Electronic Lapcounter Aurora Afx

The current supply of electronics will need 6 Mignon batteries or Akkus (type "AA"). With a slide switch you can choose between announcement driven rounds or the time for the last round to be selected. After Reach from 99 rounds begins the counting again from 0. The round time is up to 1/10 second.

Electronic Lapcounter Tomy AFX

Your Own Computer Lapcounter

Lap timer software. I personally use “Laptimer 2000 V0.9” (FREEWARE) at the moment.

Features;

· Big number display

· 1/1000th of a second timer resolution

· Needs only a old DOS 386 computer or laptop with a serial port

· Fastest lap

· Fastest lap per car

· 2 and 4 lane

· Timed races

· Number of laps per race

· Minimum laptime

· Car database with best laptimes

· Driver database with best laptimes

Anyone with a computer and a soldering iron can build one of these for about $10.  It's astounding how much more enjoyable and purposeful HO racing is when using an electronic timer.  Any skill improvement or tuning tweak can be quantitated in terms of lap times, and 'formal' races over time or laps can be run with several people. 

Clean The Tyres

Run your tyres down the sticky side of some masking tape.  Expect a lot of black gunge to stick to the tape.  Now run your car and notice how much better it corners and accelerates.. repeat often.

Adjust The Pickups

Check the wear pattern on the pickup shoe.  Bend slightly so pickup wears along entire length of contact surface.  Improves power to the car.

Clean The Track

If your track has not been run for a couple of days, it will have collected heaps of dust particles.  Even clean tyres can't grip to this, so use some Windex or similar sprayed on a rag to wipe the track down.  Run a few laps to get the power rails shiny again. You can also build your own track cleaner by using the tyco Turbo train.

Run a Lightweight Bodyshell

The injected plastic body on standard cars accounts for much of their weight.  A vacuum formed polycarb or similar body greatly reduces both car weight and centre-of-gravity height.  Gives much better cornering, acceleration and top speeds. 

Increase Track Power

If you reckon you're more driver than your track needs, then look to increase the available track power and see if you can still stay on!  Simplest method is to run a transformer/terminal track combo PER LANE, eliminating the power surge to one car when the other flys off the track.  For more voltage and amps look for a transformer around 16-22V with at least 3 Amps.  Wire the standard power plug in place of the computer jack and go really quick....