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rkf_bomb

Noob needs radio setup for vintage Frog

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Hey all,

    Just joined.  My vintage tamiya Frog found it's way back to me after 35+ years.  It's pretty much stock with a few add ons like front shocks and bumpers.  I bought a new charger and NiMh battery for it.  It's paired with a early 90's futaba radio that is causing me issues.  I checked all connections, new batteries, etc.  The car has a mind of its own.  The servos just start doing what they want.  I lose control of the steering and throttle intermittently.  So I want to buy a new radio set up!

Ive been out of the rc game for 30+ years.  I would like to get something on the cheaper side.  Want to get the car operating efficiently for my 13 year old son.  If he gets into rc I'll get him a new car but in the meantime id like to get the frog up and running.

Any suggestions on a radio setup? I'm assuming I'll need new receiver, speed controller and servos.

Also may be interested in upgrades for the frog like motor, gearing and shocks if someone can point me in the right direction.  At the moment though I want to get the radio asap so I can let the boy run the car around.

Thanks for your help,

Ron

Edited by rkf_bomb
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My guess is you lost one or both of the capacitors on the motor causing interference unless your crystal posts are rusted..(?)

Seems like FlySky is a popular brand on this site..

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/98501-recommend-a-radiohandset/

I'd also check out Spektrum for economy radio's and receivers.   I use a whole bunch of their receivers on my DX5Pro-2021 model and absolutely no issue.  GL with your project.  

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There is way too much interference these days to use the old school stuff.

For Rx/Tx, I use a FlySky and recommend it.  Cheap and easy.

As for your Frog, I highly recommend cleaning it up, and putting it on a shelf.  Buy yourself a Re-Release and build that with your son.

If your Original Frog is anything like mine was, it will break something on every run.  The plastic becomes brittle over time, and the car isn't as forgiving as it was when we were kids.  I ended up replacing 95% of my original Frog and spent more money than if I had just bought a Re-Release...

YMMV,

Terry

 

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I checked out the popular flysky on that thread.  Looks like it comes with the TX/RX.  Do I need to get a new servo or will my 30+ year old servo plug into the new RX?  I guess I need to know what all I need besides the TX/RX combo to get the car running.

Possible the capacitors are the problem.  Is this fixable?  Crystal posts are all in good shape.

 

Thanks 

Ron

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22 minutes ago, rkf_bomb said:

I checked out the popular flysky on that thread.  Looks like it comes with the TX/RX.  Do I need to get a new servo or will my 30+ year old servo plug into the new RX?  I guess I need to know what all I need besides the TX/RX combo to get the car running.

Possible the capacitors are the problem.  Is this fixable?  Crystal posts are all in good shape.

 

Thanks 

Ron

 

Per your servo:  it depends on a few things.  I think it was Sanwa, but one of the old school manufacturers wired their stuff opposite polarity.  Also, the old stuff used slightly different plugs, so you may have to mod your plug if you want to use it.

IMO, buying a new Futaba servo is worth it.  I just bought (2) new ones for projects and they ran me $14 each on Ebay.

Terry

 

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1 hour ago, rkf_bomb said:

I checked out the popular flysky on that thread.  Looks like it comes with the TX/RX.  Do I need to get a new servo or will my 30+ year old servo plug into the new RX?  I guess I need to know what all I need besides the TX/RX combo to get the car running.

Possible the capacitors are the problem.  Is this fixable?  Crystal posts are all in good shape.

 

Thanks 

Ron

If you can source the same capacitance value capacitors, yes it is just a matter of soldering new ones on.. given that is the problem. 

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Ron - Where are you located?  Radio brands and availability vary by country.  Often times it is cost effective to hop on ebay and purchase a RX/TX/servo/ESC combo that someone has removed from their new RTR vehicle in order to use higher end electronics.    

Your glitching could be from any number of things.  We do live in an age of electronic devices that generate a lot of RF interference that effects the older crystal RX further compounding your issues.

Regarding the glitches you are experiencing, there are some things you can do to reduce the undesirable servo behavior with the older crystal TX/RX gear.  Capacitors on the motor are a good start.  If it is the original motor, it's likely that the caps are enclosed in the motor.

To make the best of your current equipment, mount he RX and antenna as far as possible from any batteries, battery wiring, motor wiring and servos.  It will pick up interference from those.

Assure that the RX antenna is in good condition, not cut to a shorter length, not coiled or bundled in the car.

Use the proper antenna tube 25cm (10").

Don't operate the car near walkie talkies, radio transmission devices or overhead electrical lines.

 

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Old servo should work, but I believe I had to swap two wires in the connector for mine to work with a DSM2 receiver; pretty certain most receivers use the same layout nowadays, so find what a modern servo cable pinout is and track down what the original servo pinout was and swap it around to match.

Get yourself an ESC to replace the mechanical speed controller, if only for the failsafe of not having the car go tearing off over the horizon when you accidentally turn it on without the radio turned on.  Another bonus is that it frees up a servo so you have a spare if your steering servo dies.  And of course built-in BEC means you can eradicate the 4xAA battery holder...

Personally I run a Devo 6S running Deviation firmware, I've got a buttload of planes and helis so it's justified, running Deviation allows a Devo to do DSM2/DSMX (Spektrum) natively, which also means you can pick up RXs for $5 or so.  Sometimes Spektrum stuff comes up cheap on FB MP, otherwise there are multiple cheap(ish) options.  If you are happy with sticks just grab anything, the old "surface vs air" just doesn't hold true anymore.  Only thing is I don't run a spring on my throttle as it's used for planes etc., so I've had to come up with some funky mixes to get a deadband that's usable without too much issue.

Myself and my two brothers are all reviving our original frogs, though I'm further along with modern upgrades than they are.

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Seems like FlySky is a popular brand on this site..

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/98501-recommend-a-radiohandset/

I'd also check out Spektrum for economy radio's and receivers.   I use a whole bunch of their receivers on my DX5Pro-2021 model and absolutely no issue.  GL with your project.  
 

 

I can recommend Both the above selections. 
I have the Spektrum SLT3 in a couple of cars . It is the RTR radio a lot of Horizon brands are coming with right now ( Losi, ARRMA, axial ) 

I was able to get mine. A 3 channel with adjustable end points for $30 USD from a kit breaker called Jenny’s RC.

I also recently gave in to the Flysky hype and bought a GT3c. I love it 

 

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On 6/24/2021 at 5:33 AM, Dakratfink said:

I also recently gave in to the Flysky hype and bought a GT3c. I love it 

You can't go wrong with the GT3C. Built-in battery, pretty much very function you need, and receivers cost practically nothing.

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