MICRO RC CARS

There are a lot of places on the net with sale of micro RC cars. Good things come in small packages. So if one wants to have some fun with RC cars in budgeted space and means Micro RC cars are good options. It would not be fair enough to pin down to a particular model being the best. Each car has own strengths and weaknesses. It you need to choose about buying and RC car it depends mainly on your choice, budgets and needs.

Hobbico microsizers also known as Tomy Bit Char-G in Japan are small sized inexpensive and durable models with lots of mods. But they have limited range, short driving time and only four available frequencies with no proportional steering. These micro sizers can be great fun as races for them can be set up in small spaces like kitchen floor. Although these do not have proportional steering and a short run time but nevertheless they give good time for a race. They simply use a pack of AA batteries. The standard controllers are not sophisticated but are adequate. If required booster controllers can be purchased separately.

Takara Digi Q models are durable and very small with a good quality controller, proportional steering and longer driving time. They use two motors to control speed and steering. Thus at corners this car tends to go slow because if you want to turn right the right motor slows down. It sends its signals via Infrared instead of frequency to control the car. Thus the car does not handle well. The controller of this car feels solid in your hands and you can electronically switch between high and low speeds. These cars usually come in cartoon looking bodies.

Epoch Indoor Racers have proportional steering and racing speeds and more realistic body designs. These cars require larger racing areas as they have poorly designed controllers. They are more expensive and limited mods along with after market parts. It is a bit larger for a most of the micro remote controlled cars. The speed and responsiveness makes it fun for drivers who do not mind paying a little more for micro remote controlled cars.

Kyosho Mini Z Street racers and Kyosho Mini Z Formula 1 are like real racers. All the electronics components in them are pre-installed. They also have many clubs all across the globe. This makes these models very popular. Their bodies have surprising details and cool parts that are easily available. They are approximately six inches in length.

HPI Micro RS4 is approximately nine inches in the length. It is lot bigger and more real. Therefore it tends to be more expensive. Further, its radio and electronics have to be separately purchased.

Micro remote control cars have one advantage of not having a longer down time with batteries as compared over other bigger models. If you charge your batteries multiple times then they give a longer run. This does not mean doing the ritual ten-fifteen times but two or three times is sufficient. Most of the micro remote control cars come with NiCad batteries but it is better to go with NiMAH batteries, as they don’t seem to have memory problems that typically plague the NiCad batteries. Moreover, they also accept multi-charging better. This is the reason that micro remote control cars get a longer run time.

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IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS WHILE USING RC CARS

RC hobbyists always want to have a great experience with their new RC car or truck. Therefore they are always on a look out for special tips.

One needs to go through the owner's manuals thoroughly. Although it is more tempting to skip this step, but this is probably the single most important thing that one can do. In order to prevent any injury or damage to ones lovingly purchased a ultra high performance nitro vehicle, just because if little ignorance of not going through the user’s manual is not really advisable. If one is making a significant investment in a finely engineered nitro RC vehicle the best way to protect it is by reading through the instructions.

Prepping and painting the body comes in next. If RC car or truck comes with a body that needs to be painted, then prepping and painting is something that needs to be taken care of as well. Initial break in of the engine should be done with the body shell off anyway in order to insure maximum cooling to the engine. It is important to put the body aside such that it would not get oily or dirty. If body is kept clean then prepping will be easier later when it is getting ready to paint. The color or scheme you use to paint it can be as unique as ones individual choice. The body shell acts as armor to protect your expensive engine and radio gear during use.

Gluing the tires to the wheels is very important. Many RC nitro cars and trucks require the tires to be glued to the wheels. This is something that some people try to skip, but it is very highly recommended that this should be done while the tires and wheels are clean. Once they get dirty, it will be very hard to glue them properly. This is a simple step to ensure that all of the power will be transmitted to the ground instead of resulting in slippage between the rubber tire and wheel. The tires should be glued to the wheels using hobby grade cyanoacrylate (CA) glue. Super Glue is a CA glue, but it is not usually recommended using this type of CA glue. Hobby grade CA glue works better and can be easily found at a local hobby or arts/crafts supply store.

Foam air filter needs to be oiled properly before starting engine as it is usually shipped dry to keep everything clean. Oiling ensures that dirt will stick to the oil and be trapped in the foam filter element. Running without the oil will result in inefficient filtering of the air. Oiling can be done simply by just placing several drops of light oil on the foam filter element. Gently pressing it down several times to help distribute the oil evenly through out the foam element. If too much oil is accidentally spilled on the filter, it can be squeezed by simply by a paper towel or rag. This will help squeeze out excess oil into the rag or paper towel. Using a thick oil or grease, will simply plug up filter and restrict air flow to engine there by reducing power. It would probably be best to use an oil specifically designed for air filter use.

Engine should be run with air cleaner installed. The air filter prevents harmful dirt and foreign objects from getting into your engine and destroying it. At those astronomical engine speeds of 40,000 RPM, dirt quickly ruins the engine. Periodically, as the foam filter gets plugged with dirt one should remove it from the engine and clean it with household dish washing liquid, Simple Green degreaser, or some other degreaser. Gasoline or other strong solvents as these could damage your filter.

All engine break-in recommendations should be followed as given in the owner's manual. First time running of a nitro engine largely determines how long the engine will last and how much power the engine will produce. The engine should never be run full throttle during break in. Being extra gentle during break in will be rewarded with longer engine life and maximum power later. Lastly the limited slip differential(s) should be checked and adjusted if needed.


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IMPORTANCE OF AIR FILTERS

An air filter is an important component of a Nitro engine. The engine needs a mixture of clean and unrestricted air and fuel to provide power for the RC vehicle. Since nitro engine requires clean an unrestricted flow of air for smooth running and more power the air filter is the first line of defense or the first important component that makes sure that the engine runs to its optimum. All RC vehicles make use of this device to derive the optimum power level for their engines.

The air filter keeps away the dirt, contaminants and other debris getting into the engine. If these foreign particles enter the engine they might seriously harm the engine capabilities and definitely would tune the performance of the vehicle.

There are three types of air filters. Most common of them is Foam air filters which use foam filter oil. These filter oils should be without solvents as filters tend to disintegrate if you use filters oils with solvents in it. Single stage foam filters contain single core. This core is used to filter dust, dirt and similar contaminants. Dual stage foam filters have two levels of protection to prevent contaminants. The second core is thicker and blocks smaller particles.

Cotton air filters are the most common replacements to foam air filters. They have less air resistance as compared to foam ones. Care is required in case of cotton air filters so as to not to over-saturate them. It is important for air filter to dry overnight.

Paper air filters are not recommended for off-road Nitro vehicles. These are usually favoured by some owners for extra airflow for their vehicles.

One need to clean the filters regularly but sometimes an overall replacement might also be necessary. Further, it is also important to know the finer aspects of cleaning an RC Nitro Engine’s air filter. Applying oil to the air filter in the right manner is also important. They require special air filter oil for the same. Once the air filter is purchased or cleaned properly it needs to be secured in the right manner in it proper place. Usually most of the air filters stay securely in their place where they are designed to be but one may need to know how put a troublesome one in the proper place. All along choosing a right filter for your model is also very important. For the best performance of your engine, making the right choice of air filter is equivocally important.

Cleaning air filters can save you money but one needs to make a choice sometimes for their replacement. Since they are not a very costly part of an RC vehicle one can easily opt for a replacement if maintenance is required too often. Although larger or better filter may cost more but it really depends upon the model you own. Foam air filters are the most commonly used air filters used in Nitro vehicles.

Air filters are as important to the engine, as the engine itself. Without an air filter, or without a clean one, your engine will quickly degrade in performance and become seriously damaged. Make it a part of your regular after-run routine, to clean or replace your nitro air filters.


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Handy tips for RC cars

Handy tips for Remote Control cars are always welcome for the newbie. Those especially not from an engineering background but pursue driving remote control cars as hobby is always on a look out for some handy tips.

By putting Velcro on the bottom of the radio and also at the top of the toolbox, you can stick the radio that way and walk off coolly to your speeding alley of your car.
By using 5 to 10 ohm ceramic resistors in your starter box, you can make your own glow plug driver. Over the time 10 ohms had been good but now supposedly they have degraded adding another in parallel should do the job.
Saving the paint in fast racing car has always been problems. A quick solution to the long standing problem can be to put tape inside the body where things might rub

One can spool planetary differences by just flipping 2 opposing planet gears.
Make a pigtail for your charger with all the different connectors you use. This way the TX, Rx, deans, power pole, and alligator can be clipped all in one off the charger.

One can put a ziptie on for body clips, or clips in general, and for fuel tanks as well.
If there is more than one car, that uses a removable radio tray like HPI, instead of buying 2 sets of electronics, stitching the radio tray in and out does the trick. It takes a little more time, but saves money.

When you buy a new chassis and the old on is not badly damaged if at all, one can make something out of it, like a radio tray or something that may be used as another car part. Using old car part is always a part of creativity. You may never know if you would surprise some judge in a participating contest.
Something as simple as a silly putty can also become a must presence in the tool box. It serves several purposes. It seals the receiver from dirt, dust and moisture.It also insolates and holds car wiring in place. It works great as a different lock. It also helps make custom chassis. It really helps to make mould out of the part that needs to be fit in every time. To add a part, a thin layer of putty can be laid down, press the piece that needs to be fit in onto the putty. Lifting the piece off will leave an impression of the part and its bolt pattern Once the center is punched and drilled, the part will fit perfect every time.
Putting a small piece of zip tie down the hole of a stripped plastic part will hold the screw in place till it is replaced with a new one.

To goose the runtime of remote control car the simple trick is to charge them multiple times. If you put your remote control car on charging and take off the plug two- three times then it might give you a good run time because the battery gets charged all over again. But doing it umpteen times might prove lethal to battery life.


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GETTING TO KNOW THE RC MODELS

Knowing the RC models is an important if you wish to choose RC cars as hobby or want to get into RC racing tracks. There are basically five types of models to choose from. Off-road buggies that come with electric engine as power source are the most popular ones for the first time enthusiasts.

These off-road buggies come with full travel suspension, high ground clearance and knobby rubber tires that give them virtually any terrain with ease. It would be easier to choose a two wheel drive models for a new enthusiasts. They require less maintenance and over all assembly of the model. On the other hand four wheel drive models give easier driving and more competitive edge in handling the model. Off- road buggies are great fun in the backyards.

On road cars, monster trucks, stadium trucks and mini cars are other options to choose from. It really depends upon ones choice, budget and understanding level of the hobby as to which model he chooses. All models come with both kinds of power supply viz. Nitro fuel or Electric. An RC hobbyist can choose from all kind of various options available in the market. These on-road cars offer minimal suspensions, sleek, sophisticated looks and foot-to-the-floorboard speed. They can easily be run on a smooth street, parking lot, or any other flat or paved surface.

Micro racing cars are great fun to handle and are cool racers for smaller areas. They can be run even on the kitchen floors. They are usually about five to six inches in length but some models may end up in length up to nine inches. High-tech engineering produces exceptionally realistic performance with forward and reverse, two-wheel drive, fully proportional steering, sophisticated suspension action. They can offer more fun than that.

If you are looking for some high action drama with bumping and jumping then opting for the stadium trucks is the choice to go for. Their heavy-duty suspensions, oversized shocks and large tires, they're built to take punishment and can survive soaring jumps and crushing touchdowns that would disable most vehicles.

Next in the category are lined up the monster trucks. They are similar to monster trucks, however, they need a little experience and handling background to achieve optimum performance out of them. Designed for torque instead of speed, these car crushers growl and rumble their way up hills, down slopes and over unsuspecting cars by virtue of sheer, brute power.

All these models are great to go in for racing competitions as well. The two most popular RC racing are ROAR (Radio Operated Auto Racing) and NORRCA (National Organization for Racing Radio Controlled Auto). Details on these racing competitions can be obtained from their respective website and publications on RC hobby.

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GETTING TO KNOW THE RC CARS

Everyone likes to know the little tit bits or pieces of information about the hobby they pursue. May be that’s the reason that message boards and discussion forums are so popular. After all no one can ignore the importance of first hand information that comes in handy to a novice. Moreover, special preferences of experts and the reason as to why they choose them are always accepted by others. After all who does not want to follow the expert and gather tips from them?

In case of batteries 35 amp packs are preferred especially in sedan and form of stock racing. They usually have more punch in stock but in mod there is a very noticeable difference. For the carpet nets although pack of 30 test the same and run good on the track but pack of 35 have more power and it equaled about 2-3 seconds of improvement on a 5 min run.

Taking care of batteries makes batteries last longer in club races. One way to do them is charge them at 5-5.5 amps Reedy Quasar pro Charger. At major races new ones are handed out but then they have to be returned at the end of the race such that these packs can be taken care of for the next big race.

But it should be kept in mind that anything you do to increase performance will usually make the battery deteriorate faster. For example like charging the batteries at higher amperage or discharging before you run. Using a single cell discharger about every 5 runs is better to to equalize the pack.

The cars should preferably be run flat without any anti-dive or anti squat. In the rear more anti squat usually gives more steering off-throttle and more rear bite on-throttle. Pro-squat gives less steering off-throttle and more steering on-throttle. But looks can be deceptive. Anti-squat will make the car feel smoother on the first initial steering input where Pro-squat will make the car react faster.

It is a good idea to use a good peak detector or a charger with both the utilities of detecting peak charge as well as charging the batteries. If you take good care of your packs you can run them for months at top performance. If one is willing to spend a little dough on chargers then Competition Electronics Turbo 35 is a good choice to go for.

While using the batteries it is nice to charge batteries at 6amps for 1/12 and 7 for TC. But at the time of storing, they should be discharged to .9 per cell (3.6 for 4 cell and 5.4 for 6 cells) @30amps.
Digital Servos depend on respective radio systems. If the radio system is a newer high response type, then using digitals servos is better. On the other hand if the radio system is and old one then analog servos are better.

Nitro Content of Fuel should be such that the model runs on run 25-30%. This is because the engines weren't originally designed and made for that. They are actually made to run on 16% - that is the EFRA and IFMAR rule.

In case of racing there is no specific idea to make you go faster the best way to handle your car and the best idea to maneuver the car usually makes one go fast and win the race.


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GETTING TO KNOW E-MAXX RC CAR

The E-Maxx is a radio controlled ( R/C ), 1/10 scale, electric powered, 4-wheel drive, monster truck produced by Traxxas Corporation. When it comes to gut-wrenching, wheelie-popping monster torque, nothing comes close to E-Maxx! Twin Titan 550 motors, trick 14.4V ESC power, 3-channel radio system, ball bearings, 8 oil-filled shocks, painted body and shift on the fly 2-speed transmission all put the E-Maxx in a class by itself. E-maxx is the best, most innovative, hobby quality monster truck. It comes as completely assembled and the body is painted and trimmed.

While running the E-Maxx for the first time it important to totally check over the truck for loose screws, nuts, wire connections and bolts. It is also a good idea to check the model over after a few runs to make sure nothing has come loose from driving. It should be made sure that the pinion grub screws are tight and that the pinions do not slide on the motor armatures. The slipper clutch nut should be tightened fully. It is located on top of the spur gear spring, which is located between the pinion gears. The bullet motor connections should be tightly pushed together. The servo and ESC wires should also be fully pushed into the receiver the truck may function erratically. Another reason to make the truck function erratically is if the crystal and radio crystal are not fully pushed into their slots. Also, If sand gets inside ESC this can also make E-Maxx function erratically.

Usually there are no problems with E-maxx but some trucks have known to be shipped with loose pinion screws, slipper clutches and motor wire connections. It is advisable to check ones E-Maxx over to ensure that the latter problems do not exist. Also, some of the first trucks produced had unreliable electronic speed controls, which Traxxas replaced with the EVX. The EVX is an excellent speed control.

A spool is technically called a differential spool. According to Traxxas, the differential spool replaces the rear differential gears to make the truck unstoppable in hard-core climbing maneuvers. The spool locks the rear axle, which in turn provides equal power to both the rear wheels no matter what the truck drives over. Because the spool locks the differential, it should be used strictly for off-road. If someone is building a radical, special purpose E-Maxx for straight-line sand drags, hill climbing or pulling, then a spool needs to be installed in the front as well for total 4WD traction.

Sometimes the noise from some models of E-Maxx transmission seems loud. It can leave one wondering as to why does it happen and what can be done to make it quieter? The reason behind the same is that the 32-pitch gear transmission of the E-Maxx is rather noisy by design and this is nothing to worry about. Nonetheless, if one wishes to reduce the gear noise, a bit of additional transmission grease can be put on the gears or change to 48-pitch gears (pinions/spur). Also, a check should be given to the pinion/spur gear mesh - too loose will create excessive gear noise. A bit of silicone grease that is designed for transmissions isn't going to hurt the gears, whether plastic or metal.



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GETTING INTO RC HOBBY

Radio Control is like pursuing your dream clouds. It gives you the kick of piloting your own Air Force or commanding your own fleet. Beginners begin with RC trucks or cars and they love being totally in control of a fully functional scale model that is just waiting for your next command.

It is important to know the various type of options available to pursue your hobby. The most popular type of R/C car is the Off-Road Buggy. Big tires with "knobby" spikes, full-travel suspension parts and a high ground clearance allow the off-roader to go almost anywhere. They come with either two-wheel drive (2WD) or four-wheel-drive (4WD), and reach speeds of 15-30 mph. On-Road cars usually have lower ground clearances, slicks tires, aerodynamic bodies, and are capable of a bit higher speeds.

Cars use different kind of energy source to make them go around. The source can be either electric or fuel. Cars that run on battery packs are electric cars. They use a rechargeable NiCad battery pack for power. They can run up to 10 minutes and can be recharged in about 15 minutes. Nitro cars are actually powered by a small engine that burns a special glow fuel. Some can reach speeds of over 50 mph.

One can choose to make his own car or to own one that is ready for get – set – go. These cars can be identified as RTR (ready – to – run) which come with installed radio system or ATR (Almost – ready – to – run). ATR models need to have the radio systems etc installed into them Newbie can choose from models that are RTR. This helps them to enjoy the hobby more than getting into the technical details. Such pre-built models are also preferred by “backyard” drivers. For kits that need building up are suggestible for older hands who have been in the hobby rings for sometime. The advantage to building a kit yourself is that you will know how to repair any possible damage. These kits are opted by racers bent upon winning organized competitions and showing off their models on the tracks and hitting the tracks hard.
2-channel Radio system is also required to control the RC model in hand. Along with the same a pack of batteries preferably NiCad are required with a charger. Buying the car, radio, battery and charger together is preferable as you get all the compatible parts and save money too.
Speed of the model depends upon the fuel it uses. Although nitro cars that use glow fuel have more power and speed but electric models are also good for starters who want to chase around little buggies for the sake of hobby. But this does not mean that choosing an electric model is settling for a lesser performance. After mastering the skills of the hobby one can always upgrade the models and choosing new models as well.

Some other requirements to pursue the hobby are to have a tool box well –equipped with ordinary tools such as screwdrivers, nut drivers, pliers and the like. Although building a kit rather than buying prebuilt does require extra time, there are advantages. You'll gain a expert understanding of how your machine works, which comes in handy when performing maintenance and tuning.

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT RC MOTORS

The single most important thing about motors is that cleaning is the priority. The best way to improve the performance of a motor is to keep it CLEAN. It does not mean to spray it out once a month with motor spray, instead an absolute cleaning is very important. If you are a serious racer cleaning motors means extra and free horsepower for the engine. This is because it gives proper inflow of fuel and prevents and contaminants or foreign bodies from hurting the machine.
Cleaning of all components is an important aspect. It is very important to clean the brushes and the commutator since this is where the power is applied. Any drop in the resistance of the connection from the brushes to the commutator will be rewarded with either an increase in power or efficiency, or BOTH!

Allowing brush dust to allowed to accumulate on the brushes and the com shall add resistance to the connection of the batteries to the motor. As the resistance of that connection is increased, performance is decreased because some of the battery power is converted to what is called 'I-squared-R losses'. This results in heat being produced at the brush connection instead of power being transferred to the com.

The best way to keep brushes and com clean, without cutting them, is the little shaped eraser-looking things from RPM. Using one on both brushes and the com between runs and keeps the motor 'fresher' between visits to the com lathe. There is not any real marked difference between the yellow one and the black one, they both seem to do the same thing equally well.

Another way to keep peak performance is to be sure that the com is true. This is accomplished by regularly cutting the motor on a com lathe. Doing it about every 5-10 runs may seem excessive but doing it so often, it ends up only end up taking .001-.002 from the surface. Since taking only such a small cut, the motor can be re-trued upwards of 25 times.

Springs are yet another way to alter the performance of a motor. Asphalt is for Racing, Dirt is for Planting Potatoes. Anyway, in 4-cell 1/12th scale, it is best to run LIGHT springs. Run a Trinity gold on the '+' and a Trinity silver on the '-'. This has proven, after what seems like months on the dyno, to be the best combination for 1/12th scale STOCK racing. 4-cell mod follows basically the same rules of thumb for springs, but the timing needs to be adjusted for maximum efficiency as well to take full advantage of what the motor can do.


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