420Speedster

I bought an RTR HPI kit. I absolutely love it right out of the box, except for the cheap radio and charger. Anyways, If I buy more cars, can I use the same radio? I know nothing about this so assume im an idiot.

Also, I want a good peak charger that also discharges. I also want to run Nimh and Nicad. This seems pretty decent for $50, will this do the job?
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXCLD5&P=ML

What does offset mean when buying wheels?

Thanks in advance

Foxy

OK, here ya go...

1) Yes a good radio is an important upgrade, mostly because it allows you to set endpoints and adjust dual rate steering settings, these adjustments are essential if you buy good servos. It would be a good idea at the same time to buy one good servo for the steering, and a decent receiver pack to swap the 4aa batteries. Finally, yes, most good radios can be set up for more than one model. I use a Futaba 3pk with a 10 model memory, I use it for most of my cars, needing only to buy a new PCM or PPM receiver each time.

2) Sorry, don't know much about chargers, all I do is charge receiver packs. I use a simple shumacher delta peak adjustable amperage charger, it was 60E and suits my needs perfectly. I discharge them on the track [>:]

3) Offset refers to the amount that the wheel projects outward (or inward, but not so much on RC cars) from the hub. High offset wheels can easily be identified by their deep dish. Have a look at HPIs website for wheels of various offsets, it will become obvious how it works when you see them.

420Speedster

Hey thanks for the help. However I dont know what some of those terms mean. PCM/PPM? What do you mean by 3-pack? 3 channel? Also what do you mean reciever pack to swap the 4aa batteries? My car doesnt have any AA batteries.
Thanks

snowbl!nd

PCM - Pulse Code Modulation, PPM - Pulse Position Modulation, i believe refers to the way in which the signals transmitted from the Tx to the Rx are coded & de-coded. (As opposed to AM - Amplitude modulation, or FM - Frequency modulation)

Reciever packs are usually made up of 5 rechargeable batteries to replace the 4AAs providing longer run times and more current to the servos. I assume you're running an electric car as opposed to a nitro car if it doesnt use AAs or have a dedicated rechargeable pack to power the reciever and servo(s)?

420Speedster

Yes my car is the electric 4WD HPI SPRINT 2 W/T-10 Venom body. 17T Tornado. There are no AA batteries in the car. So what he's saying has no reference to my car?
Thanks

Nick2618

Everything he says is still true but igorne "Reciever packs are usually made up of 5 rechargeable batteries to replace the 4AAs providing longer run times and more current to the servos." Nitro cars have batteries that run the reciver/servos to turn and control throttle. But eletric runs off same battery as the engine to provide servo/reciver power. Understand?

rael

Question #2) Unfortunately, that charger does not discharge batteries. I have that charger and it is working well for my charging needs.

Futaba 3pk is the name of a specific radio.

Foxy

Thanks for clearing that up for me guys. I have this habit of assuming everyone is a nitro freak like myself. Yes, the 3pk is a specific professional level radio. Such a radio will cost a fair whack of money, but if you get a good one, you'll never need to upgrade again, and in the case of Futaba radios, they seem to last forever. I still have every single futaba controller I ever bought.

420Speedster

Yeah, I had a Futaba Mag JR about 15 years ago.

Rael, we used to just use a light bulb soldered to a battery connector for discharging Nicad. Is this still done? What do you use? Will this work ok for Nimh?
So I go buy another car and want to use the same radio. What do I have to buy? PCM, servo and reciever that match my radio for each car?