First posted on Slot Car Dirt (http://www.slotcardirt.com)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SPluhq2V0ns/SXAV-bjwvyI/AAAAAAAAAL0/8HHUI9vhJ4o/s200/ToftheD2logo.png (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SPluhq2V0ns/SXAV-bjwvyI/AAAAAAAAAL0/8HHUI9vhJ4o/s1600-h/ToftheD2logo.png) Originally posted by Bill Hall

For new tuners, IMHO, there are three magic words.

Concentric - Is it round? Does it run true? Be it an Arm, a gear/shaft, an axle, or a wheel/tire. Swamper pointed out some time ago that a cockeyed pancake armature pinion can transfer it's wobble/bind down the gear train thereby affecting multiple components. Just as a whacked axle makes wheels and tires run kerflunky. The nugget there is to pay attention to how a component relates to the rest of the components. It's imperative that you proceed systematically rather than throwing a bag of new parts at something and not solving the problem or worse yet... LOL... Fixing a problem and never knowing how the heck ya got there. D'Oh! Any one or a combination of wobbles WILL hurt you bad whether the symptom is gear binding or chassis hopping.

Friction - It's a YES or NO question! Really a simple matter to isolate but care should be taken to not over relieve or excessively clearance friction points. Always take little bites! Then retest. Keep in mind that over relieving a bound friction point can create an un-concentric condition if not approached with care. Excessive friction kills cars. No exceptions!

Balance - Can apply in several different areas. Armature(both electrical and mechanical), magnet strength and comm spring pressure. Bigger magnets and gunning the comm down do not always make a better running car. Balancing pick up shoe profile and spring pressure is paramount to good handling and proper current transfer. Then of course chassis balance...if it's a three wheeler its always gonna have a quirk or two no matter how much fiddlin' you do.

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hey hankster!thanks for posting this new thread!this kinda stuff is why i log on to ht!wtg!

I knew this was bound to happen, blogging hitting the slot car hobby. I've thought about the pros and cons of this for a few years and was waiting to see who was going to take the first baby steps. On the one hand I have a concern about further fragmentation and redirection of focus away from the central core communication channel, broad base of contribution, and well accepted rendezvous point that HobbyTalk provides. But on the other hand, there really are some threads here that would be better suited and much better served in a blog setting, like some narrower personal matters and scenarios and the occasional deep dives into way-off-topic subjects.

So Bill, thanks for being a guinea pig. Let's keep an open mind and see what happens.

I like it... posted a link on my website, and won't even mention the name of my website!!

Gary
AKA Leeroy98
www..........

I knew this was bound to happen, blogging hitting the slot car hobby. I've thought about the pros and cons of this for a few years and was waiting to see who was going to take the first baby steps. On the one hand I have a concern about further fragmentation and redirection of focus away from the central core communication channel, broad base of contribution, and well accepted rendezvous point that HobbyTalk provides. But on the other hand, there really are some threads here that would be better suited and much better served in a blog setting, like some narrower personal matters and scenarios and the occasional deep dives into way-off-topic subjects.

So Bill, thanks for being a guinea pig. Let's keep an open mind and see what happens.

Thank you....but I was actually having a loss for words and virtually no clue on how to proceed :freak:.....Hank fished this one out of the way back. :thumbsup:

Hank fished this one out of the way back.

That's about as good of an endorsement as you can get. I am totally behind you too, I see this as an opportunity and proving ground for extending the reach and attracting more folks to the hobby. Having HobbyTalk as the base camp and central hub for our online community is a good thing. Opening up some paths to further exploration off of the central hub sounds like it could be pretty exciting and bring out some richer and innovative ways for more folks to contribute. We will of course be expecting more pictures and video.