VERY DISAPPOINTED

[provo61]

Hello everyone again our track arrived Thrusday morning... Knowing this we wanted to assemble it to work out all the bugs. We were missing two of the correct joiner pieces.... I got a hold of Gary and he OverNited the correct parts. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!! The Micro Wizard finish line was easy to install but no really good direction on installing tha laser start gate...We didn't want to drill any extra holes in this NEW track, so Gary's instructions said to cut two blocks of plywood to mount the laser gate... The plywood pieces made the laser receiver to low and the angle bracket that held the laser was to wide between the hinge and lane #6 starting peg. Does anyone have a better solution...I don't like to rush in any thing I do, but felt I was trying the get the TRACK, TIMER GATE, & SOFTWARE all working together... Since there was NO TIME to do trial runs with this being our second year of the PWD and never having our own track.



Have a good day Everyone!!!!

Provo61


P.S Everyone....The track was smokin' fast and very consisted lane times..... Awesome

[gpraceman]

The Micro Wizard finish line was easy to install but no really good direction on installing tha laser start gate...We didn't want to drill any extra holes in this NEW track, so Gary's instructions said to cut two blocks of plywood to mount the laser gate... The plywood pieces made the laser receiver to low and the angle bracket that held the laser was to wide between the hinge and lane #6 starting peg. Does anyone have a better solution...

P.S Everyone....The track was smokin' fast and very consisted lane times..... Awesome

I'm glad that you got everything together in time for your race. I take it that the scouts had a fun race?

On the mounting of the laser gate. We did have to cut off part of the L bracket holding the laser head so it would not get in the way of the start pin. We also have problems with the laser beam being too low. We've tried to angle the magnetic catches, but we still have the problem. The laser reciever mounting seems just fine, it's just the laser head mounting that is the problem.

With that said, our pack stopped using the laser gate. During our pack race it started acting up the last dozen heats and refused to go off for the final two. It seems to have been an overheat issue, since it works fine now. The timer was plugged in continuously for probably four hours by the time it whigged out on us (should have turned it off during our intermission and after setup before the race). To get the last two heats done, we used the mechanical switch as a backup. We had to hold it in place just right so it would release when the gate dropped. Not ideal, but it got us through the last two heats.

We run races for other packs and didn't want to risk more problems due to laser alignment or possible overheat, so we've switched to the mechanical switch. I made a small L bracket for the switch and attached it to the plywood block that we used to use for the laser head mounting. Since our pack race, we have run 3 other races with no problems at all with the start switch.

The switch actually has a side benefit. If a car doesn't finish, then there is no need to go to the computer and press the Escape key to get the results for the cars that did finish. As soon as the start gate is put back up, the timer automatically sends the times to the computer. This last race, I only had to go back to the computer once, but that was because we needed to rerun a heat (raced the wrong car ).

[CZARDAD]

We ran our Derby last week with our new Freedom track with laser gate. We also had the problem with the laser lining up low if the laser brackets are screwed into the wood pieces. Luckily we discovered it the week before the race (during the time trials). I took it home and considered a number of options that included using shims, routing out a groove in the wood piece, etc. However, I finally used the following solution which worked great. Instead of screwing the laser brackets to the wood piece, I loosened the wood bracket from the track (it mounts with a button screw that goes through the track). Then I slipped the bracket into the space between the wood and the track and then firmed up the button screw. This effectively clamped the laser brackets to the track with the wood piece and raised the laser line just enough for clearance. I used it for both the receiver unit brack and the magnetic transmitter bracket. Using this solution, I found it necessary to cut out a section of the transmitter bracket to have clearance for the start gate.

Otherwise, the track worked great annd was perfect during the race. We did have a problem with the Cubmaster helping during the setup at the trials and using a battery drill to "speed" up joining the pieces. Unfortunately, he used a Torx bit instead of an Allen bit, torqued the screw in too tight and then rounded out the Allen slot. I would suggest ONLY using a hand Allen wrench. It only takes a little longer to set up and you won't have an "Uh-Oh". If you find a Z shaped allen wrench instead of the supplied L shaped one, it speeds up assembly because it acts as a crank. So, brief the people that are helping you set up and ban the drills.

BTW, if you do strip allen slot, use a cutoff wheel with a Dremel tool to cut a slot in the button screw and then use a flatblade to unscrew it.

[gpraceman]

Unfortunately, he used a Torx bit instead of an Allen bit, torqued the screw in too tight and then rounded out the Allen slot. I would suggest ONLY using a hand Allen wrench. It only takes a little longer to set up and you won't have an "Uh-Oh".

We managed to strip out one as well (OK, I admit it. It was me ). However, we are not going to abandon using the cordless drill for setup as it really speeds things up on setup and teardown. We are just more careful now to take the torque setting all the way down to the minimum when screwing in the fasteners.

I also checked the bit I was using and it was a bit rounded over on the end, which probably contributed to the strip out. I was able to find another bit that was more square.

BTW - I received the new anodized Freedom track on Wednesday, as expected, for our Awana missionary. So far, I have only had a chance to put together the smaller stuff. I like the new stop secton design and their newest design on the start gate trip lever. The new trip lever seems to lend itself better to rigging a solenoid (a project for another day) and is much less likely to be accidentally tripped. This weekend I will try to get the track sections together.

[CZARDAD]

Actually, I used a battery drill myself when I set it up shortly after receiving the track and I had no problem, but I am unusually careful with the setup and takedown. I was the one who convinced the Pack to buy the track, did the research and ordering, etc., so I feel that the track is "my baby." What I am worried about is the future, when I have moved on, and other well meaning volunteers have to set "her" up. I figure that if I can get a "no drill" rule started at the outset, there will be less trouble later on. This would be one instance of "that's the way we have always done it" when it would work to the Pack's advantage.

Otherwise, this track performed as advertised and more. The delivery was a little later than quoted, but we ordered well in advance of the derby, so no problems.

[Mike Doyle]

The hot tip for quick assembly is to use an "Allen head Ball driver". The tool looks like a typical screw driver with an Allen shaft but the end is undercut so it can pivot within the socket.

You can find these lots of places, Du Bro sells them at hobby stores, Harbor Freight, and most home centers. You can do the final alignment on the sections and torque the screws with a conventional 90° Allen wrench.

[Packdude]

I also recently ordered a track from Piantedosi. I had heard others on email groups talking about delivery issues and was a little leary, but I preferred the look of the Piantedosi track compared to BestTrack, so I went with them. I did not have any problems or delays. Someone else mentioned purchasing the anodized track and not having any delays either. I purchased the anodized Freedom track, 6 lanes, 48 feet long. A friend of mine helped me put it together. We had a problem when it came to lining up the starting gate with the slots. Gary suggested using a ruler to make sure the lane centers were 3.5" apart. We didn't think about that when we assembled the lanes. It made a huge difference. Also, a big carpenters square is a must to help keep things even and square. Another tip we discovered when installing the starting gate was if you tighten down the mounting screws, the gate hinge contacts the bottom of the track and prevents the gate from operating smoothly. We placed a very, very thin washer on each screw between the gate and the track and had zero problems.
Another problem we had with the track was with the lanes shifting when we moved it. The only solution we have found so far is to leave the connecting plates attached to one end of the track to prevent the lanes from shifting. This, of course, completely throws off our plan to use the case plans on Piantedosi's site. The end pieces on all sections, except the first section, are only about an extra 2 inches, but the connection piece on the first section is at least 5-6 extra inches. I really wish they would have drilled another set of holes in the middle of the track and added another brace there. I'm glad to hear about the suggestions for different types of allen wrenches and the thumb screws. I'm sure that will help us get our assembly time down. Does anyone else have problems with the lanes shifting between assemblies? Do you have to re-align everything every time you assemble the track? How long does it take you to assemble your Freedom?

[gpraceman]

Another problem we had with the track was with the lanes shifting when we moved it. The only solution we have found so far is to leave the connecting plates attached to one end of the track to prevent the lanes from shifting. This, of course, completely throws off our plan to use the case plans on Piantedosi's site. The end pieces on all sections, except the first section, are only about an extra 2 inches, but the connection piece on the first section is at least 5-6 extra inches. I really wish they would have drilled another set of holes in the middle of the track and added another brace there.

Having brackets in the middle would be a nice change. We found that you cannot pull the edge of the track in the middle when trying to pickup the section as this can seperate the lanes. The seem to go back to their normal position just fine, but repeatedly doing that would likely cause problems with alignment on the ends. You do need to grab both edges of the track in the middle so the lanes are kept together.

Does anyone else have problems with the lanes shifting between assemblies? Do you have to re-align everything every time you assemble the track? How long does it take you to assemble your Freedom?

We have only had problems on one section joint and I believe that can be resolved with loosening the end brackets of those two ends and making sure the lanes are 3.5" on center. There is one lane that is a little bit off. Setup takes maybe 15 minutes with a couple of guys.

[Packdude]

Setup takes maybe 15 minutes with a couple of guys.

Ahh...that elusive 15 minute setup time.... I'm still trying to reach it!
We have only set the track up a couple of times, the first time took quite a while and we only assembled 32 feet of it. It was very cold outside and that may have slowed us down some. The last time we put it together, we did the whole 48 feet. We had the connector plates still attached to the sections we had used the first time. Most of the sections went together with no problem, except the first two. We had left the plate on the second section and when we tried lining up the two sections, it was a real pain. We decided instead to leave the plate attached to the first section and at the 'bottom' of the other sections. The end section has a place for an extra brace where the new end section is attached, so it works nicely. We still haven't figured out exactly what we are going to do for the storage case, but we'll get there.