Getting Started:
Getting Started:
So you are thinking about giving 1/10th scale buggy racing a go at the FORCC? On this page you will find a list of all the basics you will need to get you going.
· A 1/10th scale off-road RC buggy.
· Radio control transmitter, receiver and steering servo.
· A Stock Motor.
· An electronic speed controller.
· Batteries and Charger.
· Tyres.
Let’s start by taking a look at the fun stuff first, the cars. The cars are 1/10th scale off road buggies. They come in two varieties, 2 wheel drive (2WD) and 4 wheel drive (4WD). Whilst both can be used at the FORCC, the club almost exclusively runs 4WD cars. We would therefore recommend to anyone thinking about joining the club to get a 4WD based car. Some of the 4WD cars typically seen at the club are shown below.
Tamiya Durga Tamiya TRF 501 X JConcepts BJ4 Predator X11 Associated B44 Kyosho ZX5 The best way to see what people are running at the club is of course to come and see for yourself. We strongly recommend visiting the club before shelling out on any kit. It will probably save you time and money in the long term…
Kits start at around £100.
The choice of radio gear is vast, but as long as you have either a 27MHz, 40MHz or 2.4GHz based radio, you will be ok at the club. Transmitters come in 2 basic styles, regular sticks and pistol grip.
Futaba 3GR Spektrum 3DX Everybody is different, so the choice is up to you. Prices range from about £40 to over £300. The £40 radios are fine for beginners. The expensive radios are nicer to use, but are full of features you just don't need for this class of racing. Traditionally, radio control transmitters and receivers would need a matching set of crystals installed for the transmitter to talk to the receiver. This is the case with the 27MHz and 40MHz systems. The arrival of the 2.4GHz ‘Spektrum’ system has done away with all that. The system is digital and does not need crystals.
Along with your transmitter you will also need a Receiver and a servo. These will most likely be included with your radio set.
Receiver Servo Pretty much any servo, which is used for your steering, will be fine for the beginner. As you improve though, you may want to consider replacing the servo with a faster model as this will give you quicker and more responsive steering. A fast servo will cost up to about £100.
There are a large variety of electric motors available for model cars, but we only run 27 turn brushed or 13.5 turn brushless stock motors at the club. Super stock and modified motors in either brushed or brushless format are not allowed.
Brushless Stock Motor Brushed Stock Motor A Standard 27 turn brushed motor is going to set you back about £30 whilst a brushless version is about £60.
Electronic Speed Controllers [ESC] start from about £40 for a basic brushed motor based model and go up to around £150 or more for a full competition spec brushed/brushless version. The ESC you choose needs to match your chosen motor technology i.e. brushed or brushless.
Brushless ESC Brushed ESC
In extremely simple terms, a brushed motor has fixed magnets in the motor casing and wires wrapped around the armature (The bit that goes round...). Passing an electric current through the wires via ‘brushes’ makes the motor go round. The motor is connected to the speed controller via 2 power wires.
In a brushless motor the configuration is completely opposite. The fixed magnet is on the rotor and the wires are in the motor casing. Once again, passing an electric current through the wires makes the motor go round. The difference is that there are no brushes involved and hence the term ‘brushless’. The motor is connected to the speed controller via 3 power wires and 6 sensor wires (usually).
The systems are not interchangeable so a brushed motor needs a brushed ESC and likewise for brushless but some ESC’s cater for both.
If your budget can stretch to the additional cost of a brushless system then that is the way to go and a lot of our members have made the switch now from brushed to brushless. Having said that, there isn’t really anything wrong the cheaper brushed systems and therefore equally recommended. Probably the biggest advantages though of the brushless system is that they tend to be very reliable, more efficient and virtually maintenance free.
So, the minefield that is Batteries…
There are 2 basic technologies available here, Nickel-Metal Hydride and Lithium-Polymer
Ni-MH packs are made up from six 1.2 volt sub-c sized cells wired in series to make a 7.2 volt battery pack. They require an Ni-MH compatible charger and a equaliser to maintain the cells condition. Failure to maintain Ni-MH cells can cause damage to the cells and in extreme cases may cause the structural integrity of the cell to fail.
Ni-MH Cells A set of cells will cost from about £25 to £65 depending on a verity of factors, however there is no guarantee that spending more money will get you better cells. Buying 2 'identical' packs will not guarantee that you get 2 packs that perform the same. Ideally you need 4 packs (practice + 3 heats) to run at the club however you could get away with 2 packs by charging 1 set while you are using the other, but this will shorten the life of the cells in the long run.
Li-Po is rapidly becoming the preferred battery technology at the club. Li-Po batteries are simpler to maintain and can go straight from discharge to charge without damage. As a result you can get away with having a single pack instead several. They require a Li-Po compatible charger with a built in or separate balancer. Li-Po packs are made up from two 3.7 volt cells wired in series to give a nominal 7.4 volt battery.
Li-Po Stick Pack Li-Po Saddle Pack Li-Po packs cost from about £40 to £70 depending on configuration and capacity
That one's simple... Li-Po. They just make life much simpler.
The only other consideration with the choice of cells is how you will charge and maintain them. Chargers start from about £20 but can cost several hundred pounds for professional battery management systems. While many charges handle different types of cells, not all do so just make sure that the charger you get is suitable for you’re chosen cell type…
Li-Po Charger Li-Po/Ni-Mh Charger Cell maintenance is as important as charging so make sure that get either an equaliser for your Ni-MH cells or a balancer for your Li-Po cells.
Li-Po Balancer Ni-Mh Equaliser
The tyre choice is simple as everybody at the club runs the same tyres, those being Schumacher Full Spike tyres in the yellow (soft) compound rubber. (The tyres aren’t actually yellow, it’s just the name given to the rubber compound)
Schumacher Full Spike Soft Tyres For the first few races you will probably wonder how on earth we race with these tyres, but you need to give them time to bed in. Usually you will notice within a couple of races that they are starting to come good and they will normally bed in fully within 2 race meetings. We recommend that you do not attempt to speed up the bedding in process by running on tarmac etc. before racing with the tyres. Just get to the club early, put some practice laps in and before you know it, the tyres will be the least of your problems ;) Depending on how hard and fast you race, a set of tyres should last between 3 to 6 months, assuming of course that they are only used indoors at the FORCC. Tyres are about £7 a pair.
The prices quoted here are only a guide to the cost of starting out with all new equipment. There is plenty of kit available on the second hand market if you know where to look for it. Your local model shop may sell 2nd hand gear or be able to offer a package deal on new equipment. We sometimes have 2nd hand gear available at the club. Online auctions are also very popular these days with the likes of Ebay having a very large RC section. Various online RC based forums have for sale sections which can also be a good place to pick up a bargain. If you find yourself in the right place at the right time, you could probably be up and running for around £200.
Obviously the internet is a great place to start if you're looking for more information on the hobby so here are a few of places that are worth a look.
The British Radio Car Association
The governing body for radio controlled car racing in the UK.
An off-road RC dedicated forum. Includes a South-East section covering some of the events the club is involved with.
Another RC Forum covering all forms of RC racing.
Please note that none of the items shown or discussed on this page should be considered as endorsed or recommended by the club. They are here for illustrative purposes only.
