[Dr_C2]

With Rolex as suppliers of transponders for F1 lap time measurement, each race team whether it be Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes or Aston Martin etc is required to fit these transponders so they can compete together on track. The transponders track lap times to a high level of precision and the race winners are those with the finest combination of best drivers, best racing tech and best good fortune.

The question is can we replicate this mix in the 1/32 world of digital slot car racing?

In the past the answer has been NO because we were locked into one company’s digital system be-it SSD, D132, SCX-A or O2 or Scorpius.

However, as O2 and Scorpius bring increasing levels of compatibility with SSD/D132 this is changing. While I believe their main motivation is backwards compatibility with mass market products, a new opportunity is also emerging…

If we can identify a ‘transponder technology’ equivalent to what Rolex are doing for F1, then we can have brands such as SSD, SCX, O2 and Scorpius racing side-by-side.

In this case the winners are likely to be those with the best combination of excellent driver skills, excellent digital tech and a certain amount of good fortune. Sound familiar?

So is this possible?

Over the past six months I, with my collaborators, have been developing and testing the necessary transponders and lap sensors to achieve this aim and it’s all looking very promising.

Already, cars with SSD decoders can race against cars with SCX-A decoders and also against cars with O2 decoders. Adding Scorpius into the mix should be straight forward.

The necessary lap sensing and pit lane sensing is already undergoing field trials.

So to summarise, the necessary transponders, track sensors and suitable rms are all at an advanced stage of development. 

So 2024 should be a lot of fun!

c

[yattr]

This is great but needs the addition of D132...

[Dr_C2]

This is great but needs the addition of D132...

Thanks Ed, you are of course correct.

The problem here, hence the omission of D132, is that my transponders require a ‘stay straight’ or ‘lane change’ signal. This is available (in one format or another) in SSD, SCX-A, O2 and Scorpius -the latter when in a SSD compatibility mode.

So far I can’t see a route to extracting that signal from a proprietary D132 decoder - hence I have not yet added D132 into the cross-compatibility promise. That said, third party decoders could certainly include that feature ;)

But that adds a potential conflict of interest for me personally, if my technology plays the role played by Rolex in F1 I shouldn't be developing D132 decoders. So if anyone wants to create a third party D132 decoder which outputs a logic ‘high’ or ‘low’ for ‘stay straight’ or ‘lane change’ respectively then we can rightly add D132 into the mix.

Great addition - many thanks Ed!

Clive

[yattr]

Clive,

I figured there must be a reason otherwise your general approach is all inclusive.

/ed

[Dr_C2]

One further thought, the transponder unifies lap detection and car-to-lanechanger signals for SSD, SCX-A, O2 and Scorpius (and possibly D132 if the D132 decoder can be adapted as described above).

However, the throttle command side is another matter. Clearly SCX-A, O2 and Scorpius can run on an SSD powered track so long as all the decoders include a bridge rectifier circuit. Similarly SCX-A, O2 and Scorpius should all be able to run on a D132 powered track. So that combination should be fine too. That clearly leaves one issue… SSD track packet signals and D132 track packet signals are not compatible … so in that case it would be either or.

Still, SSD, SCX-A, O2 and Scorpius running side-by-side on a single race track could be a lot of fun. Or the same combination but with D132 substituted for SSD.

c

[Dr_C2]

I plan to exemplify work on multi-system compatibility by showing the system sub-components individually.

To get maximum cross system compatibility I am assuming the throttle-to-car link follows each manufacturers protocol/configuration. 

The cross compatibility is therefore focused on the car ID signalling, the lane changers and the car detection at the start/finish line and pit lane entrances/exits.

The car ID signalling may use the Smart IR LEDs as described on this link:

https://slotracer.online/community/showt...p?tid=4069

The lanechanging may use the 36 ID compatible SSD lanechanger upgrade at described on this link:

https://slotracer.online/community/showt...p?tid=3975

Start/Finish line and pit lane detection methods to follow in the next few weeks. The plan here is to transition all of this from experimentation to a stable and reliable system in due course. 

c

[Drifter2]

The future looks bright. :)