| RC Cars and
Trucks
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Equipment for Electric RC Cars
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RC
Equipment
Remote Control Car Tips to Help
Beginners
Get Started with the RC Hobby
In addition to buying the car kit, you need
to buy the following: 1) radio control unit, 2) AA batteries for the
transmitter, 3) battery pack, 4) charger for the 7.2v battery pack.
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Pistol
type transmitter
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1.
Radio Control Unit
The radio control unit is the electronics that control the speed and
direction of the car. A basic radio controller consists of the
following:
a. transmitter
b. receiver
c. servos (2)
d. batter holder for the receiver
e. on/off switch
f. servo horns
Good brands are Futaba, Airtronics, and
JR.
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2.
AA Batteries and Charger
The transmitter (pictured above) needs 8AA sized batteries to produce
12 volts.
Rechargeable batteries will work, just
note
that a single rechargeable AA batteries produces only 1.2
volts (alkaline produce 1.5 volts).
Using 8AA rechargeable batteries will
produce 9.6 volts, slightly less voltage than the ideal 12 volts.
Still, most transmitters will work fine with 9.6 volts.
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3.
7.2v Battery Pack
To power the cars, you will need battery packs that produce 7.2 volts.
These are either made of nickel-cadmium (NiCD) or the newer
nickel-hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries.
Good brands are Tamiya, Orion, Trinity,
Sanyo, and Panasonic.
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4.
Battery Charger
There are two basic types: timer, and peak detection chargers. With the
timer charger, you will have to monitor whether or not the battery is
fully charged, which can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.
The other type is a peak detection
charger.
It is more expensive, but does a better job of charging the batteries.
It can sense when a battery is fully charged and will automatically
shut off, preventing overcharging, which can destroy the battery. If
you can afford it, buy the peak detection charger.
Good brands are Tekin and Novak.
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 Basic
Radio System Setup
This is the basic radio system setup that is
mounted inside an electric car. The receiver (1) sends signals to the
servo that controls the speed (3) and the servo that controls the
steering (4).
The receiver is powered by 4-AA sized
batteries (5) with an on/off switch (6).
Tip: Never, ever, cut the receiver antenna
(wire). I know it is long... but trust me, do not cut it because it
will cause your car to go out of control.
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Cars, Radio Controlled Trucks, and R/C Hobby Shops
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