New to 1/10 electric RC
Discussion
I'm looking in to getting an electric 1/10 RC car, I had a nitro 1/10 car a few years back but now I'd like something a bit cleaner to run and I need some advice on the parts.
I'm thinking about a 4wd buggy type thing, it comes without a motor. I want to get used to the car before I go to a brushless, so I've found a 12T, any opinions on this?
http://www.apexmodels.com/gbu0-prodshow/125000852....
This is the speed controller that I'm considering, does this look ok?
http://www.apexmodels.com/gbu0-prodshow/141000230B...
I've done some research and I don't like the sound of the risks associated with Lipo's so I think I will use NiMH, presumably this means I will get a little less performance? I've read that it's voltage that determines the performance is this correct?
Also, the mAh rating essentially defines the running time? What can I expect from a 2000 as opposed to a 5000?
I have an old 7.2v NiCad from about 5 years ago, it was used for an RC aircraft, it's a 2000mAh, should that still be ok to use?
If I want to upgrade to a brushless motor and ESC at some point in the future, will NiMH batteries cope ok?
Sorry for so many questions, thanks in advance.
I'm thinking about a 4wd buggy type thing, it comes without a motor. I want to get used to the car before I go to a brushless, so I've found a 12T, any opinions on this?
http://www.apexmodels.com/gbu0-prodshow/125000852....
This is the speed controller that I'm considering, does this look ok?
http://www.apexmodels.com/gbu0-prodshow/141000230B...
I've done some research and I don't like the sound of the risks associated with Lipo's so I think I will use NiMH, presumably this means I will get a little less performance? I've read that it's voltage that determines the performance is this correct?
Also, the mAh rating essentially defines the running time? What can I expect from a 2000 as opposed to a 5000?
I have an old 7.2v NiCad from about 5 years ago, it was used for an RC aircraft, it's a 2000mAh, should that still be ok to use?
If I want to upgrade to a brushless motor and ESC at some point in the future, will NiMH batteries cope ok?
Sorry for so many questions, thanks in advance.

The speed controller you have chosen will be fine but I think its best to leave a bit of a safety margin on the motor winds so wouldn't go below a 14 turn motor with it.
With the batterys the capacity in Mah more or less equals the run time, 2000Mah will run for about 6-7 minutes with a 14 turn motor where as 5000Mah will run for a good 15+ minutes.
TBH if you are thinking of upgrading to brushless at a later date it might be worth going for Li-po and brushless to start with, you get so much power for so little hassle its a win win situation, and LI-po batterys are fine if used with common sense.
With the batterys the capacity in Mah more or less equals the run time, 2000Mah will run for about 6-7 minutes with a 14 turn motor where as 5000Mah will run for a good 15+ minutes.
TBH if you are thinking of upgrading to brushless at a later date it might be worth going for Li-po and brushless to start with, you get so much power for so little hassle its a win win situation, and LI-po batterys are fine if used with common sense.
Lipos are far far safer than Nihm. With Nihm when they go, they litterally explode. Ive been at a meeting before where the end of the cell finished 50+ feet away from where the cell blew.
With Lipos, so long as you charge them at the correct rate, they will be absolutely fine. Also, you can charge them in a lipo sack just in case they do decide to alight. With Nihm, you cannot charge them in any kind of saftey device as the enclosed heat makes the situation worse.
With Lipos, so long as you charge them at the correct rate, they will be absolutely fine. Also, you can charge them in a lipo sack just in case they do decide to alight. With Nihm, you cannot charge them in any kind of saftey device as the enclosed heat makes the situation worse.
Also, make sure you go brushless. Much more efficicent running, more power, and no maintenance. With brushed motors, to ensure you dont lose performance you will need a lathe to skim the motor, will need to replace the brushes every 10 runs or so and need to clean the motor down. Brushless motors need none of that. You wire it into the car and forget about it.
One more thing, head over to www.oople.com/forums. This is the place for all things 1/10th offroad
Thanks for the information, I've decided to go for brushless as I've found an ESC and motor in a pack for not much more than I was spending on a brushed motor and ESC.
http://www.rcknowhow.co.uk/2011/06/new-budget-brus...
The buggy should be pretty light so I'm looking at the 9.0T version.
Regarding LiPo, I'm always very careful with items that have associated risks but I've read that even dropping a battery or crashing the car can result in having to dispose of the battery altogether. Also, apparently all the cells have to be within a small voltage of each other before charging.
Then there's the expense, since I already have a charger that will charge NiMH, if I went to LiPo, I'd have to get a new charger as well.
With NiMH, the risks seem to be associated with hydrogen production and the heat associated with charging the batteries. LiPos appear to be more volatile, I think I will wait until battery technology moves on a little to reduce the risks a bit further.
According to Wiki, the latest generation of NiMH batteries will have power outputs equal to equivalent LiPos at a lower cost.
I will post some photos when I've got the model.
http://www.rcknowhow.co.uk/2011/06/new-budget-brus...
The buggy should be pretty light so I'm looking at the 9.0T version.
Regarding LiPo, I'm always very careful with items that have associated risks but I've read that even dropping a battery or crashing the car can result in having to dispose of the battery altogether. Also, apparently all the cells have to be within a small voltage of each other before charging.
Then there's the expense, since I already have a charger that will charge NiMH, if I went to LiPo, I'd have to get a new charger as well.
With NiMH, the risks seem to be associated with hydrogen production and the heat associated with charging the batteries. LiPos appear to be more volatile, I think I will wait until battery technology moves on a little to reduce the risks a bit further.
According to Wiki, the latest generation of NiMH batteries will have power outputs equal to equivalent LiPos at a lower cost.
I will post some photos when I've got the model.

As far as i can tell brushless motors with whole number winds like that 9T are 380 sized motors in a 540 sized can, where as a 9.5T or 8.5T is a proper 540 sized motor with much higher torque and power. I've no experience with a 9T motor but I think a combo with a 10.5T motor would be a better start for a 4wd buggy.
Back to Li-po's, I returned to 1/10 off road racing about 10 months ago after a 14 year break and they are fantastic IMO, I haven't seen one issue with them in that time, and that includes plenty of 40mph plus crashes.
What car was you looking at?
Back to Li-po's, I returned to 1/10 off road racing about 10 months ago after a 14 year break and they are fantastic IMO, I haven't seen one issue with them in that time, and that includes plenty of 40mph plus crashes.
What car was you looking at?
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