Track Setup

Track Components

The Pack 625 Pinewood Derby track is 26 feet 8 inches long when assembled and consists of the following components:

5x aluminum track pieces

1x computer

2x orange saftey cones

1x usb to serial adapter

1x 12v 500 ma DC adapter

1x spool of starting gate connection wire (blue)

1x finish gate

1x power strip

Track Setup Instructions

1) Stand up the "starting gate" (Piece 1) by connecting the bolts to the bottom of the rack piece.

2) Setup the start gate handle by inserting the start gate bar into the slot in the start gate handle. Be sure to connect the start gate spring to the holes in the start gate handle and the handle mouting bracket.

3) Connect sections 2 - 5 of the aluminum track taking care to match the numbers on the side of the pieces. At the end of this step, you will have connections 2, 3 and 4 put together.

Connect the starting piece to the rest of the track (connection 1) to finish the assembly of the track pieces.

**NOTE** You should not feel any "raised edges" at the connection points. You may feel "drops" at the connection points which are ok.

4) Connect the finish gate to the track (piece 4) by attaching the thumb screws on the finish gate to the holes in the bracket on the track.

Connect the sensors on the track to the lights on the finish gate by matching the red sides of the white electrical connector.

**NOTE** This can be tricky. Be patient and don't jam the connector together or you may bend and damage the connectors.

5) Connect the power adaper to the finish gate and the timing / finish displays to the power as shown.

6) Unspool the starting gate wire and connect the 3.5mm jack to the finish gate as shown

7) Connect the black connector near the red button to the start gate as shown.

Testing the Track

To test the track (without the PC) follow the instructions below. You can complete this step with or without cars running on the track.

Set the start gate so the start gate handle holds the starting bolts in the "up" position.
Press the red button on the wire that connects the start gate to the finish gate.
Release the start gate. You should see a "dash" in each of the finish displays.
Run your hand (or watch the cars) through the finish gate. You should see the finish order along with a time displayed on each of the finish displays as each finish line is tripped.

Repeat steps 1 - 4 until you are comfortable the track is working properly.