Installing Ninco's N-Digital Chip in any car
by Robert Schleicher
This information was reprinted with permission from the March / April 2007 edition of Model Car Racing magazine. This is one of many excellent articles found in Model Car Racing. For our complete inventory of these great slot car magazines,
see our catalog page
. This is a great way to learn about the slot car hobby!
The Ninco N-Digital is the smallest chip to install to convert a conventional car from analog to digital. The modified car will only operate the N-Digital System. To change the car back to operation on conventional or analog, unplug the two pickup wires from the N-Digital chip and replace them in their original positions on the guide shoe.
There is a brief overview of the new Ninco's N-Digital system in the January / February 2007 number 31 issue. We'll have more information, including pros and cons of the Ninco N-Digital compared to the Scalextric Sport Digital, SCX Digital and Carrera Pro-X Digital in the next issue.
One of the "pros" to the Ninco N-Digital system is the simplicity of installing the chip in any car. The N-Digital system relies on a short length of insulated track pickup rail (a "dead" strip) to trigger the lane changer command so there is no sensor bulb and no hole to drill in the car's chassis. The N-Digital chip is small enough to fit in just about any car except the Scalextric and SCX formula 1 cars but we'll get into that in a later issue. The steps illustrated here are all that is needed to install the system in most Ninco, Fly and Slot.it cars that have the small brass ferules to attach the motor wires pickup. On Scalextric and Carrera cars, you may need to solder the wires because they do not have the ferules at the pickup attaching points, but the other steps will be the same.
One of the "cons" of the Ninco N-Digital is that car cannot be operated on conventional (analog) systems without first unplugging the wires from the chip to the guide shoe and reconnecting the original wires --- the chip itself, with disconnected wires, can remain in place. We'll show you how to fit a bypass switch so the Ninco N-Digital - fitted car can be changed back to conventional in a later issue.
Installing Ninco's N-Digital Chip in any car
The Ninco N-Digital 40304 Digital Control Chip is a small circuit board with two built-in wires. The package includes four black plastic pins and two pieces of double-stick tape.
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Use a small screwdriver to gently lever-out the brass ferules that hold the pickup lead wires in the guide shoe.
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Twist the loose strands of wire into tight cables before removing the ferules from the pickup wires
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On Ninco cars, the motor wire from the red terminal connects to the outside post (hole) on cars with inline motors and for anglewinder, the wire from the red motor terminal connects inside post (hole) on the N-Digital chip as shown. Push the wires into the hole then press-in the black plastic pin. Be sure the loose strands of wire are covered with tape so they cannot accidentally touch the adjacent wires or part of the circuit board wiring. There are two more sockets (holes) on the side of chip that can be used for cars with lights. Plug the two light wires into these holes using the other two black plastic pins.
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Plug the two with brass ferules into the original holes in the guide shoe. If the car runs backwards, remove the wires and position each in the opposite hole.
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When the car runs correctly, secure N-Digital chip using both of the double-stick foam tape squares and install the body.
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