Returning to Racing

[buggy#0]

Originally Posted by daz75

I recently started trying to get back into racing after 20 years mainly to let my lads have a blast. If you've got loads of money to waste then go for corally or any of the other named brands electrics wise. Personally these seem a complete waste of money I've bought 2 esc's 2 motors and 6 sets of cells (probably too many) from hobbyking and they've been great for my 2 lads to learn, I stuck a fast motor in one of the cars and it was rapid.

I will be buying a esc shortly and will be getting a hobbyking one again it's a no brianer, let's face it they are probably all made in China anyway
In fact there is a thread in the wanted section about 120amp esc off ebay for £15 think they are hobbywing or something like that clones that you can flash so they are identically to the more expensive ones

Well of course they'll be made in China... that's not to say they'll all be identical and bulletproof.

It's all well and good to recommend "the £15 one" you can find on eBay, but aiming for the absolute cheapest you can find on eBay with the notion "it's probably all just the same" could land you with some dodgy products. All you need to do is flick through some threads on R/C Tech - there are a few good Xerun clones that people have purchased and used to good effect, whilst similarly there are a few cheap ESCs that have ended up frying themselves in an instant.

A lot of big name speedos are overpriced, but finding a good deal on a decent 120A speedo through a UK distributor (or indeed supporting a local model shop), with the peace of mind of a warranty, is a safe option. You could also buy secondhand off here or off a local racer, as they're likely to be using quality equipment that, most importantly, works.

I'm not suggesting in any way that a big name ESC is necessary, or you need to outlay a large lump of cash to get top-end equipment, it's just best to exercise caution when buying the absolute cheapest thing you can find.

[mattr]

This one came up on the other thread. Not heard of a bad one yet.

http://www.skyrc.com/index.php?route...product_id=206

Can pick them up for 60-70 dollars. Not bottom dollar cheap, but very very good for the money.

[The Colonel]

I think I am going to go with the Speed Passion Reventon R ESC matched with a 8.5 SP v3 BL Competition. It seems to be a good match and probably as fast as would want to go to start with.

Also going to go for the Savox SC-1258, it seems a good option.

Overlander for a Lipo and the Core RC UAC50 charger

I think this will be a good strong beginners setup.

[Navek668]

Hi there, all good except the charger, I'm quite new to this too but wish I'd spent a bit more on a charger to start with as I run two classes so have 4 lipos, when charging the night before racing especially if balancing this can take forever, and putting back into storage after, wish I had gone for a duo or quad charger first as I'm now having to splash another 100 plus for a decent new charger on top of the original 50 quid on the core rc UAC 50, dont get me wrong the charger is great just hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[The Colonel]

That's a good point, I thought I could run with just one batt but the more I read, I think two is the way to go.

Can I ask what dual charger you are look at?

[mattr]

Duo chargers can be a false economy, if one channel pops, you are left with a big, useless solo charger.

Maybe look at PSU and two DC chargers. (Rather than getting an AC/DC or AC only charger, which tend to be more expensive than the equivalent DC charger.)

Or you might be ok with the duo!

And FWIW, the charger i use goes from storage to full in ~40 minutes. Or from raced to full in ~25. Give or take.

Rarely bother with charging to full the night before, maybe from storage to ~8V, then finish off while setting up everything else.

[daz75]

Good info on lipos here I really need to start discharging them

http://rogershobbycenter.com/lipoguide/

[Navek668]

Hi, can see your your point but occasionally I have a Lipo that can take up to an hour and a half to balance not all the time but once in a while and if I'm waiting for that one I still have 3 lipos I can't charge, and when I get home from racing I will be able to put all 4 on storage mode and leave it til they are all done rather than have to keep changing them over, just seems easier somehow

[daz75]

What do you mean storage mode?

[The Colonel]

I think it is going to come down to personal choice for me . I am trying to put a shopping list together and keep the total cost down. I don't mind paying out quality items, but I am not sure what to go for now.

I think I will stick to my original charger and if I need to, I can always get another one if I think I will need it. I am only going to be practice running for a good few weeks, until next year anyway at which point I will probably get another Lipo and charger to race with.

[Navek668]

Hi Daz, previous post was open a while before I posted and was meant for previous poster, storage mode is on your charger, it discharges the battery down to 7.6v or charges them back up to 7.6v if they have been discharged below this voltage as you should always leave a little charge in them, you should never leave a Lipo below 6.0v as this will start to kill it and it may not even charge again and if you leave them fully charged they will start to degrade and you will shorten their life expectancy of 300-400 charges, if they start to swell this is what is happening and the more they swell the more chance of a lovely fire its all in the link you put on, I've seen it before. Very good explanation of lipos and how to care for them.

[Navek668]

Hi ya, as I said it's a good charger no issues with mine had it for just under a year now, just from my experiences so far it's one of the only things I wish I'd invested in a bit more at the start, as you say it's personal choice and there's nowt wrong with the charger you've chosen, happy racing!!!

[daz75]

Cheers navek just wanted to check it was discharging we were talking about

Started discharging one that had done 3 races and had been going for 6000 seconds before I gave up

[Navek668]

Hi Daz, yeah it will do that on a fully charged pack as the discharge rate is usually a lot lower than the charge rate usually 1 or 2 amps, best to run it down in a car for 5 minutes and then it stick on storage mode from there. There is a specific storage mode on most chargers rather than using the discharge cycle this usually balances the cells at 3.8v each as well so you don't get one cell at 4.6v and one at 3.2v which would mean it's close to not charging again

[andrewc]

Core RC charger is great for starting out.

I had one for first couple of years, then bought a duo charger for when I run both 2WD and 4WD at same club night, otherwise I can't keep up!

[The Colonel]

So all my parts arrived, here come more questions:

Do I solder the cables from the ESC directly onto the motor, the plugs/sockets don't seem to match, or should I solder separate cables to the motor and plug them into the cables on the ESC?

I assume I am ok to take off the battery plug and solder on the G4 males with some heat shrink?

I also assume I am ok to cut the length of all the wires to suit my install? Does that go for the servo lead and ESC lead to the receiver?

I have a fan for the motor and the ESC has a fan too, how do I power both as the ESC only has one fan output?

Thanks

[mattr]

Think we need some pictures!

[mattr]

Right, just had a look. The reventon R you'll just need to solder the cables to the solder cups.

The motor comes with three 3.5mm connectors on the back, you'll need them on the other end of the cable so you can connect to the motor. Those motors you need to use the connectors.

And as for cutting the battery plug off, do it carefully and FEMALES on the battery, males on the ESC. (And whats G4?)

One fan will run off the ESC, the other you can plug into your Rx. Should have at least one spare port, if not two.

ESC and Servo leads can be shortened, but its fairly easy to tuck them out of the way, so you can use them later in new cars. Make motor and battery cables as short as you realistically can, but with a bit of slack.

Also, it's worth making the battery leads the right length so you can't plug them in back to front.......

But, as per my last post, pictures will help!

[The Colonel]

Matt, many thanks. That helps a lot.

Just need to buy a longer sensor lead as the one with the motor will not reach.

I will post a pic up once I have sorted everything.

Thanks everyone for all your help and advice.

[mattr]

if nothing else, pop a photo of the battery up, and what you plan to do with it before you do it!

Guy i know decided to cut the cable off his battery to replace the connector and blew his cable cutters up.

And i've seen male connectors on batteries before now (only once)