Monday, December 19, 2011
WAS THIS THE FIRST SLOT CAR RACING MACHINE?Could
this be the oldest Slot Car Racing System on the planet? Racing System being defined as: a gizmo
that offers a sanctioned start and determines A winner. This machine, affectionately named the “Glitter Box”, was
completed in 1990. And as far as I am aware, it preceded the first digital Slot Car Lap Counters by more than a decade. It uses a light sequence to synchronize
the start, has a “red light” fault detection feature, a digital/programmable lap counter, digital timer displayed
in hundredths of a second, a winner light accurate to 10 nanoseconds, and a singles mode!
I say “uses” as in present-tense
because the Glitter Box is still calling races as of today, 12/19/2011.
Years before the first Field Programmable Gamma Array IC's became
available, this Slot Car Timer/ Lap Counter is compiled of a hodge-podge of logic IC’s, mostly
originating from the first IBM 8088 computers of the day.
I have hours of videos racing with my six year old daughter,
now a twenty eight year old real-estate agent, to confirm the inventions early beginnings.
Is anyone aware of
even a simple programmable digital Slot Car Lap Counter that predates this piece of Slot Car history? I'm
not talking software, I mean a (tangible) machine.
Thanks Happy tracks!
1:17 am est
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