Electrics (ESC/ Motor/ Servo etc) for 1/10th 4WD Buggy
 

Hi Guys I posted the below on the 1/10th forum but thought it might be more relevant here as I'm looking at getting back to club racing for 1/10th 4wd buggy racing after a very very long break and wanted advice on Electronics such as ESC and Motors, Servos etc.

I'll probably be running something like a Schumacher CAT K2 or AE B64

Moving on to Electrics the last time I raced it was all Nicads and Brushed motors and pretty basic ESC (I remember FEts and Solenoid reverse :lol:).

So advice would be great on the following for 1/10th 4WD:

Looking at propulsion I think ideally a ESC and Motor Combo would be a good idea (sensored) probably the equivalent of a 7-8Turn motor - maybe higher. Brand and model (ESC + Motor combo) wise I really haven't much of a clue which would be good for club racing I hear good things about Hobbywing any Idea what model would be best. Don't want to spend a fortune just a good reliable club package to get back into the Sport but could be competitive once I get a lot better????

Any suggestions on a good steering servo for 4wd 1/10th?

Lastly any good suggestions on the Batteries now Lipo is all the rage and much longer run times I guess most go for a shorty but what would be a good brand and Mah's capacity for a good run times and how many would a need for a club meet (1 -2 or more) and how quickly do these recharge?

Thanks guys sorry for all the questions but I want to try and get my head around this as it all seems very different to when I last raced and getting the electrics right seems important as I don't want to invest in poor quality or uncompetitive equipment (at least in the long run as I probably be quite poor to start with).

Looking forward to your recommendations and suggestions.:thumbsup:

Don't rule out an Xray XB4 - I run a 2016, you can pick these up for around £100-150 2nd hand.

I've just started up again last year after a 30 year layoff so know it can be a bit "eh?" with all the new tech. Are you buying new or 2nd hand? Nothing wrong with tons of 2nd hand stuff, everything I race is 2nd hand bar a couple of sets of tyres ;)

ESC - most sensored ones are good these days, right at the budget end there's a Chinese clone on ebay called a TSKY 120 going for about a tenner. Had one in my lad's car for a year and still going strong. Bit up the ladder there's the Hobbywing Quicrun 10BL120 which is around £40 new, only downside it it doesn't have turbo but does have boost. For a tenner or 20 more you're into the realms of 2nd hand Corally, HW, Orion ESCs.

Motor - again good bargains 2nd hand, I started with a 10.5 and it was plenty fast to start with - remember you can make a slow motor faster with turbo and boost but can't make a mental motor slower. Hobbywing, LRP, Orion, Muchmore, REDS and loads of others out there.

Lipos - shorty, around 4500mAh. Can be bought 2nd hand for a tenner upwards each. Two minimum for race days, one charging other in use. Depending on charger they take around 25-40 mins to charge again depending how much was took out of them. Again most big brands are good - Centro, Absima, IP, Ludicrous, Orion.

Servo - I like Savox stuff, I use a 1258TG. There's one for sale in the electrics sub section, around £30.

Don't forget radio - I've always liked Futaba stuff, all depends on if you are a wheel or sticks man. :)

Thanks Yorkiebar great ideas and for me it is also nearing 30 years since racing. I'll check out the Xray as they do make awesome bits of Kit, I do have loads of RC cars as I've kept collecting but most are vintage and only run with old gear. I do have a selection also of old transmitters, both sticks and wheels so to save cash will likely use one of them to get back into racing I take it I don't need a matched receiver with the transmitter, just the same crystal?

Car wise I'll most likely be buying 2nd hand to start with and get back into the sport and probably look around the £100 - £150 are for a CAT K2 AE B64 and have a look at the Xray as well. :thumbsup:

Good call on the Servo as that is the one I was looking at from my initial first glance of what's out there, so will probably go for it. :thumbsup:

With regards to ESC and Motor I was thinking of going for a combo but do you think it better to buy separately say a decent Sensored ESC and a different motor, I'm guessing a different make etc will work with any sensored ESC?? Yeah you're probably right to go for a 10.5T version to start with and work my way up.

Cheers for the advice on Lipo's I'm guessing Shorty's are the way to go (obviously looking at what car I get fits them but it should). So I'm going for at least 2 Lipo's possibly 3. What chargers am I likely to need and whats a good make and price?

Thanks again you've been really helpful:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Regards the TX and RX you'll more than likely need to use the same manufacturer as the transmission protocol can differ between them, even if using the same crystal.

You can mix and match motors and ESC no problem, I'm using a Corally ESC and LRP motor. Definitely stick with sensored though as they're much smoother and have more in the way of adjustment, like punch, boost and turbo.

Chargers - again a massively varying budget but at the skinny end I used to use an IMAX B6+ clone - Around £25 new off ebay. Does everything you need, and being the + model has both AC and DC inputs for home and field use. Still have it in my pit box as a spare. I now use a Radient Duplex which can charge 2 packs at the same time, was £60 new. Again don't be put off by 2nd hand stuff, some good deals out there.

Lipos are great but need a bit of respect - don't leave them fully charged or flat, they need to be left in "storage" when done with them - the charger will do this for you. Plenty of useful info out there for a bit of bedtime reading, or just ask on here if you're stuck. :)

So I just got back in after a 17 year break.
I bought a Hobby wing ESC and its mid range set me back about £70 and £10 for a programming card.

Batteries I am using Centro shorty 2s 5000mah 100c batteries they are about £35 I think. Charger I am using an Etronix power pal 3.0 that was about £50.

Motor I bought a 2nd hand hobbywing v10, and servo Savox, also bought a second one for my Cat 2000 as bang for buck they seem pretty fast / reliable.

Just check when thickness of lipo you need. I bought a Centro 3000mah battery and its half the thickness of the 5000mah so I can't run it in the car unless I pad it out and I didn't realise there were two different thicknesses of shorty lipo's.

Most of my gear has come from Modelsport, Wheelspin or the oople forum.

Think carefully before going 4wd.......it's not that popular these days at club racing level...2wd is much more popular, and generally, cheaper to buy.
Check with the club that you intend to race at and see which is the most popular class there..