Articles
How to Make a Tachometer and Motor Dynometer
Send this article to:
Published: November 27, 2008
Print
Email
Wow, can things change fast. Now that we have the shapes and the foundation pieces in place and where we want them, it’s time to start making things look like grass, dirt and rocks. This part of the scenery series will be a bit shorter on text and much more focused on images to show you how to make the grass look like grass or rocks like rocks and so forth.
-
Published: November 13, 2008
Print
Email
The pancake motor design has been with us since Aurora Plastics released it in their Model Motoring line in 1963. Through the years this enduring design has gone through 5 upgrades and 8 variants with Aurora since its debut and even today several companies have offered there own variations of this timeless chassis design.
-
Published: November 2, 2008
Print
Email
Dickie Pearson, who races regularly with Marc, had suggested braiding the layout instead of replacing the copper tape. Marc's initial reaction was like most other track owners when braiding a track is discussed - very difficult ("I don't have the tools or skills...") and a time-consuming project ("I don't want to be without my track any longer than I have to be..."). Over the past several months, Slot Car Corner has worked closely with several northeast track owners to braid their layouts - both new tracks and existing tracks which originally used copper tape.
-
Published: September 20, 2008
Print
Email
The level of detail one can put into a race track is only limited by your imagination. Scenery has long been the realm of the model train enthusiast, but is seeing more and more popularity in the slot racing world. All scales are benefiting from this new trend. Buildings, pit crews, landscaping and even spectators are now populating our endeavors giving even more realism and enjoyment to the hobby.
-
Published: June 10, 2008
Print
Email
The level of detail one can put into a race track is only limited by your imagination. Scenery has long been the realm of the model train enthusiast, but is seeing more and more popularity in the slot racing world. All scales are benefiting from this new trend. Buildings, pit crews, landscaping and even spectators are now populating our endeavors giving even more realism and enjoyment to the hobby.
-
Published: June 8, 2008
Print
Email
To calculate the power of a small D.C. Motor you need to know the Stall Torque and the Maximum RPM.
To find the maximum RPM of the test motor, make a disc approximately 1” in diameter that will fit the armature shaft snugly. Use a magic marker to blacken half of the disc.
Connect the motor and a DVM to a variable power supply. Under fluorescent lighting, increase the motor’s RPM slowly from zero and watch the disc spin. The first time the pattern on the disc stops turning is at 3600 RPM, the second time it stops turning is at 7200 RPM.
-
Published: May 29, 2008
Print
Email
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to analyze, in detail, the motor performance of your top flight slot car, without having to run lap after lap? One to one engine builders use dynometers to rate the horse power their power plants are pushing out, so why not use that same concept to rate and compare our scale machines?
-
Published: May 14, 2008
Print
Email
I have always had a love for the high horse power nitro burning dragsters that I got to see at the local track during those hot summers of the past. Seeing the rails lift their wheels and scream down the quarter in the wink of an eye, the smell of rubber and fumes and smoke as they blow on by.
-
Published: May 8, 2008
Print
Email
Recently, I bought a Scalextric Ferrari F430 to participate in a club race. I figured it would be a great idea to open up the car, just to make sure everything looked race-ready inside. As I GENTLY tried to pry the motor out, the chassis snapped on both sides right under the motor mount. As there is a lot of stress on this area when inserting the motor, I knew I couldn't just put glue in the crack and hope for the best. There's just not enough surface area for the glue to bite into.
-
Published: April 12, 2008
Print
Email
If you run your cars with stock wheels this is bound to happen one day: you'll crash hard, the hub will crack and the wheel will fall off.
-
