Digital Control Panel - The panel has 6 controller jacks, a power supply jack and an electronic lap counter display jack. The pit stop button turns the pit lane on and off. The confirm button is used to program the cars, prepare to start a race and to freezes the cars in the middle of a race.
Electronic Lap Counter Display - Very easy to read. The display is not backlit but can be rotated up to 45 degrees so overhead lights can brighten the screen. Shows laps or time remaining, counts laps for each car, shows 3 letter display to distinguish each driver, and shuffles positions of each car during the race from first place to last in real time. The three race modes are selected from the display - lap race, timed race and a lap race with ghost cars. You start the race by holding down the confirm button on the lap counter. This starts a 5 second countdown and then the power to the track is turned on. The race ends as the 1st place driver crosses the start finish line and then the power is cut to the track.
Pit Lane - When the pit lane is turned on each car will be low on fuel after 8 laps and then you have 2 more laps to refuel before your car slows down. The pit lane has 5 lights on it, and when you pull into it, all the lights turn red to signify the start of refueling. Each light turns green in sequence until all the lights are green which means the fueling is complete. Every time you enter the pit lane the car refuels completely and takes the same amount of time. When a car is in the pit lane, all other cars are unable to enter the pit lane. The ghost cars randomly change lanes and enter the pit lane to refuel. The ghost cars dont use fuel like the other players cars do. I would like to see Artin increase the amount of laps to 15 or 20. This will allow for more racing on the track and give drivers a larger window to refuel and not get in the way of the other drivers.
Controllers - The controllers have two buttons - a turbo button and a lane change button. Press the turbo button and the car goes faster than the top speed with the trigger pressed in. If you set up the race set in the layout pictured on the box, the turbo is almost too fast. A longer straightaway will make the turbo button easier to use. The lane change button is used to change lanes and enter the pit lane. The controllers are comfortable but the spring that returns the throttle trigger feels a little on the stiff side.
Digital cars - The cars come with a decoder chip mounted to the chassis with an LED that is used to activate the lane changers when the button on the controller is pressed down. The digital chassis is basically the same as used on the regular Artin analog cars but has a hole for the LED, a spring suspension guide and a stronger neo traction magnet. The Artin digital chassis is interchangeable with most other Artin analog cars (some cars might require some slight trimming of the interior tray to accommodate the electronics) and just about any scratch built car that uses the Artin chassis. Ideally, the chip would be universal but this is the next best thing. The lights on the car flash when you properly I.D. each car and at the end of a race the the headlights flash on the winning car. No brakes but still very drivable thanks to the stronger traction magnet.
Track - The straight tracks (except the starting grid straights) and curve track pieces are all black without the white center stripes. The track is compatible with all existing Artin 1/32 track and borders.
The set contains - 6 Digital cars, 6 - controllers, 13 - standard straights, 1 half straight, 1 - digital control panel, 1 - lap counter, 1 - lap counter, lap counter connecting cable, 2 - standard straights with starting grid, 1 - pit lane, 1 - pit lane extension, 1 - double lane change track, 14 - R1 60 curves, 4 extra guides w/ braid and 1 - power supply.
Summary - The feel of the new Artin Digital system is very similar to racing with an Artin analog race set but with the ability to race more than 2 cars on a 2 lane track. The biggest drawback with Artins Digital system is you are limited to Artin brand cars unless you can do modifications to another brand of slot car to accommodate the Artin decoder chip. The electronics are made by Wany robotics which is the same company behind the electronics of the Carrera PRO-X digital system. This is a smart choice by Artin since PRO-X has been proven very reliable over the past 2 years. I recommend this set for anyone considering getting into Digital and doesnt mind being limited to Artin cars. If you decide Digital isnt for you, you can easily convert this set to analog by removing the Digital track pieces from the layout, removing the decoder chips from the cars and switching to an Artin analog power base, controllers & power supply. The Artin Digital system comes with a 1 year warranty.
Additional comments - I am enjoying this set. I have always like Artin track and have used it on and off since the late 90's. One of the big advantages of Digital is that you can race more than 2 cars on a 2 lane track. I have owned and used SCX Digital, Carrera PRO-X and Ninco N-Digital. This feels the most like Carrera PRO-X except with the Artin like slot car performance. I have had a few other people try running the cars on the track and everyone has been able to maintain good control of the cars. Overall, I feel the set is a really good value. It doesn't have all the features as some of the other Digital brands but does work very well. Artin digital looks to be a good fit for those who like to run Artin cars and/or scratch built cars that use the Artin chassis.
Best regards,
Brian
www.BRSHobbies.com - Free shipping offer! No backorders or delays!
Harry
