# "New" to the hobby, several questions



## glock24 (Feb 3, 2017)

Hello,

As I wrote in the new member thread, I got hooked into the hobby after finding a slot car set in a toy shop. I'll make another thread with more details and photos, but first I have a few questions:

1) I bought a track set off eBay, it's a Tomy track, and it included this:










From what I could find on the web it's supposed to be guard rails, but I don't find how to attach it to the track sections.

2) I put together a test track with a banked curve. When the cars go over the banked sections the seems to be a lot of drag on the pickup shoes (and the shoes show more than normal wear after a few laps), and the banked sections come loose after a while. Is this normal or did I do something wrong?

3) What voltage range is safe? I attached a variable power supply so I could use a lower voltage, as the track is intended for a 4 year old boy and I don't want cars flying around. I found 6 volts to be the point where the cars don't deslot often under full throttle. Is this safe for the motors? The power supply is rated at 24VA, with a 3-12V range. I have Tomy Turbos, SG+ and I bought some AW Xtraction, some AFX Magnatractions and some Tycos, but haven't arrived yet.

4) I read somewhere you should install power tracks every 12-14 track sections to have a good supply of power. Can this be done with stock power sections? Or do I need additional wiring?

That's it for now  

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## Dushkwoneshe (Apr 27, 2012)

.
Hello, glock...

These guardrails are meant for some Aurora AFX Snap-Loc turns...
Can't remember if the turns had a special name, though... I'll check...

Guardrails fit down inside slots in the actual track piece (lane color dots
added by me)











How many banks do you have connected?... It would help to make
sure you don't spread the angle wider than 45° , 90° and so on for each
bank you add... Even a little less... Say, 43° for each section, might
be beneficial... I've never raced on Tomy banks, but 20+ years on
Aurora AFX banks... The above proved to be the ticket...

I used duct tape on the back of TYCO banks for display layouts... Might
be a mess, if left on foe an extended time... The new TOMY AFX metal
clips may work on the banks... I don't know...

My old 66' AFX track had 4 jumpers for power... On the last display layout
I did, only 2 jumpers for 55' lap length... Both worked great...

Any more info on your power supply?...

Have fun... I'm working with my buddy's 4 & 6 yo Grandkids setting-up
a track... Will be interested in how your doing with your son...

John
.



Some others will help with the power questions, I'm sure...


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## Dushkwoneshe (Apr 27, 2012)

.
They did some plastic billboards like the above (and billboards
w/clips for reg. track)... Think around '74 was the 1st year for all
three styles...

Nice...










.
It looks like the new AFX clips will work... Wait for
someone using the banks to chime-in, as they may
have a better way....

PB was down for 4-1/2 hours this time...

John
.


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## glock24 (Feb 3, 2017)

Thanks for the info on the guardrails. I guess the seller put them there by mistake, as the set they came in is of the newer Tomy track that uses clip-on rails.

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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

glock24 said:


> Thanks for the info on the guardrails. I guess the seller put them there by mistake, as the set they came in is of the newer Tomy track that uses clip-on rails.
> 
> Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk


If the Aurora-version clip-ons will fit....
I have a bunch of 'Em....
"What" Color are You looking for, & How MANY do you need ???
just "PM" me ;-)

Bubba (The Senile) 123 :willy_nilly:


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

Modern Tomy or AFX track makes better connections than the original Aurora lock and joiner or AFX track, so you might get by with no jumpers or just a couple of them. The latest tracks have modular connections that make upgrading the wiring more difficult. Here is an article on adding jumpers to regular track sections without having to solder them: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzLR42NthGeCSUlwbTF0WEtiamM/view?usp=sharing
As long as the cars are working properly you can run them at higher voltages. 18-20 volts is the standard for HO cars, but some people go higher without problems. If there is a problem with a car like binding gears or a shorted commutator the car would be more likely to burn up if you go too high. Set type power supplies put out less than an amp, even if you have one of those per lane it is not likely that anything would be damaged, but you have to be careful with large aftermarket power supplies. If you use one of those you should have a separate fuse or circuit breaker for each lane. 1 or 2 amp fuses should work well.


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## glock24 (Feb 3, 2017)

Bubba: I have clip-on guardrails, but I had those things on the photo and didn't know how to put them on.

Rich: Seems too complicated if the track will not be fixed. Maybe in the future I'll try something like that, but thanks anyway. As for the voltage I was asking if the lower voltage (6V) would damage the motors. I want the to avoid the cars deslotting, and 6V was the sweet spot.

Also, the factory power adapter says 22V 7VA, which is about .31 Amps. The power supply I'm using is rated for 24VA, and voltage range is 3-12V. I guess the voltaje drops a lot with the factory power adapter, as those "22V" feel almost the same as the 12V from the one I have installed. Every car should get enough Amps from the variable power supply.


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

Running at a low voltage will not hurt the cars. I did test an old Aurora power supply rated at 20 volts, 12 VA. With a 0.25 amp load the output was 16.0 volts, at 0.55 amps it was 14.2 volts. I have measured the amps that a Tyco car will pull on the track, that was 0.5 amps when the car was accelerating and 0.25 amps when it had reached full speed. The draw at startup could be as much as 3 amps.
I once ran on a 160 (!) foot Tomy track with no jumpers and that was fine with regular set type cars. I don't think that you need to worry about jumpers right now if you are using fairly new Tomy track. Years ago I pulled out some original lock and joiner Aurora track that had been in storage for at least 15 years. I went over every connection using a Dremel with a wire brush, carefully adjusted the contacts and used steel track clips to hold the sections together. The track was about 65 feet long, but I had to add one set of jumpers. When the track was brand new we had no problems with it.


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## glock24 (Feb 3, 2017)

Good to know the motors won't burn by the low voltage. I'll just assemble the track and put the cars to run, hopefully I won't have power delivery problems. Today arrived my first batch of eBay acquisitions, I'll post pictures when I get the chance.

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## glock24 (Feb 3, 2017)

May I present to you the new Tyco/Mattel car:


























I really like those old Tyco chassis with adjustable wheelbase. I have a good source of donor Hotwheels bodies thanks to my son, and I can experiment. There are some plastic bodies that may be a better fit, but need some trimming.

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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

that Hummer has been through some tight brush passes


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## glock24 (Feb 3, 2017)

These arrived yesterday:










Front row are AFX, back row Tycos.

Most were very dirty and smelly, probably have been in storage for decades. I washed them with mild soap and a toothbrush just before taking the picture. I guess the previous owner was a smoker.

The 512 Ferraris are very stained or yellowed. The yellow one is supposed to be white, the green one should be blue  










I'll put them in hydrogen peroxide and hopefully will recover their true colors.

These also came in yesterday:










The two trucks are brand new AW. The blue one has a free rolling chassis, but I have a Magnatraction chassis that'll do. I still need guide flags though.

The Tyco Hoppers are in perfect condition, show no wear. 

I paid on average about $10 per car, including the trucks. The Hoppers were the real surprise, got them for $11.5 both and the Camaros for $9 both.

All cars have a working chassis (except for the blue truck), a couple need new pinion gear, one magnatraction had no idler gear, and of course, many need new tires, as the actual ones are hard and/or cracked. All chassis need a good cleaning, polishing and lube, but overall I'm happy.

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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

glock, feel free to PM me a "wish" list of parts you are needing.
I may have what you need.


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## glock24 (Feb 3, 2017)

Hello,

I proceeded with the hydrogen peroxide to remove the "yellowing" from the Ferrari bodies, but did not succeed. I left the bodies all afternoon in a glass completely covered by the solution in a place where it could get sunlight. Very few bubbles did form and I did not notice any difference in yellowing. I guess this was because the hydrogen peroxide I could get at a drug store is only 3%. Maybe I can get a solution with a higher concentration at a beady products store.

I got 3 Magnatraction chassis that were very very very dirty, with a lot of goo all over. Did a quick test and none of them worked. I disassembled them and found very bad things which I did not expect. One of them is missing an idler gear and gear plate clip, and also had no carbon brushes or brush springs. Other one was not put together properly, the gear plate was bent because of this, but apparently there was no permanent damage. The last one has bad brush springs, they are flat as a panckage 

I proceeded to let the chassis in a glass of vinegar, along with all brass parts (which were very gooey) for about two hours. then I washed them with mild soap and a toothbrush, and to my surprise, they were made of grey plastic! Well, they looked black before.... Then all metal parts were dried thoroughly and I applied a light coat of WD-40 with a cotton swab. I'll take a picture later tonight.

A couple more questions:

- How to remove the Hoppers body from the chassis? I would like to clean it, but need to remove the body and was afraid to break something.

- The gear plates and armatures of the aforementioned Magnatractions are also covered in goo. Can I submerge them in vinegar and clean them as I did with the chassis? Or will this procedure damage them in any way?

- I also have a new AW Xtraction "free rolling" chassis. Will all the parts from a Magnatraction fit? Also, will an AW tuneup-kit for Xtraction work for a Magnatraction?


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

I have not tested an older plastic type body, but I have had good results with Super Clean on everything I have tried so far. Might be something to try out on the discoloration issue you have?


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## glock24 (Feb 3, 2017)

Quick update. I gave the gift to my son last Sunday, the kid was thrilled. We played all afternoon until his bedtime. The car he liked the most is a green hotwheels clone I put over a curvehugger chassis. I'll make a longer post when I got the time, with photos and all.


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## FullyLoaded (Apr 19, 2006)

glock24 said:


> - I also have a new AW Xtraction "free rolling" chassis. Will all the parts from a Magnatraction fit? Also, will an AW tuneup-kit for Xtraction work for a Magnatraction?


I highly doubt the parts will work as those AW "free rolling" chassis were made without any metal on the bottom. Unless it is one that does have metal riveted onto the bottom then you can hang pick-up shoes and complete it with parts to make a working chassis. I don't have both new and old here but I think they are fairly close to each other. Someone else can chime in on that.

I'm glad to hear that everything went fine. Enjoy the slot car hobby with you son. Mostly I'm over on the diecast side collecting my metal and plastic rollers but still come here now and then to see what's going on. I used to be in the slot car hobby for the longest time but now I'm a diecast fan / collector.


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