CARRERA SLOT CAR TRACK
When I bought the Carrera set it came with a lap counter that also gives each car it's last lap time. I had to do some repairs to it to get it to work but it was worth the effort. The only problem I thought it still had was that the LCD display was hard to read. It's small and not back-lit. Unless the ceiling lights were on you couldn't read it at all.
I decided to hook up a webcam and more lights to remedy the situation. We had an old X-Box camera sitting around, an extra laptop, and a spare TV. No sense letting them gather dust when I could be using them downstairs.
I don't have any of the wiring hid yet but I've tested it out and it works pretty good. In order to conceal the camera I built a tower over the track (in front of the lap counter). Poster-board, wood dowels, some odds & ends from a junk drawer, paint, and my printer.
To put more light on the readout I attached one of those $3 billboards that I got at Menards to the top of the lap counter and covered it with printed START/FINISH signs.
I used 2 more of those $3 billboards on top of the camera tower.
The camera isn't exactly hidden but it's less noticeable mounted to the bottom of the tower rather than the top.
I added some railing on top of the tower so it could double as an observation deck.
I hung the television on the wall. It's in a good spot so you can see lap times at a glance. The lights I added above the lap counter allow you to see the display clearly with just the track lights on.
The grandstand was still pretty dark after I'd put on the green EL wire around the roof so I used 3 more of those Menards billboards to help light it up.
I know I've got a lot of lights on this layout but there are several areas that could use more.
When I bought the Carrera set it came with a lap counter that also gives each car it's last lap time. I had to do some repairs to it to get it to work but it was worth the effort. The only problem I thought it still had was that the LCD display was hard to read. It's small and not back-lit. Unless the ceiling lights were on you couldn't read it at all.
I decided to hook up a webcam and more lights to remedy the situation. We had an old X-Box camera sitting around, an extra laptop, and a spare TV. No sense letting them gather dust when I could be using them downstairs.
I don't have any of the wiring hid yet but I've tested it out and it works pretty good. In order to conceal the camera I built a tower over the track (in front of the lap counter). Poster-board, wood dowels, some odds & ends from a junk drawer, paint, and my printer.
To put more light on the readout I attached one of those $3 billboards that I got at Menards to the top of the lap counter and covered it with printed START/FINISH signs.
I used 2 more of those $3 billboards on top of the camera tower.
The camera isn't exactly hidden but it's less noticeable mounted to the bottom of the tower rather than the top.
I added some railing on top of the tower so it could double as an observation deck.
I hung the television on the wall. It's in a good spot so you can see lap times at a glance. The lights I added above the lap counter allow you to see the display clearly with just the track lights on.
The grandstand was still pretty dark after I'd put on the green EL wire around the roof so I used 3 more of those Menards billboards to help light it up.
I know I've got a lot of lights on this layout but there are several areas that could use more.