[VanPost]

So, you would be the experts.  What would you want to see that isn't out there?  After looking at the Carrera system, it seems like it has all the hardware in place as a standalone system (assuming you add all the accessories) - a pit lane that functions correctly with sensors, a driver display showing fuel (you likely need one for each driver though), position, speed, and # of pit stops, the startlight which counts down the start of the race and any illegal starts, a position tower, the lap counter, a bluetooth add on to display on a tablet, and a control unit which can utilize all of these without the need for a RMS.  So these would be the hardware upgrades that could be made, but that is a lot of hardware that a simple connection to a computer and RMS erases in my opinion.  I do not know if you can hook up a computer, but I assume it does as I read a bit about SmartRace being a really nice RMS, but that might be table based and not computer based.  I know you could mirror the bluetooth to a TV for larger in race stats. And I see it has ghost car and pace car capabilities, but I do not know the extent of these.

I do realize the on track display items are for the modelers out there, but I am more concerned about functionality and if I can look at a screen and see those things, I'm happy.  So I am really more interested in the RMS.  And after reading the posts from Razamaraz, with over 2 years and no development, what is holding it up and I think Magic and Riko answer that in saying the protocol is limited.  And I'm guessing most of the people in this forum are over 50 with limited computer programming skills.  Why Scalextric didn't just put a USB connection on the ARC control and let the community build and sell whatever mods they wanted is beyond me.  They still would have made plenty of money.

If the RMS could get worked out, then we are still left with a pit lane issue in relation to the sensor correct?  I don't believe we can modify Riko's sensor tracks to the ARC unless he devices a bluetooth or usb out to get to a computer?  But I do wonder if the lane changers have a particular id structure that registers in the ARC and if/when/how the digital chip reads that data on lane change.  If it gives an id signature, maybe the RMS could interpret that, and in particular, identify a car has entered a pit lane changer, run the pit lane strategies off that.  Just a thought.

The only other thing I am needing/wanting to look into is the pace car or ghost car.  I assume the pace care in ARC is set it at a speed where it doesn't fly off the track and forget it.  But I think you can do more within RCS64.  When I think of ghost, I think of running a lap and having the ghost copy that lap, so then the ghost would mimic the throttle response for that lap assuming it starts in the exact same spot (so it would slow down at the corners and speed up on the straights.  Not sure if that functionality exists, but something I'll dig into once I get Riko's cable and the "old" system setup.

I'm sure there are many more things I am missing and it sounds like some of the who's who used to have some input with Hornby, but that is now gone.  I agree with Riko when he said this was aimed to be in the toy market with quick easy setup for 10 and under as much as 10 and over.  I'm guessing we are all 50+ peeps who still like to play with our old toys and that is what consumes this forum and why I think the development has slowed because of the limitations in the ARC itself and it would likely require a new control unit to do all the great things I and maybe most of you want in a digital setup.  Just my two cents.