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who remembers this? Steering Wheels
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 10:58 am
by RARAG7
NB: Link does Not Work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KREjxmaI ... re=related
love to see you drive todays cars with this style of controller
RARA
Re: who remembers this?
Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 12:00 pm
by ozproducts
That same lap counter is in jame's office I think its been there for a while
kid kaos
Re: who remembers this?
Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 2:32 pm
by stoo23
It must have been acquired at some stage by Martin, or perhaps Charles, as the lap Counters at Waitara weren't like that.
Re: who remembers this?
Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 2:53 pm
by RePete
5000 slot parlours in the USA that really was the glory days of slot cars!
Can anyone explain how the sterring wheel works?
Re: who remembers this?
Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 10:06 pm
by stoo23
Good Question Pete!
Whilst I am Not Completely sure,..I was led to believe it was a form of 'Sum and Difference' circuit, that compared the steering angle applied and throttle position.
HOW this actually worked I am unsure of, especially with just any 'run of the mill' slot car!
The Early 'Bowling Centre' type "T Slot" cars, as supplied byt eh centres at the time, Did have I believe a Potentiometer fitted to the Guide on the cars as well.
It is a question that has come up a number of times on various forums and so far has Not been adequately answered IMHO,..so perhaps I may have to ask the man who Knows Everything,..PDL,..over at SlotBlog for a Definitive answer.
Re: who remembers this?
Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 1:44 pm
by stoo23
Well,..there you go,...checked on SlotBlog and Got an answer.
The System was even Simpler than you would believe and Worked even WORSE !!!,..lol
A link to my 'post' at SlotBlog;
http://slotblog.net/index.php?showtopic ... ntry307219
here is Philippe de Lespinay's answer;
"The steering wheel does not steer at all. It has three electric contacts, set at approximately 90 degrees from each other. When the wheel is straight, the contacts provide current to the straightaways. Move it 30 degrees right or left and there is no more current flowing and your car stops. When your wheel is straight and the car is near a corner, you steer right or left depending on where the corner is going. Now you have to turn the wheel exactly enough (90 degrees) to connect the contacts to provide current to the turn. If not, your car stops. The "gas" pedal is the rheostat that feeds more or less power to the motor.
It was and still is a stupid system that worked poorly and often the contacts oxidized from arcing and went dead. Quality of construction was not so great so often, the angle necessary to establish electrical contact was different from station to station. A true mess. Within one year or so, all these tracks were converted and the wheels removed. "
So there ya go.
Re: who remembers this?
Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:23 am
by RePete
Hey Stoo thanks for the answers
If I am reading it right my original suspision might have been right. The braid may have been broken at the corners and then wired through the wheel into groups of straight, left corner & right corner so if you hit the corner and dont turn then the car would stop
While the old system might have been prone to breakdown it could be done today with reliable components and might even appeal to the playstation generation
Cheers Pete