Max's here, this is my first post in this forum, just joined. Just few things to introduce myself, 51 y.o., electronic engineer, I love programming and create things with IoT, I am also an avid modeler with 3D printing.
I was used to play with slot cars when I was very young and two years ago I discovered what Wes Raynor created as slotless car. Amazing.
Quite recently I have discovered this forum, very interesting content here, many posts were very useful to design my idea to move to digital.
Let me share my idea and where I am in terms of progress update, any suggestion and/or recommendation are more than welcome
![Smil :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
DSMS (Digital slotless magnetic system) is structured around three main unit types: Cars, Controllers and one Central Unit.
Each unit contains an ESP32 microcontroller unit (a sort of tiny processor) able to communicate via a low-level proprietary WiFi protocol (ESP-NOW).
Remote controllers communicate with cars (throttle, direction) and cars communicate with the central unit.
What is different in this design is the way the car is built. Cars are designed in a way that the builtin-in ESP32 microcontroller controls four devices:
1) Front axle ONLY CONNECTED with a servo motor to steer
2) Magnetic cursor to follow the wire underneath the track, connected with a digital encoder to get the steering angle (NOT CONNECTED with the front axle)
3) Rear axle connected to a DC motor
4) IR Receiver to understand where the car is (i.e. pit-lane, start/arrival lane)
The core concept here is having decoupled magnetic cursor (that follows the wire) from the front axle. Front axle is driven by the servo, and servo is driven by the ESP32 microcontroller based on the wire input (thanks to the magnetic encoder) or based on the user input (by the remote controller).
Players can change the line whenever they need, no need to design where change-line is possible.
Other functionality we can get with this approach is simulating tire consumption. If tires are 'virtually' consumed we can simulate that by changing the angle read by the magnetic cursor (i.e. over/under steering), forcing the player to do a pit-stop. Other usual functionalities can be implemented (fuel consumption, engine fails, weather, pace/ghost car, etc) in the central unit.
I have started testing this system, by creating software libraries to guide the servo, read the encoder and joystick, manage communications. Devices are in place and tested, in the following post I will share some pictures. Outcomes are very good, system is really reactive and fast. Next step will be to combine all these devices in a prototype car. After everything works properly I will design a 1:32 chassis to simulate on track
Sorry for this long post, I am more than happy to read your feedback, suggestion or improvement ideas.
These links are some references I am using to design DSMS
ESP32 - the microcontroller => https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs/esp32
ESP-NOW - the communication protocol => https://www.espressif.com/en/solutions/ ... ns/esp-now
AS5600 - the magnetic encoder => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvrpIYc9Ll8