[woodcote]

Of course, the Slot Dragon system would be the simplest way to add timing to my Micro Scalextric drag strip. However, there are other options...

   

Top of the range is the Trackmate DP3000HO timing system (there is also a 1/24 scale version). This has six sensors per lane - Prestage, Stage, 60-foot, 1/8 mile, Speed Trap and Finish - plus a six-inch high tree. The software requires a Windows PC running XP or higher. Everything you need comes in the package, which costs US$795. Slightly cheaper is the DP2000 system, which has an older module that only handles four sensors per lane - Pre-stage, Stage, Speed Trap and Finish. Otherwise the features are the same. It costs US$549. Both systems will print proper time slips with an additional time slip printer (US$369).

   

I have the oldest version of the Trackmate drag race system, which was then sold as 'Drag Basic' until about 3-4 years ago. The software is DOS-based and no longer available. There are only two sensors per lane - Start and Finish - with speed estimated at the finish line if you enter the car length. The tree is on the screen, with no way to use an external tree. There is the option of Full or Pro tree, plus full bracket racing features - dial-in and split tree. Results for the session can be logged and sorted. It is recommended that the software is run in a true DOS environment (available in Windows up to 98SE). Sensors are wired to a 25-pin D-sub connector and plugged into the computer's parallel (printer) port.

   

The new kid on the block is Drag Race Coordinator. This has been gradually put together over the past 2-3 years as a stand-alone program. As you'd expect from a Race Coordinator app, it looks great and has some cool features. The software is the usual donation-ware and you'll need to set up an Arduino to communicate between the sensors. At the moment, there is very little documentation (it's all in Dave's head) for either software or hardware, so it a challenging journey to get set-up. However, the aim is to offer a DIY alternative to the features in the top-end Trackmate systems. With times shown only to thousandths of a second (rather than ten-thousandths) and the speed averaged over the entire strip, we're not there yet...

I do intend exploring Drag Race Coordinator for the future. However, with racing to be organised, I am going to stick with Drag Basic. It is a very solid piece of timing kit. Daniel knows his drag racing - he also produces timing systems for full-size drag racing.

There was work I needed to do - making a sensor set-up to fit my seven-foot strip (yes, I've stretched it to 84-inches) and two IR LED gantries for the start and finish lines. Here's my working-out sheet...

   

I needed to test combinations of emitters and receivers with my old 1996 Toshiba Satellite 110CS and Drag Basic. A neat pairing of emitters and photodiodes I was planning on using didn't work. Thankfully I had a choice of two options of photo transistors and I chose the one that worked at the furthest distance. It was then a case of soldering everything up. It's been a while since I soldered up a D-sub...

   

I then measured up and fashioned two gantries from PVC ducting and installed the 5mm IR emitters so they will sit directly over the receivers...

   

Everything seems to work and I'm not far off installing everything on the strip - then testing, tidying-up and making it a bit pretty. Might get 5 of those new plain black straights for the first part of the run. They will look better.