Thanks for the tips. It helps so much. Good information about slot car track wiring is hard to find. Any plans to show how to wire a reversing switch? Thanks for all your doing to help the hobby grow.
Looking for options on power supply solutions for HO tracks. I want to build a track capable of running all classes of cars including unlimited classes. A 4 lane is my ideal size. Best reliable value for the money type deal is my goal. Would you guys recommend something like a lab bench top PS (what V/A range? I was thinking 0-30V/0-30A as one of the more expensive solutions)? I recently saw a really low cost option using smaller individual retail set power supplies 1 per lane. Terry over at Harden Creek came up with a brilliant hack using laptop chargers. What's the best option in your opinion?
You need to get a 24v CPU power supply, then connect your power to a DC/DC step down power converter, or a Bucks step down converter. My CPU power supply is capable of 20a max output, and my step down converters are 5a, so each lane has a max output of 5a/24v, which has way more than enough for every car I have driven on the track. Best part is, that the entire set-up minus the wiring is around 50 bucks. The CPU power supply was around $20 and the step down converters are around $5-7 dollars each. You can get the three amp step down converters for less than that, but I wanted mine to have a higher amp limit. I've had it in service for 2 years and zero issues encountered. And if the price isn't enough to go for this type set up, each and every lane has independent voltage adjustment individual of each other. I went this way, so I can turn down the voltage on my grandkids lanes as they only know full throttle and off! I can adjust my own lane to suit my voltage needs, say 18v for me and 9v for the kids. Then when it is time for real racing, you can level the voltage across the lanes and whatever voltage agreed upon can be used. The converters will adjust from around 3v all the way up to Max 24v, and with all the amps available they really haul ass. Believe it or not I bought all of my electronic components off eBay. You can look it up and see what I'm talking about. I mounted the power supply under my table and I have the converters tastefully mounted on each station. To adjust voltage, I merely remove the cover off of the converter and it can be tuned with a potentiometer screw that is adjustable with a jeweler's screw driver. I made my stations out of wood planks and each station has its own screwdriver, and ceramic tweezers for on the move tuning. I also cut up an AFX 15in straight into 4 sections and mounted the 3in section to the drivers stand. One of the two lanes is hotwired to output the voltage shown on the led indicator of the step down converter. I use that lane as a break in block. The second one is connected to controller output, so whatever input it is given from your controller is what your cars armature will put out. This is the tuning lane. I cut small wheel Holes for the axle and tires to spin freely while on the areas. My 4 lane is on a 4x14 table that I built and Tomy track. I don't remember how many feet long it is per se but I tapped in the power in 8 locations and have no issues whatsoever with power, zero. I run a three line control with red wire braking. 14 guage wire throughout. When I eventually step up to a viper scale track, I have no doubt that I will use this same type of set up, if not just use exactly what I already have. I also know that hack that Terry did with an adjustable laptop supply to each lane and I used it for about a year until I built this one. I would say that it is a good idea, but I would use the set up I have explained here because it is beefier and definitely more durable. When I used the laptop power supplies, I had two of them burn out on me. They're just really cheap and probably over rated. I would rather use it than the lab supply ones too, it's got cooling fins and fans it's built to make constant power. Check into it. Whew
@@nurzrachit7133 Wow. I appreciate the reply but damn. 8-) I'll look in to your setup. Sounds like a solution that meets my needs. Can you give me the part numbers for your components? There are a couple of places in town that recycle and resell old PC parts and other recovered electronics. I already got an old PC there for my track manager system. You can email me if you prefer. (bigralphsmith@gmail)
Thanks for the tips. It helps so much. Good information about slot car track wiring is hard to find. Any plans to show how to wire a reversing switch? Thanks for all your doing to help the hobby grow.
Could you show how to solder the power tap to the rail once it’s installed.
what are the track measurements? also is table and track divided into two pieces ( for easy storage?)
This track is 4x16 and is 2 pcs. The joint is on the middle and the track can easily be stored on its side.
Are you ready?
Looking for options on power supply solutions for HO tracks. I want to build a track capable of running all classes of cars including unlimited classes. A 4 lane is my ideal size. Best reliable value for the money type deal is my goal. Would you guys recommend something like a lab bench top PS (what V/A range? I was thinking 0-30V/0-30A as one of the more expensive solutions)?
I recently saw a really low cost option using smaller individual retail set power supplies 1 per lane.
Terry over at Harden Creek came up with a brilliant hack using laptop chargers.
What's the best option in your opinion?
You need to get a 24v CPU power supply, then connect your power to a DC/DC step down power converter, or a Bucks step down converter. My CPU power supply is capable of 20a max output, and my step down converters are 5a, so each lane has a max output of 5a/24v, which has way more than enough for every car I have driven on the track. Best part is, that the entire set-up minus the wiring is around 50 bucks. The CPU power supply was around $20 and the step down converters are around $5-7 dollars each. You can get the three amp step down converters for less than that, but I wanted mine to have a higher amp limit. I've had it in service for 2 years and zero issues encountered. And if the price isn't enough to go for this type set up, each and every lane has independent voltage adjustment individual of each other. I went this way, so I can turn down the voltage on my grandkids lanes as they only know full throttle and off! I can adjust my own lane to suit my voltage needs, say 18v for me and 9v for the kids. Then when it is time for real racing, you can level the voltage across the lanes and whatever voltage agreed upon can be used. The converters will adjust from around 3v all the way up to Max 24v, and with all the amps available they really haul ass. Believe it or not I bought all of my electronic components off eBay. You can look it up and see what I'm talking about. I mounted the power supply under my table and I have the converters tastefully mounted on each station. To adjust voltage, I merely remove the cover off of the converter and it can be tuned with a potentiometer screw that is adjustable with a jeweler's screw driver. I made my stations out of wood planks and each station has its own screwdriver, and ceramic tweezers for on the move tuning. I also cut up an AFX 15in straight into 4 sections and mounted the 3in section to the drivers stand. One of the two lanes is hotwired to output the voltage shown on the led indicator of the step down converter. I use that lane as a break in block. The second one is connected to controller output, so whatever input it is given from your controller is what your cars armature will put out. This is the tuning lane. I cut small wheel Holes for the axle and tires to spin freely while on the areas. My 4 lane is on a 4x14 table that I built and Tomy track. I don't remember how many feet long it is per se but I tapped in the power in 8 locations and have no issues whatsoever with power, zero. I run a three line control with red wire braking. 14 guage wire throughout. When I eventually step up to a viper scale track, I have no doubt that I will use this same type of set up, if not just use exactly what I already have. I also know that hack that Terry did with an adjustable laptop supply to each lane and I used it for about a year until I built this one. I would say that it is a good idea, but I would use the set up I have explained here because it is beefier and definitely more durable. When I used the laptop power supplies, I had two of them burn out on me. They're just really cheap and probably over rated. I would rather use it than the lab supply ones too, it's got cooling fins and fans it's built to make constant power. Check into it. Whew
@@nurzrachit7133 Wow. I appreciate the reply but damn. 8-)
I'll look in to your setup. Sounds like a solution that meets my needs.
Can you give me the part numbers for your components?
There are a couple of places in town that recycle and resell old PC parts and other recovered electronics. I already got an old PC there for my track manager system.
You can email me if you prefer. (bigralphsmith@gmail)