klebeen

just wondering if anyone could give me a quick rc 101? staring from the top..

jettstarblue

R/C is short for radio control.

The transmitter signals the receiver to control the servos which control the surfaces (steering and throttle or on planes and boats, rudder, throttle ect).

This allows us to emulate the movements of full sized vehicles.

How was that?

knifer

read my reply in your other post

klebeen

to jettstarblue, thanks for reply. i know i am very green.... but i really want to learn, and nobody seems to want to help. so waht your saying is the controller controls wheather my truck stays in neutral?

thanks,
klebeen

Wide Open

i know rcu has a glossary somewhere on the website, but as on right now im at a loss of where its located. what specifically do you want to learn? how the transmitter works? how the engines work?
also, about your question above, the controller is the transmitter/radio that controls the steering, brakes and the throttle of the car. sometimes it can also shift a (nitro) car into reverse.

RCtruckRacer

Here's all you need to know: LHS. It stands for Local Hobby Shop. Go there, spend some money, and if the shop is worth its salt, they will be happy to answer all of your questions, usually without even spending some money - though it helps. Even better, head out to a nearby track this weekend and talk to the racers. They will be happy to talk to you for free!

*_Torque_*

stay on RCU and keep reading threads thats basically how i kno everything I know besides having my own truck and piecing things together...

destrega

http://www.gettingstartedinrc.com/

klebeen

thank you wide open!!! i need to learn the basics of my mgt nitro? i cant make the thing stay in neutral.. is that a remote thing? your going to laugh at me but i am not even sure if the glow plug stays in after it is running.

klebeen

Wide Open

first of all, good choice on a car! im going to be getting an mgt very soon.
the mgt has a forward/reverse transmission, there is no neutral. the closest you could get would be somehow shifting halfway inbetween the gears, but that would probably tear up the transmission. you have two choices, forward and reverse. (make sure it is COMPLETELY stopped when you shift between the two) also, about the glow plug, that is a unit physically located at the top of the engine head above the piston. it is much like a spark plug in that it ignites the fuel/air mixture inside the engine, but a glow plug does not spark, it has an element that burns or "glows" when you hook the glow igniter up to it. after the engine is started, you just remove the glow igniter and the plug will continue to burn igniting the fuel on every stroke. glow plugs will die on you, (especially during break in, it is a very stressfull time for the engine components because they have to wear to fit eachother properly) and all you have to do is use a glow plug wrench to take out the glow plug and replace it with a fresh one. it will be very aparent when a glow plug has gone bad because the engine may not start even if you just ran it a minute ago, or it wont run very well at all. to check to make sure your glow plug is okay, just take it out, hook it up to the glow igniter, and make sure the little coil inside glows brightly. if it does not glow, or is feeble, then just replace it. also, here is the link to that giant glossary here on rcu with lots of terms for cars. you can also look up aircraft terms, boat terms, etc.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/community/glossary.cfm

klebeen

it is a cool truck.... you have been very helpful... i thank you for all the info.. i am sure i will have a million more questions? so what do you own? truck, car, plane? i tivo all the inside rc's and it seems like i never saw a glow plug sticking up so i was very confused. i hate beeing new, but i gotta tell i am addicted. and i managed to run it around my house but what scared me was it was fine for a while, then it seemed like it just wanted to take off and not sit there till i gave it gas. which poses a huge problem. whay to exspensive to let a car run over it.

thanks,
klebeen

Wide Open

well, when you get another question, either ask it in here or you can p.m. me.
as to what i own, pretty much everything. ive got a nitro evader, a tc3, several boats, and about 5 flyable aircraft as of this moment.

snowbl!nd

Want to find out what makes the MGT tick? Pull the thing apart - nothing else will help you diagnose and fix problems in the future as well as hands on experience. After a while you'll know exactly what is where, what it is held in place with, how to remove it etc.

I bet i could tear down my MGT to the chassis blindfolded by now - i've had it apart that many times!

klebeen

wow you own alot.. pretty cool!! i hope to get there one day. but i should probably master the truck first.



thanks,
klebeen

klebeen

thanks snowblind i love black sabbath too, was going to nickname myself sweetleaf, but you know how that is.... you are right i should pull it apart and figure it out by myself, i am soo damn impatient and psched about the whole rc thing that i cant wait.. it is driving me nuts.

thanks,
klebeen

RCtruckRacer

Sounds like you need an excuse to break her down! So, since you have run it, it must have gotten dirty right? Must be time to take it apart and clean the bearings. Start off easy, and clean the carrier bearings. Take off a wheel, pull the hex off the axle - being careful not to lose the hex pin that goes through the axle - then remove the two kingpin screws holding the carrier to the C-Hub. This will expose the two bearings in the axle carrier. Take them out, but them in a small container with some WD-40 and shake it around for a while. When you think they are clean, dry them off, lube them with some good bearing oil (or alternatively Tri-Flow, its good stuff) and re-assemble everything. Now do this to all 4. Cleaning your bearings regularly will extend their life considerably! Have fun!

klebeen

thanks 1stracerx yeah it does seem that you have to stay on it for it to perform well. as you already know i dont know what i am doing yet. would the idle have to do with why sometimes the truck just wants to take off without me even touching the throttle.

klebeen

RCtruckRacer

You need to set your idle so that there is a 1 - 2 mm gap at the air intake when the throttle is fully closed. You will rarely need to adjust the idle when tuning.

Try this:


Tuning guide, courtesy of Nitronutt:
This guide is to be used AFTER you have broken in your engine/truck. I HIGHLY recommend the RB Mods/Heat cycling method: http://www.rbmods.net/enginetempering.php
The RB method will provide you with the longest possible lifespan (Keep it tuned!) and greatest power potential.

Prior to tuning your Nitro monster, Start with a quality Nitro fuel that isn't old and has not been left open. These trucks perform very well on Less than 14% Oil content in the fuel. I have been using Trinity Monster Horsepower (Power Blend) 20% and 30% Nitro with 12% Synthetic and Racing Castor Oil and feel that it offers superior protection and great tunability compared to some brands on the market...but that comes down to personal preference. In addition to good fuel, begin with a good glow plug. I run McCoy MC9's nearly all of the time (Ambient Temps 25-90F) and have great longevity out of them.


HSN TUNING 101 by Nitronutt

To tune your HSN, you need some open space, your truck and your ears. Begin by running your truck to get up to operating temperature. Once you do, make a high speed pass (50-75 feet) at WOT (Wide open throttle). How did it sound? How did it perform? Pay special attention to the highest rpm your truck reaches. Try turning the HSN 1/8 turn counter clockwise (More rich). Repeat the above pass. Did the RPM’s get higher? If so turn 1/8 again in the same direction. If not, turn ¼ turn clockwise. Better? Keep going. Find the exact setting that gives you the highest rpm that your truck will reach. Once you find it, turn the HSN 1/32-1/16 turn counter clockwise. This is the optimal HSN setting. Verify the temperature after you have finished tuning to be sure that it is within the 210-260 degree range ( It is ok to run cooler in cooler weather - but keep it above 200 degrees in all weather - Wrap the head with tinfoil if you are running in really cold weather and your tuning is spot on, but your temps are below 200 when warmed up). Proceed to LSN tuning.

LSN TUNING 101 by Frost

Tune for performance, forget the gimmicks, go with what works.

If you are already getting good top end and you are running at 250F or so-220F on the LST (if you haven't bought a 20 dollar temp-taker DO IT) here is what to do to get SNAPPY response, this is what pulls wheels and gives you that GREAT take-off:

1. Since off the line "snap" can be given or taken away by being lean OR rich on the LSN the first move is a guess (well it won't be after you get a feel for it, but this will get you going quickly)...

2. Pull the truck up in front of you and let it idle for 8 seconds. Then pull the trigger to WOT... Did it scream and take off? If no:

3. You have to go one way or the other... choose richer or leaner (suprisingly to many beginners, off the line stutters can be caused by too lean conditions just as easily as too rich) and turn the LSN in that direction 1/16th of a turn. Make a short pass at medium to high throttle and return the truck to in front of you.

4. Let it idle 8 seconds and floor the throttle. Did it take off better or worse? If better, turn it a 1/16 in the same direction, if it got worse, turn it 1/8th the OPPOSITE way. Either direction you started in, now you will be going one way based on whether it got better or not... either richer or leaner.

5. Make another short pass at medium to full throttle (AFTER you made the change to the LSN) and return the truck to you. Let it idle 8 seconds and floor it. Is it still getting better? If so, continue to lean or richen using the pass/idle 8 seconds method until you lose preformance and back up a step...

If your temps are in range this is how to quickly get your truck to "explode" off of the line... Always make the pass to clear out the engine and then let it idle 8 seconds. The idling will allow it to either lean out or load up, depending on which way the current settings are off... Get the hang of this and your truck can really take off. If you end up leaning the LSN out excessively make sure to keep an eye on temps, your top end needle may need a bit of enrichment.

Note on idle speed: You often need to adjust the idle speed screw to compensate for the LSN needle change. If you find that you cannot idle, or the truck stalls around turns etc, the idle needs to be raised. If you need to chase after your truck because the idle is too high after an adjustment, then obviously it needs to be lowered.

klebeen

wow 1stracerx this is very informative, pretty cool. i will begin all the fun tomorrow when work is finally over for the week. this is going to be very helpful.


thanks
klebeen

Wide Open

thats a good tuning guide, but the problem is that it tells you to tune for some magic number. i can see the use of a temp gun for someone who is new, but just because your engine is over 260 doesnt mean it will harm the engine. i once owned an engine that wouldnt run worth cr@p until it got to about 300 degrees. that was with the needle still adjusted a little rich, so it was getting plenty of oil. although most engines do like to run in that range, some like to run hot, but i dont think it should frighten anyone if their engine gets hotter than that. (especially in hot weather, you will need to lean the high speed hence making the engine run hotter, but it should still get plenty of oil.)

klebeen

should i run the fuel a little richer since the the truck is brand new? how long should i do that before i lean it out? i am aware running it rich may make the glow plug burn out quicker, but thats not a problem.

klebeen

Wide Open

an engine should always be adjusted slightly rich no matter how new or old it is. you lean it to get good top end performance, then back it off a little like that tuning guide said. running an engine at its peak mixture adjustment can be dangerous because mixture changes with different weather conditions and that could cause an over lean setting, so its best to always run it a little on the rich side.

RCtruckRacer

Once you have completed the break in cycle, you may begin tuning for performance. Make sure that there is a good smoke trail, that the engine doesn't sound like it's gargling the fuel, and that the temps stay between 200 and 250 F when warmed up and you will be fine.

Wide: Frankly, I can't understand people's obsession with not getting an inexperinced user to follow a "magic number.' I have yet to see an experience nitro enthusiast ask "how do I tune my truck." Therefore, steering those people who do ask that question to keep their mill at around the 250 mark just makes sense. Why would you want a noob to try and find the sweet spot anyway? The sweet spot is dangerously close to running lean when you are unsure of what you are doing.

Until you can tune by sight and ear, just use the 250 mark, making sure a good amount of smoke comes out on acceleration.

Wide Open

yeah, i see your point there. i guess thats just good info to know once you can tune by ear.

klebeen

i'm back i know what you mean about running it rich. what type of smoke trail should i be looking for, what color should it be? i started breakin her down. the one question i have is i am having trouble figuring out how and if the head can be removed. and i another silly question is i am not even sure what to call this part but it is the black casing in front of the air filter. it has a rubber stopper at the top of it that pulls up, what type of fluid should i be putting in there. sorry i dont know the lingo yet... but i will in due time.

klebeen[]