Commander Dave's Racing Page

The Right Stop Material.

CommanderDave — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:16:21 +0000

I finally found the right material, neoprene. It has superior grabbing power to slow down the cars fast. I found some in a self adhesive roll on amazon and will be adding it to my track asap. I tested my … Continue reading →

A New Year Is About To Start

CommanderDave — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:21:37 +0000

So as a new year starts I find myself already planning 4 races this season, and expect to add a few more before I’m done. I hope everyone has a great year.

A New Season

CommanderDave — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 20:41:59 +0000

Well here we are again, in the middle of summer and already I find myself thinking about the upcoming season. This morning I was involved in a training for a new Awana Club and one of the things I was asked about was the Grand Prix. I think I will try a few more speed tips this year, and maybe start a new page on this site for fast car tips. The wheels are turning and before we know it, it will be race day.

Finish Line Pics

CommanderDave — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:46:52 +0000

I have added a few pictures to the GP Timer page and a link to a page of pictures taken during construction of the new sensor bridge. If you think you need more detailed instructions please contact me and I … Continue reading →

Another one done.

CommanderDave — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:43:41 +0000

I helped a friend build a finish line detector today, what a good day. They have their race this weekend and I’m planning to be there to help out. The track and electronics are brand new and built from my … Continue reading →

Storage Case

CommanderDave — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:38:03 +0000

I have finally posted the plans for a case on my Media page. It’s not very pretty but neither is the case, it is practical though. I haven’t done anything about hinges or latches yet so it is held together by two cargo straps. I have included pictures on the second page of the plans. You can always use the dimensions to create your own version of a case. If you make one, maybe you could share your plans or a picture with us, I’d be happy to post it here for you if you want.

Stop that car…

CommanderDave — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 01:32:24 +0000

I decided to try a small board fastened to the end of the track and plan to test it tomorrow with my test cars. They are among the fastest cars to race on the track so far so we will see how hard they hit the end. I do have a nice piece of dense foam weatherstripping across the end to protect the cars, I hope it will be enough, or it will be onto another stopping material.

Box to store and transport the track

CommanderDave — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:31:12 +0000

I have finally made a case for the track and I hope to have the plans ready for posting soon. Just a simple plywood box on wheels with a tray to hold the electronics. When packed correctly you can also … Continue reading →

Oops

CommanderDave — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:20:48 +0000

Well if finally happened to me, I had an electronics failure at a race and didn’t have a spare set with me. It was a simple problem and I thought I had bypassed the issue but the connection was not good enough, I guess I should have soldered it. Well it is fixed now but I think I will build another finish line detector as a spare, it is worth the investment and will give me a chance to take some pictures of steps while under construction for the site .

We had to continue with manual judging of the races, yuck, but at least we were able to use the software in manual entry mode and we still had a fun day of racing, well most of us anyway.

Stopping the cars.

CommanderDave — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:40:41 +0000

Well the pond liner with the higher stopping section works better than previous attempts, but you may still need a weighted cushion at the end of the track, I did. You could use a simple board across the end of the stop section with some kind of rubber weather stripping so as not to damage the cars you are trying to stop, but this could be an abrupt stop. The only other way is a better material or a longer stopping section, I’ll keep you posted.