dubbayne

So yesterday i bought a Volcano EPX brushed truck from a lhs and charged battery for 2hrs. i put battery in the truck, and all i get is steering response and no throttle at all. I re-did the binding of the controller and truck. LED on the ESC continuously blinks. ESC part # is SP-03018. Im really frustrated with this problem and the lhs i bought the truck from is closed on mondays! I turn the controller on then the truck. When truck is powered on, it beeps once then the LED on esc flashes non stop. I noticed on some youtube videos on how to bind controllers, Ali shows 3 connectors going to the reciever ? i only have 2? there is no connector going to the VCC slot. I cant find any other wire on the truck that would go to it ? is that normal ? if someone can call me that would be perfect, 607-857-9056. I tried switching the wires around, and nothing, only thing that works is the steering. What really pisses me off is that this is brand new... !?

The Mad Modder

If the steering works, it sounds like it did bind correctly. The esc may be causing the problem. Do the instructions that came with the truck tell you how to setup the esc? If so, I'd try that first.

BTW, which wires did you switch around?

discgolfer72

itsa redcat so there is no doubt that the car came out of the box with a bad esc

hopefully the lhs is not like mine and no matter wht blames broken rtr cars on being your fault and do not take returns/exchanges

dubbayne

Well the lhs said that if anything electrical is bad we have to go through RedCat. Which i understand.  The binding chip that came with it also has a small plastic toothpic attached to to poke / press a small button.  Ive been researching and I guess the esc needs to be programmed and that pick that is on the binding chip is for that.  The problem is that the instructions say NOTHING about doing this. Anyone have a video on step by step procedure on doing this ?  Thanks

discgolfer72

thats not understandable to me

im a small biz owner
i sell new and used amusement equip(arcade ,pinballs etc)


if i sell someone one of my new arcade games
and the customer has a problem in the first few days
and there is no signs of abuse
i give them a new unit and then take up the problem with the dist myself

what happened to the customer is always right
all these lhs and smaller biz that are *****ing about not staying afloat due to online sales ect are stupid

maybe if they took care of their customers and treated them like people and not marks
more buyers would not revert to online purchases

dubbayne

couldnt of said it better myself. reason i agreed was only because he doesnt have another one there to replace it with and doesnt have any redcat ESC's on hand. I mean going through redcat is understandable to me in this situation. 

nitrosportsandrunner

soo, how many redcats have you owned?

There is plenty of doubt in my mind that the esc is not broken.

It ticks me off a little when someone bashes a brand...but even more so when its in responce to someone asking for help. Really, of what help is your comment to the OP?

It may need to be calibrated to the radio. Or maybe just the throttle trim on the radio needs to be adjusted until the esc reads nuetral position.

Redcat uses Ezrun gear in most of their brushless electric. Bash the quality of the chassis if you wish, but ezrun stuff is good gear.

OP, Ill give you $10 to ship the old ESC to me

I know it sucks having to wait for a new ESC, and I wont argue that Redcat's quality control isnt the highest....but their customer service and warrenty are great. Many other rc companies would have had you send them the original ESC before shipping you a replacement. That would have meant waiting around 2 weeks for the replacement!

video shows how to recalibrate the ESC to the radio:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OkwkziFWE8[/youtube]

discgolfer72

i have bought severl diffrent redcat trucks and buggys over the years
2 of them had electronic's problems out of the box and required rma

then just do a search here or any other site to read all the other people that bought redcat junk and had problems with the electronics


redcat is good and cheap and id buy another one but i dont ever expect quality from them i would buy one as a throw away car
run the crap out of it till it breaks and throw it in the rubbish bin
(great for a car to let you buddy drive while messing around so he does not frag uour good stuff)

and in reality thats what redcat is
its a car for the people out there that can afford a quality one

nitrosportsandrunner

I think redcat's quality is good for the price....their quality control on the other hand is the issue. The ezrun ESC in the volcano is a perfectly good ESC....but getting one dead out of the box is a quality control issue and not a quality issue.
Problem with redcat is the quality control is done at a factory over seas...and not by redcat themselves. If they inspected products before they left the warehouse it would go a long way towards making their company image better.

I have owned 20 or so of their models. Ive only recieved one that had an issue out of the box, a 1/8 crawler with a DOA radio. Filled out warrenty, had a new one in 5 days. While I admit that DOA parts is not acceptable, it was a $250 1/8 MOA rock crawler with 2.4ghz, 4 wheel steering, battery+charger. In other words, I bought a new truck for the same price as other brands would have cost me used on ebay.

I recently heard a online interview with dan from redcat racing. It was interesting as he was asked what he feels is redcat's place in the market. He said redcat doesnt consider itselft to compete with traxxas/hpi/losi ect. And rightfully so, as their prices dont compete at all.
The volcano epx pro is one of my most liked redcat models. 4wd, brushless, rtr...for half the cost of a traxxas stampede 4x4. is it as good as the stampede 4x4...NO. But it is fast and nearly as durable (ive owned both!)

It is true that if you have the money to buy a $500, you will likely not settle for a redcat. But lucky for people like me who can only bear to spend $200 or so on a toy, redcat is there with good products and good warrenty/parts support.

dubbayne

When I was on the phone with Redcat, we went through the steps to determine that the esc was intact bad. Now I did ask if the esc needed to be programmed cause that's what I've seen online. What he said was that " only brushless models require the esc to be programmed, not the brushed models". I received an email that day from Redcat appologizing and letting me know the shipped a new esc to me, and it costs $60 that I don't have to pay. I am in fact very happy with the customer support and have nothing bad to say. It does suck that it is bad straight out of the box. 

trx1

My Feedback: (2)

is there a website for redcat?? if so, could u post it?

nitrosportsandrunner

www.redcatracing.com.

dubbayne, I would not reccomend running the VXL system in the volcano.
Had you bought the EPX Pro model, you "could" install the vxl system (tho honestly, the stock brushless system is better for this truck than the vxl system)

Next, the epx pro has steel spur gear, a different sized pinion gear, and full ball bearings. the epx has bushings. These will wear out soon with the added speed/power of a brushless system. once they wear, you will get play in the wheels and even the drivetrain.

Ive had 3 of the epx pros and thing they are well worth their cost. The epx on the other hand...its OK. But its a poor chassis to try and upgrade. You could install a traxxas brushed system to up the speed a little....but a brushless will just wear out your driveline and strip gears....Especially on 3s lipo! It would be like putting a supercharged V8 motor into a chevy aveo....it will work for a little bit, until the chassis/drivetrain will fall apart.

You might be able to get enough selling your epx and vxl system to buy a new epx pro.

I appologize for my earlier posts....I assumed you had bought a brushelss version. I will admit that those stock brushed ESC's are not the greatest. I have 2 sitting on my shelf...not cause there is anything wrong with them, but because they cant handle much power without overheating.

If you decide to go against advise and install the vxl system...at least have a temp gun handy. The gearing will likely not be a good match for the vxl motor. I think it will be undergeared, as I am fairly sure the brushed version uses a much smaller pinion gear than the brushless version does.

PM me if you would like some other tips

dubbayne

that is great advice.  originally i wanted to see if i could call redcat and send the truck back to them and exchange for the pro and pay the difference since the truck has never been ran. i didnt think through all the bushing part of it. i did think of the gearing though, that i had already planned on doing but not as far as the chassis, thought the chassis is the same on the epx and the pro model ?  I guess i will call them shortly when they open and see what i can do about exchanging and paying the difference

nitrosportsandrunner

the chassis is the same,
bushings instead of bearings
smaller pinion gear
plastic spur instead of metal spur gear
And possibly (not sure tho) plastic diff gears. I dont know that for sure tho. The brushless has metal diff gears tho.

add up the cost of ball bearings, steel spur, pinion gear alone and you are talking $40=$50 right there. Even more if the diff gears have to be upgraded.

Not sure what redcat would do in regards you sending the epx and paying the difference towards a pro. they might tho. wont hurt to ask. the pro is worth the extra cost for sure.
Ive had all the epx pro models. That ezrun 60a esc and 540 3300kv brushless motor are a potent combo (especially for the price)
The stock battery sucks, you will want a good 2 or 3s lipo. For me, 2s is enough. good for 40mph on the pro's. Plenty of speed for these models.

The tornado epx pro is the toughest of the bunch. smaller tires and shorter suspension arms put less stress on the parts so not as likely to break as the larger volcano parts. But ive bashed my volcano's as hard as any traxxas models ive owned, and with a few tweaks ("O" ring in the diff cups/camber links in lowest hole/shocks in inner most hole/ESC settings altered) they run well with little downtime.
I still have a tornado epx pro, on the shelf as a roller as I stole the brushless system for another project. Ive had that buggy for over a year. I replaced the shock towers with the alloy ones.(volcano stock towers are better than the tornado's) and I think Ive broken 1 pinion gear, the body, and a steering hub. Probly a dogbone at some point as well. Not bad for a $200, 40mph, 4wd model.
Now I am running my redcat mirage the most. $300, sandrail, 1/8 scale, 45mph on stock 3s, 60mph on a 4s lipo! Its a beast.

even if redcat wont do the trade up....you have a vxl system. you can try to get $100 for it on ebay (as long as its not an older non-waterproof version)
and you should be able to get $120 for the volcano, as you can sell it as NIB once you install the new ESC.

Prices for used RC's used to be good a year or so back. I found a used volcano pro on ebay, RTR for $85 shipped 2 years ago. What a sweet deal that was. Slapped a 2s and ran that truck around all summer. Later, sold it for more than I paid for it

dubbayne

just called redcat. they wont let me exchange it because i went through a dealer. 

nitrosportsandrunner

dang, this kinda stuff gives redcat a bad name IMO. I hate to give the bad news, but you overpaid on the epx by at least $50. You can find them online for as low as $130. At $190 its a very overpriced brushed model. $130 for the performance and speed and 4wd aint bad. But $190[:'(]
The epx pro models can be had for $200-$230
And why $30 shipping both ways? And how much is he charging for the Pro??? $300 I bet.

dubbayne

well i had $200 to spend. epx was the best value that he had there for the money. when i got home i found out that i could get it online cheaper and was pissed. i could of got the pro for $200. and yes he wants like 250-270 for the pro

nitrosportsandrunner

greedy *******.
Redcat is a price oriented brand. if dealers are gonna overcharge, it just ruins the brand's name and the buyer's experience.
I mean, how likely are you now to buy another redcat the next time you have $200?
For $190 you could have got the epx with most of the alloy upgrades!
I feel for you. PM sent.

dubbayne

this local hobby shop is called   Pro RC Fix It Shop. They are located in Sayre PA, Just in case anyone is in that area reading this.

nitrosportsandrunner

yep, in this world anyone who owns a biz is free to charge what they want. but overcharging for a product is bad biz in my book. especially in the RC biz, you need repeat customers!