|
Clothing
Babies
Pets
Electronics
Computing
Finances
Health
Sports
Hobbies
Radio Control
Gifts
Travel
Office Supplies
|
RC Car (Radio Control) Guide - How to Get Started in RC cars
If you are reading this guide, we are assuming
that you are interested in getting started in the hobby of RC (radio
control) cars.
Our experience is mostly in RC cars and planes.
Believe it or not, we actually got started in planes and then moved
into RC cars
as a result of a crash!
To make a long story short, we started into planes the wrong way (well
kind of). We did a couple of things right (getting help), but we
did one thing wrong - we didn't learn too well that left and right
controls are reversed when a plane (or car) is coming at you.
So after getting help to get our first RC plane into the air and
flying it around for a few minutes, we proceeded to crash it into the
ground by turning the wrong direction!
After taking the pieces home in a bag, we decided to get an RC car to
learn how to turn the correct direction when the car (or plane) is
coming at you. So after a few months of learning (and building
another airplane) we could fly with much more confidence and also
picked up the hobby of driving RC cars. We still fly RC
airplanes (mainly gliders - less mess), but RC cars are more durable
and easier to get going.
Here are the main topics we will cover in this guide:
-
RC car
basics (getting help, staying safe)
-
Deciding between electric or gas (fuel)
-
Getting
Started - The components (vehicles and control systems)
-
Getting
started - To build or buy?
RC car
basics - Getting help and staying safe
Most
people get started with RC cars by attending some kind of "event" such
as a race or maybe by seeing someone else playing with an RC car in a
park. You may have been inspired to ask a few questions or maybe
just watched and said to yourself "That looks like fun. I want
to try that!" You may even have visited a local hobby shop to
see what was available to buy. You may have even bought an RC
car already. But if you were like us, the choice of what to buy
was very difficult (at least it is at first).
So we recommend that you get help with your choice from some RC
car "experts." If you were visiting some races that occur on a
regular basis (usually every weekend), try to go back and get to know
some of the people involved. These are the real experts.
Most RC car racers are more than happy to talk about their hobby, and
they can be a great source of information for how to get started the
"right way."
One of the more important things you should ask about is safety.
RC car racing, or even running an RC car on the street in front of
your home may not seem too dangerous, but you might be surprised at
the damage that can be done by these little cars. We can tell
you (from actual experience) that when an RC car moving at high speed
hits someone in the ankle or foot, it is not pleasant! And if
you accidentally hit one of your neighbors pets, they will not be very
happy with you.
So for safety, always drive your RC car in an empty area, such as a
parking lot or vacant field. Keep small children and pets away
while you are driving your car. Better yet, try to join the fun
of the races with a club or group of other people. It has been
great fun for us to compete and get to know the other RC car racers.
RC cars come in two basic kinds - electric
powered and gas powered. Of course there are good
points of each. The basic types of RC vehicles are: on-road
vehicles and
off-road vehicles. On-road vehicles are typically "cars"
that have plastic bodies that look very similar to "real" cars or
possibly stock-car racers. Off-road vehicles are either
"buggy" style cars or a truck style. Four-wheel drive is
sometimes used in off-road RC cars (see below).
Electric powered RC cars - These cars are powered by batteries
that drive one or two motors, depending on the particular car type.
Two-wheel drive cars usually have only one motor, while four-wheel
drive RC cars (and trucks) usually have two motors, one for each set
of wheels. Two-wheel drive cars will normally go very fast (up
to about 40-50 miles per hour) but may not have the "grabbing power"
of four-wheel drive. But since most four-wheel drive cars have
two motors, the battery that drives them will not last as long as the
two-wheel drive models (typically about 10 minutes per run).
Some good points for electric powered RC cars - They are clean
and relatively quiet, and can be run indoors. They do not
require as much equipment for normal operation as gas powered cars
(see below), and best of all, they are less expensive than gas
powered RC cars!
Some bad points (when compared to gas powered RC cars) of
electric power cars - They have limited run time. You will have to buy
an extra battery pack and quick charger and swap batteries after about
10 minutes. Electric powered RC cars are usually not as fast as
gas powered cars.
Electric RC Cars
and Trucks
Gas powered RC cars - These cars are powered by motors and run
on special gas (fuel), and have two main advantages over
electric powered cars - Speed and run time. When the fuel is
used up, it is just a matter of making a "pit-stop" for more and then
you are off and running again. It is also great to hear these RC
cars run around outdoors.
But there are some bad points to gas powered RC cars - They can
be "noisy" and leave a trail of smoke as they run along (your
neighbors may not like this). They are also more expensive than
electric powered cars and require more work to maintain them.
You also have to carry some extra gear to get them running (see
below).
Gas Powered and Nitro Powered RC Cars and Trucks
Here are the components you will need to get
started in RC cars.
Vehicle - First you have to decide on a RC car or truck.
Look for the style of vehicle that you like and then pick a kit (to
build) or an RTR (Ready-To-Run) model. You should buy a kit (or
RTR) that includes the motor.
Radio system (required for electric or gas powered RC cars) -
This consists of:
-
Transmitter - This is the unit that you
hold that sends control signals to the RC car or truck for throttle
and steering.
-
Receiver - This is the small unit installed
in the RC car that receives the control signals and sends them on to
the servos.
-
Servos - These are mounted in the RC car
and plug into the receiver. Signals from the receiver tell the
servos which direction to turn and how much. They are then
linked to the steering and speed control. The speed control may
be electronic for electric RC cars.
-
Receiver battery - This is required for the
receiver and to move the servo arms. For electric RC cars, a
larger rechargeable battery is normally use to power both the receiver
and the motor(s).
-
Battery charger(s) - When you buy your
radio system, it may come with rechargeable batteries in the
transmitter and for the receiver. If you get an electric
powered RC car, make sure you get (or order) a "quick charger" for the
battery that runs the car.
Extra components for gas powered RC cars
Gas (fuel) - Even though we say that these cars are "gas
powered", they actually use a fuel that is a mixture of nitro-methane
and lubricants (typically castor oil). You have to be careful
with this stuff because it is flammable! (remember safety)
Fuel bottle - Most RC fuel comes in a one gallon jug that can
be awkward to use when refueling your car. A smaller bottle for
pit-stops should be used to avoid spills.
Glow plug igniter - Where a real car has spark plugs, gas
powered RC cars have glow plugs that ignite the fuel when the motor is
first started. The igniter does this job and is removed once the
motor is running (the fuel burning is enough to keep the motor going).
Electric starter - If you get an "entry level" kit, it may
include a pull-starter. But for the RC car models that do not,
you will need a 12 volt hand held starter or starter box. The
starter spins the motor to get it running.
The "big" choice you have to make is - do you buy a kit that you have
to build, or do you buy a model RC car that is
ready-to-run (well almost). Here are the points for each:
Ready-To-Run (RTR) - These models are almost ready to run when
you get them out of the box. You will have to put batteries in
or charge the batteries in the radio system. If you have an
electric powered RC car, you will also have to quick charge the
battery in the car. If you buy a gas powered car, you will have
to fuel it, test start it, and possibly have to tune it to run
properly at all throttle levels. These models are more expensive
than kits, but if you want to get out there and running quickly, RTR
is probably the way to go.
RC Car "Kit" - These kits have to be assembled, and in some
cases, the body has to be painted (did I forget to mention that
earlier?). This will take some time (anywhere from a day to more
that a week, depending on how much "spare time" you have. But
... there is a good side to this! You will have put it together
yourself, so that if anything needs repair (it will), you will know
how your RC car was assembled and will be able to do the work
yourself. Kits are also less expensive than RTR models.
Once you make your decision (build or buy), click on the hobbies link
for a list of online hobby shops that have RC cars.
Summary
- Always get help from some "experts" and remember to drive with
safety in mind
- Decide on an electric powered or gas powered RC car
- Make a shopping list of all the needed components to get started
- Get on the web and order that RC car! (kit or RTR)
- Get it ready and have some fun!
Be careful, especially when first starting out. Think about
safety, and if you are running a gas powered RC car, try to find an
area that will not disturb anyone.
We hope this guide has helped you get your start into RC cars.
If you have any comments or would like to see other topics covered,
feel free to send
email to us at any time. Your feedback is always
appreciated!
|
Computers
Home Networking
RC Cars
|
