![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP1.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP2.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP3.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nIf you want to see our full range of Scalextric Sets, then head over to the website: www.jadlamracingmodels.com\/scalextric\/sets-layouts<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/h4>\nPreparation<\/h4>\n
An ARC Pro set is not something you can expect to unwrap on Christmas morning and have running with all its features in five minutes. That is a recipe for disaster. Preparation is key. With permission from Santa, spend some quiet time before the big day trying out the set and reading through the instructions and the ARC Pro Quick Start Guide \u2013 both of which are included in the box. You\u2019ll also need to grab a pair of AA batteries for each controller in the set \u2013 good quality alkaline batteries are recommended. I’d also be very tempted to add some borders and barriers<\/a> – they allow you to drift the cars around the corners. For the ARC Pro 24h Le Mans set you’ll need: three packs of C8228 outer borders (12 in total), one pack of C8225 inner borders (4 in total) and one pack of C8223 straight borders (4 in total).<\/p>\nYou might want to refer to the \u2018Getting Started with a New Scalextric Set’<\/a> blog post and follow the basic instructions of photographing the box contents, laying out the track as per the set instructions, practice connecting the track pieces together and checking everything works as it should. Getting the basics right is especially important for digital sets.<\/p>\n<\/h4>\nDigital and Analogue<\/h4>\n
You\u2019ll see these two terms used a lot and it\u2019s useful to understand what they mean:<\/p>\n
\u2018Analogue<\/strong>\u2019 describes traditional one-car-per-lane racing. The controller feeds electrical power to the metal track rails depending on how hard you pull the trigger. The car picks up the electricity via its braids and the electricity powers the motor. The connection between finger and motor speed is physical, direct and \u2018analogue\u2019.<\/p>\nDigital<\/strong> is different. It is multi-car racing with lane changing. The digital powerbase feeds a constant amount of electrical power to the track \u2013 about 15 volts. When you pull the trigger on the controller, the digital powerbase converts this data into a digital signal that it sends through the track rails and is picked up by a car’s digital decoder \u2018linked\u2019 to that controller. The decoder \u2013 usually just called a \u2018chip\u2019 – then regulates the amount of the power available to the car\u2019s motor. There are other digital signals sent from the controller to the powerbase and to the car chip \u2013 usually when the lane change or brake button is pressed on the controller.<\/p>\nWhat that means in practice is a car must be fitted with a decoder \u2013 or \u2018digital chip\u2019 – to function on a digital track. Many Scalextric cars are labelled DPR \u2013 or Digital Plug Ready \u2013 this does not mean they are digital. It means they are analogue cars you can easily convert to digital using the C8515 digital plug (C8616 for Formula One cars). Non-DPR cars \u2013 usually older models or cars with the motor in the front \u2013 can be converted using the C7005 retro-fit chip, a process which requires a soldering iron and basic soldering skills.<\/p>\n
If you put a non-digital Scalextric car on a digital track, it will sit there and hum. The lights (if it has them) will also stay on. This is because the powerbase supplies alternating current (AC) to the track, so the motor is rapidly switching from forward to reverse. The easiest way to tell if a car is fitted with a digital chip is to look underneath \u2013 there will be a tell-tale LED poking through the bottom of the car, just behind the guide blade.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP4.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP5.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP6.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nDigital \/ Analogue Mode Switch<\/h4>\n
ARC Pro has a handy feature that allows you to switch between digital mode and an analogue mode. This means you can race up to six digital cars in digital mode or two non-digital cars in analogue mode. No lane changing is possible in analogue mode. Digital cars will function in analogue mode, but they will feel rather odd when you drive them \u2013 no brakes, rapid acceleration and difficult to control. The best thing is to keep digital cars for digital and analogue for analogue. The C8515 digital plugs can be easily swapped between DPR cars.<\/p>\n
It is a good idea to label the switch on the ARC Pro powerbase. The front position (nearest to the track) is analogue and the back position (away from the track) is digital.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Start Simply<\/h4>\n
As with any new set, build a circuit that is suggested in the instructions. With a digital set, pay close attention to where the powerbase is located and which way round the lane changers and powerbase are positioned. Don\u2019t forget to put batteries in the controllers and switch them on \u2013 the red LED should light up.<\/p>\n
When you have the track connected, it\u2019s time to plug the power adapter into the ARC Pro powerbase and have some fun! Begin with getting to know the hardware \u2013 leave connecting a smart device and the ARC app until later.<\/p>\n
Start by driving the cars. New sets have the cars and controllers already connected. When you get new cars and controllers you\u2019ll need to learn the connection process outlined in the Quick Start Guide \u2013 but you can forget that for now. When you turn on a controller, a green LED will light up on the ARC Pro powerbase. When you pull the trigger, one of the cars will move.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP9.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP7.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP8.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nLane Changing<\/h4>\n
Once you\u2019ve driven a few laps, try changing lanes by using the top button on the back of the controller. You will need to push the button about a straight before the lane change piece and then hold until the lane change has taken place.<\/p>\n
The lane change straights have a sensor at the start of the track piece which is triggered by the car\u2019s decoder LED flashing. When you are holding the lane change button on the controller, this will cause the lane change \u2018flipper\u2019 to open and your car will change lane. If you are not holding the button, the decoder will tell the lane changer to close the flipper \u2013 and your car will go straight on.<\/p>\n
The flipper does not spring back automatically. After a successful lane change, it stays open until the next time a car passes the sensor and tells it to stay open or close. This has three implications. The first is if you are following another car very closely \u2013 you risk changing lanes (or not changing) based on what the car in front does. It\u2019s always a good idea to hang back a little.<\/p>\n
The second implication is if the sensor is not triggered, your car will go through an already open or closed flipper, whether you are holding the lane change button or not. This can happen if the lane changer is directly after a corner (the car swings out and the LED and sensor do not line up) or if the LED or sensor are dirty. A sharp blow of air in the track sensor usually does the trick \u2013 or a quick clean of the LED with a damp cotton bud.<\/p>\n
The third thing to remember is for analogue mode \u2013 you will need to check all the lane changers are pushed to the \u2018closed\u2019 position before starting an analogue session. If you are just running a few laps to test a new car, that should be sufficient. If you are planning some full-on analogue racing, some ARC Pro users prefer to put a little tape (e.g. Scotch Magic) to hold the flipper closed. However, you must remember to remove the tape before switching back to digital.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Digital Racing Manners<\/h4>\n
There are good manners and bad manners when it comes to digital racing. Having up to six cars on two lanes can be chaotic \u2013 and someone needs to create some order out of that chaos. Your rules are your choice, although there are some ideas pulled together from nearly two decades of Scalextric digital racing in the ‘Digital Driving School<\/a>‘ post. The essential mantra is \u2018No Contact\u2019 – easier said than done, but good to aim for. No-contact racing maximises the fun and the realism, while minimising the car damage and the risk of tempers boiling over.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Introducing the ARC App<\/h4>\n
Once you are enjoying driving your digital track, changing lanes, overtaking and getting to grips with \u2018no-contact’ racing, it\u2019s the perfect time to take a look at the software side of things \u2013 the Scalextric ARC app. This takes the realism to another level and it is very tempting to just jump in and turn on all the features immediately. Please don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
The most important step is to make sure you have everything set up so you can count laps. This is covered in quite a lot of detail in the ‘ARC Pro & Lap Counting<\/a>‘ post. It is vital you get a hang of this process before moving on \u2013 it\u2019s something that trips up a lot of people.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP10.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP11.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AP12.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nOnce you are confident the cars are counting laps and you can set up a basic race, start exploring the various race formats and then the various features. Try one feature at a time and gradually dig deeper into the menus. It is a complex app \u2013 which is why it’s so realistic \u2013 but most people find it is easy to explore and to learn. To help that process along, do look out for the various How To posts that focus on race formats and ARC app features.<\/p>\n
Preparation<\/h4>\n
You might want to refer to the \u2018Getting Started with a New Scalextric Set’<\/a> blog post and follow the basic instructions of photographing the box contents, laying out the track as per the set instructions, practice connecting the track pieces together and checking everything works as it should. Getting the basics right is especially important for digital sets.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll see these two terms used a lot and it\u2019s useful to understand what they mean:<\/p>\n \u2018Analogue<\/strong>\u2019 describes traditional one-car-per-lane racing. The controller feeds electrical power to the metal track rails depending on how hard you pull the trigger. The car picks up the electricity via its braids and the electricity powers the motor. The connection between finger and motor speed is physical, direct and \u2018analogue\u2019.<\/p>\n Digital<\/strong> is different. It is multi-car racing with lane changing. The digital powerbase feeds a constant amount of electrical power to the track \u2013 about 15 volts. When you pull the trigger on the controller, the digital powerbase converts this data into a digital signal that it sends through the track rails and is picked up by a car’s digital decoder \u2018linked\u2019 to that controller. The decoder \u2013 usually just called a \u2018chip\u2019 – then regulates the amount of the power available to the car\u2019s motor. There are other digital signals sent from the controller to the powerbase and to the car chip \u2013 usually when the lane change or brake button is pressed on the controller.<\/p>\n What that means in practice is a car must be fitted with a decoder \u2013 or \u2018digital chip\u2019 – to function on a digital track. Many Scalextric cars are labelled DPR \u2013 or Digital Plug Ready \u2013 this does not mean they are digital. It means they are analogue cars you can easily convert to digital using the C8515 digital plug (C8616 for Formula One cars). Non-DPR cars \u2013 usually older models or cars with the motor in the front \u2013 can be converted using the C7005 retro-fit chip, a process which requires a soldering iron and basic soldering skills.<\/p>\n If you put a non-digital Scalextric car on a digital track, it will sit there and hum. The lights (if it has them) will also stay on. This is because the powerbase supplies alternating current (AC) to the track, so the motor is rapidly switching from forward to reverse. The easiest way to tell if a car is fitted with a digital chip is to look underneath \u2013 there will be a tell-tale LED poking through the bottom of the car, just behind the guide blade.<\/p>\n ARC Pro has a handy feature that allows you to switch between digital mode and an analogue mode. This means you can race up to six digital cars in digital mode or two non-digital cars in analogue mode. No lane changing is possible in analogue mode. Digital cars will function in analogue mode, but they will feel rather odd when you drive them \u2013 no brakes, rapid acceleration and difficult to control. The best thing is to keep digital cars for digital and analogue for analogue. The C8515 digital plugs can be easily swapped between DPR cars.<\/p>\n It is a good idea to label the switch on the ARC Pro powerbase. The front position (nearest to the track) is analogue and the back position (away from the track) is digital.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As with any new set, build a circuit that is suggested in the instructions. With a digital set, pay close attention to where the powerbase is located and which way round the lane changers and powerbase are positioned. Don\u2019t forget to put batteries in the controllers and switch them on \u2013 the red LED should light up.<\/p>\n When you have the track connected, it\u2019s time to plug the power adapter into the ARC Pro powerbase and have some fun! Begin with getting to know the hardware \u2013 leave connecting a smart device and the ARC app until later.<\/p>\n Start by driving the cars. New sets have the cars and controllers already connected. When you get new cars and controllers you\u2019ll need to learn the connection process outlined in the Quick Start Guide \u2013 but you can forget that for now. When you turn on a controller, a green LED will light up on the ARC Pro powerbase. When you pull the trigger, one of the cars will move.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve driven a few laps, try changing lanes by using the top button on the back of the controller. You will need to push the button about a straight before the lane change piece and then hold until the lane change has taken place.<\/p>\n The lane change straights have a sensor at the start of the track piece which is triggered by the car\u2019s decoder LED flashing. When you are holding the lane change button on the controller, this will cause the lane change \u2018flipper\u2019 to open and your car will change lane. If you are not holding the button, the decoder will tell the lane changer to close the flipper \u2013 and your car will go straight on.<\/p>\n The flipper does not spring back automatically. After a successful lane change, it stays open until the next time a car passes the sensor and tells it to stay open or close. This has three implications. The first is if you are following another car very closely \u2013 you risk changing lanes (or not changing) based on what the car in front does. It\u2019s always a good idea to hang back a little.<\/p>\n The second implication is if the sensor is not triggered, your car will go through an already open or closed flipper, whether you are holding the lane change button or not. This can happen if the lane changer is directly after a corner (the car swings out and the LED and sensor do not line up) or if the LED or sensor are dirty. A sharp blow of air in the track sensor usually does the trick \u2013 or a quick clean of the LED with a damp cotton bud.<\/p>\n The third thing to remember is for analogue mode \u2013 you will need to check all the lane changers are pushed to the \u2018closed\u2019 position before starting an analogue session. If you are just running a few laps to test a new car, that should be sufficient. If you are planning some full-on analogue racing, some ARC Pro users prefer to put a little tape (e.g. Scotch Magic) to hold the flipper closed. However, you must remember to remove the tape before switching back to digital.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are good manners and bad manners when it comes to digital racing. Having up to six cars on two lanes can be chaotic \u2013 and someone needs to create some order out of that chaos. Your rules are your choice, although there are some ideas pulled together from nearly two decades of Scalextric digital racing in the ‘Digital Driving School<\/a>‘ post. The essential mantra is \u2018No Contact\u2019 – easier said than done, but good to aim for. No-contact racing maximises the fun and the realism, while minimising the car damage and the risk of tempers boiling over.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once you are enjoying driving your digital track, changing lanes, overtaking and getting to grips with \u2018no-contact’ racing, it\u2019s the perfect time to take a look at the software side of things \u2013 the Scalextric ARC app. This takes the realism to another level and it is very tempting to just jump in and turn on all the features immediately. Please don\u2019t.<\/p>\n The most important step is to make sure you have everything set up so you can count laps. This is covered in quite a lot of detail in the ‘ARC Pro & Lap Counting<\/a>‘ post. It is vital you get a hang of this process before moving on \u2013 it\u2019s something that trips up a lot of people.<\/p>\n Once you are confident the cars are counting laps and you can set up a basic race, start exploring the various race formats and then the various features. Try one feature at a time and gradually dig deeper into the menus. It is a complex app \u2013 which is why it’s so realistic \u2013 but most people find it is easy to explore and to learn. To help that process along, do look out for the various How To posts that focus on race formats and ARC app features.<\/p>\n<\/h4>\n
Digital and Analogue<\/h4>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nDigital \/ Analogue Mode Switch<\/h4>\n
Start Simply<\/h4>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nLane Changing<\/h4>\n
Digital Racing Manners<\/h4>\n
Introducing the ARC App<\/h4>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n