The Digital And Conventional Types Of Slot Cars
The types of slot cars available in the market these days are basically divided into the limitations that technology imposes on the make of the car. One is the good old system of conventional slot cars and the other is the new form of racing presented by digital slot cars.
Conventional Slot Cars
Conventional slot cars are actually fashioned from the traditional system racing slot cars – racing electric-powered cars on wooden or plastic tracks. This type of cars has a motor that is directly connected to the guide that is attached to the chassis of the model. This guide is then hinged to one of the parallel rails on the racetrack which acts to keep the cars in place no matter the speed. The car gets its speed from the hand-held controller which determines the amount of power that is supplied to the model.
Each conventional car races only in one lane and is not capable of changing lanes during the race. Thus, if there are only 4 lanes in a track, there can only be 4 cars that will race. To compensate for the limitations and disadvantages of racing in just one lane, races are divided into heats which allow the drivers to switch between lanes to equalize any factor that could make one lane disadvantageous for racing.
Digital Slot Cars
Digital slot cars are the newer car models in the market. These basically pick up from where the traditional slot cars left off. Unlike its older counterpart, digital slot cars allow for simultaneous racing on as few as two lanes per race – much like as you would see with other types of car racing. Newer technologies have allowed this new form of slot cars to be less dependent on the guide that keep the old cars hinged to one side of the racetrack. The electronic circuitry of the digital models allow for drivers to have full control over the speed and movements of the car.
Generally, digital slot cars are more expensive than their older counterpart and are arguably harder to drive than the conventional models. This is because drivers of digital slot cars have to learn how to control the speed of the car as well as learn how to switch lanes without falling off of the racetrack.
On Slot Cars In General
Slot cars, as you would know by now, are actually scaled-down models of actual cars. Some are just tiny mock-up models that are purposely built for miniature racing while others are made to copy all aspects of the actual models, including the actual car’s capacity in terms of performance.
Most racers race with commercially available slot cars that are mass produced by such manufacturers as Scalextri, Johnny Lightning and Carrera. Most of these are modification-ready models to enhance performance. Some enthusiasts by motorize static models while hobbyists create ‘scratch-build’ cars that run on their own mechanism and bodies. These are often created from store-brought spare parts built to create true models of the original cars being copied.
