DIGITAL LANE-CHANGING SYSTEMS, THE PROS & CONS

All of the four digital racing systems are now on sale and there is still no “best" system. As ever, each manufacturer is, of course, completely convinced theirs is the "only" system. And I can make a very good case for any one of the brands of digital racing. Conversely, each brand has its' own "Achilles heel." Here are the “Pros & Cons” we have been able to collect on all four systems so you can decide if the “pros” sufficiently outweigh the “cons” so you can pick your own “best” brand of digital model car racing.
            You may or may not have to decide whether to run digital or analog. So far, none of the digital cars will operate on any other brand of digital track. Sport Digital and Carrera Digital 132 are the only cars that will run on any brand of conventional (analog) track but the Sport Digital cars will only operate on Sport Digital track as a digital system and the Carrera Digital 132 cars will only operate on Digital 132 as a digital system.. It is relatively easy to remove and replace the digital chip in the NINCO N-Digital cars but you must remove the body and unplug four wires, tease the braid in the pickup and reinstall two tiny ferrules on the motor wires and plug the two wires back into their sockets to change back and forth between digital and analog.

Picking the Best Digital System; Pros and Cons
Scalextric Sport Digital System:  
Pros:
            •Cars can be raced on any brand of analog with no change
            •Retrofit chips are easy to install and will fit any brand
            •Only terminal controller/connector track and lane-changers needed to                              adapt system to conventional Sport track
            •Curved and straight lane-changers available
            •Pit lanes with programmable stops and fuel loads available.
            •Offers connection to computer and/or monitor
            •Can race up to 6 cars
           
Cons:
            •Cars cannot be raced on any other brand of digital
            •Must buy second transformer for racing four or more cars
            •Power barely adequate for 6 cars even with best recommended upgrade
            •Reversing requires removal and replacement of all lane changers as well                             as terminal controller/connector track

           
NINCO N-Digital System:
Pros:
            •Retrofit chips are easy to install and will fit any brand
            •Only terminal controller/connector track and lane-changers needed to                              adapt system to conventional NINCO track
            •Lane changers are just one track section long
            •Pit lanes with programmable stops and fuel loads available.
            •Offers connection to computer and/or monitor
            •Can race up to 8 cars
            •Ample power, with second transformer for racing eight cars
            •Track can be used with conventional Sport or SCX track using NINCO’s             10110 Adaptor                
Cons:
            •Cars cannot be raced on any brand of analog unless the chip is removed                                and conventional wires connected
            •Cars cannot be raced on any other brand of digital
            •Only straight lane-changers available
            •Must buy second transformer for racing four or more cars
            •Reversing requires removal and replacement of all lane changers as                            well as terminal controller/connector track

Carrera 132 Digital System:
Pros:
            •Cars can be raced on any brand of analog with no change
            •Only terminal controller/connector track and lane-changers needed to                              adapt system to conventional Carrera track
            •Offers wireless infrared controller option
            •Pit lanes available
            •Can race up to 6 cars
           
Cons:
            •Retrofit chips will only fit some Carrera cars and no other brand
            •Cars cannot be raced on any other brand of digital
            •Only straight lane-changers available
            •Lane changers are two full track sections long
            •No programmable stops and fuel loads available.
            •No connection to computer and/or monitor
            •Maximum four cars
            •Must buy second transformer and connector track for racing four cars
            •Power barely adequate for 6 cars even with best recommended upgrade
            •Reversing requires removal and replacement of all lane changers as well                             as terminal controller/connector track

 

SCX Digital System:
Pros:
            •Low-cost and mechanically simple lane-changers
            •Lane changers are just one track section long
            •Curved and straight lane-changers available
            •Pit lanes with programmable stops and fuel loads available.
            •Offers connection to computer and/or monitor
            •Can race up to 6 cars
Cons:
            •Retrofit chips will only fit some SCX Digital cars and no other brands
            •Track not interchangeable with SCX conventional track
            •Cars cannot be raced on any brand of analog
            •Cars cannot be raced on any other brand of digital
            •Lane changers are 1 1/2 track sections long
            •Must buy second transformer for racing four or more cars
            •Power barely adequate for 6 cars even with best recommended upgrade
            •Reversing requires removal and replacement of all lane changers as well                             as terminal controller/connector track

 

DIGITAL LANE-CHANGING TRACK, PROS & CONS:
            Which system you select is likely to depend on your priorities in the hobby. Regardless of the brand, you have to decide which track system you prefer. The sidebar Picking the Best Track for Digital; Pros and Cons provides the information I have been able collect about all four brands. The Sport Digital, Carrera 132 and NINO N-Digital systems all use standard track except for the terminal controller/connector track and lane-changers. To switch back and forth from analog to digital with these systems you must remove the conventional track sections needed to install the terminal controller/connector track and lane-changers. It is possible to disable the lane changers and the techniques for reworking the Carrera lane changers are in the March/April 2005 number 20 issue and the techniques for disabling the Sport Digital lane-changers are in the May/June 2205 number 21 issue. The techniques shown for the Carrera system would be very similar for the NINCO N-Digital system. It is also possible to rewire the controller/connector track but I do NOT recommend it---it is easier to simply modify the assembly tabs for a two-minute changeover, as shown in the July/August 2006 number 28 issue.
             

SIDEBAR
Picking the Best Track for Digital; Pros and Cons
Scalextric Sport Track:  
Pros:
            •Easy to assemble and disassemble
            •Locks together well on a sold floor or tabletop
            •Good compromise between too little and too much traction
            •Best variety of different track sections
            •Cars are less noisy on this relatively soft track
            •Flexible enough to allow some misalignment
            •Flexible enough to allow slight banking in turns
            •Realistic borders
            •Borders for outer curves are wide enough
            •Borders available for inside and outside of all curves
            •Realistic guard rails
Cons:
            •Track comes apart too easily to be moved without compete disassembly
            •Borders do not attach firmly enough for use on crossing bridges
            •Lane spacing a bit close for modern Formula 1 and sports/GT cars
            •Only one banked curve available and no border for it
                       
NINCO N-Digital Track:
Pros:
            •Track assembles easily and holds together well
            •Offers outer-outer curves
            •Cars are less noisy on this relatively soft track
            •Flexible enough to allow some misalignment
            •Flexible enough to allow some banking in turns
            •Borders available for inside and outside of all curves
            •Borders for outer curves are wide enough
Cons:
            •Track surface too rough in some racers' opinions
            •No banked track
            •Color of borders not realistic
           
Carrera 132 Track:
Pros:
            •Track holds together tightly enough to operate on carpet or to move
            •Offers outer-outer curves
            •Offers borders for all curves
            •Borders are wide enough for any 1/32 scale car
            •Borders available for inside and outside of all curves
            •Offers banked turns
Cons:
            •Can be difficult for under-12-year olds to disassemble
            •Plastic tabs can break-off if track is carelessly disassembled.
            •Track can break if stepped on
            •Color of borders not realistic

           
SCX Digital Track:
Pros:
            •Easy to assemble and disassemble
            •Locks together well on a sold floor or tabletop
            •Good compromise between too little and too much traction
            •Offers both straight and curved lane-change sections
            •Cars are less noisy on this relatively soft track
                       
Cons:
            •Track not interchangeable with SCX conventional track
            •No half-length standard curve available
            •No outer-outer curve available
            •Track comes apart too easily to be moved without compete disassembly
            •Lane spacing a bit close for modern Formula 1 and sports/GT cars
            •Borders too narrow for larger cars when cars are run without magnets
            •No banked curve available

            •Color of borders not realistic

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