Derby Talk

We have completely redesigned the remote controlled start gate mechanism for the aluminum Freedom Track. The new design does not require any modification to the track, and does not even require tools to install. :scratching: (Ok, you will need a pair of pliers to make a quick adjustment to the .062&...

1. I put fault lights into the LT4 Light Tree, so it is now also good for true drag racing (2 Lane, split gates) http://www.newdirections.ws/splitgate.html http://www.newdirections.ws/images/lt4f.jpg 2. A handy electrical outlet-surge suppressor which also grounds the BestTrack. This is a subject th...

I am in stock on our new LT4 Light Tree. It operates all of our solenoid gates and also the Jewkes mechanism. Please stop by and take a look. It got a preview at the Mid-America Derby a few months back.
http://www.newdirections.ws/lighttree.htm#lt4

New Update: For the ESS owners, and especially the six who got free light trees, I am now offering a modification (available in kit form) that will enable your ESS and Light Tree work together. http://www.newdirections.ws/ess.htm Update: I can't afford to send out many more Light Trees to ESS owners...

Well, thank you for the kind words Sporty. That gets you a free Light Tree, if you can use it on your own track.
For mounting details, what kind of track do you have at the moment? Is the Haskel addy still good?

The New Directions Tree Model LT3-E, normally $199, is on sale here only for $99. When calling in your order 703-319-0840, just mention the word "Derby Talk" and pocket $100. The LT3-E is designed to operate all of our starting gates. It begins countdown by three different methods: IR remo...

Randy: I certainly agree that such a feature would have no place in the racing. But in this thread, I got the sense that the interest was to learn about performance during car construction and fine-tuning. If you were to put it into GPRM, it would only be available to the Transponder because of the ...

.... But, twice the holes, twice the hardware, more structure overhead... Not exactly. It is twice the holes, and twice the sensors, but this is trivial because sensors are only ten cents apiece. If anyone is really serious about doing this final speed project, I will provide him absolutely free of...

For anyone interested in how the Save the Forest Project worked out, see http://www.wbcrier.com" target="_blank And don't miss the link to the article by Tom Jackman of the Washington Post.

http://www.newdirections.ws/images/tr15.jpg Sale ends noon EST Friday Dec 7. 2012. Transponders on sale for one eighth the price of the Champ. Product information: http://www.newdirections.ws/tr.htm" target="_blank http://www.newdirections.ws/trb2.htm" target="_blank Example: A ...

http://www.newdirections.ws/images/tr15.jpg Check us out. Why spend three times the price for something that nobody looks at? Derby software and video projection has combined to change how people think about a finish line. Remember when a telephone was something that hung on a kitchen wall? Same th...

Oh, now I understand. Yes, you can’t put a row of sensors down deep. Each has to be able to see the light source.

The sensors need to be up at the top of the holes like this:


[moderator edit to remove advertising]

As one of the makers of the low-cost high performance finish lines to which Randy refers, please let me address the illumination issue: Almost all incandescent bulbs over the finish line will work, but some are better than others. What you are looking for are sharp shadows. You get that by having a ...

You are cordially invited to a project that I am working on out here in Virginia. Our Department of Transportation thinks it is a good idea to bury the top mile of a spring-fed Potomac River tributary, and build a new highway over it. Whether or not that sounds like a good idea, you might find our r...

New! From New Directions: The TRANSPONDER http://www.newdirections.ws/images/tr08.jpg This is simply a repackaging of the J Series (v2.04) Judge, with small outline chips, built into a box about the size of a golf ball. While the photo shows the model for the BestTrack, it is available also for wood...