# Set speed controller for single racers



## Rickc (Jul 9, 2002)

Hey all.
I have the cars. I have the track. I have the space. What I don't have is a competitor available at a moments notice. So, I thought, maybe I should order one of the old 'steering wheel' controllers I had as a kid, where I could get a car to cruise around at a set speed that stays on the track. Then I could at least drive around the pace car and feel like I was racing someone. Then I got thinking, if I had a decent schematic and parts list, I could make a passing controller myself. (I have not uttered Ohm's law in 35 years, and would not do so well designing it, but I can still out-solder anyone I know. eight weeks of training will do that for ya.)
So, back to the topic. Anyone have a simple controller I could build with some features like:

Hand controller input, so I could adjust the power and get some of the crazy fast cars to have a speed in between stop and fly off the track for two controllers.

Set output for one or both lanes so I can let the car(s) run without drivers.

Reverse. I like the idea of on coming traffic.

And, just to go totally crazy, (not really for this topic, but for some creative soul) a switch, so a car could be sent to the pits.

Rick


----------



## Rickc (Jul 9, 2002)

Apologies for stuffing this in the wrong thread. Noticed me error about the time I hit 'send'


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

PM me your mailing address and I'll send you a steering wheel controller.


----------



## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

You didn't mention what type of track you have. The steering wheel controller will handle most of what you want. For reversing, it will depend on what type of track you have and how the lanes get power. If the track has a common (to both lanes) feed, you'll have to isolate one lane from the other. 

As far as "switches" for a pit stop goes, I believe TYCO made a set up for that. It relied on your speed (and guide pin length) to either send you by or into the pits. I'm not sure if the track itself slowed you down if you missed a pit stop There may have been another track for power feed.. You would need adapters if you use a different brand of track. I have contemplated making stuff like this, but never got around to it.


----------



## 9finger hobbies (Mar 11, 2008)

I like to sit on the sofa with my controller and watch "Words Wildest Police Chases". Try it some time.


----------



## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

*Ghost Car for Solo Racing*

Rick,
The wheel controller should get you started on a ghost driver's lane. Set the wheel controller to the maximum speed the car can go without coming off on the curves, then move it down a touch, because the car will speed up a bit as it gets hotter.

Once you get good enough to lap the ghost car consistently without deslotting, move up to the next stage. Bump the wheel controller up to full. Now, cover one power rail of the ghost's lane for a few inches just before each curve to slow the car before entering the curve. Each curve will need a different length of tape. Start cutting the tape shorter and shorter on each curve until the car deslots. When the curves are all done, back the controller slightly off full speed; the car should now take the corners at close to its limit. 

Once the ghost car is consistently taking the circuit near full power without deslotting, dial back the power until the ghost is turning somewhat faster laps than it did on just the reduced power. When you can lap that ghost, you can start increasing the setting of the wheel controller for a progressively tougher ghost opponent.

A couple of tips -
- The tape system has worked for me with pancake motors like Aurora or AutoWorld Thunderjets, original Aurora AFX, XTractions, etc. 









- It _should_ also work with any inline motor which has a spur gear driving a crown gear on the axle (Aurora, Tyco, Tomy, LifeLike and most modern chassis),








but I don't have much experience with those.

- It will probably *not* work with the very early HO cars, such as the Tyco S and some Atlas chassis, that had a worm gear driving a spur on the axle, like this:









- Once you have determined the proper lengths of tape, mark the track, so you can take up the tape for normal racing on that lane, and put new tape back at the right points when you want to race the ghost driver again. 

- The tape system also works to slow down Tjets to take the early hump and bridge tracks without flying off at the crest.

Have fun experimenting and solo racing. :wave:

-- D


----------



## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Very cool idea DSlot!

One other option, if the lanes have seperate power supplies, is to use a Router Speed Control from Harbor Freight. You plug the power supply into the RSC, hold the controller trigger wide open with a rubber band or such, and then dial in the desired speed on the RSC. It acts like a dimmer switch.

Joe


----------



## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

> _Joe sez:_ if the lanes have seperate power supplies ... use a Router Speed Control from Harbor Freight.


I have one of those, Joe. They are inexpensive and they work pretty well.

But I have a soft spot in my heart for the old Aurora steering-wheels. Dozens are available cheap, on eBay. I likes the green ones. I think the green and grey are better than the tan ones, which tend to have more brittle plastic and break more easily. 

It's possible that Bill Hall's trick of brushing Testors Liquid plastic cement on the inside of the body would work to reverse the brittleness. He uses it on the brittle colors of Tjet bodies (tan, some blues); he says the plastic drinks up the cement, which replaces the solvents that give the plastic flexibility. Though I do it, I've never made a comparison test, but if Bill says it's true, it probably is. I wish his Model Murdering thread was still available.
















There are two kinds of Aurora wheel controllers - the later three-spoke version has a reversing switch, but lacks the cool fake speeds on the speedometer window; the 3-spoke wheels are also more fragile. The older two-spoke ones have the wheel very close to the faceplate, but they are great for a "set it and leave it" application.










This photo shows my Matchbox Motorway road-or-race setup; the Harbor Freight router controller (black with knob) is between the racing controllers, and the green wheel controllers set the speed for continuous scenic running. The power comes from trainset packs because the MM system uses lower voltage than regular slots. With the router controller, powerpack speed-controls, and the wheel-or-pistolgrip setup, it's sort of a belt-and-suspenders-and-superglue setup. Overkill. 

-- D


----------



## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Dslot said:


> -- D


All right, admit it. You picked this up from a NASA clearance sale after they ended the Space Shuttle program.


----------



## Rickc (Jul 9, 2002)

Thanks guys. After I posted this, I did start looking for the steering wheel controllers. Would be cool if someone started making these again. As mentioned, they get brittle. (and might be nice if AW did a 12" radius or a 6" radius curve, too.)
I do need to go dig up a train controller, since I have a couple in a storage tub somewhere in the garage.
Oh, and I have had grey and tan units with the speed things in days gone by too.

the tape things sounds cool, but I like to switch lanes occasionally.


----------



## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Aurora tan is well known for being explosive. It cracks if you look at it the wrong way. The grey steering wheel controllers are a little bit more durable, though not by much.

Again, should you decide to go with the wheels and the reverse switch, make sure there isn't a common terminal on your terminal track. Flipping that switch on the wheel will cause a short.


----------

