I'm looking to increase braking on my home track(Carrera Analog). I've searched a bit but cannot seem to find a clear answer. What if I solder a resistor across the motor tabs? If power is on it flow straight to the motor but on no power the motor has to drive the resistor? Did I miss something?
Putting a resistor across the terminals only creates a partial short - with resistance, using electrical power, probably overheating and cooking the resistor, and ultimately either "open circuit" again, as before resistor, or a dead short (far worse)
You cannot increase braking beyond what the system already creates, which is a dead short on the rails when the controller trigger is fully released - which in turn means the rolling car forces the motor to be a "generator" into a dead short.
Carrera motors are fairly low torque though, and their brakes are not as strong as some other S-can motor cars like Slot.it, or even Scaley. Added to that, Carrera cars are fairly heavy, which means the motor is trying to slow down more weight.
But added to that, if you have magnets int he cars, the magnetic downforce is a pretty effective brake anyway. I cannot imagine anyone needing or being able to accurately harness more brake effectively ......
Removing all the silly little chokes on the motor may increase braking a little, but there should be ample braking if you are running with traction magnets in the cars anyway.
If not, I suspect either a system fault, or you have very poor tyre grip on the track.
Run a car with the rear wheels in the air, release the controller, it should stop the wheels turning in a split second. If not, you have some fault in the track/controller.
SlotsNZ has given a good answer, few points I'll add.
Gear ratio makes a difference to brakes. More teeth on the axle gear and/ or less teeth on the pinion gives more brakes (+ more acceleration and less top speed which may or may not be a good thing on your track)
Those who are into rebuilding motors can change the braking of an existing motor. (If you are not into taking motors apart, changing the motor as SlotsNZ suggests is an option)
Those who understand track wiring could try reverse voltage braking will increase braking. This is banned at many clubs and nearly all higher level racing, but home tracks don't have to follow those rules.
I have tried changing gears with Carrera cars and it will improve braking somewhat, but that is an expensive solution since you have to replace the rear axle, crown gear, wheels and tires. A motor with more brakes would probably work better, but that is also expensive and you have to find a motor that has can drive. I have used a Slot.it orange end bell motor in a Carrera chassis. For kicks you could try putting a neodymium magnet on either side of the stock motor, that would improve both torque and braking, at least a little. I tried reverse voltage braking back in the mid '60s, it worked well but it was immediatly outlawed. If you would like to try it you would have to cut the brake wire of a controller and connect it to a 6 volt dry cell with 100 ohm (or so) potentiometer wired in series. If you dial in too much brakes the car will want to go backwards instead of standing still!
Back in the Sixties at the track I raced at, everyone had reverse brakes wired into their controllers. We usually did it with just a "C" battery. Since everyone did it there was no advantage to anyone. With just the 1.5 volts it wouldn't send the car backwards, but did shorten braking distance quite effectively.
Back in the Sixties at the track I raced at, everyone had reverse brakes wired into their controllers. We usually did it with just a "C" battery. Since everyone did it there was no advantage to anyone. With just the 1.5 volts it wouldn't send the car backwards, but did shorten braking distance quite effectively.
JDR,
Yep, but 'back then' we all had motors that were wound with 30 turns of #24 wire, questionable magnets and 50 years less of ;'technology'. We needed all the help we could get!
When I have a car with bad brakes, I brake earlier. :P
Seriously, though, if you want better brakes, you're looking at replacing most of the working parts in the car. At that point, you've spent enough to buy a new car.
Since you're analog, and Carrera track, you can run pretty much ANY car out there, from Scalextric to ScaleAuto. Different makers and models will have different performance, especially in the acceleration and braking area, not to mention top speed and handling.
Pick up a slot.it car. Those things will stop on a dime if you use magnets, and on a quarter if you don't.
Don't waste money changing your cars to be something they're not. Enjoy them for what they are, and add some new cars/brands/types to your collection. At least one from each major manufacturer is a good idea, if only so that you know what brand you want to invest more into.
When I have a car with bad brakes, I brake earlier. :P
Seriously, though, if you want better brakes, you're looking at replacing most of the working parts in the car. At that point, you've spent enough to buy a new car.
Since you're analog, and Carrera track, you can run pretty much ANY car out there, from Scalextric to ScaleAuto. Different makers and models will have different performance, especially in the acceleration and braking area, not to mention top speed and handling.
Pick up a slot.it car. Those things will stop on a dime if you use magnets, and on a quarter if you don't.
Don't waste money changing your cars to be something they're not. Enjoy them for what they are, and add some new cars/brands/types to your collection. At least one from each major manufacturer is a good idea, if only so that you know what brand you want to invest more into.
or just try that thing with the battery on the controller
Increase braking
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