aussieslotter

So samples of all the plug ins are on the way from the factory. Everything from braid and motor wires, to headlights, tail lights, exhaust flame simulator, lane change beacons and sensors, analogue lap counter, sound modules, scenic lighting, OLED screen, hall sensor, super capacitor fur lights

After the dust settles and changes decided upon this is what Carrera users can expect over a standard Carrera chip in terms of hardware. Around 2-3 times the hardware on a smaller decoder. All plug’n’play.

No rubber bands! Pretty blue too.

We decided it was just easier to design a purpose made dongle. The MPD was close but no cigar. The dongle receives data from the Scorpius controller via its nRF52832 micro. It’s decoded then converted to Carrera controller protocols and then onto the Carrera Control Unit via a 6 wire cable with RJ12 plug. The 6 rectangles on the right side is set up for a 6 pin 1.5mm socket or solder wires to these same pads. An LED display is not required as the controller ID is already known by looking at the Scorpius controller. The board is powered by the 3.3V supply from the Carrera CU. Simple. This took just 3 hours to design. This is another critical path completed. Firmware has already been written and tested so Nitrous is almost here. Size is identical to the MPD in order to be able to use our existing programming jig. The project is finally starting to come together, and in a big way. Development continues.

Here's the MPD final version.

Here’s our MPD Mini decoder. At just 352.16 sq.mm. Full Scorpius and Carrera protocols. No thrills, lights, OLEDs, etc, just bare bones, small, no JST sockets, just lightweight and fast. No rubber bands, lock up issues, bootloader issues, app issues, headaches, stress or lost enjoyment. Pre tested too.

In regards to plug n play. After much thought over 18 months this is the final design. If you’re not into soldering welcome to plug n play. This thread is now closed .

We have finally completed 21 months of hardware design. 100% plug n play. Plenty of Grunt

Rest in peace Jim.

Analogue users, imagine the ultimate analogue system: Wireless controllers as standard. World first. Headlights, low and high beam, flash headlights, tail and working brake lights all controlled wirelessly from your controller as standard equipment. World first. On board fuel tank based on actual power used. World first. In car simulated tank weight car behaviour. World first. In car simulated tyre wear based on actual distance travelled. World first. In car simulated brake pad wear based on the actual amount of braking done. World first. In car accelerometer. World first. In car simulated damage based on real impacts. World first. Plug and play wireless lapcounter. (Scalextric, Ninco, Carrera and Policar track pieces) World first. Analogue plug and play pit lane sensors. (Scalextric, Ninco, Carrera and Policar track pieces) World first. Ability for analogue car to enter pits using wireless control. World first. Analogue sector timing. Real time telemetry for analogue cars. World first. Real time wireless tacho. World first. Analogue ghost car with smarts. World first. Worlds most comprehensive Race Management System software. See PDF for more detail. Attached FilesThumbnail(s) Analogica by Scorpius.pdfSize: 298.52 KB Downloads: 69 (This post was last modified: 30th-Jan-23, 06:53 AM by ScorpiusWireless.) 3 members Like ScorpiusWireless's post Website Find Quote Multi Quote Report ScorpiusWireless Scorpius Wireless Posts: 305 Threads: 72 Likes Received: 303 in 188 posts Likes Given: 21 Joined: Apr 2019 LocationSydney Australia Warning Level: 0% #2 Less than 1 minute ago Analogica by Scorpius. Digitally enhanced Analogue racing. Ok so a year later, now that the MPD decoder hardware has been finalised, here's the product description. Requirements for Basic system: Scorpius Controller, Scorpius WAM (Wireless 50A driver), Scorpius Dongle, Scorpius MPD Analogica car decoder, Options: Scorpius Lapcounter, Scorpius App, Scorpius Race Software, Scorpius Pit lane changer (optional). Track type: Positive wired analogue only. Project status: Controller: Complete WAM: Complete Dongle: Complete (Used to reconfigure settings) Car decoder: 3rd protype coming April 2025. Firmware is 95% complete. Options: Lapcounter: Complete Scorpius App: Complete (Used for firmware upgrades) Scorpius Race Software: Complete Scorpius pit lane changer: Firmware coming May 2025. Hows it work? Plug'n'play Plug and play flexibility. Just choose and only pay for what you require. 1. Lights: front headlights, low and high beam, flash headlights, all using Scorpius controller. Includes plug in Super Capacitor. 2. Add Exhaust flame simulator: 3. Add OLED windscreen display. 4. Add Photo Sensor for Pit Lane Changer option. 5. Add Tacho Hall Sensor Available mid 2025. Price $69.95 AUD plus GST plus plug in components. Prices of components to be announced.

Product 1: MPD Scorpius Car Decoder Ok here's some of the possibilities of plug in hardware. Have it as basic or as full on as you like, only pay for what you need. There are literally dozens of ways the car decoder alone can be set up. Welcome to the worlds first customisable slot car decoder. The key word here is FLEXIBILITY. Plus it's the basis of 9 other products. Let's start with the most basic, just the car decoder, no extras. Would you like lights with that? Let's keep those lights on over lane changers and deslots. Add the Super Capacitor. Let's go the Exhaust Flame Simulator: Who wouldn't like a windscreen OLED display? Tacho time. See it on your PC or Windscreen OLED. Add the hall sensor. Brushless your go? Swap out the OLED or Hall Sensor to a Texas Instruments 8A BLDC driver. Don't forget to use the reconfigure program. Maybe you just want the brushless driver? Theres also the Carrera IR LED that can reconfigured as flashing lights, interior light or fog lights. In fact any LED port can be reconfigured as front or rear lights, EFS (Exhaust Flame Simulator), Flashing lights etc. Just use the reconfigure program. Both data ports can each be reconfigured to OLED, Hall Sensor or Brushless Driver. Just use the reconfigure program.

Hi Guys, As you probably know the MPD is multiple products in one. Differences between products are simply firmware and any plug in hardware. This is the proposed order of release starting mid 2025. Not far off. Don’t forget once the MPD is released new “products” will essentially be firmware releases 1. Scorpius Car Decoder Completed. 2. Scorpius Lane Brain Previously released Mini Brain based on Gen 1 car decoder in 2015, the firmware is already written but needs to transferred over. 3. Scorpius WAM light board. Completed by default in product #1 4. Nitrous car decoder (Carrera) Around 80-90% complete. 5. Nitrous Dongle (Carrera) 50% complete. All incoming data completed. 6. Nitrous Lane Brain (Carrera) Not yet started. 7. Scenic lighting board. Completed. 8. Surround sound system. Not yet started. 9. Analogue Lapcounter Not yet started. Easy job. 10. Motor analyser/tacho. Not yet started. Big job. As you can see around 1/3 is completed, another 1/3 semi complete and the remainder not yet started. Apologies to anyone not happy with completion timing but one project has become 10 projects and the car decoder upgraded 3 times. Only downside the project will obviously need more time to complete. The hardest products we started with first, that being the Scorpius car decoder which is indeed complete.

How to wire up a analogue/digital track? 1. Analogue: Run analogue cars on a positively wired analogue track. 2. Wireless Analogue. Run analogue cars on a positively wired analogue track using the Scorpius Wireless Controller and the Scorpius Wireless Analogue Module (WAM). 3. Wireless digital Run Scorpius chipped cars on a Scorpius digital track. 4.Wired digital: Use any CU on your Scorpius Hybrid track. How to do Analogue? Simply wire each lane as per any positively wired analogue track like this: How to do wireless analogue? First purchase the Scorpius WAM: Next purchase Scorpius Controller: Pair the controller to the WAM using the controller and race analogue cars wirelessly. 50A mosfet drivers. How to change track into a hybrid analogue/Scorpius Wireless digital track? Simply make up a jumper cable for under $5 like this: Here's the wiring diagram: Looks like this: The track now employs fulltime power for Scorpius Wireless digital. How to wire a wired digital control unit into the Scorpius hybrid wiring system? You don't need a $800 switch box to have a proper hybrid digital/analogue track using old style wired Control Units. First remove the start line track piece and discard. Secondly re-route the wires that go from the CU to the track to a plug. Plug in like this: You now have simple, almost zero cost way of running of running Carrera digital on a positively wired track. *Scorpius does not recommend or use negative wired analogue controllers or negatively wired analogue powerbases. As you can see EVERY POSSIBILITY HAS BEEN COVERED for any digital or analogue scenario, for wired and wireless systems! This method is cheap, quick and easy to use. The system is designed so a third party CU or Powerbase can never be damaged. Here's a video I did 13 years ago that is still valid in 2024 and will be for decades. Another proud Scorpius first.

Scorpius design and functionality always refers to 1:1 racing to keep it as real as possible. Radio comms in motorsport has been around since the late 40s. And kicked off big time by the 80s. Its critical and handy to have important information. SmartRace has Smart Connect which can do this but only for 6 cars and only for Carrera. Screens are great but you can't look at a screen and race and concentrate on a race simultaneously. Announcements are great but it is impossible to hear everyone's at once. So how to do? Apps can't do custom RF but can do Bluetooth and Wi Fi and phones don't accept dongles. Your PC can do RF via dongle, Bluetooth and Wi Fi. Our race program, Scorpius Race Management, already has all the required data. The work here will be only to port it to WiFi, nothing else. A relatively easy job. The other aspect is app work. Here we have a reliable consistent app already in place with a proven Bluetooth connection established. The app engineer will need to decode incoming data, make a configuration box to be able to select a car ID 1-24, and turn the incoming data into screen text and also employ text to send to headset using cable. voice and send via cable. My proposal is to send all information globally using Wi Fi. Each app can be customised to a certain car ID 1-24. WiFi and RF both operate generally on 2.4Ghz and will ad traffic. The limits won’t be known until testing. For example it may be that there is a limitation on this, 6 cars for example, maybe more or less. No one knows yet. Each drivers app decodes the global message and using text to voice will hear only their information, no one else. Voice includes countdown to race start, false start, lap times, laps to go, new race leader, best lap times. time to go, fuel and tyre status can be heard. As a project manager I need to plan well in advance. This is a ten year product meaning once its released there will be no hardware changes for a decade like Scorpius Generation 1 did successfully. It's a winning formula for the end user. So everything must be planned years ahead. This is one such function, even though we may not get to this in 2025. It will happen. But discussion, a specification is paramount with all the relevant engineers to foresee issues is required now not later, and plan accordingly for long term success with minimal back tracking of work as the MPD will be released as a car decoder first and then the other 9 MPD products added AFTER the MPD is released. Here the system will eventually employ RF, BT and WiFi to get the job done. Here's a rough idea what the screen may look like.

The following is a list of some of the more important firsts by Team Scorpius. And there are many more developments to follow. Thanks go out to chief hardware/firmware engineer John Huberts, software engineer Dave Aufderheide, app engineer Chen Li and beta testers world wide since Nov 2006. 1. First 2.4Ghz car decoder. 2. First 2.4Ghz controller. 3. First 2.4Ghz lane changer. 4. First 2.4ghz slot car dongle. 5. First 2.4Ghz analogue receiver/driver. 6. First digital system designed without a powerbase. 7. First system with direct power to rails. 8. First multi protocol car decoder. 9. First multi protocol lane changer. 10. First car decoder telemetry. 11. First system with track telemetry 12. First programmable best line. 13. First production anti-collision system. 14. First wireless upgradeable firmware. 15. First wirelessly configurable slot car products.. 16. First digital analogue system using the “Chip the rails” method. 17. First controller with LCD screen. 18. First controller with programmable throttle mapping. 19. First digital controller with adjustable brakes. 20. First wireless digital controller with adjustable sensitivity. 21. First digital speed trap. 22. First diagnostic programs for trouble shooting. 23. First “Nano chip” under 10x5mm (9.4x5.0mm). 24. First wireless ghost car. 25. First slot car with artificial intelligence. 26. First digital wireless race software. 27. First reliable/stable app. 28. First car decoder with OLED screen. 29. First car decoder with back EMF detection. 30. First car decoder with motor analyser/tacho. 31. First wireless digital decoder with brushless driver connection. 32. First digital wireless car decoder with full functioning lights. 33. First digital wireless products with built in version number. 34. First wireless scenic lighting. 35. First car decoder with accelerometer. 36. First car decoder with EFS (Exhaust Flame Simulator) 37. First car decoder with wired data connection. 38. First car decoder with a Real Time Operating System. 39. First wireless 100% Carrera compatible car decoder. 40. First lane changer with livened flippers. 41. First lane changer with configurable gate times. 42. First system with lane detection. 43. First system with sector detection. 44. First wireless digital system with real time lap counting. 45. First system to break 5m/s response time (Controller to car). 46. First system with 256 throttle steps. 47. First system with 256 braking steps. 48. First system with storable throttle maps. 49. First production car decoder to use Schottky diodes. 50. First wireless controller to use hall sensor. www.scorpiuswireless.com

Oops photos would be nice

The Nitrous project for Carrera users powered by Scorpius Wireless.

Hi Legends and those not, What is it? It’s a dongle that receives Scorpius throttle data and turns it into Carrera throttle data and delivers it to a RJ12 telephone plug that connects to the Carrera CU. Its part of the master plan to develop a dual communications system for Carrera users to bring them up to 2024 bench marks. Our controller will be able to talk to the Carrera CU and the MPD powered Nitrous chipped car. We now we have not just one but two 12C data ports. This negates the need of a seperate DAC chip as mentioned in previous posts here. The blue and white wire are 5V power from the CU that powers the MPD. Phew no battery required! The pic is based on the upcoming MPD V5 prototype coming in March with two 12C data ports not just one. It will come with pins specifically for a reset switch pcb and a pcb mounted micro (momentary) switch. So here I’ve replaced the Carrera reset switch with an off the shelf momentary switch connected to the 2 pins. The OLED will be held in place by a 3D printed surround. It will be powered off the MPD. The RJ12 plug is re-soldered to the MPD as shown. At this stage I’m using a Carrera Dongle casing as it has a smart matching (to the app connect box) enclosure with the reset hole and screen cut out, labelling, as well as the RJ12 plug with a nice shroud where it leaves the enclosure. As you can see the MPDs small size makes for an easy install and everything fits nicely with room to spare. I could also re-program an existing Carrera dongle. But we like everything hardware wise to be proprietary. It’s a possibility though and something to consider. Here we will simply use the proposed MPD V5 as is and only a firmware change is required. That firmware upgrade won’t be easy. The good news is its only simple throttle signal and a LC switch signal. The MPD “Digital wireless slot car Arduinos” adaptability and flexible interface make it so much easier to turn almost any conceivable idea into reality.

JST plugs all round for the MPD super chip. The ones on leads are Carrera connections (and also Scorpius).

Ok here’s the OLED screen. Just 0.49” or 12.5mm screen size. Initially it will just show car ID and later a tacho as well as other ideas. If can also run a Nextion 4.3” colour touchscreen, but memory is limited. The 4 pin in/out port can run on 12C or UART. We have decided for both brushless motor comms, the OLED and sound modules that 12C is the most suitable comms protocol to use. I’ve included a couple pics of 1:1 cars to give readers an idea of what it’s based on.

Here’s the 100% truly compatible 100% plug and play Nitrous decoder by Scorpius Industries Pty Ltd. All you need is some Blu-tack. Chip can be used on Carrera native, Scorpius or Nitrous systems. Now choose a basic 6 car system, an advanced 6 car Nitrous system or advanced 24 car Scorpius system. Carrera chip size 470 sq.mm Nitrous chip size 292.6 sq.mm Nitrous decoder is 38% smaller. The chip will have the 100uF electrolytic cap on a fly lead for installation flexibility on the next prototype. The last pic shows the PCB mounted IR LED for Carrera lane changing and lapcounting. In Nitrous mode (Scorpius controller and Scorpius-Carrera dongle required) you will get 256 step throttle and brake resolution, hall sensor, OLED screen and accelerometer functions, full light control ala 1:1, telemetry and a heap of other functions.

Ok Scorpius freaks, and those not too sure......if you're into "bling" here's your go to: Were planning all the nitty gritty for production on all the plug in peripherals. Its quite a task. MPD in Scorpius car decoder configuration with head/tail/brake lights, exhaust flame simulator, windscreen OLED, and 3 spare LED out puts (fog lights/safety car flashing lights, police car flashing lights or use for scenery and turn each light on/off from your PC including brightness control. The optional super capacitor is recommended to keep lights dying over crossover points. All "plug n play". Light sockets are Carrera compatible. Of course you don't have to use all these, just pay for and use whatever plug ins you need, around $1.50 each. The OLED screen $10 and the super cap $8. This what you might call a "Full House" light board for Scorpius users. Can also be fitted to analogue cars for enthusiasts using the Scorpius WAM and controller. Advantages are cheaper than a separate light board, a quick easy and cleaner install. All the wires are best quality silicone insulated. Turn lights on off and flash high beam from controller.

Hi Guys Product 14 of the MPD range the start/finish gantry will be the 14th product of the MPD range. A number of images will be available to upload to the gantry, example countdown images for race start, race finish, yellow flag and a few others. As its touch screen we could use it to start and pause races and a few other possible functions. These could be used for digital billboards ie Dunlop, Shell, Coke, etc It could also be used as a stand alone basic lap counter as the car can send directly to the screen. No app or PC required. Will work with analogue cars too The MPD does it again

Hi Guys, The MPD is a Multi Protocol Decoder, which results in around 13 products for Scorpius, Carrera and Analogue users. As production is now foreseeable attention must be given to how this will be configured by the enthusiast. The same physical decoder is used for each product, only the wiring hardware and firmware differs. The plug system makes it easy. MPD decoder. The square on the left with the 3 capacitors snaps off and is optionally fitted to motor can to supress current spiking of the microprocessor. Below, rear tail/brake lights, headlights, infrared LEDs, various coloured LEDs and male and female 1.5JST plugs. Lane Brain for Scorpius and Carrera lane changers and analogue lap counting infrared LEDs and photo sensors. These are 150 and 300mm long. TX/RX accessories/ OLED screen, hall sensor, Texas Instruments 8A brushless motor driver, RJ12 for Carrera Dongle, RF/BT converter and Surround sound. All 1.5 JST plugs. Super capacitor, power in and motor drive. All 2.0 JST Scorpius car decoder basic. Carrera with full lights and optional super capacitor Carrera Lane Brain lane changer board Carrera dongle WAM light board. 7 LED outputs, all configurable. RF to Bluetooth converter Here's what it will look like from the factory. Unwanted wires/plugs are removed. The user only pays for what they need.