Troubleshooting

Maintenance

Cars keep stopping

Track problems

How to troubleshoot C7039 digital lap counter

 

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Maintenance

We recommend truing the tyres, even on new cars. To do this, hold the rear tyres against sandpaper whilst revving the car. This will remove any unevenness from the moulding process and increase the contact area with the track to improve grip performance.

Light cleaning of the track surface is recommended for daily use. We recommend using a damp cloth or very lightly oiled cloth. This removes light grime and dust from the track surface. Wipe surface dry after using a damp cloth. As a matter of good practice, always do this before using the Scalextric layout as this will help ensure you get the best grip from the car tyres.

Use a mild abrasive material to shine up the running surfaces of the pick-up rails, making sure that the male and female connections at the ends of the track sections are also bright and shiny.

If the track is tarnished (dull) or has rust spots, all you need to do is give the metal parts, around the affected area, a quick clean. I personally use a PECO PL-41 Rail Cleaner Rubber. Click here to purchase. They are amazing and you will need one after every few times of usage to keep the rails shiny for maximum performance. Alternatively you can give it a rub with very fine sandpaper or wire wool etc although these aren't recommended but will be sufficient for just the once.
If you have a circuit and the car isn't running round, a method to find out which pieces of track are affected is just to join one piece of track to the powerbase track and run a car on it. You don't need a circuit.

If you are experiencing slippy tyres, try swapping the front tyres for the rear tyres. You can also add extra weights inside the car or extra magnets.

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Cars keep stopping

Adjust the position of the braids to make sure they are making the connection to the track and with the metal contact that they are touching, on the car. If the braids are really flat, you can puff them out a little to give more contact with the metal rails.


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Track problems

If you've tried the above and the car is working well but it still sticks in certain areas then the next thing to check is the track.

A Scalextric track is an electrical circuit and power can 'leak' at every connection point in the layout. Therefore the next step is to ensure each piece of track has a good connection to the next piece of track. 

Keep the track as flat as possible.
Make sure there is no carpet fluff or debris between each track piece.
Make sure each trach piece firmly locates with the next piece.
Keep the track clean. Clean both the rails and connectors after every few times of use or when you notice a reduction in speed. 

Click here for track cleaner

When dismantling the track, take the set apart carefully so you do not bend the metal joints.
Ensure the car's drivetrain is clean. There may be fluff, hairs and debris around the motor and drivetrain. Remove the body and ensure it is clean and not blocked.

Check the metal rail tabs at the ends of the rails are fully pressed down onto the plastic and firmly clamping the connector in place. 
Check the rear axle is sat in the chassis' mounts. See video:

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If the above hasn't helped, then you can try making a very small circuit such as an oval or just a straight run (doesn't need to be a circuit) to see which pieces of track are affected.

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How to troubleshoot C7039 digital lap counter

1) First, from the layout that you are testing the lap counter with, turn the power base over and look at the underside. If it says 'AZ1', then proceed to step 2. If it says 'A', unplug it, as it will not work due to being incompatible - This is a digital lap counter and 'A' means you have an analogue setup. If the power base says ARC Pro on the top then this lap counter will not work. Any other letters, please contact us.

2) Just connect the lap counter to the power base on its own. No other track. The power base is the piece of track that has the mains lead and throttles plugged into it. You should see the numbers light up on the lap counter. This means it is working.

Flashing random numbers occasionally

It might be worth having a look at your braids. Make sure that they are not too splayed out or sticking up. Also give you track a good clean with a vacuum as you might have little bits of braid lurking in the track recesses causing the track to short (bits of metal bridging the pair of metal rails).

The lap counter misses laps occasionally

Check the guide fins of the cars. If they are worn or not deep enough, they may not trigger the lap counter sometimes. The sensors in the track should pick up the car ID from the cars LED as it passes over, so you may need to clean the LED if it has become dirty. Check your braids as these can raise the nose of the car. If they are raising the car too much, it will not sit in the groove correctly. If none of these work, please contact us again with an exact description of the fault and which set it is being used with. Photos are very helpful.

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