Hi i`ve been adding quite a few parts to my Ninco master track and i just ordered the four lane set wich gives me another 27 meters of track, that means my setup is close to 40 meters when i include pitsop, chicane and the multi track kit. I`m afraid i will need more power to make the whole thing work.
What is the best cause of action?
Last edited by Kimb; 08-10-2012 at 06:05 PM.
Reason: errors
Congratulations on the size of your track. We are all jealous. You should check out some other forum catagories like "Track, Layout and Scenery" as well as "Tech Q & A".
If you have an Analog track then I would first recommend an adjustable power supply. For a track of 40 meters, there should be multiple power taps onto the track. The Ninco power base is not very robust and I would replace it with "Pro" quality wiring and controller hookups.
Professor Motor carries some very good power supplies and wiring supplies. Slot Car Corner (SCC) also carries all the wiring supplies you need. SCC also has alot of knowledge and is very helpful when wiring up tracks.
If you do not upgrade wiring, controllers or power supply, then at minimum the track needs jumper wires to stabilize power across the track.
The normal problem with long tracks with one power feed is that power is a lot better near the power feed than it is half way round the lap.
Adding wiring taps brings the power all round the track up to something very much closer what's available near the main power feed.
If you are satisfied with the available power near the main power feed you don't really need a power supply upgrade, just concentrate on the wiring taps.
There are certainly advantages in upgrading the power supply whatever the lap length you have, but for longer tracks you need the wiring taps to get the benefit of the extra power all round the track.
Two points about Ninco/N-Digital that you should consider before doing anything:
1. Ninco track is considered by many to have the best connectivity/conductivity of all plastic track. So, even at 40 meters you may not need power taps. Having said that, power taps can't hurt. And thay are also beneficial to the digital data (signal) that is transmitted through the rails to the car decoder chips. Keep in mind that your digital track is [effectively] a single lane track.
2. The maximum current available through the stock N-Digital power base (console) is about 5 amps. Two stock 14 volt N-Digital power transformers supply 6 amps. The N-Digital power transformer is a regulated switching device. If you replace the stock N-Digital power supplie(s) with aftermarket power, make sure that the voltage never exceeds about 14.5 volts. A higher voltage setting or voltage spikes from unregulated power will damage the N-Digital electronics — especially the lane changers. And, of course, anything greater than about 6 amps is not used, however, a little head room is always a good thing. And if you do go with aftermarket power, put a fuse in the line from supply to console.
Thanks for the great tips guys
Im going to try with just the Ninco booster cables and see how that works.
I just read the old tread about using pit lane track sections to make a four lane track go back to a two lane track, so i ordered another set of the pit lane kit and a couple of double lane changers, one straight and one chicane lane changer, that makes a total of 12 lane changers, so I`ll try with one pair of booster cables first.
maximum track length on stock transformator?
Linear Mode
