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What electronics to go for (based in the UK)?

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So getting back into RC after 2 (cough) decades and when I hung up my old stick Attack R tx life was simple:rolleyes:.... now you have way too much choice:o.  So here my brief:

Just have purchased the first kit, a DT-03 Black Edition (enjoying the build), however expecting the 'bug' to see the collection to grow, Tamiya and non-Tamiya.

Require tx, rx, servo, battery & charger.

Like the idea of the wheel control tx but due to lock down unable to travel to model shops to get 'hands on'.:unsure:  

TX to be able to hold 6+ car setting in memory, not feel like cheap plastic (sometimes I wish I kept my old gear simply for the quality) and not be 'buggy' or temperamental  - been looking at Flysky FS-GT5 / Futaba 3PV / SPEKTRUM DX5 / Sanwa MT-S 

Toying with the idea of getting into club racing (going to reach out to 'local' clubs to see what is what)  just for some fun, nothing too competitive - so is it worth spending more on a tx upfront than having to buy again?  I see the price range for rx's vary considerably so need to take this into account.  

Any recommendation of servo's, batteries & chargers?

I know stocks are low and prices are high at the moment re lockdown, so I am happy to wait to get the DT-03 on the road. 

Cheers

Marc

 

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You could look at the Flysky GT3C as well. I buy the FS-GR3E receivers for about £4-5 a time usually. I assume they will work with the GT5.

If you want sticks you can get the flysky i6, just make sure you get the throttle self return spring as well. I swapped some plugs over inside to get channels 1 and 2 on the sticks.

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I generally recommend Flysky GT3C too.  But if you want something in your hand that says "quality."  I'd say go with Futaba or Sanwa. 

I still have more than a dozen AM/FM Futaba radios.  Going from Futaba to Flysky didn't feel like such a gigantic drop. But Futaba is better, especially if you want to race. Receivers are inevitably expensive too.  One Futaba receiver is almost the price of a Flysky radio set.  And what do you get for it?  Less function, but faster response time.   

If you want all the functions, Radiolink 6GS is another option. Even with a gyro, their receiver is still half the price of non-gyro Futaba receivers.  

 

P.S. SkyRC iMax B6 had kinda set a standard in chargers.  I have a portable one, but that requires a 12v power supply.  They sell ones with internal power supply too.   If you run a stronger motor, LiPo batteries do better.  But if you are running the stock silver can, NiMH would do just fine.  No matter what you use, iMax B6 can charge. 

 

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Cheers for the responses thus far guys, all useful views and info will check out those recommendations.  I see there is a load of B6 rips on the market, so need to ensure I avoid those trappings. 

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I've got an Overlander RC6-VSR charger, does most things. Still made in CHina but Overlander is a UK company, my hope was that the QC would be a little higher, also as a UK company any device sold would need to be CE approved, unlike something sold in China and shipped in (banggood/aliexpress etc). Not saying stuff from there is going to be bad, but given how dangerous charging can be I thought it was worth the reassurance.

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I was in much the same boat, had an original grasshopper back in the day and still have my M01 Rover Mini Cooper. 
 

I went for the Futuba 3PV after giving up trying to find a stick controller I liked. The mini got a new Futaba basic servo as the acoms had failed and the TT02B, my first kit for probably also two *ahem* decades got a 3014 waterproof Futaba Servo. 
 

I now use a Sky RC E680 charger and overlander 6v 2000mah receiver pack, 7.2v 3300mah stick packs and have just bought a 4500mah 3s lipo. Have been happy with the quality of the overlander stuff so will probably keep with it.  I’ve bought the charger and batteries from modelsport, hard to know what is genuine and what is not on eBay etc. My B6AC failed after a few years but few I got decent value for money out of it. 

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For radios, look at the FlySky GT3C like people have suggested already.  BUT if you want to get into racing, check out the Sanwa MTS.  Its their lower-mid range offering, and while Sanwa receivers are expensive there are a bunch of compatible ones available now, starting at around US20.  I bought some from Banggood and they work well, the only thing I can't be sure about is how long they last.  I am using them for my basher cars and still use genuine Sanwa for my race cars.  I have bought most rx secondhand which greatly reduces the cost.

Servos - JX 4409MG for cheapies (US13 from Banggood), Trackstar D99X (US25 from Hobbyking) for mid range and Savox 1258TG (US50 from anywhere) for high end.  There are plenty of other options but those are just the ones that I have settled on for my cars.

Charger - I have a few.  Get a dual charger to start, especially if you are considering racing.  I have a charger per car now for racing, and since my son races that means 4 chargers.  One is a dual which can charge 2 batteries at once, and the other 2 are single chargers.  The dual is heaps easier since I always have to charge at least 2 batteries.

SkyRC make the D100 (or Q200 if you want a quad) which works well and has reasonable specs.  I have the S60 and it works well with all the features you need, but the S60 is the single version, the D100 is essentially 2 S60's in one.  I have also bought the HTRC C240 which was really cheap for a dual charger and so far so good.  If it dies prematurely then I'll replace it with a SkyRC D100 (or Q200).  Look at Banggood for chargers too, they have a good selection and can also sell the leads etc if you need different ones.

Battery you need to buy locally.  I would suggest a Core RC CR293 rounded pack as that should fit all the Tamiya models.  There are a few other similar but most are 4mm longer and that is too long for some cars.  Then buy some decent shorty packs which will fit all the modern cars.  I have a mix of Gens Ace and Orion, but there are plenty of options around.  They are pretty pricey though, mine are around NZD130 each, and they can be even more than that.  Most of these have bullet plugs so you plug your ESC directly into the battery, but you can use discharge leads and have a normal plug.  All my race cars have bullets on the ESC.

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Welcome back! 

It's a real eye opener, when you first come back, trying to get your head around the advances in technology!!

I rocked up at my local club, asked if there was a, peg board, and was anyone running ,splits!? The young guys had no idea what I was on about, and the older guys found it quite amusing,  we all run 2.4ghz now mate......

Radios now have an encyclopedia for a manual, but the features I use the most are the EPA, throttle curve / steering curve and the multi memory. If you want a good, solid radio, especially if racing ,as sbove, the futaba or sanwa will fit the bill, and will have decent responce times (cheaper radios can have alot of lag).

Servos, metal gears is a must imo, the Core RC 9016mg isn't a bad wee servo for around £13, then the Alturn race servo around £17, then your looking at a savox 1258tg at around £50, as the price goes up, the servo generally gets faster and stronger, with the savox having tungsten gears. Stay away from, low profile servos in a buggy, the gears are thinner and weaker.

Charger, dont skimp on a charger, especially if you're going lipo, a duel charger makes life easier at the track, but I race 2 cars and manage with 1 charger, but 3 lipos, and charge 2 before a national meeting, 1 on a club night.

I'd look for one,with a 240/12v input (gives you options, although racing outdoor, i use a genny...) full LCD screen and a decent charge and discharge (5A charge, 2A discharge will be fine, chargers with a higher discharge rate get expensive) 

Batteries, lipos are a must for racing, light weight, higher voltage ,smaller, and give so much more current than nimh / nicad. But with that amount of energy stored , you need to take care of them, charging in a fire proof sack is a must (you'll be kicked out of a race meeting if you dont), and not let them get too flat, and store them at a certain voltage etc.

Lipo info.

https://rogershobbycenter.com/lipoguide/

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Cheers guys really appreciate the input on this..... its almost enough to make you think again when starting out for the second time. :lol:

Good to see this forum reaches far as well as local..... hello Jonathon from NZ and Wooders28 you're just a wee bit north from me as I am in Biggar.

Wooders, out of interest which club are you a member of?

My biggest issue is the ergo of the tx's as if that is not right you are not going to gel with it.  Ah the delights of lockdown and u-tube is great, one guys says this is the one to get and then someone else says another....... last night I was getting a bit u-tubed out, so went and put together the suspension on the DT-03! 

 

 

 

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