Using Radius 3 curves

[vimal_indrasoma]

Has anyone here been able to integrate a radius 3 curve into an otherwise standard R2 layout?

I don't mean by wrapping an R3 oval around an R2 one - I want to join the R3s into the main loop, and I was hoping someone might have some useful hints, sort of in the way the back of the Track Extension Pack 3 box has diagrams telling you how to graft the R1 hairpin into an R2 oval. I can't seem to get the Track Designer  program to do what I want ... and I don't want to buy the pack and find out it can't be done!

I did ask a question on the R3 curve product page, but I was told it was inappropriate ... hope I'm not violating some ancient taboo of the Scaly Universe!

Thanks in advance for any help, hints, or educated guesses ...

[gorp]

Simple if you mean replacing 180 deg degree curve ( r2r2r2r2) with r3.

If so, its r3,r3,r3,r3 (because it takes two r3 to equal one r2),  r1,r1  which connects to  s,s,s,s  ( 4 shorts).

The 180 section will be just as wide as before but 2 shorts longer because the four r3s are two shorts taller then two r2 and are two r2s being two shorts taller than two r1s. (2 + 2)  Thus it requires 4 shorts on the r1 side  to equal the r3 side.

 

Suggest you start playing around with different track sections to get the combinations and write them down.

Heres an easy one : 9 shorts equals 2 full straights.

Could tell you more but important for you to learn if you want to build something different.

Then try connecting for example lane 3 and lane 4 (r2) into lane 4 and lane 5 curves just using two r2 (which is the lane 3 and 4 piece) and one r3 (lane 5 and lane 6)  and two single lane quarter pieces.

Have fun !!!

[Andy P.]

I can't get Track Designer to work on my PC but I recommedn Ultimate racer anyway as it is easier to use.

Neverthless I am really having trouble understanding your request. The biggest problem is likely we have o idea what your current layout is and "joining to the main loop" could entail...

Some basics:

All curves have a degree, 22.5°, 45° or 90°.

The difference is the radius https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radius

So an R3 is wider i.e. it takes longer to complete the SAME degree of the curve. If you lay an R2 next to an R3 of the same degree you can see the difference http://s1.thingpic.com/images/UH/nJvXE3DiMms5gvY6xyW1DqXv.gif

If you look at the graphic you see that an R3 curve is 526 mm and an R2 curve is 370mm. The difference is 156 mm which is 78X2 and Scalextric makes a 78 mm straight so it all matches up!

At the end of the day your layout will change a lot and R3 curves are a great addition but it will likely require you to have 78 and 87 mm straights on hand to make everything match up.

Google Scalextric radii or Scalextric curve radii (or radius) and you will see lots of examples....

[Andy P.]

/media/tinymce_upload/67e11eb1d7baac8c7528a767c7b2c00c.png

I got the Track Designer to work under Windows 10 by running it as an administrator. Here is a picture of 8 22.5° R2 curves versus 8 22.5° R3 curves..

[vimal_indrasoma]

Thanks, Gorp and Andy - 

Gorp, your solution is close to what I want, except that I would like to have a full 180 of R3 - having a sharp R1 would slow things down a lot. What I would like to do is to blend the R3x8 curve into, say a R2x4 one by having a little 'wiggle' of R2s and or R3s to match the two sides of the oval.

 

Andy, your Track Designer pic nails it, what I want to do is close the gap using R2s or R3s (with a few straights inserted into the other side, obviously). The reverse of the Track Extension Pack 3 box has a nice set of diagrams showing how to blend the R1s into a R2 curve, I was hoping for something similar for connecting R3s to R2s (Track Extension Pack 6 with the R3s seems to come in a plain box without the helpful diagrams). This is the diagram from TEP3 -

/media/tinymce_upload/3fae8c22ed4056152b58629ed78c20ba.jpg

It does seem as though two R2 on either side will expand the R1 loop to R2 width, so does that mean that Four R3s are needed on each side to match a R2 curve to a R3 one? Geometry was never my best subject ...

[vimal_indrasoma]

This is as far as I've got - they 'nearly' work - maybe I should just bung them together and flatten out any kinks with a large heavy object! And Andy - thanks for the response to the question I asked on the Barrier and Clips Pack product page!                  

R3x12 + R2x4

/media/tinymce_upload/1a90f5eabba884d57174df3d08df01ad.JPG

R3x8 + R2x8

/media/tinymce_upload/eed16f169d7fe57ff232f3dc228e9ba0.JPG

[gorp]

Eight r3s make 180 degrees which is approx 41 inches

Four r2s with four shorts in middle also makes 180 deg at 41 inches.

You must know that by now ?

You really do not need a track designer if you actually work with the track but you do need enough of the proper curves and straights to learn with.

Have seen some plans published that are not correct but garbage in produced garbage out.

About anything can be built IF you have the right pieces.

To learn you must try and do not let anyone fool you, it is simple math.

[Andy P.]

In my experience when track does not match up like those pictrurs and the gap cannot be solver by adding a 78 mm straight somewhere I usally add 2 X 22.5° curves as a "chicane" left -> right to "nudge the track into the right direction.

I have used 2X R1 (!) 22.5° without any adverse effects but obviously the wider the radius the faster the curve.

If I have time to muck with the Tarck planer I will post pics...

Regarding your first picture: Likely replacing the first R3 with and R4 will "nudge" it to the right or at least make adding a 78 mm straight feasible. Alternatively  add an R3 "chicane" after the straight.

The bottom pic probably requires a 78 mm straight after the first bend and then an R2 to make it match.

 

[Andy P.]

This is something I threw together. I used Print Schemtic Layout option so you can see the pieces I used.

It doesn't match up 100% but when you get this close there is enough flexibility in the track to make it work.

/media/tinymce_upload/019e7f1da75d69072d9e9db7a54f2046.png

[vimal_indrasoma]

I think your're right, Andy - the track has quite a lot of 'give' and it seems to me that any of the near misses above should work, especially as I intend banking the R3 180 curve - that will give some flex in 3 dimensions as well.

 

Just out of curiosity, I ran the R1/R2 hybrid from the TEP3 box through Track Designer - results below - and it does seem that the programmers should have allowed for some 'fuzzy logic' in the alignment! Maybe there's a 'snap together' command that we haven't found. I know for a fact that it works in practice, as I have a variation set up and running right now, so I guess it's safe to invest in the R3 pack and sort things out on the floor, as it were.

/media/tinymce_upload/6c2ed1907f9e91b56aa6d8382215d989.JPG

[vimal_indrasoma]

Quick update - having finally bought the Track Extension Pack 6, it seems that it DOES have a set of helpful hints on the back (my question asking whether it does, posted on the product page was deleted). 

I really think it should be featured on the product page, as it would help future buyers.

I was trying to upload a copy here, but I keep getting a "cannot write to disk" error, so will try again later.

 

Cheers!

[Grumpa19]

This layout is what Andy mentioned above about adding a couple short straights in the R2 180 end and it was in the library for Ultimate Racr. I had issues trying to download Trackdesigner as it wanted me to load some driver software on my Win 10 Surface 3 Pro which I resisted until I know more.

/media/tinymce_upload/1287e6b1cfe4589533c6b30402e5dfbf.gif