Lap Counter
 

Does anyone here have a lap counter? I saw one at www.tinyrctoys.com on sale for $19.95 and was wondering if it was useful. It looks like there's a piece of track attached to it. Does anyone know how it's supposed to work?

Not for Bit Char-g
 

Although everybody is advertising them as Bit Char-g lap counters, all of the ones I see advertised clearly state that they are Bit Racer lap counters, ie. they are designed for cars running on tracks. The small piece of track you can see attached to the backside indicates this as well. From the picture at tinyrctoys, I'd guess theirs is the Bit Racer type

TinyRCToys picture:
http://www.tinyrctoys.com/tinyrc/bcg/ca-02.jpg

Picture of box:
http://www.frenetic.com.au/shop/imag...lapcounter.jpg

It seems it would be really hard to get a car to hit that small a track opening. Maybe you can disasseble it to use just the counter part.

On the other hand, there clearly is a Tomy Bit Char-g lap counter as well:
http://www.tomy.co.jp/bit_charg/worl..._count_pic.jpg

This seems to be based on IR to count the laps. The problem then, of course, is how do you count laps for individual cars? Unless you can fit an electronic Id into each car to be read by the counter, something like this would never work when all the cars are running on the same track.

It might be OK for training though.

My advise would be to spend the money one something else.

Ausmicro
 

Ausmicro has some really nice shots of the lap counter. You can indeed use it for wider tracks, but again it seems it is no good for races.

http://www.ausmicro.com/gallery/bitc...nter/index.htm

well i was told it worked by detecting the frequecy for each car as it drove past and kept the laps for each frequecy that goes. i was also told that it had 2 functions, 1 is standart and 1 is like time trials for trying to beat the fastest lap.

sounds cool... im buying 1 when i finish my track, wat $12 eh??

Well, go ahead and buy it. 12 bucks isn't much, and it might help you do practice. Do like the pro's and set ut a video camera at the same time. Then you can review your laps to see what you did right in your best laps. :D

But I don't think it is detecting the frequency of the passing cars. First of all, that would obliviate the need for the mirror (Ir reflector), and second, the cars only receive the radio signal. They are not pumping it out. It is possible, but very difficult to detect signals from a receiver. (It is, and has been done. All radio receivers emit a weak resonance signal. The nazis used it in WWII to detect illegal radio sets). Also, since the lap counters are originally for the Bit Racers which run one in each track, there never was any need for the sophisticated stuff when they were constructed.

there is nothing i have to say :( ............. but the 2 funtion thing is true :)

The lap counter definately does not detect the frequency of the cars, it emits an IR beam which the cars break when they pass. It won't work for multiple cars but it is good for practice laps and determining starting grid positions (thats why I bought one;) :D )

Oh and the small 'piece of track' does detach.:)