Another Newbie in need of advice.

[chrisbryan800]

Well suppose this is a common thing, but really any advice would be appreciated.

I have been buying various items in order to try and get together enough kit to start 1/10th racing.

My collection is as follows;
RC10 b3 with lots of spares
Novak dually esc
Reedy Modified 10x1 Mr Series Motor
Team Orbital 14x3 Ball raced modified
4 packs of Team Almighty matched IB4200 cells

Unfortunately I have old futaba style 27mhz TX RX and Servo, which I think will need up grading?? I see some reasonably cheap 40mhz going on ebay and wonder if this is the way forward.

Also I think i'll need a charger/discharger as i'm unsure how long those batteries will run for with the above set up. Can anyone recommend a mains charger?, or do I need a 12v supply?

Also is 4 sets of battery packs enough?

Is there anything else i'll need, my finances are running low :(

[tc2k]

75mhz is illegal over in the UK if thats where he is. Also, LiPo is pretty new and not legal in many races so if he's racing hed be best going with Nimh

[ashleyb4]

That looks a pretty good selection to me. The cells will be fine in 2wd and should have a good run time. Remeber just to keep an eye on your motors for when they need skimming and rebrushing. As for radio gear you can pick up some good cheap 40mhz radio gear off ebay. I used to have a sanwa gemini 2 very good radio for the money. As for charger you will porberly be best with a 12v chagrer as some clubs might not have 230 supply and if your at a meeting its very unlikly they will have 230 supply. So i would recomend the cheaper of the two nosram chargers and a nosram discharge tray both linked in below..

http://www.apexmodels.co.uk/product-search.php?call=moreinfo&man=24&cat=accessories&id=6842

http://www.apexmodels.co.uk/product-search.php?call=show&cat=accessories&man=24&catid=122&title=accessories

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[Body Paint]

Please ignore Lazerboy.. He has a reputation for poor recomendations as he is not British so may recomend stuff us Brits cannot legally use.

4 packs of 4200 IB's is fine. I have raced at Nationals this year with 3 packs. With your setup you should get 10 minutes per battery easy.

If you can handle a steerwheel transmitter Spektrum do a very good model "DX-3" This Spektrum radio operates at 2.4Ghz and does not need crystals, it selects a free band when you turn it on. So you don't need to check if anyone else is on your channel, you just turn on and go ;) .

Alternatively Acoms and Futaba are now bringing out entry level 2.4ghz stick radios. Futabas new one is available as 40mhz or 2.4ghz, I think it's called GR or something.

For a charger have a look at the Mtroniks range, they do a reasonable 240v charger for about £50. The alternative would be to buy a cheap 12v charger approx £25-£35 and a power supply (min 7 amp) approx £35-£45

Hope that helps:D

[JCJC]

Get down to your local club to see what they are racing.

Go for a good, modern 12 volt charger - make sure its suitable for nimh, your IB4200's will need regular charging/discharging & equalising even if you are not racing.

You would manage with 27mhz, the servo (same servo for 27/40 or speky has to suit speedo not trany)may need upgrading, faster/stronger - bluebird seem good value.

The motors seem a bit pokey to me, possibly start with higher numbers or a "stock" motor.

and get down to where you are going to race and see whats required.:)

[lazerboy]

sorry, didn't know that. And most the stuff we use over here is pistol grip style, which you guys don't like any way. Over here 40mhz is an airplane only frequency, and is very glitchy. over here. if you can try to get a 2.5ghz system ?legal? doesn't ever interfere, even with other 2.4 ghz systems.

[chrisbryan800]

Cheers folks!, I think i've probably chosen motor's/batteries beyond my capablilities by the sound of it!

What's with the charging/discharging/equalising? Sorry to sound a little dumb:confused: but is discharging necessary, I thought you would just run your batteries till they ran out? No? I suppose if there's life left in them after a race i would have to discharge them before recharging, or would the charger do this automatically?

Also, what length of time can I leave the batteries on the shelf? and do I keep them fully charged or fully discharged when I'm not using them?

What's the life span of these batteries?, months? years?

I suppose with the new 2.4 g, everyone will be getting shut of 40mhz? in which case there might be a bargain to be had! ;)

I'm stuck between clubs where I live, Batley, Harrogate (does it exist anymore?) and Wilsden. Batley being the furthest away?

Also is there any indoor racing to be had over the dark winter months for me to get started?

[ashleyb4]

Many people believe diffrent things with charging discharging and equalising.

I personally just equalise each pack before each meeting. This is just to bring all the cells to the same voltage so you are not over charging or under charging any of the cells. Charge rate you are propberly best with something like 4.0a to 4.5a

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[chrisbryan800]

cheers, i'm away to bed now. but will be back on this forum to pick your brains some more!