Wow things have changed and I have brushless questions

[Nero45]

Hello,

I just joined up here at RC10talk.com and have been out of the RC game for almost 10 years. I currently have a RC 10 T-4, B4.1, and HPI Racing Race 2 Sport (wanted a TC4 but this was for a good price so...). Anyway my T4 is my first RC and I've got much older ECS equipment, I think its a Novak Super Rooster, and I've got a few brushed motors. I just got the B4.1 and am wanting to get a classic RC10 and I need some help choosing some new ECS, motors, and radio equipment. When I got out brushless was just coming in and was far too expensive for me (I was in college so mostly broke) and I picked out what I could get. Now everything seems to be brushless and I'm completely unsure. I'm also in the same boat with my radio equipment. I've got a Airtronics MX3 FM 75 Mhz which now everyone is using 2.4 Ghz and it almost impossible to find receivers for this thing. Any information would be helpful, I don't really race my RC so reverse would be nice in a ECS. Thank you.

[bully]

Good quality 2.4 radios can be had for around 100 bucks from futaba an airtronics... Speed passion have some cheaper brushless systems that you can play with or take to a club day if you want they are sensored so have better control of the motor than other sport type sensor less systems.. Plenty of people use the hobbyking trackstar system which is also sensored.Novak does some cheaper great quality systems.. If you don't care about low end throttle control, sensorless systems from hobbywing or castle creations are popular though you can get a good quality sensored system for similar money.. I think you should read the modernizing your rc thread on here somewhere and google differences between sensored an sensorless systems an shop around online, it's free and you will learn all about them mate.. Good luck

[yellowdatsun]

I had a 15 year hiatus from the RC world, and went through the same thing as you, about 2 years ago.

You really can't go wrong with most of the stuff out there. Unlike the old days, motors and speed controls are now (usually) sold as a package deal. Castle makes solid brushless motor/esc combos. I run Castle setups in all 3 of my drive-able cars. You can run the Castle systems as-is out of the package, or use a PC program they offer to make changes to them via a "Castle-Link" usb adapter. Stuff like reverse is defaulted to "on", but can be changed to "off" in the computer program. The Castle setups offer a lot for the money. A combo for a buggy runs about $110, and a short course truck setup is about $200. You can go WAAYY up from there, but that's about where I'd start.

Controllers are one thing you do want to spend some money on. Unlike the good-but-cheap motors and esc's, cheap controllers are just that, cheap. There's a big difference in performance and feel between a cheap controller, and a decent mid-range unit. I know, normally you'd think "it's a controller, how much difference can their be?". But really, there is. Spend a couple hundred on the controller, you'll be much happier. I have a Futaba 3prika, and an Airtronics MT-4, and the difference between the two is HUGE. So huge that I don't even run the Futaba anymore, and just buy additional receivers for the Airtronics radio.

That's also something to keep in mind, most decent radios can support multiple cars now. The MT-4 can handle up to 10 I believe. So you don't need multiple controllers, you can have one unit that controls all of them. The controllers also save separate settings for each car. It's really cool, and something I wish we had back in the old days.

[Diamond Dave]

Buy a Spektrum radio, you will be glad you did.

There are other brands that have the same options, but not quite the same.

[bully]

Must be a Perth thing but everyone who had a spektrum has sold and gone futaba or airtronics/sanwa. Over complicated binding at the track and poor range were the biggest complaints.. Though I don't know why you would wait till you got to tack to bind

[RC10th]

Spektrum has been seeming to get a bad wrap everywhere. I've run Spektrum for as long as 2.4 has been out and never had a problem, still using a DX3R Pro. Admittedly I don't like the trigger feel and large wheel of the DX4R Pro and a couple others.

[yellowdatsun]

My buddy has a Spektrum radio, and doesn't like the big wheel either. He's looking at swapping it out with a different one. It's about 1/4 inch bigger than "normal" steering wheels.

The Airtronics radios have normal size wheels, and I really love my MT-4.

[RC104ever]

I have all Castle Brushless setups and they are excellent. Mamba Max Pro's in most runners, a few Sidewinders. Most are 4600 or 5700kv motors, which is stupid fast with a 2S lipo.

I have tried a Viper setup, Traxxas and an AE brushless setup but none of them really made me grin like the Castle ones.

There are lots of guys here that have used Hobbywing setups with good success. I had one in my RC18B and it seemed to work well but I swapped it out for a Castle setup which was definitely faster.

As for radios I was running almost all Spektrum receivers with a DX3S radio but wanted to try a Flysky setup for my sons car and didn't want to spend the dough.

Well I was very surprised that the range was really good and the receivers were so cheap. The only thing is that it takes 8 AA (in the GT3B that I have) and the steering wheel and trigger don't have the same quality feel as the Spektrum. But its darn close. I just bought the newest FlySky radio with the touch screen and its actually quite nice. At some point, I may switch everything over to FlySky and just sell the Spektrum stuff.

[Nero45]

Hello,

Thanks for the help, I'm looking closely at the Castle Brushless Sidewinder 3 but not sure about the LiPo batteries yet, still checking.

[yellowdatsun]

You won't be sad with that Castle setup, it's good, I have it and use it at the track. Everyone is surprised that it's not a sensored setup.

Go lipo and never look back. I did.