Disabling the Turbo Button on the Carrera GO!!! Controller

By Michael Ashton

The standard Carrera GO!!! controller comes with a feature called the Turbo button, highlighted below by the red arrow. The controller's thumb trigger provides between 0% and about 70% of the available power to the cars. Depressing the Turbo button provides 100% of available power immediately. This feature tends to work fine on medium to large tracks with moderately experienced racers running the cars. But on a small track with novice racers or children, the sudden burst of power can be too much for them to handle. Moreover, the button is in a position where it could be activated by accident. This might lead to frustration for someone who is just getting started in the hobby. Therefore, it would be nice if the Turbo button could be disabled or removed. The good news is that it can, very simply, and without the need for any permanent modification to the controller. And the only tool required is a small to medium Phillips screwdriver.

In order to disable the Turbo button the controller's housing must be opened. To do this, unscrew the two Phillips screws shown by the yellow arrows in the photo above. Then gently pry to two halves of the controller housing apart, lifting the half that is facing up away from the lower half. The controller will look as depicted in the following photo. The yellow arrow points to the Turbo button mechanism, which will be removed, thereby disabling the function.

Once the controller case has been opened, lift the lower end of the Turbo button up and out of its pivot hole as shown in the following photo.

Next, carefully lift the throttle plunger assembly upward and away until it separates completely from the controller case as shown in the photo below. The Turbo button can then be gently wiggled off the plunger shaft. The yellow arrow highlights the plunger return spring. I am holding it in place with my index finger because it has a tendency to fly off the shaft and hide under anything nearby.

Now replace the plunger assembly in the reverse manner that it was removed. See the following photos. The yellow arrow in the first photo below highlights the throttle contacts. They must straddle both sides of the red guide that runs between the two sets of resistor wire windings, visible just below my forefinger.

Getting this assembly back in can be a little tricky so proceed slowly and carefully. The return spring should go into the plunger channel first with the upper part of the plunger tilted way from the controller case. It is necessary to depress the contacts so that they will fit around the red guide (see the red arrow below) and the shaft can be moved downward into position until it is below the upper stop (shown by the yellow arrow).

Replace the upper half of the controller case, making sure that the cable is positioned in the hole at the bottom of the controller and is not pinched or stressed in any way (see the red arrow below). Once you are sure of the fit, reinstall the two screws.

The left hand photo below shows the reassembled controller without the Turbo button. Note the opening where the button used to be. This did not present a problem for me because my fingers were large enough to fit over the opening without slipping inside. However, this is likely to be a distraction for smaller hands such as those of a child. A simple solution to guard against this is a small strip of electrical tape over the opening as show in the photo on the right.

Once the case is opened on an electronic product it is possible that any remaining warranty becomes void. Also note that the controller is now only capable of delivering about 70% of available power to the car, which may affect the ability to traverse the loop accessory if there is not a sufficiently long straight section leading into it.

In any event, following the procedure outlined above, the Turbo button of the Carrera GO!!! controller can be disabled simply, safely, reliably and with no permanent modification of any kind to the controller. This will undoubtedly help the younger enthusiasts get more enjoyment out of the racing — and that's what this is really about. Just be sure to store the Turbo button mechanism in a secure place and the controller can be restored to its original condition very easily.

_Michael Ashton