Digital slot car racing adds a whole new level of realism and strategy. But there is still nothing quite like the feel of a great analog controller, the punch of a powerful motor in a commercial or pro-level slot car, the fun of running HO cars on a big track, or simply cruising vintage cars with friends.

Maybe you already own commercial-track cars. Perhaps your local raceway has closed, or you are downsizing from a large eight-lane track. Or maybe you already enjoy Carrera Digital and want to expand into the much wider world of analog slot cars—from beautifully detailed plastic models to vintage and high-performance cars.

You also do not need a huge track to enjoy everything slot racing has to offer. With digital racing—or a good analog race-control system—you do not need eight lanes, or even four.

What you need is a versatile track that gives you more cars, more controllers, and more styles of racing to enjoy.

That is exactly what OmniSlotBox was created to do.

After operating a retail slot car shop for 13 years—selling, servicing, and running virtually every major type of slot car track and car—we chose Carrera Digital 132/124 track as the foundation for OmniSlotBox.

Carrera gives you a lot to work with. The track is wide enough for cars up to 1/24 scale, and its stainless-steel rails and tough molded surface have proven exceptionally durable. We have even used Carrera track in our portable commercial raceways, where it has stood up to repeated setup, teardown, transportation, and heavy public use.

Carrera also offers an excellent range of track components: multiple flat and banked curve radii, shoulders, pit lanes, crossovers, and what we consider the best digital lane-change sections available. That flexibility makes it possible to build layouts that are both interesting to drive and practical to live with.

The digital system becomes even more capable when paired with software such as SmartRace. You can add sophisticated race formats, timing and scoring, sound effects, race announcements, pit-stop refueling, championship series tabulation, and online race reports. Scoreboards can be displayed on a TV or other connected device, and many car and race settings can be managed right from your phone.

Carrera is also becoming an even more flexible platform. Adapters are available that allow sections of newer Scaleauto and Policar track to be incorporated into a Carrera-based system, adding additional curve radii, surface textures, and layout possibilities while retaining Carrera Digital as the core system.

Years ago, when we had a large retail shop, we had enough room to maintain separate digital and analog tracks. Most home racers do not.

With OmniSlotBox, you do not have to choose. One well-designed Carrera layout can support Carrera Digital racing as well as the much broader world of analog slot cars, controllers, and race formats.

That is why we chose Carrera—and why we built OmniSlotBox around it.

Several things... Chipping a fleet of cars can really add up, and installing chips in some cars is difficult and time consuming.  Most track owners i know have an average of 25 cars.  Chipping 25 cars @  $40 per car is $1,000.

Chips limit motors that can be used.  They can only carry so much current before overheating. With true "chipless" analog and a good power supply you can run a whole universe of cars that would kill chips including vintage cars that often have less efficient motors and more powerful motors including those used in metal chassis commercial cars.  

If you really want to scratch build, you can even wind your own armatures and prepare motor set-up as the racers of the 1960's did and top racers still do today. Top quality motors are tunable and rebuildable.  You are not limited to sealed disposable motors.  

We really like Digital racing, but true "chipless" Analog has other advantages too.  There are a huge variety of analog controllers from very inexpensive to extremely exotic for analog racing. They make a real difference in driving experience and lap times.  

Finally, not everyone always enjoys the traffic that sharing lanes in digital brings in.  It is nice to chase the perfect lap without being blocked by slower cars, running into cars stopped in your lane, or being crashed in imprudent switches.  This is especially true with driving rare cars, vintage treasures or a scratch built car you have spent many hours perfecting!

Through careful design, robust construction, years of testing, easy installation and accessible support, OmniSlotBox makes switching between carrera Digital and true high amperage Analog practical.

Mixing standard Carrera analog and Carrera systems without OmniSlotBox will definitely cause failures.  Complex rewiring or using decoders in boxes to power analog lanes cars is also problematic.  Early Carrera Pro-X lane switches and Curved switches have jumpers that connect the two lane into one circuit. For analog to work correctly lanes must be on separate "isolated" circuits.  

With the exception of curved switches., all Carrera post Pro-X product is wired for isolated  lanes.  Occasionally, we see problems with incorrectly installed power taps.  For this reason, we include a tool to confirm isolation and instruction on how to easily isolate your lanes if any problems are found.  We have never had any damage to track components in 5 years of frequent actual race testing of OmniSlotBox prototypes. 

If lanes remain connected, analog will not work correctly as both lanes would be powered by one controller, but even then, there would not be any damage to Carrera components.  

Here is why: Carrera lane switches and accessories connect to the positive rail of one lane and the negative of the other. This works because in digital mode, both lanes are in the same circuit. OmniSlotBox separates the two lanes so no current  flow through the Carrera electronics at all in analog mode.

Our "Emulator" uses digital controllers for driving both Analog and digital cars.  With an Emulator, no changes are required to existing digital tracks or accessories. All other OmniSlotBox systems use digital controllers for digital andanalogcontrollers when running analog.

Yes. In Digital mode, all Carrera Digital functions operate normally, including lane changes, pit functions, and race-control features.

In Analog mode, the track operates like a conventional analog raceway: one car per lane, so digital lane-changing functions are not used.

Analog races are typically run in a round-robin format, allowing virtually any number of drivers to compete. Each driver races every lane for an equal amount of time, and the driver completing the most total laps wins.

Yes. Carrera curved lane changers work normally when the track is in Digital mode.

For Analog mode, however, the two lanes must be electrically isolated from each other. Some Carrera curved lane changers—and some older Pro-X switch sections—have an internal jumper connecting the positive rails of both lanes.

Every OmniSlotBox includes a continuity test tool that makes it easy to check your track for these connections. If a curved lane changer needs modification, our user manual shows you how to make it analog-compatible quickly and easily, with no soldering, special tools, or additional parts required.

Once modified, the curved lane changer continues to operate normally in Carrera Digital mode and is fully compatible with OmniSlotBox analog operation.

Yes. In Digital mode, Carrera accessories and lane-change sections—including the Start Light, Position Tower, Driver Displays, Wireless Controller Charging Bases, pit functions, and other digital accessories—operate normally.

In Analog mode, Carrera Digital accessory functions are inactive.

The OmniSlotBox Emulator includes sensors that allow analog timing and scoring to be used with compatible digital race-control software.

For our true analog OmniSlotBox systems, we recommend a dedicated analog timing and scoring system such as TrackMate.

Not when it is set correctly. The 0–30V rating is simply the adjustable range of the power supply. When operating Carrera Digital, always set the power supply between 12.5 and 18 volts.

Carrera Digital 132 normally operates at about 14.5V, while Carrera Digital 124 is designed for 18V. If you use a voltage outside that range while racing in Analog mode, simply return the voltage to the proper range before switching back to Digital mode.

Carrera electronics and lane-change sections may not operate correctly at excessively low or high voltage. Low voltage can be especially troublesome because a lane-change flipper may move too slowly or incompletely, allowing a car to strike and bend it. This can occasionally happen during normal Carrera use, but inadequate voltage at the switch is a common cause.

For best reliability on larger layouts, we recommend multiple power taps so the lane changers and other digital components receive consistent voltage throughout the track.

Many OmniSlotBox owners simply leave their system at 14.5V for both Digital and Analog racing, which works very well for most 1/32-scale cars.

Carrera Digital 124 cars will be slower at 14.5V. You can either raise the voltage to 18V when running them or equip your 1/24 cars with RMS motors, which provide plenty of performance at the same 14.5V commonly used for 1/32 cars.

If you choose to run the entire Digital system at 18V, 1/32 cars may be faster than you want. Their speed can easily be reduced with the Carrera Control Unit speed setting or compatible race-control software.

Yes. The OmniSlotBox4 is designed for full four-lane Digital and Analog operation.

Our other OmniSlotBox systems are designed for two main lanes, plus the Carrera pit lane or other merging sections.

If you want more analog capacity, you can also add additional analog-only parallel lanes, just as you would on a conventional analog track. Many customers find that a two-lane Digital/Analog layout with extra analog-only lanes gives them an excellent balance of flexibility, capacity, and simplicity.

If you already have a Carrera Digital track, your existing Control Unit (CU) is replaced on the track by the OmniSlotBox system.

That does not mean your old CU is useless. Paired with a basic Carrera power supply and a short section of track, it makes an excellent trackside test station for coding cars, changing car settings, checking operation, and sanding tires. You can handle those jobs without interrupting a race or removing all the other cars from the main track.

For OmniSlotBox systems, we modify only new Carrera Control Units, which are supplied in their original factory packaging for secure shipping and protection.

If you would rather sell your old CU, used units typically bring about $30–$40 on marketplaces such as eBay.

OmniSlotBox is the work of two longtime slot racers who started in the hobby in the 1960s and never really stopped: Jim Cunningham and Rodney Weber.

Jim operated a commercial slot car raceway in San Diego for 15 years, carrying a broad range of slot car products and eventually operating five different tracks. He also built and managed a large online slot car store and developed a traveling raceway business. Today, Jim still brings portable slot car tracks to events around the country—and whenever possible, uses those trips as an excuse to visit local clubs and commercial raceways.

Rodney Weber also began racing slot cars in the 1960s and has spent a lifetime working with electromechanical equipment. After many years in appliance repair, his workshop became a natural home for the tools, test equipment, projects, and gadgets that eventually helped bring OmniSlotBox to life.

Every OmniSlotBox system is hand-built and extensively tested by Jim and Rodney in Arkansas, USA.

Both still race regularly with Central Arkansas Racers of Slot Cars (CARS) at the Slot Car Clubhouse.

If you are ever in Central Arkansas, come visit the Clubhouse, run some cars, and meet the guys behind OmniSlotBox.