Martin, Bedfordshire UK

Tell us about you self, where you from, your car/cars, where you are driving your MAGracing cars etc. etc.
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HeliumFrog
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Joined: Tue 7. Oct 2014 22:28
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Martin, Bedfordshire UK

Post by HeliumFrog »

Hello
I have just come across MAGracing after spending a few years designing all sorts of things (See website if your interested).

The lack of slot and scale speed is really appealing to me and I am sure to many others. I also like the idea of making some modular track sections that I can place together without all the inherent electrical problems across the joints. Has anyone any ideas for clipping panels together to make a nice flat joint?

I have just ordered my first car and controller and I am sure I will have lots of other questions to ask you all!

http://www.HeliumFrog.com
Ned
Posts: 368
Joined: Sun 13. Apr 2014 01:02
Location: Sedona, AZ USA

Re: Martin, Bedfordshire UK

Post by Ned »

Re: clipping panels together to make a nice flat joint
You might embed neodymium magnets of the correct size and strength, on each side of a joint and near each edge of the track. (Disk magnets .025" thick and .500" in diameter should be more than adequate, depending on the weight of the panels and the foundation upon which they are placed.) Then place a steel plate over the joint on top of the magnets. Plates .06" x .50" x 3.00" should be adequate. Each joint where two panels are connected would require 4 magnets and 2 steel plates. The system wouldn't be pretty but it should work, if the track material is dimensionally stable. The biggest drawback I see is that a car's steering magnet could be attracted to the plate, for example when the car spun out and lost the wire. The plates would be less obtrusive and more effective, if a pocket were milled out in the track surface the same thickness as the plate and just slightly wider and longer than the plates. If the plates had a nonmagnetic coating on top, about .030" thick, and the depth of the pocket were 0.030" deeper, the steering magnet of the car would not be significantly attracted to the plates and you would still have a smooth track surface. In this case you might be able to get by with a plate between the lane wires. The coating might be rubber, plastic, tape, paint, etc. A stronger magnet could be used to remove the plates when you wanted to disassemble the track. I'm quite sure that this system would work if your panels were made out of 1" thick extruded polystyrene rigid foam insulation board, such as Owens Corning FOAMULAR. That's the material I'm using to build a track permanently located outside.

On another matter, the most difficult and most critical part of building a good track is maintaining a constant distance between the bottom of the steering magnet in a given car and the top of the wire on all portions of the track. Alternatively it could be viewed as maintaining a constant wire depth relative to where the tires of a car make contact with the track surface on all of the track. A difference of .005" can significantly affect car performance. If the wire depth is consistently .005' it will work fine. If it's consistently .010" it work fine. It will probably work fine if it's consistently .015". The important thing is that the depth is consistent. Keep in mind that the typical coat of house paint is about .005" thick. Masking tape is also about 0.005" thick.

Wishing you much success with your project. Let me know if you have any questions.
Last edited by Keld on Tue 4. Nov 2014 07:38, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Masking tape is also about 0.005" thick.
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