# Best investment I have made for my track...



## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

Best investment I have made for my track recently...

A wireless mouse.

Now I can control Trackmate from a drivers station instead of walking around the track and being tethered to the computer...

Why didn't I think of it sooner? :drunk:

Scott


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

nice!

i gotta get off my butt and set up a timing system...

--rick


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

Excellent suggestion Scott :thumbsup:

Time to go shopping for a wireless mouse 

Bob B.


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## TheRockinator (May 16, 2007)

While you're at it get a wireless key board too. If you're like me the monitor had to be turned whenever I wanted to enter driver's name etc. Wireless keyboard solved that.

later, The does anybody want to buy a 15x4 4 lane routed HO track Rockinator


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## wheelszk (Jul 8, 2006)

TheRockinator said:


> While you're at it get a wireless key board too. If you're like me the monitor had to be turned whenever I wanted to enter driver's name etc. Wireless keyboard solved that.
> 
> later, The does anybody want to buy a 15x4 4 lane routed HO track Rockinator


You got any pics?


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## Dyno (Jan 26, 2009)

noddaz said:


> Best investment I have made for my track recently...
> 
> A wireless mouse.
> 
> ...


What a great idea!!! I cant believe I never thought of that. Thanks for the tip.


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## wheelszk (Jul 8, 2006)

wheelszk said:


> You got any pics?


TTT Please


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

I've been using the wireless keyboard and mouse thing for years because I have my race computer monitor mounted up high near the ceiling and the PC mounted under the track table on a shelf. 

https://min.us/mJOjrNTej

The only problem I've run into is due to the monitor being kind of far away from view for doing detailed work like entering in driver information and configuring the race setting and program options. For running the race, no problem. There are a couple of options to alleviate this. One option is to attach a second monitor to the PC and have it on a desk near the race setup and use the wireless keyboard and mouse in front of the second monitor, even though the PC is some distance away. 

Another option, which I use, is to have the race PC on your home network (wired or wireless) and use a second computer and a remote desktop application like "UltraVNC" or Remote Desktop (built into Windows XP) to control the race computer from the second computer. This is good if you have all the stuff to pull this off (a home network and a second computer) because the second computer can be any computer on the network. My race computer is a PC with Windows XP and I typically do all of the configuration and setup from my iMac using the free VNC program "Chicken of the VNC" - goofy name but works great. I have also used my iPad to control the race PC remotely using the free "Mocha VNC Lite" application (there are paid apps as well that are a bit faster). The iPad option is very slick because it supports the same screen resolution that I use on the PC (1024x768) running TrackMate and I can monitor and control TrackMate from anywhere in my house from a handheld device. I'd imagine any tablet device with a reasonable screen size would work as well as long as it has a remote control application.

As mentioned above, the wireless keyboard and mouse also allows you to mount the race computer out of sight under the table. In addition, I have a 5.1 sound system (5 speakers plus subwoofer) attached to the race PC with all of the speakers mounted up under the table as well. There's something totally cool about hearing the TrackMate voices and racing sounds booming out from under the track table with a surround sound feeling. When I'm just practicing or farting around I have a few dozen gigs of tunes on the race computer's hard disk and the race track and PC serves as great uber boom box. My table is constructed using maximum cantilever dimensions, modular clear crash walls, and the table infrastructure is hidden behind a skirt so the scenic'd track looks like it is floating. The neatest thing about the floating effect is that everything is hidden underneath the table. Having remote control of the race program coupled with awesome sound and _no wires showing_ makes the whole package much neater and draws attention to the track and the cars.

When it comes to scale racing tracks it's always good to think outside the box.


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