Don't make this MISTAKE, when installing the Tek-Slot Box on Carrera Digital!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ม.ค. 2023
- Don't make the same mistake that I made. I explain how to test for lane isolation, so that you can run the Tek-Slot Box on your Carrera Digital track so you can run Analog! Lane Isolation is the most important thing.. you have to get this right! I made a mistake and i burned up a digital chip. #slotcarracing #slotcars #carreradigital
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Excellent video Marty and I was never worried as I know you would figure it out. Have fun with it!!
Thanks Jorge, I appreciate the vote of confidence. 😂 I plan on it!
I have successfully built and tested this analog/digital converter box on my home track and have an assortment of designs in mind, ie. typical control unit as part of the track or moved away from the track for use by a race controller elsewhere on your layouts. My personal-use kit includes enough wiring to move the control unit away from the track altogether. It will be mounted underneath the track surface out of site but at the edge of the track so the buttons can still be reached form underneath. The lap counting emitters from the chips have been removed and installed on the track with the purpose of using reflective tape on the bottom of analog cars for lap counting. I've even discovered a way to extend the pace car button to all driver stations so it can be deployed by anyone who is racing. I haven't toyed around with the SmartRace software enough at this point to know if the 'safety car' or 'VSC' feature is also functioned by the 'PACE CAR' button on the control unit, would someone be able to clarify this for me?
I will try to test this tomorrow….
This is fantastic BTW. Great job Alex!!
Our track is going into an unfinished upstairs. I am going to Sheetrock the walls but ceiling is just going to stay insulated and the vapor barrier. Being an electrician the lights are all in so no issue there and the floor is just OSB that we may paint. Not the nicest place compared to so many you tubers but is is 1500 square feet with its own bathroom and wood stove. We intend to put a 200 foot plus layout in. Already most of the track and a bunch of cars. These videos from Marty, Dave, Travis, Jorge, Boone etc are all great and filled with info
Wow!!! I can’t wait to see it! My slot car space is a basement with stone walls. Unfinished ceiling.. what makes it perfect is that it has a slot car track in the middle of it. 👍 don’t get hung up on what other’s rooms look like..
Great video Marty, shame about the mess up but you've saved many more chips than you've fried by posting this video for others to watch :) Needs of the many outweigh the mistakes of the few. Live long and prosper :)
Thanks 👍 that is my hope Dave!
Where can I buy one?
@@robertmassey7055 they are no longer in production. They come up for sale on eBay some times. There are schematics out there if you are proficient at soldering.. the concept is pretty simple..
@@twolinesslotcars thanks Marty. I am new to slot car racing and I am just in the beginning stages of setting up the track. I’ve built my tables and I’m at 24 x 8‘. Thanks for getting back to me, I really wasn’t expecting it. I was really hoping to run both analog and digital on the same track. Over the past year I have collected bits and pieces of track and some cars but have not set up a track. I was in connection with this gentleman who said he had one for sale, but he never got back to me. I’ve waited several months and it’s very disappointing he never came through. So, enough with my sad story, if you know of where to find the info, I would greatly appreciate it. By the way, great track!
Marty pulling out all the electrical gadgets, great video bud glad you sorted it out and great for anyone with a Tekslots box
Thanks Rahul, hope the video keeps someone from frying a chip and not be afraid of the project.
Hello, Marty. Great followup..I don't run a digital track.. But this information is so valuable to all slot people that run digital and that type of power source. I agree with a couple of slotters here in the comments. You save many the same fate. Thanks for sharing.
That is my hope dafingers1, save people money and help them test their track.
Thanks for the clarification. I just installed tek slot box and it works great. Well worth the price.
Good to know you had success! It is a great product!
Great video, Marty. I love having the Tek-slot box. It adds so much more to the hobby. I'm glad you figured out the issue.
Thanks Ronin! It is fantastic! Simple mistake, hope everyone learns from my mess up 😂
@Marty Ford very informative, had a tek slot box for years and still learned something new. I think I need a better multimeter though!!!
Great explanation on how the Tek-Slot box works, seeing the inside with 1/24 chips just made the whole thing click for me. The world of slot cars really opens up with that box, saves in the long run compared to chipping every car. I did redesign my layout to have equal lengths for each lane after getting the box. Have fun with the Tek-Slot!
You're welcome! It does open up a whole new world.
Took me awhile to get to this video Marty. Thanks for the great explanations and the humor!
Thanks! Well if you can’t laugh at yourself… 🤷🏻♂️ also, If I can keep someone else from making the same mistakes.. 👍
I am so sorry to hear about what you had to go through, but thank you for sharing your experience for the rest of us to learn from! I'm not planning on getting one of these at the moment, but who knows what the future holds, so it'll be great to have this video for that possible future reference. Thanks again and have fun!
That is the reason I walked through testing for lane isolation. It is simple, but easy to get wrong for the beginner.. my mistake hopefully prevents someone else from making the same thing.. then again.. I may be the only idiot out there 😂
@@twolinesslotcars Idiot?? No!! You have the courage to do what many of us (especially me!) are too paralyzed to try Lol!
@@All-ScaleSlotCars now that I actually understand how to test to see if you have lane isolation it is easy. I can’t explain how great it is to be able to go from analog to digital with the flip of a switch..
@@twolinesslotcars Hmmm, maybe this will be in my future after all! My greatest fear is that I'd fry it all up, but being armed with this knowledge is the key. Thank you!
But what needs to be done in the curved lane change to be used with a Tek-Slots?
Remove the jumper inside the lane that connects the lanes together… there are video instructions out there..
Hi Marty, sorry this happened to you! Glad it was a fixable issue. Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us brother. Would love to find a tekslot box one day, now I have a better understanding at least.
I am fortunate that Jorge let me borrow his. I am always on the look out for one.. I will keep my eyes peeled for one Massimo!
Never let the magic smoke out. It has to stay inside.
It looks to me like there is no logic in that box aside from the chips. That implies that you could make one of these for next to nothing. I hope they aren't charging stupid money for a box like that.
Thanks for the update Marty.
It seems pretty straight forward.. a box, a few chips, a few switches, lights and some knowledge of solder and wiring.. you could build one..
Great job and video Marty. I'm just about to play around with a Tek Slots box on my track and this has been a big help - probably saved me from blowing a few electronics. Also, I didn't realise that that the Tek Slot box simply chipped the track - ingenious! I suppose that explains why you can use the same controllers. I wonder if it would help to put an inline fuse in the wiring??
I don’t think a fuse is fast enough to save the chip. If you test like I show you for lane isolation, you will be fine. 😂
It is a great video when you talk us through things…supporting what he writing reads, but listening to and seeing how it should be! Thank you Marty!
Thanks Lindsey!
G'day Marty, mate great TH-cam, honest mistake I would have done this myself, George is top bloke 👏 👍. Keep up the good work Marty 👏
Rhys, I agree! Jorge is a great dude… everyone should go follow his channel @area51racewayNC
Thank you Marty!
No worries! Hope it helps people!
@@twolinesslotcars I am confident that it will save allot of people a great deal of aggravation and consternation!
I would guess that the only reason I did not make the same mistakes is because it took so long for me to find my TekSlot unit, I read just about everything out there on it before finally finding one a couple months ago!
Hello Marty, I found your video very interesting for building my own Box. I have already made good progress, could you help me check my connections so as not to burn a component with photos of the internal connections of your Tek-Slot? Thanks
Let me see if I have pics.
Hi Marty, I am a total noob when it comes to Slot cars, I dont own anything YET, but will soon. Can you explain the differences between ananlog and digital? What does ananlog offer over digital and vice versa, why would you want to run analog? Does race software still work with analog?
Thanks in advace
Gene
Gene, this is probably a video I should create and share my thoughts on it. It is not a simple answer. I enjoy both. I had not done much analog racing until last week. The beauty of analog is that no slot car brand is off limits. You do not have to install a digital chip in every car which gets expensive. Digital racing is a whole experience, fuel simulation, lane changing, up to 6 cars on the track at a time. I feel like digital can be a bit chaotic, which is part of what I like about it. Analog is me against the track.. it is a different strategy.. there are many more points.. I will work on a video.
On the bright side when you decide to get the omnislotbox so you can run your scratch built cars in the future your all set for wiring .
Tim, it was such a rookie mistake from me.. proves I am still just a beginner. 😂 but you are right.. down the road I will be ready when I buy an Omnibox.
Hey Marty came across this video. I have the axel box. My question is, can you run high power motors with tek slot box? So 21500 rpm and up? Thanks Marty
Frankie, the limitation is at the chip… I have not had any problems running 25k motors and less.. I ran into problems with motors that draw a lot of amps.. lots of magnetic downforce.. 1/24 motors draw to much power.. chips were getting expensive so I just stopped using anything over 25k.. plus they were too fast for my track.. the chips would melt
@twolinesslotcars thanks for your experience in this matter. I wasn't sure about axel box limitations but it is exactly same as the tekslot box. People do run at 25000k motors no issue. I was just wondering if any ran into issues and I haven't heard anything as of yet. Thanks again Marty. Take care
Hey Marty Enjoy your Chanel as my 11 year old and I just got into slot cars over Christmas. He got his first set. I have a question for you or any other person on here that gets this question. We are looking to hook up my laptop to the digital control ll unit. Is there a pc to control unit cable I can get my hands on. Im in Australia so take that into consideration. Things are ridiculously expensive here as originally we are from Canada. Moved here 2 years ago now. So yah if anyone knows where we can get that cable please any help would be great. Thanks in advance.
Thanks so much! Are you on Carrera? You have two options for Carrera Digital.. use the Carrera Bluetooth adapter or this:
www.lebhobbies.com/race-link-30349usb25-usb-interface-for-carrera-d124132-25-cord-p-11470.html
I could not find it in Australia, but that doesn't mean it is not available. Most people appear to have moved on to the bluetooth adapter and SmartRace on the iPad.
Where do I get a tek slot box? Is that all I need to run analog cars on digital carrera track?
You have a few options. Tek-Slot is no longer making boxes. The Axlebox is the same device. You can find them on their facebook page. I have made my own box and posted two detailed videos about a DIY version that is a little different. The Tek-Slot box uses lane chipping, which means in simplest terms.. there is a digital chip in the box for each lane.. instead of chipping the cars, you are putting the chips in front of the lanes. They show up on ebay for sale and some forums..
Great video, To bad they are not producing the box anymore... The Omnibox is crazy expensive.
Thanks again, will be looking to find another option
There seems to be a supply of them out there second hand for sale.. the Omnibox is a whole other animal. It is an investment, especially if you are constantly chipping cars to run on your digital track. It is definitely a luxury for a slot car layout. But has a lot of advantages. Maybe someone else will recognize the market for the Tek-Slot box and create another version.
Hopefully someone will, I can't find any for sale
@@CurvyRoadSlotCars I will be on the look out..
I am going to take a stab at creating a home-made 3D printed replica with the same concept, without the track-call button to start. As soon as the box was opened in this video it all made sense how it works; two chips with the motor output leads supplying the track lanes with voltage - still programmed digitally which blew me away, but applying the motor-lead output of the chips to the track in a way that analog cars are compatible with.... Well done to the creator of this box, that is what I call thinking outside of 'the box'.
I think that I will wait to do that.
Gary, it is easy once you understand how to test for lane isolation. That is is the point of the video and adding the Tek-Slot box was the best improvement I have done to the track thanks to Jorge letting me borrow his. The ability to run any car at anytime.. 👍
The wiring that you showed under the track is it necessary and has to be done. Because I saw someone else connected one to there track and I can't remember if they did the wiring I saw you did.
@@garydunmore9179 the wiring your saw under the CU in the video was the leads for the power taps. I connected all of my power taps (3) to the bottom of the CU track piece and then they extend out to different track pieces through out the layout. If you buy the Carrera power tap cables.. it is even easier. Reach out if you need help installing power taps.. I can walk you through it. There are lots of videos out there that show you step by step
I should have loaned you a digital multimeter 🥴
I’m old school 😂 I still would have messed it up 😂
I switched to OmniBox, same with isolation
How do you like it?
@@twolinesslotcars love it. All you have to do is flip the switch, and the most important thing for me, being able to use my analog controllers too.
Thanks Marty, Are they still making the Tek-Slot Box?
Johan, I don’t believe they are making anymore due to the chip shortage. Follow the Tek-Slot Facebook page for more information. They pop up for sale after some people move on to the Omnibox.
Marty how much is the box and how do I order one
@@philrusso1979 they are no longer being made.. but do come up for sale in the forums ever so often.
where can we get tek-slot box
It's available "Nevtember first 2099" aka it's a discontinued product. OmniSlotBox is the solution now days.
Shane, they are not being produced anymore.. there seems to be no shortage of people willing to sell theirs if they have upgraded to the Omnibox or went another direction.
@@twolinesslotcars thanks Marty
If George sent you the TSB with a correctly wired CU, and that CU tested correctly pre installing on the track...where was the non isolated/shorted bit of track? Additional power tap reversed on that gimped lane? You left out the most important part....what was actually wired wrong that caused the issue.
I can see why this thing isn't being sold retail anymore. I can't imagine the % of units sold vs support time spent with customers and money lost replacing cooked chips.
I need to watch and see if I cut that bit out. I explained that I had one pair on one power tap flipped positive to negative on the outside lane. Everything operated fine until I coded a controller to the outside lane then placed a car on that lane.. the car caused the short as which in turned caused the CU to go crazy, car to stop on the track and the power supply to drop voltage and spike the amps. This ended up burning up the chip on the outside lane. I think I explain all of this in the conclusion.
@@twolinesslotcars makes total sense, in fact it may have been a dead short as soon as you turned it on - if the taps were criss-crossed it wouldn't matter if the car was on the track or not, the + would have been in contact with the - from the second power was applied, it would increase in voltage as you pulled the trigger on the control handle which would spike the current