davidl051

I am getting back into the sport after a 15 year absence. As far as my background is concerned, I received my very first RC car when I was in first grade and it was the Tamiya Hornet. A few years later I got me an RC-10. A Traxxas Sledgehammer would come a little later. I'm 30 years old now and this will be my new winter time hobby.

I have recently purchased a slightly used/upgraded Associated T4. I decided to power the truck with a Novak GTB 6.5 Brushless System as this will be my very first brushless experience. Here's what I lack at this time:

Radio/Receiver
The next purchase on my agenda is the radio/receiver combo. What I'd really like to do is purchase an FM radio system that will allow me to use a single radio for multiple cars/trucks. I've researched the various options a bit and I was pretty intrigued by the radio/receiver offering by Spektrum. The 2.4ghz crystal-less setup seems to be a good idea to me, or am I way off of the reservation here? If so, will I simply need an additional receiver in my future 2nd car/truck so that I can use the same radio? I'd love to hear some recommendations in regards to my desired application.

Battery
I am leaning towards purchasing a few Venom Racing 7.2V 3600mAh NiMH 6-Cell packs for starters. How well would this battery integrate with the Novak ESC in regards to speed and runtimes? I'll be installing dean plugs on the ESC and batteries as well.

Charger
I am leaning towards purchasing a Dynamite Vision Peak 2 Charger. It supports both AC and DC power and is designed for batteries that contain 4-7 cells. it contains an LED charge monitor and an automatic peak detection that will keep batteries from being over charged. A good choice in the opinion of the experts?

My overall goal at this time is to get comfortable with my setup so I can race at my local track in a few months. So please keep that in mind when making your recommendations. I really appreciate it folks!

Thanks,
David

barefootdan

wow very nice roller u got going
what are those shock towers and shocks?

Takedown

My Feedback: (23)

Welcome to RCU![8D]

Always happy to have a newcomer. Brushless will be like an experience you've well never experienced ever. Crazy power and torque. Wheelies on demand and over 50mph is acheivable with the right setup. I hope that the hobby becomes more than just a winter hobby. Good luck with your t4!

Takedown

My Feedback: (23)

If I were you this is what I'd get for it...
Futaba 3pm 2.4 radio/receiver- http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXPZT7&P=ML
IB4200WC 6-cell pack- http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXRSH4&P=7
Piranha Peak AC/DC (Best selling budget charger)- http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXCLD5&P=ML

Anything else?

Marshl

You know the old saying "you get what you pay for"?




That charger is only capable of half of the recommended charge rate for those batteries when using the internal AC power source! [:'(]

davidl051

The individual that I purchased the truck from had this to say:

"Custom shock towers and shock braces
Threaded shock bodies with anodized blue collars"

Not sure who makes these upgraded components, though.

davidl051

I did look in to the Futaba 2.4ghz FASST system and thought it was pretty comparable to the Spektrum product. So in the future when I purchase my second car/truck, all I will then need is an additional receiver, correct? Like this one:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXRAZ5&P=M

That battery pack is a bit expensive as a starter pack. I'll entertain that pack in the future once I get more comfortable with a lower end pack.

In regards to that Piranha charger, do you just create your own terminal endings (in my case dean plugs) and clamp them down on the charger? I've never seen a charger like this before.

Thanks,
David

Craps

Make sure what ever radio you get it has a throttle expo on it where you can dial out some of the throttle on the bottom of the power band if it is breaking loose on those slick dirt tracks. We run as much as negative 100% throttle expo on 5.5R motors.

Also the plastic chassis is better and will last longer.

I have GT2 front arms, camber blocks, steering blocks, rear bones, rear axles and the quick change hub with the wheels and tires on all 4 of my T4s!!!!

Tip from the Pros: Run all plastic on the T4 and boil all plastic for 15 minutes to make it more durable and flex to give more bite including the plastic chassis.

davidl051

Great point, Craps (love the name!). Is this a fairly common feature within a radio system?

Craps

Not all radios have it. Some of the mid range priced radios do and I know the Futaba 3PK and the Airtronics M11 have it that most guys have around here. You might even find a good deal on a M8 that has it.

shoal

Nice setup. If you are looking into a spektrum radio, i purchased mine from
here [link=http://www.ultimatehobbies.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=SPM20300!1002]ultimate hobbies[/link]

It is $210 with 2 receivers (so when you do get another car you have the additional one, as well it comes with a nice servo which would work perfectly in your rc10t4 (too bad I only have a rc10t and t3)

Best of luck for you, I'd purchase a decent charger up front. I have a superbrain 977, can do 2 nimh at the same time (5A - 6 cells) and can do one lipo and discharge one batt pack at 4A. Its only $95 with AC adapter.