Slot car

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Two Scalextric VW Beetles on track.
Two Scalextric VW Beetles on track.

A slot car (sometimes, slotcar) is a powered miniature auto or other vehicle which is guided by a groove or slot in the track on which it runs.[1][2] A pin or blade extends from the bottom of the car into the slot. Though some slot cars are used to model highway traffic on scenic layouts[1], the great majority are used in the competitive hobby of slot car racing or slot racing. Slot cars are usually models of actual automobiles, though some have bodies purpose-designed for miniature racing. Most enthusiasts use commercially-available slot cars (often modified for better performance), others motorize static models, and some "scratch-build," creating their own mechanisms and bodies from basic parts and materials.

Simple two-lane track featuring 1:43 slot cars and pistol-grip controllers.
Simple two-lane track featuring 1:43 slot cars and pistol-grip controllers.

Drivers generally use a hand-held controller to regulate a low-voltage electric motor hidden within the car. Each car runs on a separate lane, with its own guide-slot. The challenge in racing slot cars comes in taking curves and other obstacles at the highest speed that will not cause the car to lose its grip and spin sideways, or 'deslot' and leave the track altogether.

Some enthusiasts, much as in model railroading, build elaborate tracks, sculpted to have the appearance of a real-life racecourse, including miniature buildings, trees and people. Hobbyists whose main goal is competition often prefer a track unobstructed by scenery.

Model motorcycles, trucks and other vehicles which use the guide-slot system are also generally included under the loose classification of "slot car."

Contents

[edit] How it works

The diagram at left shows the wiring of a typical 1:24 or 1:32 slot car setup. Power for the car's motor is carried by metal strips next to the slot, and is picked up by contacts alongside the guide flag (a swiveling blade) under the front of the slot car. The voltage is varied by a resistor in the hand controller. This is a basic circuit, and optional features such as braking elements or electronic control devices are not shown. Likewise, the car's frame or chassis has been omitted for clarity.

HO slot cars work on a similar principle, but the current is carried by thin metal rails which project barely above the track surface and are set farther out from the slot. The car's electrical contacts, called "pickup shoes," are generally fixed directly to the chassis, and a round guide pin is often used instead of a swiveling flag.

Today, in all scales, traction magnets are often used to provide downforce to help hold the car to the track at higher speeds, though some enthusiasts believe magnet-free racing provides greater challenge and enjoyment and allows the back of the car to slide or "drift" outward for visual realism.

[edit] Common slot car scales

There are three common slotcar scales (sizes): 1:24 scale, 1:32 scale, and so-called HO size (1:87 to 1:64 scale). These are also commonly written as 1/24, 1/32, 1/87 and 1/64. Usual pronunciation is "one twenty-fourth," "one thirty-second," and so on, but sometimes "one to twenty-four," "one to thirty-two," etc.

- 1:24 scale cars are built so that 1 unit of length (such as an inch or millimeter) on the model equals 24 units on the actual car. Thus, a model of a Jaguar XK-E (185" or 4.7 m overall length) would be 7.7" long (19.6 cm) in 1:24 scale. 1:24 cars require a course so large as to be impractical for many home enthusiasts, so most serious 1:24 racing is done at commercial or club tracks.

- 1:32 scale cars are smaller and more suited to home-sized race courses but they are also widely raced on commercial tracks, in hobby shops or in clubs. This scale is the most popular in Europe, and is equivalent to the old #1 Gauge (or "standard gauge") of toy trains. Our Jaguar XK-E would be about 5.8" (14.7 cm) in 1:32 scale.

1:64 scale (sometimes called "HO") slotcar ambulance between die-cast toys
1:64 scale (sometimes called "HO") slotcar ambulance between die-cast toys

- HO-sized cars vary in scale. Because they were marketed as model railroad accessories, the original small slot cars of the early 1960s roughly approximated either American/European HO scale (1:87) or British OO-scale (1:76). As racing in this size evolved, the cars were enlarged to take more powerful motors, and today they are closer to 1:64 in scale; but they still run on track of approximately the same width, and are generically referred to as HO slot cars. They are not always accurate scale models, since the proportions of the tiny bodies must often be stretched to accommodate a standard motor and mechanism. The E-Jaguar scales out to 2.1" (5.3 cm) in 1:87 and 2.9" (7.3 cm) in 1:64. Though there is HO racing on commercial and shop-tracks, probably most HO racing occurs on home racetracks.

In addition to the major scales, slot cars have been commercially produced in 1:48 and 1:43 scale, corresponding to O-gauge model trains. 1:48 cars were promoted briefly in the 1960s, and 1:43 slot car sets are generally marketed today (2007) as children's toys. So far, there is little organized competition in 1:43, but the scale is gaining some acceptance among adult hobbyists for its affordability and moderate space requirements. The E-Jag would be 4.3" (10.9 cm) in 1:43.

A vintage Aurora HO slot car, the AMC Matador stocker, approx. 1:64 scale, circa 1975.
A vintage Aurora HO slot car, the AMC Matador stocker, approx. 1:64 scale, circa 1975.

[edit] History

The first slot cars were made by Lionel (USA) and appeared in their catalogues from 1912,[3] drawing power from a toy train rail sunk in a trough or wide slot between the rails. Though not greatly different from modern slot cars, independent speed control was provided only as an optional extra. Production was discontinued after 1915. Sporadically over the next forty years, several other electrically powered commerical products came and went[4]. Although a patent was registered for as far back as March 1936 for a slot car,[5] until the late 1950s, nearly all powered toy vehicles were guided by raised rails, either railroad-style or at the track center or edge.

In the 1930s serious craftsman/hobbyists were racing model cars powered by glow plug engines and guided by a single center rail or by a tether from the center of a circular track. There was no driver control of the car, so it was largely a mechanic's hobby. [6][2] During the 1940s and 1950s, hobbyists in Britain began to experiment with controllable electric cars using model train motors,[7][8] guided by a slot instead of a rail,[9] and the term "slot car" was coined to differentiate these from the earlier "rail cars".[10] In 1957, Minimodels (UK) converted its Scalex clockwork racers to electricity, creating the famous Scalextric line of slot-guided models,[11] and Victory Industries (UK) introduced the VIP line,[12][3] both companies eventually using the new plastic-molding technologies to provide controllable slot racers with authentic bodies in 1:32 scale for the mass market. Both lines included versatile sectional track for the home racer - or the home motorist; VIP produced sports cars and accessories slanted toward a "model roadways" theme,[4] while Scalextric more successfully focused on Grand Prix racing.[5]

As Scalextric became an instant hit, hobbyists and manufacturers were adapting 1:24 car models to slots,[13] and British-American engineer Derek Brand developed a tiny vibrator motor small enough to power model cars roughly in scale with HO and OO electric trains. In 1959, Playcraft division of Mettoy produced these in the UK, and a year later, Aurora Plastics Corp. released HO vibrator sets with huge success in the USA. The tiny cars fascinated the public, and their cost and space requirements were better suited to the average consumer than the larger scales. In only a year or two, Scalextric's 1:32 cars and Aurora's "Model Motoring" HO line had set off the "slot car craze" of the 1960s. [14]

An Aurora "Thunderjet-500" HO chassis and motor, 1963-1971.
An Aurora "Thunderjet-500" HO chassis and motor, 1963-1971.

The slot car craze was largely an American phenomenon,[15] but, commercially, it was a huge one. In 1963, after a million and a half[16] had been produced, Aurora replaced the trouble-prone vibrator cars with an innovative flat-commutator ("pancake") motor,[6] also created by Brand, and what is probably the best-selling slot car in history, the Aurora Thunderjet-500 was born. Faller (Germany) produced it for sale in Europe, and competing companies tried in vain match the speed and reliability of Brand's design. The Thunderjets and their improved versions, the AFX, sold in the tens of millions,[7] completely dominating the HO market for almost a decade, until challenged by the Tyco cars in the early 1970s.[17]

By the late 1970s the slot car boom was well over, the model train tie-ins and miniature motoring concepts largely forgotten, and the market returned to the more serious racing hobbyist, with local and national racing organizations evolving to set standards and rules for different classes of competition. Technological innovation brought much higher speeds in all scales, with faster motors, better tires, and traction magnets to hold the cars down in curves, though some of the '60s enthusiasts thought that slot racing had become too specialized for the casual hobbyist, and fondly remembered the more primitive cars of their youth as not so fast, but more fun.

In the 1990s, newly manufactured replicas of Aurora's '60s and '70s slot cars appeared on the market and consumers gained the option of racing either the modern high-tech wondercars or the more basic designs of an earlier time. In 2004, the digital control systems which had revolutionized model railroading began to appear in 1:32 slot cars, offering the promise of multiple cars per lane and more realistic passing. Some speculate that digital control will soon replace conventional slot racing, but only time will tell if the appeal of racing on parallel slots with simple controls, which has endured for half a century, may yet outlive the expectations of the high-tech advocates.

[edit] Related systems and developments

A number of technological developments have been tried over the years to overcome the traditional slot car's limitations. Most lasted only a few years, and are now merely historical curiosities. Only digital control is currently in production.

Around 1962, AMT's Turnpike system (USA) used multiple electrical pickups within the slot itself to allow drivers to control, to a limited extent, the steering of special 1:25 cars.

In the late 1960s the Arnold Minimobil system (Germany), also marketed as the Matchbox Motorway (UK), used a long hidden coil, powered by trackside motors, to move die-cast or plastic cars down the track via a slot and detachable pin. Cars in different lanes could race, but cars in the same lane moved at the same speed, separated by a fixed distance.

In the mid and late 1970s several manufacturers including Aurora, Lionel and Ideal (USA) introduced slotless racing systems that theoretically allowed cars to pass one another from the same lane. Most used a system of multiple power rails that allowed one car to speed up momentarily and move to the outside to pass. Though briefly successful as toy products, none of these systems worked well enough to be taken up by serious hobbyists.[18]

In 2004, a number of traditional slot car manufacturers introduced digital control systems, which enable multiple cars to run in the same lane and to change lanes at certain points on the course. Digitally-coded signals sent along the power strips allow each car to respond only to its own controller.

In addition, imaginative manufacturers have used the slot track system to allow the racing of a variety of unusual things, including motorcycles[19], boats[20], airplanes[21], spacecraft[22], horses[23], fictional and cartoon vehicles,[24] snowmobiles[25], futuristic railroad trains[8], and no doubt many more.

[edit] Slot car track

The very first sectional slot track from Scalextric and VIP was molded rubber and folded metal, respectively, but modern slot tracks fall into two main categories: Plastic tracks and Routed tracks.

Plastic Tracks are made from the molded plastic commercial track sections. Sectional track is inexpensive and easy to work with and the design of the course can be easily changed. The joints between the sections, however, make a rough running surface, causing the derisive term "clickety-clack track." The many electrical connections cause voltage drop and contribute to more frequent electrical problems. For a permanent setup, the joints can be filled and smoothed, and the power rails soldered together or even replaced with continuous strips, but the surface is seldom as smooth as a good routed track.

Routed Tracks have the entire racecourse made from one or a few pieces of sheet material (traditionally plywood or MDF, but sometimes polymer materials) with the guide-slots and the grooves for the power strips cut directly into the base material using a router or CNC machining. This provides a smooth and consistent surface which is generally preferred for serious competition.

[edit] Electrical equipment

Power for most slot car tracks comes from a powerpack. Powerpacks contain a transformer which reduces high voltage house current to a safe 12 to 20V (depending on car type) and usually a rectifier which changes AC to DC, for cooler running and simpler motors. High-capacity lead-acid batteries are sometimes used for hobby slotcars, but toy race-sets may use dry cell batteries at 3 to 6 volts.

Controllers ("throttles") vary the voltage from the powerpack or battery, to control car speed. They are usually hand-held and attached by wires to the track. First-generation controllers (circa late '50s)were either on or off, requiring the driver to "blip" the throttle for intermediate speeds. Second-generation controllers (from about 1960, and many inexpensive controllers today) contained only a rheostat (variable resistor), so separate controllers with different resistance ranges were required for the various classes of cars. Modern electronic controllers have a sensitivity adjustment, and can be used for all classes.

Additionally, modern controllers usually feature an adjustable "brake", "coast", and "dial-out". Braking works by temporarily connecting the rails via a resistor; this converts the car's motor into a generator, and the magnetic forces that turned the motor are now slowing it down. Coast allows a certain amount of power to continue to the track after the driver has "let-off" (which would normally cut all power to the car). A dial-out allows the driver to limit the maximum power that can reach the car. Modern controllers usually require three connections - one to the power terminal of the driver's station (customarily white), one to the brake terminal (red), and one to the track terminal (black).

Tracks are wired in one of two ways: with the power terminal connected to the power source positive and the brake terminal negative (called "positive gate"), or the other way around ("negative gate"). Modern controllers feature a switch which adapts them for either gate configuration.

[edit] Formal Competition

Slot car racing ranges from casual get-togethers at home tracks, using whatever cars the host makes available, to very serious competitions in which contestants painstakingly build or modify their own cars for maximum performance and compete in a series of races culminating in a national championship. For information on types of formal competition, racing organizations, standards, etc., see slot car racing.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hertz, L.H. "The Complete Book of Model Raceways and Roadways", 1st Ed. 1965.
  2. ^ Reed, R. "Know About Model Roadracing", 1st Ed. 1966.
  3. ^ http://www.lionel.com/CentralStation/LionelPastAndPresent/1910.cfm
  4. ^ http://www.slotforum.com/forums/blog/slotcars/index.php?showentry=71
  5. ^ http://www.professormotor.com/slotpatent.shtml
  6. ^ Hertz, L.H. "The Complete Book of Model Raceways and Roadways", 1st Ed. 1965.
  7. ^ http://uk.geocities.com/historicslot/wallis1942.html
  8. ^ Laidlaw-Dickson, D.J. (December 1954). "Table Top Rail Racing Track & Cars". Model Maker 4 (49): 694 - 696. 
  9. ^ Sinclair, V.N. (February 1957). "A Pioneer Electric Rail Track". Model Maker 7 (75): 64 - 66. 
  10. ^ Laidlaw-Dickson, D.J. (November 1957). "Slot-Racing De Luxe". Model Maker 7 (84): 538 - 539. 
  11. ^ Laidlaw-Dickson, D.J. (April 1957). "Scalex Goes Electric". Model Maker 7 (77): 168 - 169. 
  12. ^ Laidlaw-Dickson, D.J. (October 1957). "Introducing VIP". Model Maker 7 (83): 487 - 489. 
  13. ^ Hope, J.F. (May 1958). "Slotracing". Model Maker 8 (90): 242 - 244. 
  14. ^ Graham, Thomas "Greenberg's Guide to Aurora Slot Cars", 1st Ed. 1995, Greenberg, USA.
  15. ^ Preston, Geoff "Race Aurora AFX", 1st Ed. 1982, Argus Books, UK.
  16. ^ Graham, Thomas "Greenberg's Guide to Aurora Slot Cars", 1st Ed. 1995, Greenberg, USA.
  17. ^ Graham, Thomas "Greenberg's Guide to Aurora Slot Cars", 1st Ed. 1995.
  18. ^ Graham, Thomas "Greenberg's Guide to Aurora Slot Cars", 1st Ed. 1995 Greenberg, USA.
  19. ^ Hertz, L.H. "The Complete Book of Model Raceways and Roadways", 1st Ed. 1965.
  20. ^ "Model Car Science" magazine, October 1965.
  21. ^ Greenslade, R.W. "A History of Electric Model Roads and Racetracks", 1st Ed. 1985 ISBN 0-94-8793-007.
  22. ^ Greenslade, R.W. "A History of Electric Model Roads and Racetracks", 1st Ed. 1985 ISBN 0-94-8793-007.
  23. ^ Hertz, L.H. "The Complete Book of Model Raceways and Roadways", 1st Ed. 1965.
  24. ^ Graham, Thomas "Greenberg's Guide to Aurora Slot Cars", 1st Ed. 1995 Greenberg, USA.
  25. ^ ibid

[edit] External Links

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