Worthing and Nascot Wood). I want to do more of this in the future. I've been using my Truspeed MT1 - but I'm wondering if it might also be a good opportunity to get more confident with the SCP2. Or maybe even take my Parma along?
Although not a Controller 101 - I hope this gives you an idea of the key things to think about with choosing a controller - something that suits the cars you are driving, your driving style, your need for simplicity (or complexity) and - ultimately - just finding something you click with... Might be worth waiting for a big purchase until you get to the club. You'll get good advice related to the classes of cars you'll be racing - and get to hold various controllers and try them out. Although Sean and Nick at Pendles will be delighted to sell you a new controller, you might get a very good deal on a used one.
RE: controllers 101 - OXO cube - 1st-Feb-21
thanks andy for your constructive reply
i have old and new scally controllers
also have 45ohm parma controllers
and a couple carrera controllers
when i run digital i can change lots of things in the rcs64 programme
the problem is ... i have no idea what im changing or why
i guess i just need to be patient
i can wait another 12 mths covid lockdown before i can attend a club and delve into this particular rabbit hole
RE: controllers 101 - woodcote - 1st-Feb-21
12 months... you are very patient
It could be time well spent comparing and contrasting the various controllers you already have - noting down the 'feel' of them with different cars (and especially different motors) and carefully examining the differences in lap times. That will start dialing in your preferences - thumb /trigger controller; soft or hard spring tension; power coming in quick or more gently; most of the action at the start of the trigger or nearer the end.
I've raced the HO Le Mans 24 hours at Derby ten times (I think) and each year we bring along an esoteric selection of basic resistor controllers for our team to use in practice and the race - different makes, handles, models, ohm-ratings, straight and non-linear wound resistors etc... We're all racing the same car on the same circuit, but the choice of controller is very personal. I have teammates who drive best with controllers that I find undriveable - and vice versa. It's also true that a different controller might be better for the tighter 'gutter' lanes - or when then car's handling changes over the 24 hours (which it does). The rules of the race permit only basic controllers and there is no brake wire, so no dynamic braking (when the motor physically slows the car).
What the basic adjustments on a two-knob electronic controller do is to change how quickly the power comes in (sensitivity) - which isn't unlike changing to a different ohmage of a resistor controller - the other gives you more or less motor braking when you lift off the throttle. What you'll be doing is adjusting the knobs so your controller works as you like it with different motors (eg a Scalextric motor vs a Slot.it Flat 6) and with different types of circuit (eg fast & flowing vs tight & twisty). I like the power coming in only moderately quickly and use very little brake - I like the car to flow. It is very handy to use one adjustable controller to give me exactly the feel I like with different cars on different circuit types - or a very slight adjustment between different lanes.
The more knobs, the more of the characteristics of the controller you can change. In combination, they will be changing the different parts of throttle response 'curve', but might have names like traction control or anti-spin, maximum speed, start speed, acceleration, brake hold etc. Different controllers will do these things differently and have their own quirks to get used to.
Most electronic controllers also have the option of physically increasing or decreasing the spring tension of the trigger - so you can get what suits you best. On a standard Parma or DS (or the Scalextric controllers) it's a case of replacing the spring itself with a softer or harder version.
If you run digital a lot, picking up a Truspeed SSDIII controller will be a revelation after the Scalextric Digital ones. The Truspeed digital controllers are a plug & play replacement, but have the sensitivity and brake knobs which act pretty much the same as on an analogue version. The controller options in RCS64 might make more sense too.
RE: controllers 101 - Qman - 2nd-Feb-21
The other thing you should be aware of is that 1-0-1 is Dave Harvey's slot car business (now called won-o-won) and he will sell you any controller you want
The issue with controllers really is a personal thing, as has already been described a basic '2 knob' controller will allow you to adjust the sensitivity (think ohmage) and brakes, remembering that it doesn't give you BETTER brakes, just allows you to REDUCE the amount of braking when you lift off.
I've now been racing for 52 years and progressed to an electronic controller in 1991 (I bought an ECE Rocket and converted it to electronic myself), it is a very basic electronic, 2 knob style, but I like to have full brakes on every car I drive, I can brake later into the corner, so I only use the sensitivty control and I adjust that to the car I'm driving at the time, I currently race hardbody but I have in the past raced full BSCRA (winning the Open Sports class with a 'strap' motor), I have never felt the need for a different controller, I have tried other ones and just dont like the 'feel', I am also a confirmed thumb merchant and despite many years of trying I cannot go as fast with my finger.
So as previously suggested wait until you can 'club race' again and ask to try as many different controllers as you can.
But just remember one thing, spending more money doesn't always make you faster.