Complete Setup, Track Configuration & Race Management Manual

FC.Platform is the race management software developed by FC Slot-Cars to bring together your FC timing hardware, tracks, drivers, cars, races and results in one place.

Rather than treating a lap counter as an isolated device, FC.Platform creates a complete racing environment. Your physical timing devices become resources that can be assigned to different tracks and lanes, while drivers and their cars can be stored and reused across Circuit and Drag Racing.

This guide covers the complete FC.Platform 2.0 setup and operation process, from connecting your first FC device to configuring multi-lane tracks and running Circuit or Drag races and tournaments.

If this is your first time using FC.Platform, pay particular attention to the sections about Device IDs, Track Manager and sensor-to-lane assignments. Understanding these concepts makes the rest of the software much easier to use.

1. Compatible FC Hardware

FC.Platform 2.0 supports FC timing systems using FC.Protocol, while maintaining compatibility with selected Legacy Circuit systems.

Depending on your hardware, FC.Platform can be used for Circuit Racing or Drag Racing.

Circuit Racing

Compatible systems include:

• FC.Duo

• FC.Duo-HO

• Multiple FC.Duo devices combined for 4, 6, 8 or more lanes

• Compatible Legacy FC Circuit systems

An FC.Quad running FC.Protocol is effectively handled by FC.Platform as two FC.Duo devices. This modular architecture allows FC.Platform to build larger tracks by combining independent timing devices.

Drag Racing

FC.Platform 2.0 supports two FC.Protocol Drag systems:

FC.Drag-PRO — the full-featured Drag Racing system used throughout the original development of FC.Platform.

FC.Drag-Street — the simplified Drag Racing system designed specifically for Heads-Up racing.

FC.Drag-PRO supports Bracket racing.

FC.Drag-Street does not use handicap or Bracket racing. Its Bracket value therefore always remains:

0.000

Both cars compete directly against each other using the same starting sequence.

We will explore this difference in greater detail in the Drag Racing sections of this guide.

📸 IMAGE 1 — Compatible FC systems

Suggested image: FC.Duo, FC.Duo-HO, FC.Drag-PRO and FC.Drag-Street together.

Caption: FC.Platform brings FC Circuit and Drag timing systems into a common race management environment.

2. Installing and Starting FC.Platform

Install FC.Platform using the official installer provided by FC Slot-Cars.

Once installation is complete:

1. Start FC.Platform.

2. Wait until the Home Dashboard is fully loaded.

3. Then connect your FC hardware to the computer through USB.

We recommend following this order whenever you use FC.Platform:

START FC.PLATFORM → CONNECT FC HARDWARE

This allows FC.Platform to detect devices as they are connected and makes identification and track configuration easier to understand.

The Home Dashboard provides access to the main areas of FC.Platform, including:

• Circuit Racing

• Drag Racing

• Track Manager

• Drivers

• Cars

• Race History

📸 IMAGE 2 — FC.Platform Home Dashboard

Capture the complete Home screen before any hardware is connected.

📸 IMAGE 3 — Hardware connected

Capture FC.Platform immediately after connecting an FC device, showing that the software has detected it.

3. Understanding Devices, Device IDs, Sensors and Lanes

This is probably the most important concept to understand before configuring FC.Platform.

A physical FC timing system and a physical Track are not the same thing.

FC.Platform separates several concepts:

Device → Sensor → Track Lane

A Device contains timing inputs — Sensors.

FC.Platform allows those Sensors to be assigned to the physical Lanes of a Track.

This is what allows the same architecture to manage anything from a simple two-lane home Track to a larger multi-device installation.

Devices

A Device is a physical FC timing system connected to your computer.

For example, an FC.Duo provides two independent timing inputs:

Sensor 1
Sensor 2

Those two Sensors can then be assigned to two physical Track Lanes.

Device IDs

FC.Platform needs a reliable way to distinguish one physical Device from another.

This becomes particularly important when several identical FC.Duo Devices are connected to the same computer.

A new FC.Protocol Device may initially appear in FC.Platform with the identity:

UNASSIGNED

Before using that Device as part of a saved Track configuration, you should assign it a permanent Device ID.

Device IDs are generated automatically

You do not type or choose the Device ID yourself.

FC.Platform generates an ID automatically from a large pool of possible identifiers. The purpose is not to make duplicate IDs mathematically impossible, but to make the chance of a customer receiving and using two Devices with the same ID extremely small.

For normal use, the important thing is simply to verify that each physical Device connected to your installation has its own unique ID.

📸 IMAGE 4 — New device shown as UNASSIGNED

Connect a new or reset FC.Protocol Device and capture its initial appearance in FC.Platform before assigning the Device ID.

4. Assigning a Device ID

Device ID assignment is normally required only during the initial setup of a new FC.Protocol Device.

With FC.Platform already open and running:

1. Connect the FC Device through USB.

2. Wait for FC.Platform to detect it.

3. Locate the Device in the connected Devices area.

4. Click Advanced.

5. Select Assign Device ID.

6. Allow FC.Platform to generate and assign the new ID.

You do not need to enter an ID manually.

After the assignment is complete, restart the Device.

You can do this either by using the available restart function or simply by disconnecting the USB cable and connecting it again.

Once the Device reconnects, verify that it now appears with a unique Device ID instead of:

UNASSIGNED

Recommended cleanup

After confirming that the Device reconnects correctly with its new ID, you may still see an older UNASSIGNED entry in the Device history.

We recommend deleting that obsolete UNASSIGNED record.

This does not delete or affect the physical Device. It simply keeps the Device history clean and avoids confusion later.

A good first-time setup sequence is therefore:

CONNECT → ADVANCED → ASSIGN DEVICE ID → RESTART → VERIFY ID → DELETE OLD UNASSIGNED RECORD

📸 IMAGE 5 — Advanced menu

Show the connected Device with the Advanced button clearly visible.

📸 IMAGE 6 — Assign Device ID

Capture the Assign Device ID option before activation.

📸 IMAGE 7 — Device after ID assignment

Show the same Device after restarting or reconnecting, now displaying its generated Device ID.

📸 IMAGE 8 — Device history cleanup

Show the old UNASSIGNED record and the option used to remove it from Device history.

5. Identifying Multiple Devices

When several identical FC Devices are connected, the Device ID allows FC.Platform to distinguish them internally.

However, you may still need to determine:

"Which physical box corresponds to this Device shown on screen?"

Use the Identify function for this purpose.

This is particularly useful when configuring tracks with multiple FC.Duo Devices.

Do not rely on:

• USB connection order;

• the physical USB port being used;

• or the order in which Devices appear on screen.

Instead:

1. Verify that each Device has a unique Device ID.

2. Use Identify to determine which physical Device corresponds to each software entry.

3. Then assign the correct Sensors to the correct Track Lanes.

📸 IMAGE 9 — Identify Device

Show two identical Devices connected and the Identify function being used to distinguish them.

📸 IMAGE 10 — Multiple Devices with unique IDs

Show two or more FC.Duo Devices connected simultaneously, each with a different generated Device ID.

🎨 DIAGRAM 1 — Device → Sensor → Lane

Device A → Sensor 1 → Lane 1
Device A → Sensor 2 → Lane 2
Device B → Sensor 1 → Lane 3
Device B → Sensor 2 → Lane 4

6. Creating Your Track with Track Manager

Track Manager is where your physical installation becomes a usable FC.Platform Track.

This is where you define:

• the Track;

• its Lanes;

• Lane colors;

• which Device controls each Lane;

• and which Sensor of that Device corresponds to each Lane.

Open Track Manager and create a new Track.

Give it a recognizable name and define the appropriate number of Lanes.

Assigning Sensors to Lanes

For each Track Lane, select the FC Device and physical Sensor connected to that Lane.

For a four-lane example:

When Sensor 1 of Device B detects a car, FC.Platform now knows:

That was Lane 3.

This is why Device identification and Sensor assignment are so important.

A Sensor can belong to only one Lane within the active Track configuration.

This prevents the same physical timing input from accidentally controlling multiple Lanes.

Lane Colors

Each Track Lane can have its own color.

Whenever possible, choose colors that correspond to the physical markings of your Track. This makes race setup and Live Race View considerably easier to understand.

Track Health

Track Health allows you to verify whether the hardware required by a selected Track is currently available.

If a required Device is disconnected, FC.Platform can identify that the Track configuration is incomplete before racing begins.

This is particularly useful for larger Tracks using several USB Devices.

📸 IMAGE 11 — Create Track

Show the beginning of the Create Track process.

📸 IMAGE 12 — Four-lane Track configuration

Essential screenshot.

Show all four Lanes and their Device/Sensor assignments.

📸 IMAGE 13 — Lane colors

📸 IMAGE 14 — Track Health: Ready

📸 IMAGE 15 — Track Health: Device missing

7. Building Larger Tracks

The same principle extends naturally beyond four Lanes.

A six-lane installation can use three FC.Duo Devices:

Device A → Lanes 1–2
Device B → Lanes 3–4
Device C → Lanes 5–6

An eight-lane installation can use four.

FC.Platform does not fundamentally think in terms of a "2-lane system", "4-lane system" or "8-lane system."

It sees available timing Sensors and allows those Sensors to become Lanes within a saved Track.

That modular architecture makes it possible to expand a racing installation without changing the basic software workflow.

🎨 DIAGRAM 2 — Modular six-lane Track

Three FC.Duo units → six Sensors → six Track Lanes.

8. Drivers Database

Drivers are one of the central database elements in FC.Platform.

Create your racers in the Drivers Database before creating their Cars.

Each Driver can have an identity color, making participants easier to recognize throughout the interface.

More importantly, Drivers are not exclusive to one racing discipline.

The same Drivers Database is used throughout FC.Platform.

Saved Drivers can participate in:

• Circuit Single Races

• Circuit Tournaments

• Drag Single Races

• Drag Tournaments

This means you only need to create a racer once.

📸 IMAGE 16 — Drivers Database

📸 IMAGE 17 — Create/Edit Driver

9. Cars Database

Cars in FC.Platform are not independent records.

Every Car belongs to a Driver.

For this reason, you must create at least one Driver before you can create a Car.

When adding a Car, FC.Platform associates that vehicle with its owner/Driver.

A Driver can therefore have one or more Cars stored in the database.

Just like Drivers, Cars are shared across FC.Platform's racing formats.

Cars from the Cars Database can be used in:

• Circuit Single Races

• Circuit Tournaments

• Drag Single Races

• Drag Tournaments

This creates a persistent racing environment in which both the person racing and the vehicle being raced are known to FC.Platform.

📸 IMAGE 18 — Cars Database

📸 IMAGE 19 — Create Car

Make sure the relationship between Car and Driver is visible.

🎨 DIAGRAM 3 — Driver → Cars relationship

DRIVER
├── Car A
├── Car B
└── Car C

10. Circuit Racing — Free Practice

Free Practice provides a simple environment for running Cars without creating a formal race.

Select the appropriate Track and start the practice session.

FC.Platform receives lap information from the Sensors assigned to that Track and displays the relevant timing information.

Free Practice is particularly useful after configuring a new Track.

Run a Car through Lane 1.

Confirm FC.Platform reports Lane 1.

Repeat for every Lane.

If the wrong Lane responds, return to Track Manager and check the Device/Sensor assignment.

📸 IMAGE 20 — Free Practice setup

📸 IMAGE 21 — Free Practice running

11. Circuit Racing — Single Race

Single Race allows you to create an individual Circuit race using the Drivers and Cars already stored in FC.Platform.

Select your Track and assign the appropriate Driver and Car to each Lane.

FC.Platform supports two principal race formats:

Lap Target

The race finishes according to a predetermined number of laps.

Timed Race

The race runs for a predetermined amount of time.

After configuring the race, start the session and FC.Platform displays the live running order and timing information.

At the end of the race, results are recorded for later consultation.

📸 IMAGE 22 — Circuit Single Race setup

📸 IMAGE 23 — Lap Target configuration

📸 IMAGE 24 — Timed Race configuration

📸 IMAGE 25 — Circuit Live Race View

📸 IMAGE 26 — Circuit Race Results

12. Circuit Tournaments

Tournament mode allows multiple Circuit races to form part of a larger competition.

Participants are selected from the existing Drivers and Cars Databases.

FC.Platform manages the individual races and competition progression.

This is particularly useful for clubs and racing groups where multiple Drivers compete across multiple Lanes.

📸 IMAGE 27 — Circuit Tournament setup

📸 IMAGE 28 — Tournament in progress

📸 IMAGE 29 — Tournament standings/results

13. Drag Racing — Single Race

Drag Racing follows a different workflow because the race is controlled by the starting Tree and finish sensors rather than lap counting.

FC.Platform 2.0 supports:

FC.Drag-PRO

and

FC.Drag-Street

Drivers and Cars are selected from the same databases used for Circuit Racing.

There is no need to create separate Drag racers or Drag Cars.

FC.Platform can receive and display race information including:

• Stage status

• Reaction Time (RT)

• Elapsed Time (ET)

• Winner

• Red Light status

Speed is not currently read or displayed by FC.Platform 2.0.

A race begins with both competitors staging their Cars.

The timing hardware controls the starting sequence, detects the launch and records each Car crossing the finish line.

📸 IMAGE 30 — Drag Single Race setup

📸 IMAGE 31 — Drag Race running

📸 IMAGE 32 — Completed Drag Race

14. FC.Drag-PRO

FC.Drag-PRO is the full Drag Racing system around which FC.Platform's original Drag Racing implementation was developed.

It supports Bracket racing, allowing different Bracket values to be assigned to competitors when required by the race format.

FC.Platform communicates the required race configuration with FC.Drag-PRO and receives the resulting timing information.

This makes FC.Drag-PRO the appropriate system when Bracket functionality forms part of the competition.

📸 IMAGE 33 — FC.Drag-PRO with FC.Platform

📸 IMAGE 34 — FC.Drag-PRO Bracket configuration

15. FC.Drag-Street — Heads-Up Racing

FC.Drag-Street is the simplified Drag Racing alternative.

It is deliberately designed for:

Heads-Up Racing

Both competitors receive the same start.

There is no dial-in handicap and no delayed start between Lanes.

For this reason:

FC.Drag-Street Bracket = 0.000

The Bracket value always remains zero.

Both racers stage, the Tree sequence begins and both receive the Green simultaneously.

From that point, the first valid competitor to reach the finish wins.

FC.Drag-Street provides FC.Platform with the essential race information including:

• Reaction Time

• Elapsed Time

• Winner

• Red Light information

FC.Platform 2.0 does not currently display Speed.

The fundamental distinction is therefore:

FC.Drag-PRO → Bracket-capable Drag Racing

FC.Drag-Street → Heads-Up Drag Racing, Bracket always 0.000

📸 IMAGE 35 — FC.Drag-Street recognized by FC.Platform

📸 IMAGE 36 — FC.Drag-Street completed Heads-Up race

🎨 DIAGRAM 4 — Heads-Up vs Bracket

16. Drag Racing Tournaments

FC.Platform also supports Drag elimination tournaments.

Drivers and Cars are selected from the same Databases used everywhere else in FC.Platform.

The initial competition order can be configured using:

• Entry Order

• Random

• Manual seeding

FC.Platform then manages the Bracket and Race Queue as competitors progress through elimination rounds.

The final determines:

Champion

and

Runner-Up

With FC.Drag-PRO, Bracket functionality is available when required.

With FC.Drag-Street, all races remain Heads-Up and the Bracket value remains 0.000.

📸 IMAGE 37 — Drag Tournament seeding

📸 IMAGE 38 — Drag Bracket and Race Queue

📸 IMAGE 39 — Drag Tournament Race

📸 IMAGE 40 — Champion / Runner-Up

17. Race History

FC.Platform stores racing information so a completed event does not simply disappear when the race finishes.

Race History allows previous activity and results to be reviewed.

Because Drivers and Cars are persistent database entities shared between Circuit and Drag Racing, FC.Platform creates a racing environment that extends beyond an individual session.

📸 IMAGE 41 — Race History

18. Troubleshooting Your Track Configuration

Many apparent timing problems can actually be configuration problems.

A Lane does not count laps

Verify:

1. The required FC Device is connected.

2. Track Health recognizes it.

3. The correct Sensor is assigned to the Lane.

4. The physical Sensor detects the Car correctly.

The wrong Lane records the lap

Check the Device/Sensor mapping in Track Manager.

The physical installation and the FC.Platform assignment must correspond.

A new Device still appears as UNASSIGNED

Open:

Advanced → Assign Device ID

Allow FC.Platform to generate the Device ID.

Then restart or disconnect and reconnect the Device.

Verify that the newly connected Device now displays its assigned ID.

Both UNASSIGNED and the new Device ID appear in Device History

Once you have confirmed that the physical Device works correctly with its newly assigned ID, delete the obsolete UNASSIGNED history entry.

This is only a cleanup operation and does not affect the physical Device.

Multiple identical Devices are confusing

First confirm that each Device has a unique Device ID.

Then use Identify to determine which physical unit corresponds to each Device shown in FC.Platform.

Do not rely on USB connection order.

Sensors work inconsistently

Check Sensor positioning and lighting conditions.

Remember that two independent things must be correct:

The physical Sensor must detect the Car.

and

That Sensor must be assigned to the correct Track Lane.

🎨 DIAGRAM 5 — Physical vs Software configuration

PHYSICAL:

Car → Sensor

SOFTWARE:

Device → Sensor → Track Lane

Both relationships must be correct for the lap to be registered on the correct Lane.

19. Quick Start — Your First Circuit Race

Once the initial setup is understood, preparing your first race is straightforward.

1. Start FC.Platform

Wait until the Home Dashboard is fully loaded.

2. Connect your FC hardware

Connect the required FC timing Devices through USB.

3. Assign a Device ID if required

If a new Device appears as:

UNASSIGNED

open:

Advanced → Assign Device ID

FC.Platform will generate the ID automatically.

4. Restart or reconnect the Device

After assigning the ID, restart the Device or disconnect and reconnect its USB cable.

Verify that the Device now appears with its new unique ID.

You may then delete the obsolete UNASSIGNED Device-history entry.

5. Identify your Devices

If you have more than one similar Device connected, use Identify to determine which physical unit corresponds to each Device shown in FC.Platform.

6. Create your Track

Open Track Manager and define your physical Track and Lanes.

7. Assign the Sensors

Map every physical Lane to its corresponding:

Device + Sensor

8. Verify Track Health

Make sure all required hardware is available.

9. Create your Drivers

Add the racers to the Drivers Database.

10. Create their Cars

Create at least one Car for each Driver who will race.

Remember:

Every Car belongs to a Driver.

11. Configure the Race

Open:

Circuit Racing → Single Race

Select your Track, Drivers, Cars and race format.

12. Race!

FC.Platform will interpret every timing event according to the Sensor assignments stored in your Track.

🎨 DIAGRAM 6 — FC.Platform Quick Start

START FC.PLATFORM

↓

CONNECT HARDWARE

↓

UNASSIGNED?

↓

ADVANCED → ASSIGN DEVICE ID

↓

RESTART / RECONNECT

↓

VERIFY UNIQUE ID

↓

IDENTIFY DEVICES

↓

CREATE TRACK

↓

ASSIGN SENSORS

↓

CHECK TRACK HEALTH

↓

CREATE DRIVERS

↓

CREATE CARS

↓

CONFIGURE RACE

↓

🏁 RACE!

20. Glossary

Device

A physical FC timing system connected to FC.Platform.

Device ID

A unique identifier used by FC.Platform to distinguish FC.Protocol Devices.

A new Device may initially appear as UNASSIGNED.

The user does not manually type the Device ID. Instead, FC.Platform generates one through:

Advanced → Assign Device ID

After assignment, the Device should be restarted or reconnected so the new identity can be verified.

UNASSIGNED

The initial Device identity that may appear before a permanent Device ID has been generated.

After assigning and verifying the permanent Device ID, the obsolete UNASSIGNED entry may be removed from Device History.

Identify

A function used to determine which physical Device corresponds to a Device shown in FC.Platform.

This is particularly useful when several identical FC Devices are connected simultaneously.

Sensor

An individual timing input belonging to a physical Device.

Lane

A physical racing Lane.

Track

A saved FC.Platform configuration representing a physical slot car Track.

Track Lane

The software representation of a physical Lane, associated with a specific Device and Sensor.

Track Health

FC.Platform's indication of whether the hardware required by a saved Track configuration is currently available.

Driver

A racer stored in the Drivers Database and available throughout Circuit and Drag Racing.

Car

A vehicle stored in the Cars Database.

Every Car belongs to a Driver and can be used throughout Circuit and Drag Racing.

Lap Target

A Circuit race determined by completing a specified number of laps.

Timed Race

A Circuit race determined by a specified duration.

Reaction Time — RT

The time relationship between the starting signal and a Driver's launch in Drag Racing.

Elapsed Time — ET

The measured time taken by a Drag Car to complete its run.

Red Light

A Drag Racing foul generated when a competitor launches before the valid starting signal.

Bracket

A Drag Racing handicap value supported by FC.Drag-PRO.

FC.Drag-Street is a Heads-Up system and therefore operates with:

Bracket = 0.000

Heads-Up Racing

A Drag Racing format in which both competitors receive the same start without a handicap delay.

FC.Drag-Street is specifically designed for this type of racing.

Final Thoughts

FC.Platform was designed around a simple idea: your timing hardware should not define the limits of your racing environment.

A Device has its own identity.

A Device provides Sensors.

Sensors become Track Lanes.

Tracks become the physical foundation for racing.

Drivers own Cars.

And those Drivers and Cars can participate throughout Circuit Racing and Drag Racing, in both Single Races and Tournaments.

For a new FC.Protocol Device, the initial setup becomes:

Connect → Assign Device ID → Restart → Verify → Identify

And for the Track itself:

Device → Sensor → Track Lane

Once those two relationships are understood, the architecture of FC.Platform becomes straightforward.

A two-lane FC.Duo can operate a simple home circuit.

Two FC.Duo Devices can create a four-lane Track.

Three can create six Lanes.

And the same FC.Platform environment can manage Circuit Racing alongside FC.Drag-PRO and the Heads-Up-focused FC.Drag-Street.

That modular approach allows your FC Slot-Cars racing setup to grow without forcing you to rebuild your entire racing environment as your Track evolves.

Start FC.Platform. Connect your hardware. Assign and identify your Devices. Build your Track. Assign your Sensors. Choose your Drivers and Cars. And race.