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In recent weeks, we upgraded our analogue Ninco circuit to its digital equivalent. Ninco‘s N-Digital system utilizes the same track pieces and cars, but replaces the track accepting electrical input with a computerized module and new controllers.

The greatest advantage of the N-Digital system over the conventional analogue system is the fact that up to eight cars can be run on two slots. With the addition of change-over sections, cars can overtake and run one behind the other. Since it’s a digital system, the computer counts laps and keeps track of position. In more advanced race modes, the computer is able to determine “fuel” usage based on power output and force certain cars to pit in a special pit lane. Overall, it’s a lot of fun, though the digital system is, at least in my experience, not exactly plug-and-play.

There are various entry points into the N-Digital world. I chose the Digital Mastertrack suitcase, which combines the necessary digital starter track component, computer, digital chips and controllers with a fair amount of track. The Mastertrack is a reasonable option if you already own cars and track – there are no cars in the Mastertrack pack. For a direct entry into the N-Digital system, the N-Digital Starter Pack is possibly a better bet, combining two cars with the necessary digital components. It’s a question of preference and possibly budget. To round out the package, I added some extra straight track pieces, pit lane and Control Tower.

It is not possible to utilize an analogue car on the N-Digital track – since the track is constantly powered at 100%, any “unchipped” car will simply zoom off without any hope of being stopped. Analogue cars can be easily converted. This requires the chassis to be separated from the body shell, some wiring to be changed and the whole thing put back together again. Cars with a lot of interior detail (seats and drivers, for example) or very flat vehicle may be difficult to put back together again once the chip has been installed. Also, it’s a good idea to add the chip and quickly test the car before screwing the chassis to the body. In almost all cases, the wiring from the braids to the motor via the N-Digital chip has to be reversed.

Up to eight cars can be accommodated, each one linked to a controller numbered 1 through 8. Linking a chip to a controller is easy, but requires only that car on the track. For more than four cars, a second power supply is required.

The default layout suggested by the N-Digital Mastertrack package is, in my opinion, a rather useless one. Corners are far too tight, straights too short and visibility very poor due to many overpasses. Obviously designed for use in cramped Spanish apartments. We opted for something somewhat bigger – our current layout is a track of roughly 20m on an area measuring roughly four square meters. With a bigger layout, the task of switching lanes is immediately easier – initially, this requires a bit of practice. A button on the back of the controller selects a lane change on a specific piece of track. As the car approaches, a small diverting section switches the car to the other slot without affecting any cars following, regardless of distance. After a few laps, lane changes can be effected without effort and are generally very reliable.

Far less reliable is the performance of the cars. In the beginning, I struggled immensely to get cars to respond properly to the controller. The digital chip had been installed correctly, but the erratic behaviour of the cars was frustrating: cars would simply stop and require a gentle push, or cars would simply speed off without any change in the power output on the controller. A lot of fiddling and positioning of braids seemed to fix that issue. Once running, the performance of the N-Digital system is really good and provides a lot of entertainment. Unfortunately, the erratic behaviour does persist every now and then – whether this is just due to the braids is something I’m not sure of. It may also be related to dust or dirt on the track and possibly shorting of the electrical current for environmental reasons.

The N-Digital system makes for great racing and provides the excitement that only larger, multi-lane circuits could offer. Of course it is possible to extend the N-Digital circuit to more lanes than two. However, two lanes are more than enough for five racers and strategy can become an important component once pit stops are brought into play.

For our fixed layout. I’ll be playing around with different track designs in the next months to determine which one will provide a good compromise between technical driving and simple, straight, fast fun!