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Nostalgic Dad

Introducing myself to the forum - and ideas welcome

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If you're after a radio for the kids to bash their cars around the back yard, HobbyKing is a good place to look.

My first 2.4G radio was a HK GT2B(?) from memory. Was inexpensive and even raced with it a few times.

After upgrading to a Spektrum DX3R I noticed the difference though.

I now have a DX5R for myself. DX4R and 2x DX3R's for the rest of the family.

Still have the HK radio, and also a Turnigy one (can't remember model, but looks like a Spektrum rip-off) and they are great for what they are.

Multi-model memory is great if your running different cars in succession, and happy to buy multiple RX.

However some velcro for the RX and a few minutes set up with EPA and trims you can switch between cars easily enough.

 

 

 

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Nostalgic Dad said:

Ahh, I love a good non-standard standard!

So, it seems like this Dx5c at £69 is a good buy BUT would possibly lock me into buying more expensive Spektrum brand receivers. Are there any cheap receivers compatible with the DX5C that people know of? 

Yeah there Is (welcome by the way👍) but be careful because sometimes( probably more than sometimes)  they don't bind or worse de-bind which happened to me few months ago luckily no harm or damage done I bought 3 orange receivers off Ebay sorry can't remember the names but widely available none of them would bind then one did but as I had it on the bench testing the new buggy after about ten minutes it decided to de-bind so just be careful! But to be honest like everyone says theres plenty of good budget radio combos around some even come with 2 receivers I quite like the look of the absima crp3 for £50ish or one with 2 for a tenner more and the cr4t for £100ish although the latter isn't really budget it still looks good value from what I read about them?

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Have you considered Konghead?

It used the same gears as Comical Grasshopper (just a lot more to make it 6x6).   

2YxDEwM.jpg

Lots of bearings are needed, so I'd recommend $3 per 10 bearing deals you can find on ebay and what not. (Look up "5x11x4mm bearings.") Rubber shielded ones seal better than metal shielded ones.  (Below lot was about $8 worth--off the top of my head, I think you need more than 30 bearings for Konghead) 

CvtVIF7.jpg?1

Flysky FS-GT3C is about $40 - $45.  Cheap and reliable. EPA function is included.  I like it precisely because the receivers are dirt-cheap. Every new car you buy, you only need to spend $7 more per car.  (I got a dozen for about $6 each to retrofit vintage cars)  

96KRSnp.jpg

I'm not racing or anything, so Flysky has been good enough for me, even after adding a dozen cars.  

Because you've got small kids, I'd stick with NiMH batteries.  They are not as strong as LiPo, but NiMH is far less likely to catch fire.  For a charger, "SkyRC iMax B6" has become a non-official standard charger that can charge practically anything.  Mine requires a power supply (I'm using one made for a laptop computer).  They sell a bigger one with a power supply included in the case.  

YJsoFZV.jpg

I would stick with a brushed motor for now.  It's just easier to deal with a brushed motor than brushless. No need to solder.  And you are using it in your backyard. You probably don't want 60km/h speed. That's too much kinetic force around kids.  

If the kit you buy doesn't come with an ESC, Hobbywing Quicrun 1060 would run you about $17.  It's cheap, but it's capable.  But with kids about, I'd stick with the silver can (or Sport Tuned motor).  

f9il0Xo.jpg

Servos have gotten cheaper too.  Hobbyking sells dozens of different kinds for less than $10.  For Konghead, I'd use this servo. 13kg is 3 times as strong as good old Futaba S3003 servo.  I still have a lot of Futaba servos from 20 years ago. They are just gathering dust.  https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykingtm-high-torque-servo-mg-bb-w-proof-12-8kg-0-22sec-58g.html

 

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@JuggularThanks for your post - some great advice there. I've ordered the comical Grasshopper now, but the Kong Head (and that mad school bus) did catch my eye. 

@moffmanThanks. I think cheap controller with cheap receivers is looking the way to go. That Absima CR3P looks interesting. 

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6 hours ago, Nostalgic Dad said:

@JuggularThanks for your post - some great advice there. I've ordered the comical Grasshopper now, but the Kong Head (and that mad school bus) did catch my eye. 

@moffmanThanks. I think cheap controller with cheap receivers is looking the way to go. That Absima CR3P looks interesting. 

You made the perfect choice... here is a good review of the CG while you wait for it to arrive... (I hope it is ok to post it here...) 

https://www.bigsquidrc.com/tamiya-comical-grasshopper-wr-02cb-review/

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I ordered a Carson Start yesterday for my son (link at the end of the pastes thread). I have seen them without the bundled servo for £20 on eBay.

I have no idea if it is any good yet but I have been using basic Carson trigger wheel units I got on sale from Tamico without issue. Sure, they won’t be anywhere near as good in the hand as some of the options listed here (my 5 channel Turnigy is a thing of beauty in comparison to the Carsons but the Spektrums, Sanwas, etc are another level up from what I can tell) but should be good enough for the occasional bash.

And cheap to replace when a kid rips the wheel off or drops it...

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Right, I've been busy. The following are on their way:

  • Comical Grasshopper kit inc ESC
  • Bearing set from rcbearings
  • FlySky GT3C and receiver - in Orange!

So I still need: Servo, battery and charger (I plan to add lights but probably not at first).

Any advice on servos? I see there are digital and analogue. @Juggular kindly suggested one above for the Kong Head, but I'm assuming (perhaps wrongly) I would need something less beefy for the CG? 

The B6 is suggested as the go-to charger above - anyone got a recommended place to buy one? there seems to be a lot of clones / fakes around.

Finally, any battery recommendations - I'm all about the VfM!

Thanks again everyone - your response has been fantastic.

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Ace! I use an Overlander smart charger and their NiMH batteries are great. If you are going straight for lipo batteries you need Core RC stick pack. 

Servos feel like a minefield to me even now! Don't worry about digital over analogue. I used an Alturn basic servo in my comical qnd it's fine. Only 8 quid. 

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14 minutes ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

Ace! I use an Overlander smart charger and their NiMH batteries are great. If you are going straight for lipo batteries you need Core RC stick pack. 

Servos feel like a minefield to me even now! Don't worry about digital over analogue. I used an Alturn basic servo in my comical qnd it's fine. Only 8 quid. 

That was the conclusion I was reaching on servos, so glad I'm not alone! Sticking with NiMH for now, so thanks for the recommendation.

Am I right that you put lights on your Comical? Is it straightforward?

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39 minutes ago, Nostalgic Dad said:

I would need something less beefy for the CG? 

9-12kg is relatively common now.  

For my Wild Willy2, I thought the standard servo was too weak, especially since it has heavy resin body.  Below is the spec for the "Old standard" Futaba S3003.  Get something more torquey than this.  

Speed: 0.23 sec60 4.8V
0.19 sec60 6V
Torque: 44 oz-in (3.2 kg-cm) 4.8V
57 oz-in (4.1 kg-cm) 6V
Dimensions: 1.6 x 0.8 x 1.4 (1-916 x 1316 x 1-716)
(40 x 20 x 36mm)

The reason why it's hard to say, "use this servo" is because there are so many. Practically all of them are from China, no matter the brand.  Digital is accurate in keeping to certain angles you want.  That's important for airplane's ailerons, rudders and elevators.  Not so much for cars.  Digital draws more amp.  So generally analog would do fine for backyard bashers.  

Anything above 6kg would do fine for CG.  About 0.2 to 0.25 second is fast enough for bashers.  Keep to the same dimensions because there are mini servos and giant servos that look similar in photos.  (Most of the times, 1mm deviation won't hurt)  Some brands have different splines, but often Tamiya includes servo savers for most of them. (25 teeth is most common, I think)

 

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Futaba S3003 is the standard bearer... don't stress, it works & is adequate for WR02. It's not a crawler, you don't need to steer when it's stationary - 40oz is more then enough to steer a 2WD 1/10. Std S3003 works; sometimes I go S3001 for its ballbearing shaft but it still works the same.

(however you'll need to mod the Futaba plug to fit some RXes)

For a budget buy, Hobbyking housebrand servos are just as good for fraction of price. HS15138 is deadringer S3003 clone https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykingtm-hk15138-standard-analog-servo-4-3kg-0-17sec-38g.html or the waterproof one https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykingtm-waterproof-analog-servo-3-2kg-0-17sec-40g.html although I've yet to drown any servo

For 4WDs I like a little more torque, the HK15288 is great https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykingtm-hk15288a-analog-servo-bb-mg-9kg-0-20sec-51g.html or the HK15328A is good too https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykingtm-hk15328a-analog-servo-bb-mg-12-8kg-0-20sec-58g.html Metal Gear may be hardier in certain applications but they can also sound rough.

Stock S3003 plastic gears survive long enough, spares are cheap so I keep some around but I haven't had to change too many. 

 

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56 minutes ago, Nostalgic Dad said:

That was the conclusion I was reaching on servos, so glad I'm not alone! Sticking with NiMH for now, so thanks for the recommendation.

Am I right that you put lights on your Comical? Is it straightforward?

I didn't put lights in mine, no

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6 hours ago, Nostalgic Dad said:

Right, I've been busy. The following are on their way:

  • Comical Grasshopper kit inc ESC
  • Bearing set from rcbearings
  • FlySky GT3C and receiver - in Orange!

So I still need: Servo, battery and charger (I plan to add lights but probably not at first).

Any advice on servos? I see there are digital and analogue. @Juggular kindly suggested one above for the Kong Head, but I'm assuming (perhaps wrongly) I would need something less beefy for the CG? 

The B6 is suggested as the go-to charger above - anyone got a recommended place to buy one? there seems to be a lot of clones / fakes around.

Finally, any battery recommendations - I'm all about the VfM!

Thanks again everyone - your response has been fantastic.

Welcome to the club.

 

I like Banggood.com for electronics, they carry a huge range and shipping is generally included. Search SkyRC charger and you will see their range which includes the B6. Look at the S60 as well, its basically the same spec but is AC rather than DC so doesn't need the additional power supply. Or accept you're going to need it and buy a dual (D100) or quad (Q200) now - these can charge 2 or 4 batteries at once. Check local prices too as often when Banggood have it on sale so do the local shops. Banggood is my goto for connectors, wire, cable ties, random tools you don't use much etc.

Servo. I have started using JX 4409MG for my bashers. Its about US13 delivered and has 9kg and .1sec (give or take). I don't believe the specs but for the price it is great - even if the specs are out by 20% its a decent servo for the price.  @Juggular have you tried yours out?

Radio gear. I know you've bought some already but you'll get more. You definitely get what you pay for, so either never buy Futaba or Sanwa so you don't know what you're missing, or up your budget. We have a mix of Flysky, Futaba and Sanwa and all perform well (I haven't tried flysky in the race cars though) but the Futaba and Sanwa are definitely nicer units. My son runs a 3PV which is their entry level good one and its great for him.  Its small though so not ideal for adults. Receivers cost more but you can always find secondhand ones for more reasonable prices. My Sanwa MT4S is another step up again. Even the 3PRKA is a decent unit and has the key things, no multi model memory though.

One thing that holds true for most things in life and definitely for RC - when you go cheap at first you regret it and end up getting the better one anyway. Chargers are the one for me, I have 2 which is barely enough racing 3 cars and wish I had just bought a quad to start with. I have been through a series of cheaper ESC, motors etc and they are never as good, either limiting what you can do or fiddly to use etc. 

Also, if you get your kids into it the available budget skyrockets, the home office seems to be a lot more forgiving of kids toys

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Right, I think I've ordered everything - battery, charger, servo all on the way. I fell down what seemed like a pretty deep internet hole on servos, but managed to claw myself out.

Thanks again for everyone's help, I'll be back around the forum with questions as soon as I remember how much I've forgotten about the building process :blink:

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3 hours ago, Nostalgic Dad said:

I fell down what seemed like a pretty deep internet hole... but managed to claw myself out.

Yeah. right. Sure... :ph34r: we'll soon fix that.

 

Here is not RC Anonymous. :wacko:

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Welcome @Nostalgic Dad 

Don't worry, you're story is sounding pretty familiar, had cars years ago, came back to the hobby and everything's changed!! 

(I know I'm late to the party,  but my 2p's worth)

Car - whatever off road takes your fancy tbh, as said, it'll be the first, not the only.... Tamico (one of this forum's sponsors) have an, offer of the week, so worth keeping an eye out, shipping was around £13, but depends how the £ is against the €.....😬

Radio - covered - but so so much more to a radio these days, EPA (use for throttle and steering- none of mine are set 100% left and right, they usually hit full steering before then), then theres throttle/steering curves etc, i used to think I had a good radio if it had servo reverse!😂

Servo - bit of a mine field, but I'd suggest a metal geared one, think Core rc do one for just over a tenner, then you're into what torque and speed, but I'm guessing , withstanding crashes,  is may be higher up the servo wish list (although tamiya's come with servo savers) 

Battery - Lipo batteries are far more superior in terms of volts ,power delivery and usage time, but need to be treated right and looked after ,if you dont give them cuddles , they can burn your house down so....🙄

Nimh batteries are pretty much charge and throw in, (although its only a nimh ive had pop, so still need a bit of care) 

Charger- the B6 was the goto starter charger,  but skyrc have brought out a few since then, with higher charge and discharge rates (more for storage charging lipos, but can cycle nimh), for under £40, you can also get, dual , chargers than can charge 2 at once, so, get the best you can afford.

The expensive part is starting out, the next car you'll not need the charger, battery or radio ,although a new rx (aka reciever) saves swapping it over. 👍

 

 

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9 hours ago, Wooders28 said:
9 hours ago, Wooders28 said:

The expensive part is starting out, the next car you'll not need the charger, battery or radio

Got it - so basically the extra cars pay for themselves :ph34r:

 

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