Cleaning and digital lap counter/timer questions

[mike116]

I just got my old Tyco Pro set up and running. I have not done any slot racing in 40 years....Bought some added straights and curves off of ebay to add to it, plus added some (very bland but it's working for us) scenery cutouts that I put together using cardstock. Placed those around the track, plus grabbed some small stuff I got on sale at Hobby Lobby to spruce up the look a bit. My wife thinks I've lost my mind, but the kids and I are having a lot of fun.

The track is working but I am having a couple of issues in 2 or 3 different sections where the car will stop running if not flying through that section fast enough. I did jump-wire the track (and that helped. I have about 30 feet of track), but there are still a couple of spots where the car will stop if not going thru it quick enough. When I check the track section, (by pressing lightly on the front of the car), the car works, so I know that the track section is still "live" and working, but I have to nudge it a little to get it back up and moving through the track. So, I'm not sure if I just need to clean that track section a little more or if there is something else I need to do.

To clean it, I have used both some simple rubbing alcohol and a very fine sandpaper. That has worked for the most part. Any thoughts here would be appreciated, (even thoughts on the proper "stuff" or process to use to clean it). All of the track has been in a box (or in someone else's storage) for quite some time, so maybe it takes a bit more to bring some of the track pieces back to life.

I have noticed that there are a variety of digital lap timers and counters that I think would be fun to add to our racing experience and just wanted to ask if there were any suggestions on something that may be usable in our situation (2 lane, very old Tyco track), that could be fun to add.

Thanks!

Mike

[Fast_Eddie]

Hi Mike :)

I was kind of like you in the fact I recently got back into slot cars after many many , many years away from it! lol
And I had the same problem with the 1st set i picked up. It was old and dirty and would not work right after cleaning. For me it took more than 1 cleaning.....it was like 4 times it took if i remember right. so you might need to clean it a few more times? Also try using a nickle on the rails and then clean the whole thing with '' all in one oxy orange cleaner''

[indybob009]

Well Ho track rails can get really nasty when sitting for years. You can sand them or gleen until shiny. Then many cleaners will work to finish. WD 40 ' Alcohol ect. But get that oxidation off the rails. Its always good to have many extra pieces' sometime a few pieces of track just wont work' the rails get worn down. Replace the bad spots. Make sure your car pickups are clean also. As for as timing Trakmate is the best out their' works on any scale any track.It does not care what brand or scale. Open's up a whole new world of racing. Even makes racing alone fun. Knowing your lap time down to a thousands of a second will help you get better and helps dial a car in.

[RichD]

You could have two different but related problems with that old track. First off you will need to clean the contacts at the ends of the track sections. I have never seen Tyco Pro track but a Demel with a wire brush may be a good thing to use there. The other thing to shine up is the top of the rails. If the rails are actually rusted you should probably just dump the track. If the corrosion is very light you could use foam nail buffing blocks from the cosmetic section of a grocery or drug store. Those are faced with fine sandpaper. Once you get the rails shined up the are several treatments that will help to keep them in good shape. Rail-Zip from a hobby shop that does model trains is one option, as is WD-40 or Inox. Apply the treatment to a rag and just wipe down the rails.
Trackmate is probably the most popular lap counting/timing system, it is computer based and is often used for club style racing. The joy of Trackmate is that you hook it up and it works. Homebrew systems often need a lot of troubleshooting to get them working. There are a few freestanding systems that do not require a computer, Slot Dragon is one of those. In your case there is another simple, inexpensive option. There are a number of smartphone apps. Here is one for iPhones: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/laptrac ... 14189?mt=8 and one for Android phones: https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... G8uc2N4Il0.
There are also systems that use webcams.

[noddaz]

Just don't and I mean DON'T use steel wool to clean the rails. Sounds like a good thing but shards (?) of metal fall off and you will be cleaning that stuff off you track and out of your cars for weeks. And watch what sort of solvents you use to clean the track itself. Brake clean (generic term for cleaner used on real cars cleans grease, oil ect.) will melt the plastic.

Scott

[mike116]

Thanks all!

[mike116]

Follow-up question on the Android lap timing system that had been mentioned in some of the posts above - "Slot Car Trainer"

Has anyone actually used it? I think that would add a lot to our experience, however, at this point I don't want to spend a ton on something. However, I would like to use it for racing two cars at a time, but I was confused as to whether you could do that with this app or if it was simply to time laps for one car at a time. So, I thought I would ask to see if anyone has any experience with it.

Thanks.

Mike

[RichD]

The iPhone app can do four cars at once, Slot Car Trainer looks to only do one car at a time, but if you do a search there are probably other Android apps that can do several cars at once. The webcam apps that I have seen can also do that. Many apps are free or are quite inexpensive, presuming that you already have a smartphone or tablet.