trekathlete

Hey everyone,

I am looking for either a 8th scale buggy, truggy or 10th scale Short Course 4wd for my local track. I am an associated fan so I am primarily looking at those vehicles but I now need a little help with electronics and your opinions on them.

I don't need the absolutely best radio/receiver/servos on the market but something that is good enough to get the job done well. I was looking at the Futaba 3pl or the 3prka. I am really looking for used as well. I want to get into this hobby for as little as possible because I am a student and my wife probably won't see this as a MUST. Are these decent radios? Any other ideas?

The next part I need to figure out is Speed Control / Motor / Battery combination. I have no experience in choosing LiPO's or Brushless motors or Speed Controls for these new cars. Again I don't want the absolute best just something that is good enough to get me in the door and be able to compete. I imagine if I had the fastest car on the track I'll still won't win because of lack of experience racing on a course. So I am almost aiming at a lower speed, quality handling vehicle so I can learn the ropes and move up to the more experienced classes.

I will also need a charger so any ideas on these as well?

I am basically doing research now and looking for stuff on ebay and CL. I will probably pick up a few magazines for research as well to get back up to speed on products and new companies on the market. The race season is over so there isn't a big community I can go check out for information. I will check one of my local hobby shops for information as well.

Well all thoughts are appreciated thanks!

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

Here is a good thread with a lot of good info for the beginner. http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-c...ead-first.html

Futaba makes great radios, as does Spektrum (and they have Advanced Vehicle Control, a plus), but you will pay for them.
Look into the FlySky radios at HobbyPartz.com. I got a GT3C for under $60, it has more adjustments like End-Points than the 2-3 channel Futaba and Spektrum radios, until you start spending a lot more. Motor systems like the HobbyWing EZrun and Xerun series are great systems for a lot less than comparable Castle or LRP systems. In general, you'll want to buy a motor system, or "combo" that includes the ESC, Motor, and hopefully a programming card for adjusting the ESC parameters.

But do you realize that there are some great RTRs out there that come with it all? Or are you trying to piece-meal a budget rig together?
I'm thinking about the Associated Pro-Lite 4x4. Highly regarded. But those start at $340, or $375 if you get the RTR/battery/charger combo. (But the included battery is almost always low-capacity, and a NiMh. And the charger a wall-wart type that is SLOW)

A 4wd vehicle is going to be easier to drive fast. More control. 2wd requires a lot more skill to drive fast with consistency.

If your goal is racing, a short course truck I would think would be easier to do, as buggies and truggies are open-wheel cars. Touch wheels, and somebody is going flying. (I DO want to get to a RC track to watch a race to see how these guys keep from doing this) The full-fendered SCTs make incidental racing contact less hazardous in that regard.

I really like this charger. Way cheaper than most, charges at 80 Watts (most non-wall-wart AC/DC chargers max out at 50 Watts) and is quiet. Can charge all types. Now, you're looking at 8th-scale stuff, and will probably need two batteries to run it. You'd be tempted to buy a "dual-port" charger to charge two at a time. But they can be more expensive than buying TWO of those Thunder chargers. And, some of the more affordable dual-ports split the power when charging two at a time so the charging time doubles. You're better off getting two AC680s in that case.

Batteries? LiPo. Don't even bother with NiMhs. HobbyPartz carries Gens Ace LiPos which are highly regarded by Big Squid in a LiPo shootout. The common packs are 5000mah (that's milli-amp-hours) which will give you 20-30min run times. Plan on buying a handful. I have five. Course, I'm only using one pack at a time, you might have to use two at a time. From Gens, they come with bullet connectors, which are great. You may have to change the connector on the speed control to match. In any case, NEVER EVER USE TAMIYA MOLEX CONNECTORS. Traxxas make great connectors, as does Castle and Deans.

The thing that may make you wonder about is the "C-Rating" on Lipos. i.e. "5000mah 2S1P 30C" The C-rating is an indicator of how much current the pack can deliver. A 50C pack can deliver more Amps than a 30C pack. What does this mean to you? If you have a motor system that pulls lots of current, a higher C pack will perform better and last longer than a lower C rated pack. Last longer as in longer useable lifetime of the pack. If you're constantly trying to pull more current from a pack than it can deliver, it will heat up, or stress the cells, shortening its life. Some racers say they feel more "punch" with higher C packs.

Then there is the CHARGING C-rating. The rule-of-thumb is to charge Lipos at a 1C rate. If the pack is a 5000mah, you'd charge it at 5 Amps. If the pack was 3000mah, you'd charge at 3 Amps. See how that works?

I think that covers your questions. C'mon back.

trekathlete

EXT2Rob - Thanks for the input that gives me a lot of information to get started. When I was into RC over ten years ago, I had a timer charger and eventually a peak charger. We'd just throw the batteries on and hit start. Usually took about an hour to charge and 10-15 minutes of run time. I am looking forward to this new LiPO brushless age. I think it will make my enjoyment of the hobby better but it seems it is a little less plug and play and more of a little science which I am fine with.

I like the prolite but like I said previously in my other post is that I am nervous that it's a basher and you can't buy quality components for it. But maybe it'd be a great starting vehicle and i can get a more race like vehicle kit later on when I can afford it.

Thanks for helping me make my mind up about what i need/want and updating me on the newer technologies!

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

Actually, that Associated Pro-Lite is based on the same race chassis as other Associated trucks, so it IS race-bread. No worries there.
I haven't seen many kits in the racing arena, but what I have seen are Expen$ive-o. Think Durango, Kyosho, Mugen. Tamiya makes a boatload of kits, but they mostly do "rolling models", not serious racing machines.

You will really be amazed with the modern brushless motor / LiPo battery power. They can rival nitro cars these days as far as power and speed. Nitro still has the edge on run times. But as long as you have more than one or two LiPos, you just keep swapping in a new pack and off you go again! (Still takes about an hour to charge a depleted pack) Just be sure to use the "Storage" function on your charger with your Lipos. This charges them to their "resting voltage" and will significantly add to the life of your packs. Oh, and of course, be sure to use the Lipo Low-Voltage-Cutoff (LVC) in the ESC to prevent over-discharging the Lipo. Don't discharge a lipo below 3.0V/cell. And always use a Lipo charger.

I love helping new folks get started, just like others helped me when I got into it. This forum is an excellent resource. Good luck with your purchase and let us know how ya do.

trekathlete

Thanks again and I will try and keep you updated. It might be a month or more for me to get everything purchased but I am very excited and can't wait for the spring months when our local races start back up!