Brushless ESC with an old school Futaba Radio

[CTYankee]

I have a Futaba Magnum Junior (FP-T2PBKA) with a FP-R102JE receiver in my gold pan RC10 (6gear). I know if I do go brushless I need to keep it pretty tame. Regardless, is it possible to run a modern ESC for some of these EZRun or other low end brushless systems on these old Futaba parts?

[CamplinP]

I run a castle system with mine and no problems. Just be sure the BEC from the speed control is satisfactory.

[Charlie don't surf]

My son runs a Futaba 1024 radio with an LRP spx and an LRP 10.5 and Futaba digital servos, works flawlessly and from 1991!!

[Bongo Fury]

I've used a '80s KO EX-1 with a brushless Novak GTB 17.5 deal briefly, seemed OK. Have heard of issues with really hot motors though, apparently there is a possibility of too much electrical noise with the higher currents.

Regards

[fredswain]

Honestly I'd go with a 2.4 radio system before going brushless. Switching away from the old Futaba was the best performance upgrade I've done to the old cars. Now I'm not going back. I still run a brushed setup. They are cheap and plenty fast. A modified brushed motor can be had for around $30 today and if you've already got a speed control that works, you are good to go. I've driven an EZ Run sensorless system, have a XE Run sensored system, as well as an old Tekin esc/ Trinity motor system. I prefer the sensored systems first, the brushed next, and the sensorless last. The sensorless systems suffer from cogging at low speeds. You try to go slow and the car hesitates and shakes for a second. It's very annoying. This is actually a problem that is strongly related to low voltage. A hotter sensorless motor (lower turns/higher kv) will be more likely to cog than a slower motor. The EZ Run systems are cheap so if you want to just floor it everywhere then you'll probably be fine but they may cog a bit more than other more expensive sensorless systems out there such as the Traxxas Velineon or thje Castle systems. A higher voltage battery will also reduce cogging so you may have some with a 7.2 or 7.4V battery but no cogging with an 11.1, 3 cell lipo.

A sensored brushless system is smooth as glass everywhere and my XE Run is a great system. A brushed system is smoother to drive than a sensorless and I'll take it over sensorless any day. I was honestly quite disappointed when I drove an EZ Run equipped vehicle. It's fine for kids in the street but that's about it in my opinion. If you want to go brushless but don't want a super hot motor but rather something more equivalent to the old brushed stock motors, look at the XE Run systems. You don't need more than about a 35A esc and a 13.5T motor would be fine. You can pick up the combo for $129 which is fairly cheap for a sensored system. If you don't care about reverse then look at the Speed Passion Cirtix series. You can get a sensored system without reverse for $100 from A Main Hobbies and a very fast motor down to 10.5T. I'd still upgrade the radio first though.

[RC104ever]

I switched to a Castle Mamba Max Pro system with the 4600kv motor and my old Futaba Magnum Jr. 75 mhz system and had no issues at all. BUT, I'm strictly a basher - driving up and down my street, on the lawn, that type of thing. I knew from my past experience with the radio what the long range limits were so I stayed within those. Now that I've switched to a 2.4 (Fly Sky GT3B), I don't worry about range anymore.

My advice to you is to take your time, build up the car the way you want to do it and go from there. I do prefer the brushed setup for lower speeds as the brushless does cog a bit, but really, its no biggie since I don't creep along much, I like to speed everywhere! lol

Also, I originally had a NiMh battery and switched to a Lipo now I'll never go back - I highly recommend the Gens Ace battery you can get from Hobbypartz.com - you'll be very hard pressed to find a better value anywhere.

Good luck!

[CTYankee]

I just drive around the campus I live near. Some fun dirt and hills, roads, parking lots, makeshift jumps. No racing for me. Would a new radio do much more than give longer range?

Thanks for the info on the brushed vs sensorless brushless system. I'm still not sure what my long term plans are. I'm tempted to get the RC10 B4.10 RTR...then maybe moved that brushless system down to the RC10 (the 6 gear tranny should be able to handle that motor) and go to Lipo. I just bought a few NiMH batteries and a charger. I read all the horror stories of Lipo and using them with old electronics and opted to be on the safe side.

The plan is to drive it and see how things go. I would like more low end punch. I know I can go Lipo (battery, charger, LV cutoff), new brushed motor, or brushless. They all have different pros and cons...and costs. A nice brushed motor is probably the easiest and cheapest way to go and get the most bang for the buck.

I think for now I just need to drive it some more and see where I really notice a performance issue and deal with that. This has already cost more than I expected, funny how that happens!

[CTYankee]

Ran it some more and with the new wheels and tires the motor is getting crazy hot (barely touch it). The ESC is also getting hot. I figure I'll put that ESC in my Super Saber (replace the resistor based speed control) and upgrade the RC10 to brushless. The EZRun systems are quite affordable and on sale right now at hobbypartz.com. I think for $58 shipped/tax its worth a shot. The low end 13T version should be tame enough for my 6 Gear. It is only 300kv (22,000rpm with my NiMH batteries). I'll also update the pinion and spur gear with the Kinsborough from TH. My existing one is old and not exactly in top shape anyway. I'll get a pinion gear set and see what works best. Anyone know if there are pinion sets for th 3mm motor shaft? The ones from Robinson that I found seem to be the 5mm 1/8 scale motor.