SERVO INSPECTION

A few basic areas are commonly overlooked in servo installs. Servos are damaged from time to time and need to be replaced, so this process is one of the more common things in the wide world of RC wrenching. Some would say the servo is the hardest working part in your RC vehicle, so they take a lot of beating and often offer the possibility of improvement for the average hobbyist. When installing a new servo, the first thing you should do is connect the servo to your receiver, power everything on, and center up the trims and sub trims. Why? So that when you install the servo, the output is in the center of its travel and ready to be installed. You can also take this time to make sure the new servo goes the same direction as your old servo. Most are the same, but not all, so double-checking this before you install it can save a bit of time later.

Once the servo is installed, make sure it has the same travel as your old servo. Slowly turn the steering all the way left and all the way right. Watch the servo arm and listen carefully. If the servo stops before you have turned the steering wheel, or stick, completely, you’ll need to make some adjustments. If the servo hums or buzzes at full steering, you’ve got a bit of a problem. The same is true if the servo does not get the full range of the steering. Higher end radios will have EPA, or travel adjustments that allow independent adjustment of the left and right steering output. This allows you to fine-tune the exact output of each side of the steering. Travel can be decreased or increased to meet the specific needs of the vehicle’s steering design and the servo installed. Some radios do not have independent travel adjustments, and only have “dual rate” that limits left and right at the same time. It is better to have limited steering rather than having the servo over- driving the steering. The overdrive will cause damage to the servo and can cause operational problems for the vehicle’s speed control as well. If you do not have a radio system with these adjustments, it should be the next item on your upgrade wish list. Do some basic test runs before you really hit the bricks. Make sure the new servo is not drawling too much power and causing issues. It is common for upgraded servos to brown-out the speed control’s internal BEC and make the radio system act up or cause basic servo operation problems. Be prepared to add a receiver capacitor (Glitch Buster), or possibly an external BEC in some cases. Also, it is bad to rapidly work your steering back and forth repeatedly with the vehicle in the air or on the ground. This is an un-natural speed of input and operation on your servo, and is hard on everything.

Find New Servos Here: https://bit.ly/41rs8Pg

SPEEDO SWAP OUT

Electronic speed control replacements are also commonplace. Race trends have many of us wanting the newest gear and often we are on our way up from ready-to-run electronics, into more tune-able and powerful aftermarket items. Virtually every speed control manufacturer uses a slightly different calibration, or setup process for their product. The items are not plug-in-and-go, there is a one- time basic calibration or setup that must be done before you drive the vehicle. Even if you plug everything in and it seems to function correctly, stop and do the setup. Just because it seems OK does not mean the speed control has all the correct information from the radio system. Throttle points, brake points and neutral points are all important factors in your throttle and brakes working as expected. Instruction manuals are your friend. Read them, and check the manufacturer’s website for any service updates or more recent versions of the manuals. Several manufacturers have so much information on their product that none is included with the speed control. It’s all on the manufacturer’s website. So be sure that before you go the track, or head out for your test day that you have pre-loaded your advanced manuals or have internet where you are headed. If you need to seek the advice of experts, bring your manual, they will need it.

Speed Control Options: https://bit.ly/3nDIgzy

MOTOR UP

Perhaps the most commonly replaced electronic part in the modern RC car is the motor. Motors have gotten significantly more reliable but folks are always looking for more power, or changing motors to suit specific class rules. So, what are we looking for? Basically everything. The motor’s power wires are as important as any other part, so when switching to a more powerful motor, make sure the ESC can handle it and that your wiring or motor connectors are up to the task. Gearing is next. Different speed motors require different gearing. That gearing difference can be drastic when going from spec motors to mod motors. If you have never replaced a motor before, be aware of the ins and outs of proper gear mesh and how to set it. Improper gear mesh is one of the number one newbie mistakes seen at hobby shops across the nation. Don’t be that guy. Read up on proper gear mesh and take your time setting it. Also, motor mounting screws are 3mm in almost all 1/10-scale vehicle platforms. Even if every other screw in your vehicle is an SAE standard screw, the motor screws are going to be a 3mm metric thread and have a metric hex size to accompany them. Make sure you have the right screws and wrenches to install your new motor.

Brushless Motors: https://bit.ly/3Ba5S1G

WRAP-UP

Those are three common upgrades that each have several easy places to overlook. Now you know what to look for and how to avoid the basic problems that many of us have encountered. Take your time, do a bit of research, and you should have a positive upgrading experience.

By Charlie Suangka

*Notice: Some of our articles, videos and descriptions may contain affiliate links or coupon codes, which means that if you click on or use one of the product links/ codes, we may receive a small commission. This helps support the website and social media channels and allows us to continue to produce content.

The post How To Install New Electronics in Your RC Vehicle appeared first on RC Driver.

By Scot Donaldson

The post How To Install Your Servos Properly appeared first on RC Driver.

Accuracy test- We did compare the Spektrum Speedometer speed readings to several runs with readings taken with a Stalker ATS Radar Gun after this video was produced. The top speed averaged 1.5mph slower on the Stalker Gun when compared to the Spektrum system.

NEED TO KNOW:
Product: Speedometer Bundle
By: Spektrum
Part Code: SPM6743
Price: $69.99
Link to Buy (Speedometer only): http://amzn.to/2u6YO6j
Telemetry Module Compatibility Link: https://www.spektrumrc.com/ProdInfo/Files/SPM6742-Manual-MULTI.pdf

Don’t Miss A Thing! Follow Us:
Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/RCDriverOnline

The post Spektrum DX2E ACTIVE Speedometer Bundle Product Focus appeared first on RC Driver.

By: Charlie Suangka

GREASY SEAL
The first thing that should be addressed is the bearing. To really get down to this, you’ll want to take the motor apart. If you’re not a fan of taking your motor apart, that’s okay. You can get there by doing these steps to just the outside of the motor. Most rear bearings are covered. If not, these same techniques can be used there. If the motor is new, no cleaning or oiling is really needed. If it’s a used motor, start with the freshly cleaned and oiled bearing. Put a thin layer of water resistant grease like CowRC’s Udder Butter along the back and front sides of the bearing and the pinion shaft. Don’t go crazy on the back side bearing. Just put a thin layer across the bearing face and where it meets the rotor surfaces. Since you have the motor apart, you can also run a thin layer across the rest of the surfaces that meet, between the end bell and the stator, or around the edges of any rings and sleeves, again just a thin layer. You want to smear it on very lightly with your finger or a rag, just leaving a haze of the grease on the surfaces.

SURFACE SEAL
Reassemble the motor and give it a nice wipe down with a clean rag to get most of the excess off the outside of the motor. The next step is to physically seal the visible outside seams of the motor from the elements. Using fancy waterproof tape is an option but good old fashioned electrical tape, and even duct tape, work well enough for most. In a pinch, you can use decal material cut into strips. We’ve all got that bag of decals we’ve been saving for who knows what, right? Stretchy decals can be extremely resistant to the water. Again, you don’t have to go nuts, just a single or double clean wrap around the seams of the endbells and center sleeves. Make sure you stretch the tape tightly and it’s sticking to the motor. If not, clean the motor’s external surfaces so the tape can adhere. The tape is doing most of the work here. Leave the sensor harness plug for last. We’ll get to that next!

SENSOR SEALING
At this stage, you’ll want to have your wires onto the motor as it’s basically ready for install. For the sensor plug, you can use some sealants or silicone, but that can be very messy to remove later. Something that works awesome for sealing that most of you can get from any hobby shop are decals or double-sided tape. The double-sided tape should be flexible and have great sticking qualities. The cushion of the tape allows you to work it into the corners and gaps of the motor’s rear section. The endbell caps and steps can all get a nice strip of tape along each seam. Use 1mm strips and go along each edge and seam. You can add more protection with another layer of decal or electrical tape on top of the base layer. It’s best to completely cover the sensor plug as well as the harness around all edges. Using thin strips of decal or double-sided tape along the base and top edge and then going back over with a larger piece will typically work the best. You are essentially sealing a seal. It’s good to get at least a half an inch or so up the sensor harness. The wires are flexible and can work the seals loose so pay close attention to the tape at the ends. This same basic technique can be done to the ESC’s sensor plug as well.

WRAP-UP
It may not be pretty, but this “technique” will keep your motor alive a lot longer. On final install, apply a generous dab of marine grease to the front side bearing, enough that it gets all the way out to the pinion. The pinion shaft is where most of the water gets in so the grease helps stop the water! Also, much of it will be spun out of there after the first few blips of throttle. After a while, you’ll want to tear the motor apart and inspect it. This is why using tape instead of sealants is great. Rebuilding and servicing are much simpler. You may find there are no signs of water in your motor. If so, well done! If you do find water entered the motor, try to trace where the leak came from, so that when you reseal your motor again you can fix the issue. Note, these tips explained here are not guaranteed, you run the risk of voiding any warranties and you are completely responsible for taking the risk. But equipment risk is part of the fun for some so happy puddle hunting, folks!

The post Seal up your sensored motor appeared first on RC Driver.

In turn, with better batteries come bigger brushless setups, and that enormous power draw can cause issues while trying to feed juice to the other components on the car. Enter the BEC, which stands for Battery Eliminator Circuit. How it works is quite simple; when you pull full throttle on your high-powered rig, a huge spike in energy travels from the battery to the motor (through the ESC). This spike can be so big that power to the servo and receiver can be reduced, thus causing a slight stutter or even a momentary loss of control.

So the BEC is, essentially, a storage container for additional electricity. It converts the input voltage down to 5V for use in your servos and receiver. Internal BEC’s are typically linear, meaning they do their conversion and expel the remaining voltage as heat. This can cause things to get hot fast, especially if you’re running a 3S (11.1) or higher battery setup.

The solution? Install one of Castle Creation’s external BECs. This is a switching-type system which reduces voltage by switching on and off very quickly, creating a lot less heat. This setup is perfect for applications that use multiple servos or rigs that operate on more than 3S LiPo, like crawlers or larger monster trucks. Installation may vary slightly depending on your setup and might require you to do some solder- ing. Make sure, though, that if you choose to go with a Castle BEC that you disable your ESC’s built-in BEC (if it has one).

TOOLS NEEDED TO INSTALL A BEC
-Soldering Iron
-Solder
-Wire Strippers
-Shrink Tubing

INSTALLATION
Need help installing a Castle Creations BEC? We’re here to help. We’ve created a video that helps walk you through the process of soldering a BEC into your vehicle. With a little bit of time and some general hobby tools, you’ll have the power your servo needs in no time.

LINKS TO BUY CASTLE BEC’s
Castle Creations CC BEC 10A- http://amzn.to/2ji6jSC
Castle Creations CC BEC 2.0 20A- http://amzn.to/2gYSTGz

Notice: Some of our articles, videos and descriptions may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, we may receive a small commission. This helps support the website and social media channels and allows us to continue to produce content. Thank you for the support!

The post When to use a Castle Creations BEC appeared first on RC Driver.

GEARING
Simple gearing changes to the pinion gear, spur gear changes, and with some vehicles, ring and pinion gear changes all affect the speed, acceleration/punch, run times and temps. Larger pinion gears or smaller spur gears do the same basic thing, but at different levels. One pinion tooth gear increase is close to a decrease of four spur gear teeth. Pinion gear changes are most common, but for some applications, the spur gear needs to also be changed to get the vehicle to the correct gearing ranges. This is common in Spec Class racing, when high turn low Kv motors are used, and gear ratios are chased to find maximum performance. Get Optional Gears: CLICK HERE

Gearing is basically the ratio of the Spur and the Pinion. To get the final drive ratio to the wheels, you also multiply the vehicle’s gear reduction from the transmission or drivetrain. Vehicles with a ring and pinion in the axle and a transmission, have two reductions to take into account for overall final drive. Tire size also plays into this. Larger tires are like a larger pinion. Comparing vehicles with similar tire sizes is the common trend, but this comparison is often overlooked. Minor tire size changes can equate to big changes to the loads on the vehicle. Perhaps this is a bit more complicated than it needs to be for most applications. Most of us just need to know how to adjust our own rig, and what these adjustments should do. Gearing changes are mainly done to make a vehicle faster, or on the scale/crawling side, crawl better. A bigger pinion or smaller spur gear makes the vehicle have more top speed, at a decrease in acceleration. It’s most likely that gearing up will make everything run a bit hotter, and shorten run times. A smaller pinion or larger spur gear has the opposite effect. The vehicle’s top speed slows down, but you get better low speed grunt and response.

These changes are relative. Sometimes, a gearing change will “only” make it go faster, and have no noticeable effect on temperature or run-time. Sometimes, even drastic changes will go unnoticed depending on the motor. In the spec racing world, gear ratios are very high to get the most out of the motor, for the time of the race, and temperature ceiling of the motor.

Gearing up usually means a smaller drive ratio. As you increase the pinion, you are gearing up, as you lower the spur gear size, you are also gearing up; however, the value of the gear ratio, actually gets smaller.

TIMING

Timing is another major topic that is an important factor in the gearing. Having the right gearing with the  wrong motor timing or vice versa can lead to damage fairly quickly. Motor timing can come two ways from the speed control or mechanically from the end-bell adjustments. In the racing world, some classes do not allow any ESC timing. Racers push the limits of the motor’s mechanical timing to get more RPM from the motor. Increasing the motor’s end- bell timing will give the motor higher RPM at the cost of temperature. Timing up can make motors faster and much hotter in a hurry.

The speed controls of today’s brushless arena that have electronic timing features can use motor firing changes to electronically advance the timing of the motor. This allows the ESC to change when and how the timing gets applied. This ramp up of the timing allows unique delivery of the power and has unlocked incredible speeds. Used correctly, speed control timing can make a vehicle a lot faster with very minor changes otherwise. Understanding how your ESC timing works and how to do basic testing is important. So take some time to read that pesky manual. When the timing kicks in, how much timing kicks in, and in some cases how that timing kicks in can be adjusted. Many of the high end racing speed controls offer very advanced timing adjustments with levels of timing at various stages in the rpm or throttle range.

Optional RC Electronics: CLICK HERE

WRAP-UP

Like gearing or mechanical motor timing, speed control electronic timing can cause severe damage when used incorrectly. Be prepared for basic testing and check the temperature of your electronics during any gearing, timing, or speed control adjustments.

By Charlie Suangka

The post Timing and Gearing appeared first on RC Driver.

By Charles Suangka

Terminology in any hobby can be challenging to understand, especially to the newcomer. So this month, we’re going to take a walk through some of the buzzwords and terms used by various brands and RC gurus.

BATTERIES
Battery packs have a language all their own. The various terms that refer to capacity, voltage, cells, the magical “C” rating, balancing and the whirlwind of safety warnings and care techniques are enough to scare anyone away. Let me be one of the many to say clearly and loudly, follow the safety guidelines of the battery manufacturer. Balance charge often, and check your battery leads, plugs or terminals frequently. If and when a problem does occur with a LiPo battery, it is never a simple problem. Even smaller, low power LiPos pack enough punch to cause serious injury and significant damage. Okay, now that we have that out of the way, let’s move on to the terminology.

LiPo or NiMH 
Battery packs break down into two basic groups, nickel based battery packs and lithium based battery packs. Nickel packs are known as NiMH packs in the RC world and the more commonly used lithium polymer based packs are referred to as LiPos. While the technology behind the packs is drastically different, they share a few basic terms. The capacity or runtime of the battery pack is rated in Milliamp Hours, or “mAh”. More mAh means more runtime, and sometimes more grunt or oomph from the low end response.

Voltages
NiMH and LiPo packs have different numbers of cells and voltages. This gets a bit tricky. A six-cell NiMH pack has a nominal voltage rating of 7.2 volts. Each cell is 1.2 volts. When you get into LiPo packs, the voltage ranges and cells are different. A two-cell LiPo has a nominal voltage rating of 7.4 volts. Each cell is rated at 3.7 volts. Three-cell LiPos are rated at 11.1 volts. This basic break in voltage scaling causes a bit of confusion. NiMH packs are rated by voltage and cells, while the LiPo packs get called out by the “S” value. This refers to the number of cells connected in ‘series’ in the battery. So a two-cell 7.4 volt LiPo is called a 2S pack. While a 7.2 volt rated NiMH is called a six-cell pack.

Here is where the ratings stop for NiMH packs. They are simply noted by capacity and number of cells. LiPo packs have a bit more information, in the form of the C rating. This C rating tells you how fast or easily the pack can give up the charge. The higher the C rating means the battery pack should perform better under higher loads. Higher C rated packs are touted to have better power and are better for racing.

MOTORS
Another common category with lots of confusing numbers, letters and coded words is the motor. With sizes and RPM ranges only a small portion of the information, the rest of the specifications can send the mind reeling.

The size, of course, matters since finding something that fits the vehicle correctly is crucial. Most often, the sizes are expressed as numbers and these numbers will tell you the simple street terms for the size and make it easy to know if it will fit. The 540 and 550 motors are common to 1/10-scale vehicles. The 550 motor is slightly longer than a 540, but shares the same mounting hole pattern. Often 550 motors have larger pinion gear shafts. However, some 540 motors have these larger sizes as well. A 1/8-inch pinion shaft is common on most 540-size motors and 5mm is the heavy duty shaft from the 550 style and some 540 motors. Some vehicles will fit either motor correctly, but the motor may not be suited for the size of the vehicle.

After the size classification we need to look at the “poles”. This terminology refers to the number of segments in the motor’s magnet. Motors generally fall into either the two-pole or four-pole category. Most of the 540 motors are two-pole motors, but there are several 540-sized four-pole motors as well. 550 motors can also be found in two-pole and four-pole varieties, but are typically four-pole. What’s the difference? Four- pole motors accelerate faster. Two-pole motors have slightly better high rpm characteristics.

Next we have the RPM, or the Kv, Kilovolt rating that some motors use and some do not. This Kv rating is the RPM per Volt that the motor will turn in theory of course. These numbers are sometimes not measured under loads that are happening in the vehicle, so the actual RPM of the motor in operation can vary. These Kv numbers do give a
basic range of RPM, however. Other motors are rated by the winds of wires used to make the coils of the motor, called “Turns”. This measurement also gives a basic idea of the RPM of the motor. Higher Kv means higher RPM and a smaller number of turns means the same higher RPM. Typically four- pole motors are rated by Kv and two- pole motors are rated by their number of turns.

RADIOS
Radio gear is another area that is often tricky to say the least. Radios these days are typically either over-the-top complex or simple ready-to-run radios with limited adjustability. All of them share a few basic features that can be checked. The Trim is the central feature. Steering and throttle center points can be adjusted as needed. These trim adjusters are the clicker tabs on the transmitter/controller. Most radios also have channel/servo reversing. This allows you to make the output of a given channel go in the opposite direction and is often needed when replacing a servo or changing out various electronics. Dual Rate adjusting is becoming more common with even RTR radios. This controls the end point travel of the steering. This can limit the steering to allow fine tuning or prevent wear and tear on the servo. Independent adjustability of the channels is also a great feature to shop for. This allows precise setting of the steering to allow the servo to work correctly, as well as equal left and right steering. End Point or Travel Adjustments let you reduce or increase travel in either direction. This works great for adjusting the brake feel or reducing power for new drivers. Steering can be set up to maximize steering travel without damaging the servo. “Curves” or “Expo” settings are fine tuning features that allow the numbing up or advancing the feel/ response of the channels. These are great for when conditions get tricky and some help is needed to de-sensitize the response.

WRAP UP
It never hurts to ask a few questions at the hobby shop, too. Often your understanding of the complicated side of the hobby doesn’t match up with how it applies. The hobby shop support can do wonders for making it all click, and breaking down the scary topics.

The post Know the RC Lingo appeared first on RC Driver.

GET YOUR CHARGER HERE: Amain

AC/ DC Chargers

HITEC  hitecrcd.com
X2 AC Pro 2 Port AC/DC Multi Charger (44238, $199.99) http://amzn.to/2niheIs
This dual port charger delivers 200 watts (10-amps) of total power in AC mode, and up to 300 watts total output in DC. It is capable of charging all battery chemistries, including NiCd and NiMh up to 15-cells in size and LiPo, LiIon, LiFe and high voltage LiHV packs up to 6S in size. Other features include Battery Meter, Battery Internal Resistance Meter modes. USB support for PC and Wi-Fi Smart Phone Interface. Additionally, the X2 AC Pro is delivered with a 60W soldering iron with adjustable operating temperatures from 400 to 840 degrees F combining two must have units into one. It comes delivered with an AC power cord, universal balancing board, XH balancing board, a pair of charging cables, XT60 charge lead and pencil and chisel tips for the soldering iron.

DC Chargers

HITEC  hitecrcd.com
H4 DC/DC Four-Port Multi- Charger (44186, $274.99) http://amzn.to/2nBQAxR
This 4-port (output) charger from Hitec features a durable aluminum case, backlit LCD screen, and has a compact, space saving design. Each channel provides up to 8-amps to quickly charge batteries of varying chemistries, including LiPo/LiFe/Li-Ion packs up to 6S in size, NiMH and NiCd packs up to 12 cells and Pb (lead acid) batteries from 2-24V. In addition to charg- ing the H4 can discharge at two amps, cycle, charge, and put packs into storage mode. While temperature sensors are not included, each output features a port should you decide to add one later.  The H4 comes with several charging adapters for a variety of connectors as well as Multiplex, XH and TP balance boards for lithium based packs. Finally, independent charging channels can be paired to provide two independent 240- watt charge ports, or two 120-watt ports with a single 240-watt charge port to increase charge amperage to 16-amps.

Power Supplies

*Notice: Some of our articles, videos and descriptions may contain affiliate links or coupon codes, which means that if you click on or use one of the product links/ codes, we may receive a small commission. This helps support the website and social media channels and allows us to continue to produce content. Thank you for the support!

The post 22 Best Battery Chargers for Racing RC Cars appeared first on RC Driver.

KNOW THE LIPO
These battery packs, when treated correctly, cared for and stored properly, are no more dangerous than many other common household items. The problems arise when things are done wrong. The outcome is that a significant failure can result from very basic mistakes or oversights. A few basic precautions and procedures that you can follow with your LiPo battery packs can ensure a long life for your batteries, improved performance overall, and safe hobby experience.

CLEAN CONNECTIONS
The condition of the battery pack, as well as the charger and all the wires should be considered first and foremost. In order for the charger’s balance circuitry and charge leads to read the battery info accurately, these connections need to be clean and intact. If you have old or worn out plugs, they should be replaced. The power leads and balance leads on the battery packs should be protected from damage at all times. If they do become damaged, get them sorted before the pack is used any further.

SAFE ZONE
Where you charge is also a major factor in overall safety. The basic rule of thumb is to always be in the same room, able to easily monitor the battery packs while they charge in a fire proof container. A box that holds the whole charger, a bag that holds just the battery pack, a bunker of bricks, simple tiles on the floor, on the concrete in the garage, wherever you charge, be sure you can see the charger and the battery pack at all times. This will ensure that if something does go wrong, you’ll be able to react immediately to the problem. Being two rooms away, or out at the track while your packs are failing only gives them more time to get to that catastrophic failure point.

GET IN BALANCE
Balance charging is a topic that comes up often when bench racing starts. Do you balance charge? What’s the point? Why bother? Does it make any real difference? Balance charging is a slower charging process that makes sure each cell in the battery pack is equal. The idea is simply that when the pack discharges, each cell has been charged equally. Balance charging also shows you whether you have a weak pack. The individual cells can deteriorate at different rates. When you balance charge, you can see this imbalance and track the battery packs. Take it easy when you use that particular pack, or at a minimum don’t use it as your primary race pack. Balance charging every single time is probably a bit over the top, but if you push your packs to their run-time limits or if they get warm when in use, you should probably start balance charging more times than not. It takes a bit longer, but your packs will thank you with a longer lifespan. If nothing else, think of this as quality assurance you can do yourself. Whether you are actually using a balance charge mode or simply have your balance plugs connected is another topic. Always, no matter what, have your balance leads plugged into your charger. Any LiPo charger worth its salt should have basic safety that monitors the cells, so that if something does go wrong, the charger stops. If your charger does not do at least this, you should find a new charger. Specific balance charge modes are a bit different and of course require balance leads to be connected as well.

SAFE STORAGE
Storing the packs between usage is another hot topic. A cool, dry, spot in a fire proof container is the most common. Ammo boxes (with a vent hole drilled in), old safes or a collection of LiPo bags are simple solutions. Most people are not fans of “sealed” boxes because if something does fail, that box becomes a pressure cooker. LiPo bags won’t usually totally prevent any fire damage, but they can limit it and allow you to store packs of similar type/style/size together.

STORAGE CHARGE
The amount of charge you should keep in your battery packs can vary a bit with your storage time. Packs that are used daily, or every other day, can be stored partially or fully charged with no real worries. The best advice is to not have fully charged packs sitting around for a long time. Getting your packs out to charge up before you leave for your RC adventure or just charging on site when you arrive is the safest option. Battery manufacturers recommend different storage charge levels and some chargers offer storage charge modes as well. Less than fully charged and more then dead is the easy rule of thumb; 50-75 percent is usually safe for most battery packs.

This also applies when you use them. If you run a pack dead, don’t leave it like that. Get some charge back into it before it is put away. Leaving packs at low voltage points hurts performance and increases the risk of the pack self-discharging to unsafe levels.

WRAP-UP
LiPo danger is real, and as with anything, common sense will go a very long way keeping you safe. Treat your packs with respect and keep them in good shape. If you troll the internet, you’ll find frightening tales of LiPo fires, lost equipment, destroyed RC’s, garages, and even houses being lost to a whoops from a LiPo user. A few simple procedures to follow each and every time will ensure you don’t become one of those stories of caution.

By Charlie Suangka

The post Safety First – Lipo Battery Tips and Tricks For Charging, Balancing and Storage appeared first on RC Driver.

Welcome back, fans of all things technical and perhaps considered confusing. This month’s tech topic will touch on an area often overlooked; steering setup and adjustments. Steering settings in your transmitter can literally make or break a setup. Knowing what does what not only helps keep your servo alive longer, but will give you better control as your driving needs or conditions change. So join us for this month’s tech pointers on steering setup.

SQUARE IT UP
First up is, of course, assuming that the steering linkages in the vehicle are set up correctly. The basics are simple: tie-rods should be equal length, steering rack should be centered/square, and the servo horn should be parallel with its counterpart on the steering rack. Consult the vehicle build guide and do a few basic checks if anything looks out of sorts. A little time on the linkages can go a long way toward an easy setup. Check that any servo saver/spring mechanisms are working correctly, and are not overly loose or sloppy.

TRIMS AND TASKS
Next is to see exactly what the radio has to offer beyond servo reversing and basic trim. Some have a simple dual rate, others have independent rate or travel adjustments and more advanced radios allow further tuning to the steering with curve adjustability or sub trims and mixing options. You don’t really need more than simple trim and independent rate/travel adjustments to get the steering set up correctly and live a long, healthy life. Even basic dual rate that lowers both sides of the travel is usable to prevent damage.

Start with the trim centered and then check exactly how the steering looks on the vehicle. Try to make the vehicle have fairly straight steering via the main servo link or adjust the servo horn on the splines of the servo. The closer this is to center now, the more neutral and evenly the servo will operate.

Setting the final straight line trim should always be done before anything further regarding steering adjustments. This can be tricky due the time of the build or conditions to get space to drive a straight line, but it is very important. The steering center point effects the left and right maximum throw points and if not done first, will skew later end point adjustments or at a minimum, create a need to redo the final end point adjustments later.

Once the vehicle is tracking straight, the steering left and right end point maximums can be checked. With the vehicle on a stand with at the least front wheels in the air, slowly turn the wheels in one direction and watch the steering carefully. Watch for the servo to move farther than the steering linkages. This causes a bind and will heat up and damage the servo.

Sometimes, but not often, the servo will not be giving full throw to the steering. Check that the link on the servo arm is correct. Also, the radio may have had the steering travel turned down. This simply limits the travel and should cause no harm or damage beyond reduced steering range.

More on that later. Often, the steering will max out long before the servo does, this bind can damage a servo quickly. Use the transmitter’s left and right end point or travel settings to stop the servo before the bind. This will limit the servo throw to prevent damage. If your transmitter only has dual rate, you’ll want to check each side and adjust to the side that has more bind. If the left and right are not fairly close as far as overall limiting of travel, you should examine your steering linkage setup and make sure everything is correct. Most vehicles will have almost the same left to right servo travel when all linkages are set up right.

The dual rate and travels can be used to help fine tune steering response as well. When traction is low and steering feels overly sensitive, lowering the dual rate will reduce overall steering and calm down the feel. Transmitters that have steering curve and expo settings offer further tuning to the steering feel. Initial response is toned down, but overall travel is retained at full input. It takes off the edge without lowering overall steering travel; great when high and low speed steering needs are drastically different or if initial steering feels a bit edgy. A small amount of curve can help calm down steering.

WRAP UP
A servo working too hard at full lock is a common mistake with many setups. A little bit of time spent going over the basics and making a few adjustments will ensure that the servo lives the long, healthy life it was built for! 

The post Dial in your Steering appeared first on RC Driver.

I scanned the ePower Box for a solution and noticed a second DC Output on the side of the unit that used a XT60 plug and was rated at 13.8V. My second X1 Pro had a DC Input on the side that utilized a XT60 plug and was rated at 11-18V. Oddly enough, the charger system comes with a long lead in the box that has a XT60 plug on one end and bullet plugs on the other. Theoretically, if I replace the bullet plugs with another XT60 we should be able to connect the second X1 to the power supply.

After swapping out the bullets for the XT60, I plugged everything in and turned on the ePower Box. Hooray; both X1 Pros had power. I did a couple of test charges and the system worked flawlessly. The only drawback is that since you’re now using two chargers off of the one power supply, the maximum amps you can charge at will be split between the two chargers. I’m ok with that since I rarely charge my packs past the 7A range. It’s been a couple months now and this system is still working great. The best part is that it is out of way, tucked into one corner of my pit. You’ve got to love a clean pit space!

Link
Hitec hitecrd.com

The post Connecting Two Hitec X1 Pro Multi-Chargers to the Hitec 17A ePower Box appeared first on RC Driver.

Since the dawn of putting power into radio controlled vehicles, one thing has remained the same for everyone, the desire for more power and speed! Today, many of us use brushless motors to power our vehicles. These wonders of modern technology offer long run-times, low maintenance, and lots and lots of power! But what happens if that power is not enough, and your budget is occupied with other things? Well, have no fear, there are a few things you can do to just about any brushless motor that may unlock some hidden power, or more accurately, maximize the power you already have available, while costing you virtually nothing!

CONNECTION CHECK

First up are the connections. If you are hunting for power, the best place to start is your wiring. Can you shorten up the power wires? An inch or two may not seem like much in the big picture, but that small amount can reduce your total wire length by 20-50% easily. That can be enough to unlock some hidden power on demand and increase overall RPM and speed.  This includes the battery power wires as well as the motor power wires.

Take a look at all the solder joints on your connectors and the connector contacts themselves. Poor solder jobs and dirty connections or worn out plugs are simple things to fix, and often just require a little bit of time.  Use a minimal amount of solder, no blobs or large pillows of solder between the wires and the connector. A little bit of solder flux will go a very long way in making you look like a soldering pro!

Plug ends should be even and uniform on both sides. Check for discoloration and clean as needed. Also, your power plugs should be relatively tight. If they connect very easily, you may be losing lots of power just at the plug itself. Some plugs can be easily cleaned and tightened; others should be replaced once worn.

MOTOR MAINTENANCE

Now that wires are soldered cleanly and plugs are tidy and well connected, we can start to look at the components themselves. Begin by tearing the motor down and checking that the bearings are clean and oiled. Motors obviously generate the highest RPM of any part in the vehicle, and their bearings are no doubt doing more spinning, and faster spinning than any other part of the car. Do not skimp on motor bearing service and oiling. It is very important to a long-lasting, healthy and fast motor.

GEAR UP

Gearing comes next. Check your motor temps. Not hot? Gear up! Many folks don’t realize how hard these motors can be pushed. Too hot to touch for a count of three to four is about the limit of most motors. That would be right around 180F. That’s not to say you should try to get your motor that hot, but if it’s not that hot yet, you have room to add some gear and make it quicker. Many of today’s motors have enough torque that the gearing increase does not have a major effect on the torque or punch. In fact, it can make the system feel like it has more punch or torque if it was previously under-geared.

TIME FOR TIMING

Many motors have adjustments that allow the motor to be tuned faster or slower. These motor timing adjustments are most common on the old re-buildable brushed motors, and today’s popular sensor-based brushless motors. Sensor-less brushless and sealed style brushed motors typically do not have any timing adjustments. Increasing or turning up the motor’s timing will cause the motor to generate more RPMs, but in turn, this takes away some of the torque and it will increase heating. Adding timing should be done in very small amounts, and your motor’s manual should be read thoroughly so you fully understand the range of adjustment. Often, when timing changes are made, gearing changes are needed also to keep temps in check. More timing often means less gearing. The spec racers of the track world are often found cranking their timing to the max to squeeze every ounce of RPM out of the motors. This often leads to squeezing out the magic motor smoke, too, so tread lightly and use your head when tuning on the timing.

ESC TWEAKS

Your electronic speed control or ESC is next up, and often requires nothing more than reading through your ESC manual and using what it’s already got! Sensorless and sensor based ESCs often have magical settings that make more RPM. That’s right, today’s brushless speed controls are capable of not just adjusting the feel and brakes, but they can add electronic timing in any number of brand-specific ways that give a motor a whole new life! This electronic timing is similar in effect to motor static timing, in that it increases RPM and heat. It is possible, however, that you can get these settings way off and cause damage in the search for more power. So be careful, make sure you understand what the settings do and when to use them. Many electronic speed controls have power capacitors installed. If your ESC is old and worn, replacing the power cap is a good idea. The material the caps are made out of does in fact fatigue, and need replacement after lots of use or time. If your ESC does not have easily replaceable power caps, you can simply add a fresh cap module that is offered by various ESC manufacturers. The good power caps will do the work that the old power caps are no longer doing. Adding caps to a new ESC does not hurt either. The bigger the caps are, the better they work, and better the ESC will perform. Adding more caps is like increasing the size.

WRAP-UP

With a little time, care and attention to detail, you may be able to breathe some new life into your old motor setup. Even if it’s just a little bit, it can be virtually free power!

Happy hunting,  speed seekers!

The post Power Boosting Secrets appeared first on RC Driver.