bitPimps.lixlink.com

This is kinda after the fact since the MS ones appear to be out of production, and the ZZ ones are on clearance right now, but the MS is such a POS, I almost didn't even bother getting the ZZ one for $2.50, but it was worth every penny, and I probably would have bought one at $9.99 had I realized how much better than the MS one it is, so here's a breakdown:

Functionality - It actually functions, where as the MS one does not about 60% of the time.

The MS one used a reflector piece to reflect the signal back, this one uses a separate unit, with a separate power source (2xAAAs), and it works, the only time I got an erractic reading is when the kitten was chasing my car, and the reading was pretty on target for a kitten.

Set up - I used to measure and measure trying to get that MS one perfectly aligned, and make it work, I eventually gave up. The ZZ one has a LED that comes on when you install the batteries, then when the transmitter piece is on and lined up, the light goes off. Fool proof.

Track Integration - The MS timer is the same as the Bit Char-G timer, which was designed for Bit Racers tracks, and not for Bit Char-Gs. So they don't really integrate well with any track. On my track I was having to put the timer in the lane, and it kept getting in the way.

The ZZ one integrates with the ZZ barrier system, and I found out the Super Slick ones work perfectly as well. I may have to get the ZZ barrier system to expand on my Super Slick track, its great for setting up an impromptu track on the kitchen floor.

Features - The MS timer didn't make any noise to let you know a lap was registered, but it would beep constantly for the whole last lap, and it was a shrill and annoying beep. It did do longer races like 20 laps, but it only saved the best lap.

The ZZ timer makes a double beep everytime a lap is registered, and then when the race is over you can slide the switch to view the time and scale MPH or FPM for each lap... yep that's right, it actually does speeds. That's the fun stuff. Its got a second sensor on a separate track piece about a foot from the first. So its calculating from the time the car travels about a foot.

I don't know how accurate it is, but is does seem very consistant, giving me a fair judgement of how fast my cars are in comparison to each other. With a box stock Zip Zap, that just had a ZZ 2.8 motor put in it, it was consistantly hitting in the 170 range, I got one at 177 out of it. Another mostly stock ZZ running the same Orange motor, but it had one FET put in the forward N-channel position. That car would do about 180, I did get one lap at 188, but the extra speed made my lap times more erractic. With a bit clone that was fully FET modded and was running a clone motor that I estimated to be about a 3.0, I was running consistantly around 190, pulled one 198 lap. You just gotta divide the numbers by 64 to get the actual MPH. I think FPM would give you a more precise final number, but I'm not sure how to calculate that. How many feet in a mile, anyone happen to know off hand?

Only complaint about the Zip Zap timer, is I wish it did more than 6 laps at a time, at under 4.5 seconds a lap, that's turns out to be a less than 30 second race.

So anyways, I would have paid $9.99, hell I would have snapped it up at $4.97, but at under $2.50, jeez, just grab one, before they're gone.

nice work

i'm interested to know if i could use one of these with my 1:28's.
how exactly does it register a pass, is there a light beam to interupt?
is there a max distance between the 2 halves of the unit?
is there a max speed limit? like will the z's be too fast for it?

betty.k wrote:nice work

i'm interested to know if i could use one of these with my 1:28's.
how exactly does it register a pass, is there a light beam to interupt?
is there a max distance between the 2 halves of the unit?

There are 2 light beams being interupted.

There are actually 4 sections, so I'm not sure where you want the separation. If you're talking about the lanes, I've got mine at about 9 inches. You could probably go another inch or 2, but it gets harder to line up the farther away it is.

If you're talking about adjusting the distance betwen the first beam and the second beam, to asjust for scale speed, the two halves plug into each other, but I don't see why you couldn't hard wire the plugs. You still need to do the math to figure exactly how far apart they need to be.

Here's a pic to give you a better idea of the set up.

is there a max speed limit? like will the z's be too fast for it?

I'm racing on a 6 ft oval, so I'm barely getting more than a 3ft run up on it, in other words, I dunno.

You more than likely will not be able to use it outdoors, as you probably would with 1/28th scale, because it says it may get interference in direct or indirect sunlight.

I've used the MS before, only doing motor time trials on a Hot Wheels track
and of course it worked flawlessly. I noticed that the ZZ had a speed display so
I said I'll get one, now that it's on clearance........Ding Ding!

Cool little write up Dave. I hardly use the MS one anymore since I got the ZZ timer. And I agree the drawback is the 6 lap limit. It seems to be the only drawback.
Doesn't the ZZ timer manual recommend 12" or less between the sensors on either side of the track? I've been able to go further, as it looks like you have also in the pic of your kitchen floor track.
And again Pimps, as stated in the super-slick track review that CD did, I can't recommend that SS track kit enough. It cost me a little over $5, and seems to be 3 times the size, at least, then the ZZ track.
BTW, that damn ZZ track never goes on sale! It's always $9.99. Always.
They even had them on the "ZZ sale table" at my local RS, next to the sale/clearance ZZ and ZZSE kits, but alas they were still $9.99.
Is it just my area RS's?

crazydave wrote:How many feet in a mile, anyone happen to know off hand?

1 mile = 5280 ft.