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Post by dave632 on Mar 14, 2018 16:01:39 GMT -7
My first track was a stock AFX with AFX transformers. Adding a 10 amp power supply made a difference. Switching to a Max Trax was the next change which made another improvement. Adding a second 10 amp supply was another improvement. Then 3 #10 inputs, then 2 30 amp supplies, all made an improvement. The difference between the first track and the latest is big. Even a stock car with a 14 ohm armature would be a good .2 quicker and a 2.5 hot chassis would be .4 quicker and run about 7 mph faster. This surely makes it difficult to compare your times to what others are running. My cars are always slower on other tracks. I think the 30 amp supplies are probably the biggest difference.
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Post by GTS on Mar 16, 2018 19:15:29 GMT -7
Took some time this afternoon to run some cars and write down some ET's. Wiped down the track and cleaned tires before I ran them. Nuthin' extraordinary, just where I'm at with the track. Ran a bunch of different cars just to see. It's obvious I need to get the 60 foot sensor installed. I'm sure it will give me some valuable info. Hoping to get that done this weekend and lay the rails for lane 2.
Anyways, this was a result for the orange '57 I sent to Jeff's where it ran mid .6's pretty consistently and it's running mid .7's consistently on my track.
This is a stock DR1, hopefully for Smokey Mtn. also. It was all over the place. Really hops around at the start and will sometimes leave the slot about 2 feet from the start. Looks like I'm going to have to see if a wheelie bar will cure this and I'm hoping it will.
This is a stock TR3 I'm trying to get ready for Smokey Mtn. It has been pretty consistent also.
That's it, just an update, seeya next time.
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Post by gnome on Mar 17, 2018 7:20:31 GMT -7
It sure is extraordinary to me,been following every post anticipating this one.your track is leaps and bounds beyond mine,as well as your timing system. The incremental timing system will be a great tuning aid.will be building new 1000'er myself was going to be painted wood but now that I've seen the pvc laminate with seamless rails im rethinking things.i myself would like 2 speed traps.one for mid track and one at the end.keep the info coming it's made a difference in my world thank u
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Post by dave632 on Mar 17, 2018 8:25:24 GMT -7
Coming along nicely. I guarantee your cars will be quicker on my track. Wheelie bars are allowed in all classes and I highly recommend them for drag racing. We don't want to see de slots on the track we want to see a run to the finish. Wheelie bars will not stop all de slots but it is a big help.
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Post by GTS on Mar 17, 2018 8:58:54 GMT -7
It sure is extraordinary to me,been following every post anticipating this one.your track is leaps and bounds beyond mine,as well as your timing system. The incremental timing system will be a great tuning aid.will be building new 1000'er myself was going to be painted wood but now that I've seen the pvc laminate with seamless rails im rethinking things.i myself would like 2 speed traps.one for mid track and one at the end.keep the info coming it's made a difference in my world thank u Thank You so much gnome! It means a lot that you are enjoying the updates! Any other info that I haven't shared, that you feel would be helpful, just let me know. I don't think I'm allowed to put a link to the software, I tried to google it and it didn't show up . I will try to put together a post on the software that doesn't infringe on any posting rules. It is a free download (optional donation) and you can run it in 'demo mode' to see if it meets your needs. It does require hooking everything up to an 'Arduino' board and then via usb to your computer, to use it with your track. The Arduino thing really had me intimidated but turned out to be really easy. Thanks again, gnome, for the kind words and interest! Gale EDIT: if interested in the software, just google "drag race coordinator".
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Post by GTS on Mar 17, 2018 9:29:26 GMT -7
Coming along nicely. I guarantee your cars will be quicker on my track. Wheelie bars are allowed in all classes and I highly recommend them for drag racing. We don't want to see de slots on the track we want to see a run to the finish. Wheelie bars will not stop all de slots but it is a big help. Thanks Dave! Looking forward to your race in April!!! Do you have a recommended clearance from the bar to the track that you could share? I simply use my fingernail as a gauge under the wheelie bar. Or about .010.
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Post by GTS on Mar 17, 2018 13:01:15 GMT -7
How I straightened the wire for the rails on lane 2: This is the wire straightener that I thru together from crap I had laying around, crude but it works. If I'd had to purchase it all, not sure I would have. The bearings on the blocks of wood are adjustable via the bolts on the sides. Here it is loaded up, adjusted and ready to rock. This is a crude video of pulling the wire thru. Sorry for the crudeness but a videographer I'm not. And if you look real close you can see how straight the wire is with no tension on it. That's it for today, giggin' tonite and gotta get ready. I hope this helps others and gives them ideas!
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Post by hilltopspeedway on Mar 18, 2018 6:56:55 GMT -7
Cool engineering on the wire straightner...not sure of the logic behind it, but I see it works!!! Thanks for the video...RM
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Post by ncdragracer on Mar 18, 2018 7:21:48 GMT -7
Very impressive Looking better and better, updates are awesome, and the timing system looks sweet.
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Post by GTS on Mar 18, 2018 18:57:04 GMT -7
Cool engineering on the wire straightner...not sure of the logic behind it, but I see it works!!! Thanks for the video...RM Thanks! It certainly works better than how I tried to straighten the wire for lane one. I had tried a turnbuckle to stretch and tighten the wire, and then spin it. It worked okay but that contraption with the v-bearings worked a bunch better . Made the install of the wire much easier. Thanks, appreciate the encouragement! Got the rails/wire glued down for lane 2 today. That went a lot better this time. I cut a couple strips from a biz card that was .012" thick and glued those on each side of the aluminum bar that's .5" x .75" x 2.5". Used it as a jig to press the rail into the slot after I had put glue in the slot. The glue I used is pictured. I put it in the vape juice bottle shown. It had the metal tip which made it way easier to control the glue application. I used approximately 3/4 full in the vape bottle for 2 rails, 16+ feet long. I applied glue about 2 feet at a time. Didn't need to use any activator although I had it handy in case it was needed.
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Post by kiwidave on Mar 18, 2018 20:09:03 GMT -7
Great work. This is going to be a top notch track!!
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Post by GTS on Mar 19, 2018 15:27:28 GMT -7
Great work. This is going to be a top notch track!! Thanks! Well, I was needing something quick and easy for the light bridges, so decided to make these three light holders for now, one at the start, one at 60 scale feet and one at the finish. Used some scrap 1/8" pvc and glued together. They hold the give-a-way Harbor Freight led flashlights. I still need to buy another 2-pack @ $3 and they even come with the batteries . I'll eventually wire them direct to a 4.5 volt wall wart and eliminate the battery casing. Then some day put in some infra red leds but this will get me going without too much fuss for now.
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Post by GTS on Mar 23, 2018 17:24:02 GMT -7
A small update: Well, it got silly rather quickly turning the flashlights off and on , so I got those wired up to a wall wart. Couldn't use the 4.5 vdc one I had, too weak in the amps department to get enough light to trigger the sensors so rummaged around and found a 2 amp 5 vdc one and it works good. Picked up some lumber for the side boards but figured I better get the starting area some what lined out before I mounted those, so got that done today. Made a little temporary plate to hook up controllers to. Just using one controller for now with jumpers for the other lane. I figure if I gotta walk down for one car, I just as well grab two .
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Post by kiwidave on Mar 23, 2018 17:36:42 GMT -7
Great color scheme!
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Post by GTS on Mar 23, 2018 18:15:29 GMT -7
Thanks KiwiDave! I forgot to mention that thru a few hours of testing so far, the two lanes are pretty equal. I was concerned that they were gonna be noticeably different. So far, they are only .003 seconds difference between the two, which I'm thrilled with .
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