Slot Racing Club

INF ESC Core is moving into a new generation.

The next release will be v2.0.0.

The past months have been unusually busy with work and university studies, and January hasn’t exactly been the easiest either. That said, my schedule is finally starting to open up, and based on the current outlook, INF ESC Core v2.0.0 should be released later this month.

What’s coming in v2.0.0?

The most significant change is that the entire software architecture has been redesigned. This affects both the internal structure and how different parts of the system interact. This is not a small refactor, but a structural rework, which is why the major version is bumped and the v1.x.x series is officially retired.

On a practical level, the new version introduces:

Brake control as a clean, first-class parameter. If the ESC board hardware supports it, the value can be adjusted directly through the user interface without any external tools or dedicated programming devices, unless the board itself genuinely requires them.

Additional tunable parameters, exposed directly at the Core level.

Support for 12-step commutation alongside the existing 6-step mode. 12-step offers finer control and smoother behavior, but it also places higher demands on the MCU. This was one of the main reasons the architecture had to be redesigned from the ground up.

In real driving terms, commutation directly affects how smoothly and predictably the car responds to throttle input. More precise commutation improves low-speed control, braking feel, and stability through corners, reducing the notchy or unpredictable behavior some setups suffer from. The difference is most noticeable when consistency and grip matter more than outright top speed.

With v2.0.0, the firmware can also be optimized for specific motor configurations, for example setups like 1105 / 6500 KV / 12 magnet or 1105 / 22000 KV / 6 magnet. This is not about chasing raw power, but about matching the control logic more closely to the motor itself. For the driver, this shows up as smoother throttle modulation, more predictable behavior, and a car that’s simply easier to drive, especially on technical sections of the track.

Developer note (preview):
If it fits cleanly within the final v2.0.0 scope, Core may also include an experimental dynamic advance mode. In this setup, advance-related behavior is adjusted based on effective operating voltage, allowing the motor to behave more torque-focused at lower voltages and shift toward a more free-revving character as voltage increases. The configuration uses simple voltage thresholds, requires no additional sensors or hardware, and can be fully disabled. This is an experimental feature intended to explore drivability improvements using a concept already familiar in slot racing through fixed advance anchors, but applied here dynamically in firmware.

Development environment and extensibility

The release will also include:

Docker-based development containers for different use cases, especially for improved desktop-level testing. These are tools I already use myself, now packaged in a publishable form.

Fully abstract MCU support: Core is no longer tied to specific microcontroller families. Any MCU family can be added as long as it implements Core’s internal API contract.

The ability to define and build your own ESC board, including MCU selection and MOSFET characteristics.

Build process and constraints

Issues in earlier releases that forced manual builds have been resolved. Going forward, the build system validates firmware size automatically and ensures the binary fits the target MCU family and ESC board configuration exactly.

As the overall feature set grows, it’s worth noting that the real challenge is often less about ideas and more about fitting everything into a very tight firmware footprint. At this level, the main battle is frequently with the compiler - structuring code and abstractions so they optimize cleanly and deterministically within limited flash and RAM. This is also where Core’s abstraction model matters: if you have the skills, you’re free to implement your own MCU and board definitions and squeeze every last bit out of your hardware. The flexibility is there, but so is the responsibility.

Final notes

INF ESC Core is a hobby project for me, developed alongside work, university studies (yes, multiple degrees), exam periods, and everyday life. And, of course, family time matters too. My wife has also made it clear that sitting at the computer from 6am to 9pm, every single day, is not considered a sustainable long-term plan.... 🫩

As a final developer-side note: I’ve also been working on a more aggressive codebase that pushes optimization even further. That work lives in a closed codebase, and for now remains experimental and exploratory in nature.

Thanks for your patience. More details will follow as the release gets closer.

Infinity ESC v1.1.0 Released

The new Infinity ESC Core v1.1.0 is now officially ready. The automated system will start compiling and building the final firmware files for Remora v1.0 and v1.2 boards during the upcoming night (UTC time).

These ready-to-download binaries will be available once the CI/CD process has completed — it might take up to 48 hours for everything to appear.

If you want to build and experiment with your own version, full Docker instructions are included in the documentation. The Docker image can be freely pulled as:

slotracingclub/infinity:builder-esc-latest

...allowing easy testing and customization of the software.

Since this is a new release, it’s recommended to start with the standard firmware and then move to the performance and extreme profiles. The extreme profile already pushes the firmware close to the maximum capability of both the software and hardware, so careful testing and temperature monitoring are strongly advised.

For those who want to push the absolute limits, you can request the special “ultimate-god-mode” firmware — it literally squeezes every bit of performance out of the system.

You can download firmware from https://download.infinity.slotracingclub.com/

Please check also:

https://gitlab.com/slotracing/infinity-racing/infinity-esc/infinity-esc-core/-/blob/main/docs/remora/README.md

https://gitlab.com/slotracing/infinity-racing/infinity-esc/infinity-esc-core/-/blob/main/docs/GETTING_STARTED.md

/firmware/remora/

You don’t have to be an IT professional to follow what’s happening behind the scenes — anyone can now explore how the Infinity ESC Core project evolves and what’s being built next.

Our public JIRA roadmap shows everything: current tasks, upcoming features, and even the small details that make modern Slot Racing possible. It’s an open window into how software, electronics, and racing come together — and how rules, creativity, and technology can all work in harmony.

If you’d like to go a bit deeper, we also have a Slack workspace, where you can see real-time updates from GIT and JIRA — commits, builds, and releases — as they happen.

This project aims to stay open and transparent to everyone, to inspire new ideas about what Slot Racing could become when technology supports both competition and imagination.

You’re warmly welcome to follow along — the future of Slot Racing is being written right now.

Jira

Next milestone: Infinity Helix Operator & Competitor.

After completing the ESC firmware’s beta phase, our focus now shifts toward releasing Helix Operator and Helix Competitor, both built with Qt, Vulkan, and modern C++20 architecture.

The ESC is currently in active beta testing, being refined and validated directly on the track — live, where it truly belongs. Development will continue, and every race helps us move closer to an even better and more stable public release.

The upcoming Helix software suite brings true Digital Twin technology into slot racing, merging the physical and virtual worlds into one connected system.

Helix draws from the same design principles and technologies used by Mercedes-Benz and Audi in their next-generation infotainment and control systems — technologies I’ve had the privilege to explore closely in my own professional background.

In Phase 3, we’ll extend the ecosystem with mobile apps for Android and iOS (React Native) providing official race results and live ESC telemetry, along with a React JS PWA for Smart TVs — bringing the race experience to every screen. The release cycle is currently planned for 2026, though not yet officially confirmed.

This entire project represents both a technological innovation and a deeply personal passion — a continuation of more than ten years of experience in AI-driven financial technology, built on over 30 years in the IT industry and more than 40 years of working with computers. At 49, this project feels like a natural culmination of a lifelong journey through technology — now extending into the physical world of embedded systems and precision racing.

Learn more about Digital Twin technology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_twin

Learn more about Infinity ESC: https://www.facebook.com/slotracingclubcom/posts/pfbid02JZVVqy9G3dxfRfQFGcRsWRu9Dzyx2adT75RLMuo8rw4ui4R1sqLTR257xK5PgnLcl

A new ESC firmware is here: Infinity-ESC Core v1.0.4 is now available for testing on track!

We've been building this software for about a year, and now it's ready for real-world testing. This is the first official release, built from the ground up with Slot Racing as its core focus.

Every feature and decision has been guided by what matters most on the track — and we’re just getting started. More features are on the way, including WiFi module support in future versions, and Auto Brake is coming in the next few days.

The code includes a dedicated tests/ folder with automated tests — and new ones are added continuously. This helps us catch bugs early and keep the firmware stable as it grows.

Why Infinity-ESC Core instead of ESCape32?

Because Infinity is written in modern C++20, which allows us to build safer, faster, and more flexible code. For non-programmers: think of it like upgrading from a basic toolbox to a precision-engineered workshop — you get more control, better results, and fewer surprises.

This version is still fresh, and yes — bugs may exist. But we’re actively working to fix and improve things as feedback comes in. If you’re interested in testing, your input is incredibly valuable.

The image below shows a comparison between two ESC firmware projects, generated by Copilot directly from their Git source code. This analysis is not based on opinions or track experience — it’s purely based on what’s actually written in the code. It’s an unbiased and technically accurate breakdown to help understand how the projects differ.

https://gitlab.com/slotracing/infinity-racing/infinity-esc/infinity-esc-core

A new ESC firmware is here: Infinity-ESC Core v1.0.4 is now available for testing on track!

We've been building this software for about a year, and now it's ready for real-world testing. This is the first official release, built from the ground up with Slot Racing as its core focus.

Every feature and decision has been guided by what matters most on the track — and we’re just getting started. More features are on the way, including WiFi module support in future versions, and Auto Brake is coming in the next few days.

The code includes a dedicated tests/ folder with automated tests — and new ones are added continuously. This helps us catch bugs early and keep the firmware stable as it grows.

Why Infinity-ESC Core instead of ESCape32?

Because Infinity is written in modern C++20, which allows us to build safer, faster, and more flexible code. For non-programmers: think of it like upgrading from a basic toolbox to a precision-engineered workshop — you get more control, better results, and fewer surprises.

This version is still fresh, and yes — bugs may exist. But we’re actively working to fix and improve things as feedback comes in. If you’re interested in testing, your input is incredibly valuable.

The image below shows a comparison between two ESC firmware projects, generated by Copilot directly from their Git source code. This analysis is not based on opinions or track experience — it’s purely based on what’s actually written in the code. It’s an unbiased and technically accurate breakdown to help understand how the projects differ.

https://gitlab.com/slotracing/infinity-racing/infinity-esc/infinity-esc-core

Hello Everyone!

We have been working for a few months developing software to show live results during the games and history information about everything possible. Through the Lapmaster integration, you can get the results even with a delay of 1-3 seconds on the screen of a mobile phone.

Softwares are mainly the API Gateway, i.e. the servers that collect all data from Lapmaster. Then there are HTML5 websites and the mobile software itself for Android and also for IoS. During the weekend, the API servers will be online. Docker and Kubernetes work, the firewall is still a bit against the rake. After this, we will be able to finalize the final version of the Android software and, with it, other software as well.

The technology is widely used. A little can be opened, that is, Apache Cassandra and MariaDB take care of data storage. Neo4J, ElasticSearch, Apache Flink and Apache Spark search and analyze information and trends. Apache Kafka and FluentD are handling messages between all systems and Apache NiFi comes into use when we add the AI ​​side, i.e. artificial intelligence.

Among the programming languages, PHP should be mentioned strongly in the backend, React Native handles the software on the mobile side, and ReactJS is responsible for computers and televisions as well as websites as a single package. In addition, Ruby, Javascript, Typescript, C++, Go, Lua and Python are used, and of course also Java and Kotlin.

The API supports the GraphQL and OpenApi 3.1 standards, and later maybe also the AsyncApi standard. During spring and summer we are wiser.

As for performance, Kubernetes comes from our own servers in Germany and France, i.e. at least three data centers. Our internal network operates at 25Gbits speed and the connection to the outside world is 10Gbits. If capacity is going to end, we can add new servers in minutes. No worry about that.

Ios software will be publisher during the summer or at August-September. The problem is that it requires Mac computer and personally we dont have any suitable and it will take few weeks to get one. Unfortunately our calendars are also quite full so we must also give some time for testing and also Apple needs some time to publish it in Apple Store. Android software is much faster to publish but it requires one plugin to support our new API structure so its ready at summer (or little bit earlier).

See you!

We have been planning a new competition series for a little over a year. There have been many alternatives, and the most important things for us are quality, long-term continuity of operations and a certain kind of technical progress. In addition, the acquisition and use of facilities of sufficient quality have posed challenges.

We want to invest especially in visibility in all media and that the sport's competitions offer excitement to home audiences as comprehensively as possible with various partners.

We have received one contract for premises in Helsinki (Finland), where new premises are being built for another company, and we will be able to enter the same premises as tenants in the same connection. However, the series is mainly run in Germany, where we are looking for suitable offices in the Munich and Stuttgart areas.

At the same time, we also renew the applications and technology used. As you might expect, brushless motors will be at the center of everything. In addition, we are researching and testing the use of RFid as part of the new ESC circuits, so that the lap count and the car's position on the track can be easily shown live to home spectators (this will give possibilities example to sector times like in Formula 1, which is impossible at the moment). In preliminary tests, everything has looked great, but there can usually be setbacks along the way. Application development is done in companies that operate in the software industry and are real experts in their field.

The new competition series is supposed to start in the fall of 2025, but in the spring of 2026 at the latest. The preliminary driving classes are GT (currently like PR), LMP with limited Motors (close to OG) and then Free classes. All classes are tentatively run in both 24 and 32, but with a rotating format on race weekends.

In addition, we are planning a bigger and longer race event of about 5-7 days at the most, where you can get the right to drive based on your success in the last year, and in addition, there are individual race places that will be distributed separately. The event is becoming very intense, where driving skills are the main focus and the prizes will be financially very significant.

We are currently working on new parts and testing them all. Engines, ESC and also frames, bodies and new types of axles and rims as well. We will publish more news about the process and projects as we make significant progress. A lot of people are committed to the projects in the background and we strive to accomplish something significant.

We will introduce our own new brushless motors (16000/18000/20000 kv) to the market within the next 2-3 weeks. We can start selling these to those who want them for test use in April-May at the latest. Officially, sales will start in the summer if the product is fully functional.

We will have our own models of motors from ~4000kv to 20000kv for sale at end of this year.

So you can effect product development by getting the next development version (which is RC, i.e. no longer beta. RC = Release Candidate) for your use. We will publish the measurements and pictures in the next few weeks, tentatively in mid-March.

We assume that we will have our own ESC ready for public testing already in the summer. It's something you haven't seen before, and it's designed with university experts and supports data collection plus some other features also for next era softwares (mobile applications, track controlling softwares and data collection).

More information about next era software and applications will be published later when backlog for those have been locked.

We are happy with the news we received.

We will sign an agreement with the city of Helsinki for the plot during the spring of 2024, on which we can hopefully start building the property in the spring of 2025 at the latest. This requires that the city approves our plan.

The new Slot Racing track will be completed at the end of 2025 and it will be the part of our new Race Center.