New Routed Track Build

[Slot Car Corner]

I'm using Slot Car Corner's heavy duty terminal blocks for my taps. They come with a card that you place under the terminal block that tells you the lane number and which screw you hook your wire and braid drops to. It's so simple even Mike Stott could do it and he's from Michigan. lol I want to wire the track so it will be real easy to drop the whole wiring harness off of it if you have to disassemble and move the track and then place the wires back under the labeled screws and you're done. These blocks along with the Slot Car Corner drivers panels will make it easy to do.

[Slot Car Corner]

A close up of the cards, they're even pre-punched where the mounting screws go.

[jaws]

I just used those for my track. The hardest thing for me was getting the protective covers off of the drivers stations. I didn't want to scratch them.

[cj74]

Looks amazing Butch! Cant wait to put some laps on it.

[Pappy]

I'm looking forward to having you guys come down. I still want to put together a 24 hour race if I can figure out the logistics, pit space, food serving, lounge around area, sleeping quarters, things like that. I'd probably have to move all my tools out of the shop and equipment out of the back barn.

[Slot Car Corner]

This is what my drops for my taps look like. I crimped a collar on the braids to hold them tight to the track and to make sure I had good contact, then slid another one on at the end just to keep the braid straight rather than cut them off.

[cj74]

Very good idea. Where'd you get the collars and crimper?

[Pappy]

Hi Corey,

The collars are what they use on multiple ground wires in an electrical outlet or switch box in a home to make sure they all have a good ground and won't come apart. Even if you twist them all together real good you still have to put a collar on the bunch of them. You can buy them at Lowe's, Home Depot or anywhere they sell electrical supplies. To crimp them just use a pair of pliers.

[cj74]

Thank you sir!

[Slot Car Corner]

This is one of my taps. They are all labeled with the cards that come with the tap kits from Slot Car Corner. I've looped all the negative sides together so I can use just one wire instead of six wires for the negative side. An 8ga. wire will carry plenty of current for all six lanes with the motors we'll be running. I'll use six 12ga. color coded wires for the positive side, I could use 14ga. but I already had the 12ga. wire.

[Slot Car Corner]

This is a close-up showing the bolt in the center of the tap that the 8ga. wire will fasten too.

[Slot Car Corner]

This is one of the taps mounted to the track and hooked up to the braid. All I have to do now is run the six color coded wires and the negative wire to it. There's going to be three taps so two more to go.

[Slot Car Corner]

This is how I'm making my braid connections at each joint. I use to put a wire nut on each one but this time I made the holes the braid drops through right next to the 2x4 crossmember so all I have to do is staple it to the crossmember.

[Audi1]

Hey Butch, I've got my bags all packed - when's the first race!!

Allan

[Pappy]

Allan, the way things are going I'm trying for the Spring of 2022. lol

[Slot Car Corner]

This is how I made my connections for the lap counter. The two strips in the middle of each lane are the lap counter strips and the braid going around the outside of the two strips is the continuence of the circuit on each side of each lane. Now all I have to do is place the lap counter wires under the phillips head screws on the lap counter strips and it's connected.

[Rleog]

Very well organized and executed. You’d laugh if you saw mine; not nearly as neat. But it works.

[HRWJim]

The track looks great and the wiring is a work of art.

[Pappy]

Thanks, Jim

[Slot Car Corner]

I've got most of my wiring done. This is the distribution panel for the three taps/drops. I still have to make the final connections to one of the taps/drops and staple the braids at the joints to the crossmembers. Then build a shelf for my power pack to sit on and run the wires to the electrical panel. I've probably crimped at least 250 connectors. My hands are sore, my arms ache and my knees are weak from getting up and down off the floor. I use to think slot car racing was fun but I'm going to have to rethink that. lol

[Fathead59]

After you are done it will be fun again

[Slot Car Corner]

This is the electrical panel that sits below the drivers stations. The only thing left to do to it is run the wires in from the power pack and put the cover on. The green wire will be taken out when I put the lap counter on. The lap counter will make the connection to the coil to turn the track on and off.

[Mickey thumbs]

So neat and clean. Hats off to SCC on the parts and Pappy on the installation. Well done!

[Bill from NH]

Pappy is an artist in wood! I have a couple of his jigs from the days of racing flexi cars. The quality of them is just as high as that his new track shows.

[Pappy]

I fired it up today.

Red lane
White lane
Green lane
Orange lane
Blue lane
Yellow lane

It's going to take a lot of practice to get your timing down and lots of laps on the track to get it run in.

[Slot Car Corner]

It didn't happen unless you post a video of a car making a lap or two - preferably with the car staying in the slot the entire time. You might need to ask your wife for assistance... :-)

[Rleog]

So, Pappy.... you and this guy SCC Steve, ....... you’re, ahhh, friends, right?

[Pappy]

I'm not sure who he is, I've heard he lives in some sort of geriatric's home in Connecticut and they only let him out on the weekends. :-)