Okay guys, I know that this is in the wrong section, but since many folks, me included, have absolutely no interest in digital slot car racing, and never visit the digital page of the forum, I figured that I would start a thread here to discus this system a bit.
My understanding is that there is a system out there that was invented by a fellow named David in France, called BLST or BEST LANE SLOTCAR TECHNOLOGY.
Here is a link to his Website so that you can better see what he has developed. http://sillage.racing.free.fr/barcel...howitworks.htm
There is also a fellow in Belgium (DDA) that has built a track based on the SPA track.
This fellow is fairly active in the digital forums and has an absolutely fabulous track. http://slotcarillustrated.com/portal...ight=best+lane
You can see a bunch of his videos on YouTube. Here are a few of them;
There is also another system called SCORPIUS that was invented by a fellow in Australia. I don't know or understand what exactly SCORPIUS DOES, but apparently in can be adapted to work on any track system, including ones using the BLST system.
I have tried to read everything I can on this topic, but unfortunately I am a complete loser when it comes to electronics talk, and many of these treads start getting pretty technical.
So while I really don't understand the half of this whole thing, I must say that it seems as though this is the future of slot car racing.
So what am I missing, this system appears to be the ULTIMATE!!
It is the only system that seems to turn slot racing into something that actually emulates true road racing.
I would love it if someone out there that understands these different systems, could explain it to the rest of us in really plain layman's terms so that we can have some meaningful discussion about this most intriguing technology.
Later
Gordo Bond 007
P.S. Hopefully this topic gets rolling, its been a little boring on the board here lately.
Last edited by Gordo Bond 007; 07-22-2008 at 10:46 AM.
Hey Gordo
I've been intrigued by these systems myself and would like to try one out. They look great in action but I wonder how much cooperation is needed to get a few laps in consistently without taking each other out. I didn't think I'd like squeeze tracks on analogue routed tracks but after trying it I liked it.
One advantage is you don't need to marshal into any particular lane though.
The downside for me would be the sheer number of analogue cars that I have already.
Gordo, I don't know a whole lot about BLST (and hold the mayo) but you'll find most of the information on Scorpius here with an update on north american delivery here.
I've done some reading on BLST and Scorpius but haven't actually tried either. Here are the facts as I understand them:
BLST is digital so a chip is required in each car.
There is no lane change button. (except on the Spa track and that is just to access the pit lane)
By default in BLST a car racing alone will always follow the best racing line.
When cars are running close together approaching a lane change BLST will keep the lead car (call it car A) on the line and kick the overtaker (car B) into the passing lane.
At the next lane change BLST's collision avoidance logic will do one of three things:
-If car B has completed the pass it will drop it onto the best racing line and Car B will drop in behind it.
-If car A has retained the lead it will get the racing line and car B will drop in behind it.
-if cars A and B are running close together it will keep them running parallel until the next lane change where BSLT will go through the logic again.
It gets more interesting with more cars but the short story as I understand it is that BLST's collision avoidance logic it pretty good and gives the lead driver the best line until someone is close and keeps them parallel until someone completes a pass.
I really like the videos I've seen of the racing on BLST and if I had the money and inclination to go digital my dream track would be a BLST routed wood track with Scorpius bits.
I agree with you Paul,when I am focused on racing hard, I have enough on my hands, I don't need to be watching for other cars, and to perform lane changes, and that is why I have totally poohpooed the whole digital exercise.
I guess the fact that the fact that this BLST system is AUTOMATIC, is why it interests me so much.
You don't have to do anything except drive your car as fast and as hard as you can, just like normal analogue racing.
The way I understand it, the track takes care of all the lane changes and crash avoidance for you.
Basically if you come flying up behind another car, the track senses it, and it automatically switches you to the other lane to pass the guy.
If the track senses that if you were to change lanes you would crash into another car, then it does NOT automatically switch the lane your driving on. Instead, you will continue to follow the other car until the conditions are suitable, and then it will switch you over to make the pass.
So this is really what I like about this idea, its completely automatic.
To me its like all of the cars will be on one perfect line, which hits all the apex's of the corners, until it becomes time to make a pass.
So it really is just like REAL auto racing.
It seems to make so much sense, I can't believe that the big guys haven't grabbed onto the idea.
In some ways I think that we are just in the infancy days of digital slot car racing, kind of like the time when computers first hit the market. Everyone is just trying different things out, trying to see what works and what doesn't in the real world.
I sure hope that BLST becomes the standard some day, because I think that it is as good as you can get in terms of racing slot cars like real cars.
They look great in action but I wonder how much cooperation is needed to get a few laps in consistently without taking each other out.
That's the beauty of this system -- you can't change lanes into somebody. The first guy reaching the corner is automatically shunted to the inside lane, while the second guy is forced to the outside. If you're on the outside lane, entering a corner with a nose ahead of the guy on the inside lane, you will stay on the outside lane, and he will get the inside lane. If you reach the corner far enough ahead of the next guy, you will be automatically moved to the inside lane, and the other guy will follow you. No button pushing or anything.
This is much easier that the current models for digital racing, where you can sideswipe somebody with a mis-timed lane change. The only time the cars will come together in a BLST setup is when one car runs into the back of another.
Now that I've read more of it this looks like it could be a lot of fun!
I've seen videos of BLST for a few years now, and I've been aware of Scorpius for about a year. Seeing the two of these together should make the dominant manufacturers very nervous.
I might be crazy, but I think this system is exactly what slot racing should be, and what all slot racing development has been leading to for the last forty years.
Seems to me that when we race, we try to take each corner at the maximum speed, without deslotting. You eventually learn a good rhythm for any given track. With this system, you can never be sure what your cornering speed should be. And with a computer deciding who gets to pass and when, there's no more strategy...the fastest car will always win
I think you just need to set the cars at a certain speed (like in the videos) and sit back and enjoy a cold one.
Good to see you weighing in here Luf, and while we're both on the same wooden page I guess there are a fair number of plastic racers out there who may enjoy it.
Speaking of which, as something of a plastics expert, what can you tell us in this Thread about Lexan?
Seems to me that when we race, we try to take each corner at the maximum speed, without deslotting. You eventually learn a good rhythm for any given track. With this system, you can never be sure what your cornering speed should be. And with a computer deciding who gets to pass and when, there's no more strategy...the fastest car will always win
Actually, this is just like the real thing. The 1:1 driver thinks he's going to dive from the outside of the track to a corner's apex, but suddenly another driver pokes his nose on the inside, forcing the first driver to adjust his line and use the outside. All the computer is doing is making sure that the driver on the outside doesn't make a bonehead move that brings the car together. But if that driver is far enough ahead entering the corner, he already knows that he's diving to the inside.
You can think of it the same way as squeeze sections on your routed tracks, but your car will take one of two possible lines. The drivers should already know which line they'll end up getting -- just the way they should know on a digital track whether they're able to complete a pass using a lane change or not.
So the computer isn't deciding the pass. It only puts two drivers in the same lane once the pass has already been made.
As such I had a few questions to the guys that were advertising there that I still have not received an answer on:
So the big questions are:
When will this be available for purchase by all in the slot car markets through out the world?
What will be the target price (USD, as well as other parts of the world)?
What kind of support and warranty can the consumer/buyer expect?
Will replacement parts and upgrades be available globally?
Will it have a beginner, intermediate, and expert setup, configuration, and power/voltage setup?
Will it come with everything a home track user needs to setup and race or will you need additional parts and pieces to complete it?
How easy will it be to setup for first time slot car track owners?
When will it support all of the various manufacturers cars?
I think those are the things that are most on people's minds. The concept and what has been done is awesome! But if the above items are not clear, then most consumers will not be inclined to look much longer or wait and end up purchasing any of the other available systems, even if this one is superior in the way it handles real world racing with slot cars.
Hey Gordo, interesting topic for sure ... especially since things were slow on the board !
yeah, I've looked at those BLST videos and read a lot about scorpius on that "other" board, where this topic seems to be more interesting to racers. Perhaps it is the fact that less room is required to get more cars on the track, and space is at a premium over there.
I've even thought about going digital, looks like a lot of fun! However nobody I know even has a digital track, all the racers I know are sticking with analogue. Maybe it just takes a leader to take the plunge and organize some racing in order to convert the herd? I would think there is quite a difference in racing strategy between digital and BLST.
I guess I would hesitate going this route because of my lack of electrics expertise, I'm sure some maintainence and tweaking would be required.
Anyway, not much to add on my part, just weighing in with curiosity!
Reckless, I don't know if it helps any, but we're slowly ramping up with digital around here. I've finally committed a table to a NINCO N-Digital setup. We've run as many as 5 on it at once, and it's some of the most fun I've had racing in a long time. There's tremendous action on a relatively simple track.
The stock controllers are sub-par, and the cars can be a handful because of it. But once you get rolling, it's no big deal. You're so wrapped up in the intensity of it all that it doesn't even matter. It requires much more strategy, concentration and track awareness. Analog is fantastic, but it's almost dull by comparison.
But looking at this BLST system, it cleans up much of the issues with digital, if not all.
BLST - Best Lane Slotcar Technology
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