Hybrid Analog Box

[BARC 1]

Just recently finished converting my 143 layout over to Carrera D132.

I have a lot of analog cars and in 143 scale some of them will never be able to be chipped(not anytime soon) So with this fact in mind I decided to build an analog conversion for my D132 electronics.

I did the necessary changed in the CU to be able to electrically insulate it from the track as well as build an isolation switch between the lanes to enable them to be electrically separate.







So this work got the CU ready to power an Analog Hybrid box. Inside the box are two D132 decoders and a fuel sensor card. The decoders have on-off bottons at the top of the box to allow you to turn off the power to each one so individual programming can be done. this allows you to set fuel load, brakes and throttle settings for each lane.

I added LED voltage readouts that come to life and tell you the voltage each decoder is feeding the track. The CU basically can adjust the voltages by about 2 volts allowing you to limit the top speed of each lane.

Track direction switches on each lane have also been added as a convenience.

Now the really interesting part. The LED sensors were moved off of the decoders and are placed inside a styrene tube. The end of this is an opening in the front face of the throttle box and labeled "fuel". The pit lane sensor electronics can now also be added into the box. The LED is then run out though the box on a length of wire and becomes a fuel hose. To fuel each lane, you then stick the LED into the styrene tube opening and press the LC button on each controller to add fuel. So you now have the fueling option on all the analog cars you run. The Carrera "real mode" can be used that will slow the cars down with a heavy fuel load and then as you burn up fuel the car will get faster. If you wait too long to fuel up the track power is reduced to the cars and you will limp around until you refuel.

I bought used decoders for this project and all in I bet I spent less then $100. These additions now turn my Digital track into a Hybrid Analog track allowing me to run all my cars with digital fine tuning of the controllers, brakes, and fuel mode as well.

[buspor63]

This is the best adaption of the lane chipping method I've seen. The fuel feature is great even though I don't understand it completely.

[BARC 1]

Well it has been a few days into the Hybrid digital set up and I have to say I am very happy with it. Using Bruce Yingling's shareware I can utilize the individual car set ups before each race which giving me control of( 15 steps) of top speed, braking and fuel load when running my analog cars. I have run the whole fleet and the ability to fine tune each car is awesome. I used to have variable voltage and resistance control on my analog control system which was equally good for control of the cars, but this compact control box is just a much neater set-up and the interface with the computer just brings the whole layout into the present. We talk about how to we get younger people involved, and I think the ability to interface with a laptop is part of the answer. Chipping each lane kind of updates analog, and gets it to where I think it needs to be(IMO). As far as the cars go, not much needs to be changed and the old tried and true cars that have been in use for 50 years still hold value and fun.

So for guys who maybe aren't sold on the idea of digital racing, I would really recommend this method of control. $200 for a Carrera CU, a couple of Carrera digital controls and 2 decoders gets you in the game. Analog cars all then behave like the Digital minus the lane changing, and multiple cars on one lane of course. However once purchased, the door is wide open to give digital chipped cars a try.

I am on old Parma guy though so the thumb controllers are not my first choice. These Carrera ones though aren't bad. Soft touch plastic and the right size makes them comfortable enough to use.

My next project might be to try and fit this Carrera digital stuff inside a Parma case and then I will be really happy. I can't see it being that hard to do.


Cheers

Dan

[goosenapper]

[BARC 1]

Yes , I can do something to show the wiring diagram in the box. It is really simple, with just two car decoders in the box and the electronics from the pit lane sensor.. There are two refueling holes in the box and the decoder LED from each Decoder has been mounted inside a styrene tube. Status LEDs are just connected to the headlight output of the chips

So when the car needs refuelling( either the Yinling software will let you know or you can wait until the LED flashes on the box. ( The LED on the box is just hooked up to the headlight connection on the decoder) You then drive to the assigned pit area, and stop. The pit lane sensor is hanging from the wire is then inserted in the hole.( this is not shown as I have not done this part yet. I am waiting on the pitlane sensor electronics) A connection is made satisfying the Carrera system that the car is setting in the pit lane and you refuel using the lane change button just like in digital racing.

Each chip is dedicated to each lane, so the lane behaves like a digital car except it is stationary. The refueling I have come up with is just a way to bring the pit sensor to the decoder that is sitting in the box. There is no pit lane and you can fuel up where ever you stop, you just need to insert the led in the hole. Dedicating a pit area is what I plan on doing and just telling drivers they must drive to that section of the track before they stop and use the refueling "hose"

Nothing is shared between the two chips in the box. they act independently of one another and there are two refueling holes in the box. One for each lane. I added the lane voltage digital display, but that is just gimmicky and you don't really need to know that. It just looks cool. All I found out is that on my track the motors are exposed to about 5 volts for 98% of the time only spiking to maximum for the short burst down the front straight. I now know why these small motors( 1/43 scale remember) I am using are working so well. They hardly ever see excess voltage and are running in their comfort zone the majority of the time.

[BARC 1]

Here is a look inside the box. I left out the LED display. Also the outputs to the track go to a DPDT switch wired to reverse direction on each lane prior to leaving the box.

[goosenapper]

Excellent diagram. Thank you for putting that together.

So when it comes time to fuel, inserting the sensor in to the box basically makes the driver more involved in the fueling process than simply holding down the button. Actually, you don't need to hold the sensor in there the entire time either. On a standard D132/D124 track, once the chip reads the fuel sensor, you can stop anywhere on the course to refuel. (It just makes the most sense to stay in the pitlane to do it so that you don't get plowed in to!) So with your one sensor, you could refuel both analog cars at the same time by just triggering each chip and then refueling. Neat design!

Thank you for sharing this, and please let us know how it works out in live races and if you make any changes. This is great info.

[BARC 1]

Ghost car function is not possible. The Carrera system must have a ongoing status check on the ghost car.. IF the ghost car does not registar at a sensor on the layout, power is shut off to the decoder. So in this analog set up because the chip is stationary it never triggers a sensor so the ghost car will just shut down after a brief run. A disappointing discovery.

Cheers

Dan