the PC based race commander  the most fun race game for all 2 lane slot race tracks introduction to RACE-CONTROL    last update at August 19, 1998 (J)

Even if model slot car tracks are an often requested gift of children and even adults, a lot of race tracks scrape a bare living in many basements.
It seems that it makes little fun to run races only supported by a lap counter. Who first finished the no. of laps agreed upon its winner is boring, isn't it?

No rating of best lap times, no penalty for jump-starts and what about if more then 2 drivers want to participate on a 2 lane race track in a championship. How many races must be held to find out the best driver. Try to calculate - it's not quite simple.

This is why we invented RACECONTROL. Be assured that slot car races only with RACECONTROL become 100% action and fun.
 

• RACECONTROL is a computer based system, managing model car races nearly automatically.
• RACECONTROL wants to be understand as game and not only a lap counter or lap time measurement device. Even if not a professional system RACECONTROL is highly competitive to those systems used at national championships.
• RACECONTROL is a sort of race director, calling the participating drivers to their races, starting the races, measuring times and counting laps, taking care of the ranking list and this way finding out the best driver from maximum of 20 drivers.

• RACECONTROL can easily be handled by children at the age of 10.
• RACECONTROL-SOFT is very powerful but at the same time very simple to use.
• RACECONTROL-SOFT can be handled even without any PC experience at all.

A.) A slot car racing track
RACECONTROL works with 2 lane slot car racing tracks in any scale (1:24, 1:36, 1:87...) and of any manufacturer (ARTIN, CARRERA, CARTRONIC, DICKY, FALLER, ELITE, FALLER, GOOD PLAY, MÄRKLIN, NINCO, SCALEXTRIX, SCX, SUPERTEC, POLISTIL, TYCO and many others).
For non slot type racing tracks with an overtake possibility (for example CARRERA SERVO) RACECONTROL can be only used with restrictions, because those tracks do not have two physically separated (left/right) lanes.

B.) A PC
An IBM compatible PC with a '286 (512 Kbytes RAM, 2 Mbytes harddisk, VGA black&white or color monitor, a serial (COMx) interface, 3 ½ inch floppy disk) or better processor is already sufficient to run RACECONTROL-SOFT.
RACECONTROL-SOFT is very nice, super easy to understand but nevertheless a quite powerful DOS software. RACECONTROL-SOFT runs with the operation system DOS, WINDOWS 2.x and 3.x, WINDOWS 95 and WINDOWS 98 PCs. (Eventually you can run RACECONTROL-SOFT with  WINDOWS NT, OS2 and other computers like ATARIs, COMMODORE, MACs using a DOS emulator.)
 

You lay or fix under the race tack so called sensors (they are a deliverable of RACECONTROL).

The sensor together with the sensor box (also a deliverable of RACECONTROL) is recognizing plane metal pieces moved near the sensors.
Each slot racing car has an electric motor build of steel. If a racing car is driving over the sensor, positioned under the track, a signal will be released. (A sensor is a kind of switch. The switch will be pressed when a car is driving over it.)

The sensors are connected to the sensor box. The sensor box is sending good signals to the PC.
On the PC is installed RACECONTROL-SOFT.

RACECONTROL-SOFT is converting the signals to lap times (1/1000 seconds resolution) and speeds, is calculating points, keeping the ranking list and so on.
 

A single game is a championship.
The target of the game, meaning the championship is to find out the best driver from a minimum of 2 drivers.
This goal is reached when each driver is driving 2 races (fore and return race on the left respectively the right lane) against each other driver.

The winner is the best driver, i.e. the one with the greatest leads, the best intermediate- and lap times, doing little jump starts and so on.

In general left and right lane have different length and request different skills to drive. This is the reason why a driver pair (2 drivers) have to drive two races (forth and back race) against each other.

Inputting the driver names (= the no. of drivers participating at a championship), the no. of laps each race, the no of heats (how many times each driver pair must drive against each other - 2, 4, 6... times?) RACECONTROL determine the total no. of races that must be held to finish a championship.

RACECONTROL-SOFT is calling the drivers to their races, informs the driver about the lane (left or right) they must race on and who is first to choose his car from the available cars.
When driving the races RACECONTROL-SOFT gives points for

• the best start time,
• the race winner,
• the best, second and the third best lap time,
• the best and second best lap time for a single race, respectively the total championship.
• The race winner also gets points for his lead in seconds.
• For jump-starts the drivers get penalty points.

Drivers can join to championships already started. They are called by RACECONTROL-SOFT to follow-race their races.

RACECONTROL-SOFT is the director of the race championships.
The drivers and spectators can concentrate 100% on the race action.
 
 

Deliverables of RACECONTROL?

2 sensor pairs (2 sensors each to measure the intermediate and lap times on each lane).

1 sensor-box to be interfaced to the serial interface of your PC.

1 serial interface cable to connect the sensor box and the PC.

1 interface adapter, in case your PC is not having a 9-pin but only a 25-pin serial interface.

1 RACECONTROL-SOFT.  Download  RACECONTROL-SOFT (free of charge).

1 power supply unit

1 manual with detailed descriptions (sorry in German language only - we do our best to get it translated soon).

1 very nice, colored carton were everything is delivered in (actually the box is delivered with German text only).

Simply download  download RACECONTROL-SOFT (free of charge), install it on your PC and run it.

To test RACECONTROL-SOFT you do not need the sensors or the sensor-box.
You can simulate the sensor signals with your PC-keyboard or mouse clicks. How to do this is explained during the installation of RACECONTROL-SOFT.

First test, then buy - What you see is what you get.
 

RACECONTROL is brand new. We are sorry that already now we can not offer you a world wide dealer network.
In Germany and the Netherlands you can buy RACECONTROL already through our dealers (see our German web pages).
Only in those countries were we do not have any dealer, you can buy  RACECONTROL directly through us (see purchase information).

Please support us in setting up a dealer network. Ask your local dealer for RACECONTROL. Thank you very much.