Newbie advice.

[BuggyBuilder]

Hiya,

I'm new on the forum, just getting back into the hobby after some 30 years and things have changed a little since I had my original Rough Rider - I am hoping that you will excuse my newbie questions which have probably been asked many times before and help me out a little! I recently picked up a Buggy Champ re-release at my local model shop for 50% off as the shop is closing down - I had the intention of putting it on fleabay for a quick profit but then took a trip down memory lane and have decided to build it instead - especially as I have a nice flat beach near me to run it on which I never had when I was younger!

Apologies for throwing a load of questions into my first post but I am itching to start building and want to get all the parts sorted before I proceed...

I would like to put a sport tuned motor in the car but it has come with the TEU-104 speed controller - will this handle that motor or will I need to upgrade..and if so what to? (want to keep it all Tamiya)

If I don't need to upgrade due to the motor does the TEU-104 have a built in BEC, and again if not then what do I need to upgrade to?

Lastly can anyone point me in the right direction for some high capacity NIMH hump packs? Largest capacity I can find in the UK is 2700mah, I have tracked down some 5000mah packs in the States but seems excessive sending that far for something I'm sure is available here in the UK!

Sure I will have more questions but thanks for taking the time to read this far!

[SteveU30]

Hi and welcome, great choice of first build and well done on getting it half price!

The TEU-104 will handle a Sport Tuned no problem however it's not a great ESC due to it only applying 50% power in reverse and when braking. Also, it doesn't have a built in BEC which isn't an issue if your radio receiver does but if you intend to use 2.4GHz technology just be aware that a lot of 2.4GHz receivers don't have built in BEC.

If all of this has put you off the TEU-104 then your best best is to take a look on Modelsport.co.uk and pick one of the many budget ESC options they have on there for circa £20. They also have a lot of NiMh batteries on offer at around the capacity you require.

Good luck with the build and don't forget to post some pics as you go, we love build threads here at TC!

Steve

[XV Pilot]

Hi and welcome!

The TEU104BK ESC will be fine for use with the Sport Tuned motor as it can handle motors down to 25T, but it does not have a BEC, so unless your receiver has a BEC, you will need to either run a separate stand-alone BEC, or get a different receiver or ESC that does feature a BEC.

If you want to keep it all Tamiya, the TEU105BK ESC can also handle your Sport Tuned motor, and has a built-in BEC.

No idea on the hump packs I'm afraid!

[SteveU30]

Whoops, missed the fact you need a hump pack sorry, that may be a little trickier but I'm sure someone will know.

[tamiya monkey]

The most readily available hump pack battery is the carson one, with 2700mah, which must be the one you've looked at, just a question are starting out completely, if you out to buy a charger and battery/batteries why not look at going, dare i say it LIPO.

Not sure if you need to change the gearing with a sport tuned fitted, not used anything other than 27t in my scorcher.

[SteveU30]

On the subject of LiPo, this may be of interest:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=122994

[BuggyBuilder]

Thanks guys for the speedy replies, that's all great information, and yes I'll start a thread when I start the build . I picked up a 2.4ghz tx/rx package at the same time as the buggy champ mainly as it was also 50% off and I guess subconsciously I knew I'd be building this not selling it lol - so in reality I will need to change the ESC anyway due to the probable lack of a BEC, looks like the TEU105BK is the way to go - will check out Modelsport and fleabay..

I will have to look into Lipo's and chargers as I've not used them before and have read a few horror stories regarding care / charging / swelling etc. Seems I'd need quite a bit more kit to go that route properly compared to the more simple NIMH / charger route - also don't want to overstress the older design of the buggy with too much power - might that be an issue?

[GregM]

Welcome to the club. You better lock your wallet

2700 mAh is plenty for a start. There aren't many choices for hump packs as you've already experienced.

[tamiya monkey]

Modelsport sell a few fairly cheap, well cheaper than Tamiya esc's.

Plus points are lipo low voltage ready incase you switch to lipo later, bec, lower motor turn limit and waterproof.

Here's two to look at.

http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobbywing-quicrun-1060-brushed-esc/rc-car-products/382831

http://www.modelsport.co.uk/modelsport-uk-trident-xt-20/rc-car-products/374108

Compared to the Teu105Bk http://www.modelsport.co.uk/tamiya-teu-105-bk-with-bec/rc-car-products/369337

Don't be put off with lipo, if used correctly you cant go wrong, i held off for ages fearing burning my house down, but i can tell you i wouldn't buy another Nimh again, been using Lipo's for around 3 years now and there brill, less maintenance, longer run times, more punch.

All you need to do is your homework, making sure you get the right batteries for the job, and im sure you will find and get loads of advice on here.

[BuggyBuilder]

Modelsport sell a few fairly cheap, well cheaper than Tamiya esc's.

Plus points are lipo low voltage ready incase you switch to lipo later, bec, lower motor turn limit and waterproof.

Here's two to look at.

http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobbywing-quicrun-1060-brushed-esc/rc-car-products/382831

http://www.modelsport.co.uk/modelsport-uk-trident-xt-20/rc-car-products/374108

Compared to the Teu105Bk http://www.modelsport.co.uk/tamiya-teu-105-bk-with-bec/rc-car-products/369337

Don't be put off with lipo, if used correctly you cant go wrong, i held off for ages fearing burning my house down, but i can tell you i wouldn't buy another Nimh again, been using Lipo's for around 3 years now and there brill, less maintenance, longer run times, more punch.

All you need to do is your homework, making sure you get the right batteries for the job, and im sure you will find and get loads of advice on here.

That's great info thank you. I was thinking that I should keep it all Tamiya but these ESC's look as though they have many more features than the Tamiya equivalents.

I've been looking at the brushless options too - so many different battery / motor options that its a little confusing!! If I were to go the brushless / lipo route what would be the best option for the buggy champ that wouldn't damage the plastic gears in the drivechain - looking for a decent boost in speed & acceleration but don't want to go over the top and be constantly damaging the internals! It's mainly going to be used on a flat sandy beach...

[BuggyBuilder]

Ok so after a bit of research I think I've decided to go the Nimh route, will work out roughly the same price but I wont have the care issues with lipo's and storage etc - have found a company that will make up packs in any configuration so have decided on an 8.4v 5000mah hump pack that will fit nicely within the radio box, a sport tuned motor and one of the ESC's mentioned above that will handle the voltage. Going to be using it mainly on a flat compacted sand beach so should give a nice turn of speed and decent run times. Will update more when I start the build.

[WillyChang]

I'd stick to 7.2V niMh or 7.4V lipo max for that Sporttuned... they overheat bad if worked too hard in confined spaces.

also ballbearings (although beach use is probably the worst environment for RCs)

[XV Pilot]

Rubber sealed bearings as sold by RCBearings.co.uk are strongly recomended for use in dusty/dirty/wet conditions, as they are far better than metal shielded ones at keeping contaminants out.

Beach running will be hard on any bearings due to the salt, but at least the rubber seals give them a fighting chance.

[Percymon]

If you are running on the beach then stick to plastic bushings. Any salt water contact will corrode the metal bearing cases or set up corrosion cells with the surround alloy parts.

There is virtually no air cooling of the motor can in the SRB gear case so be wary of your power and motor choice. Also a sport tuned motor on 8.4v is likely to see your buggy champ spending more time on its roof than it's wheels ; unless you can find table flat sand

[waterbok]

8.4 wow! I run my scorcher on 6v (4600mAh 5sidebyside) and a sportstuned, keeps everything cool and imo more realistic speed.

[BuggyBuilder]

I'll be pretty much exclusively using this on the beach - lucky that where I live has one of the highest tidal ranges on the planet so when the tides out its pretty much smooth & flat compacted sand for a mile 'til you hit the wet stuff Not planning on bashing it or racing flat out, just some normal running with a bit of speed and wheelspins when the mood takes! If you guys think the sport tuned motor will overheat with that kind of usage can you suggest something better that will fit straight in without mods? Thanks..

[waterbok]

The sportstuned is fine but probably the 8.4 is a bit overkill. For a SRB.

[berman]

Sport tuned and the lower gearing is fine. You can run brushless in these without trouble but the above combo is great for beach action. Just keep out of the wet stuff, the damp stuff after the tide is long gone is bliss for the SRB chassis, you can counter steer it everywhere like it's dancing on ice.