Rookie Learnings
12-01-2012, 01:25 PM
#32
Hi everyone - would love your input on this quick chassis survey - as far as i can tell, the first of its kind on the internet.
All feedback is completely anonymous... and the more replies we have, the more valuable the data... tell your friends!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...ZBNkE6MQ#gid=0
All feedback is completely anonymous... and the more replies we have, the more valuable the data... tell your friends!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...ZBNkE6MQ#gid=0
12-01-2012, 02:22 PM
#33
Can you adjust your survey form to inclde SA in the list of states.
12-01-2012, 03:44 PM
#35
Radios
Hello All,
This week, it is all about RC Radios. There was quite a lot of information that came through last week, and thanks to everyone for that. The following is what I've gleaned so far:
First off, it is important to mention that for cars, most people use pistol grip radios. These are the ones which you have a trigger for the throttle and then a steering wheel for the steering. Having said that, some of the best drivers in the world use stick, but I tried it and it was very hard.
Secondly: in ye olde days, they used to use crystals to set frequency of operation. They still sell crystal radios and if you buy one, no worries - just make sure no one else on the track is going to be running the same crystal frequency as you. But most modern radios are 2.4GhZ - they automatically scan for an available frequency to get interference free fun with your car.
Thirdly, what you want from a radio is to give you as much SUBTLE control as possible. Your input into the car is all through your fingers and to start off with I was anything but subtle with my movements. I am still learning to be more delicate with my inputs, but having a good radio has made my fun-factor soar through the roof.
The following all relate to pistol grips, there are a few important things you need to consider:
Cost:
Obviously, you need to set a budget. Check with your bank account for dollars, the calendar for birthdays/anniversaries and then the significant other (or parents) after a nice dinner (your treat) for permission.
Number of channels:
For onroad, electric cars, you only need 2 or 3 max. I think with nitro another channel is useful, but i am not sure about this. I have a 3 channel radio and i havent figured out what to do with the 3rd channel yet.
Sub-trim:
OK, so once u install a servo (The thing that controls your steering), you will need to adjust it minutely to make sure the car travels in a straight line when you are not steering. you do this with sub-trim.
Model Memory:
Modern computer radios can 'bind' to many recievers and then remember their individual settings so you can use the one radio for many cars. This is a good thing. I doubt you will need more than 5 to start off with, but i think 10 model memory is a nice round number for future-proofing.
Latency/Responsiveness:
Now it starts to get interesting. The radio companies talk about latency, but while I understood what that meant technically (how long your input takes to get digitised and communicated to the reciever), i struggled to understand the effect it had on my driving. RCTech member Radio Active (holla!) really explained it well... most humans have a reaction time of 150-300ms. So that means if you need to steer, you take about a quarter of a second to process that info and then get your fingers to move appropriately. If a radio takes another say 50 ms to digitise it and send it accross, you will find it more challenging to be responsive to your environment. The lower the latency, the more delicate and subtle you can be with your car. This makes a difference to your driving.
Spring Tension:
Defines how easy it is to steer or pull throttle. Some more expensive models even have a graduated tension - i.e. it gets harder to pull the trigger the more you pull/turn it. This means it gives you far more 'feel' for what input you are giving the car. When checking yours, just make sure the trigger and steering dont feel 'mushy'. it should give some indication of tension and resistance when engaged. Also check the steering doesnt bounce back and forth if you let it go - it shud just go back to neutral without any bounce when you let it go.
Throttle throw:
How far the throttle trigger moves from rest to fully engaged. the longer the throttle throw, the more space you are given for control. More is better in this instance.
Steering Rate:
This is a linear tool that adjusts total steering lock on the wheels. this is way to make your steering adjustments more subtle.
Exponential Mapping:
This is a MUST and will majorly improve your driving. This is a computer function that allows you to be more delicate with the steering. Basically, it allows the minor adjustments to be smaller at the wheel, while the bigger adjustments get bigger at the wheel. http://www.rmfm.org/Exponential%20Graph%20-%20Soft.jpg
Throttle Travel:
Very similar to steering rate, but for throttle. This allows you to say how much full throttle on the radio engages the motor. if you set it to say 50%, this will mean that a full pull on the throttle will only mean the motor spins to 50%. this is a great way for beginners to get to know their car and how it responds on the race track without crashing all the time.
Again, i know there is more, but i hope i caught all the important things there.. Please feel free to respond and give me corrections or input - im still learning!
Lastly, I am a bit of a data geek and am trying to assemble a few graphs for everyone to illustrate performance of major RC products. I have started with Chassis - I would very much appreciate a few seconds of your time to fill out this rather small survey about any chassis you have or currently own. There will be a pretty graph at the end of this, so the more data the better! Find it here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...ZBNkE6MQ#gid=0
This week, it is all about RC Radios. There was quite a lot of information that came through last week, and thanks to everyone for that. The following is what I've gleaned so far:
First off, it is important to mention that for cars, most people use pistol grip radios. These are the ones which you have a trigger for the throttle and then a steering wheel for the steering. Having said that, some of the best drivers in the world use stick, but I tried it and it was very hard.
Secondly: in ye olde days, they used to use crystals to set frequency of operation. They still sell crystal radios and if you buy one, no worries - just make sure no one else on the track is going to be running the same crystal frequency as you. But most modern radios are 2.4GhZ - they automatically scan for an available frequency to get interference free fun with your car.
Thirdly, what you want from a radio is to give you as much SUBTLE control as possible. Your input into the car is all through your fingers and to start off with I was anything but subtle with my movements. I am still learning to be more delicate with my inputs, but having a good radio has made my fun-factor soar through the roof.
The following all relate to pistol grips, there are a few important things you need to consider:
Cost:
Obviously, you need to set a budget. Check with your bank account for dollars, the calendar for birthdays/anniversaries and then the significant other (or parents) after a nice dinner (your treat) for permission.
Number of channels:
For onroad, electric cars, you only need 2 or 3 max. I think with nitro another channel is useful, but i am not sure about this. I have a 3 channel radio and i havent figured out what to do with the 3rd channel yet.
Sub-trim:
OK, so once u install a servo (The thing that controls your steering), you will need to adjust it minutely to make sure the car travels in a straight line when you are not steering. you do this with sub-trim.
Model Memory:
Modern computer radios can 'bind' to many recievers and then remember their individual settings so you can use the one radio for many cars. This is a good thing. I doubt you will need more than 5 to start off with, but i think 10 model memory is a nice round number for future-proofing.
Latency/Responsiveness:
Now it starts to get interesting. The radio companies talk about latency, but while I understood what that meant technically (how long your input takes to get digitised and communicated to the reciever), i struggled to understand the effect it had on my driving. RCTech member Radio Active (holla!) really explained it well... most humans have a reaction time of 150-300ms. So that means if you need to steer, you take about a quarter of a second to process that info and then get your fingers to move appropriately. If a radio takes another say 50 ms to digitise it and send it accross, you will find it more challenging to be responsive to your environment. The lower the latency, the more delicate and subtle you can be with your car. This makes a difference to your driving.
Spring Tension:
Defines how easy it is to steer or pull throttle. Some more expensive models even have a graduated tension - i.e. it gets harder to pull the trigger the more you pull/turn it. This means it gives you far more 'feel' for what input you are giving the car. When checking yours, just make sure the trigger and steering dont feel 'mushy'. it should give some indication of tension and resistance when engaged. Also check the steering doesnt bounce back and forth if you let it go - it shud just go back to neutral without any bounce when you let it go.
Throttle throw:
How far the throttle trigger moves from rest to fully engaged. the longer the throttle throw, the more space you are given for control. More is better in this instance.
Steering Rate:
This is a linear tool that adjusts total steering lock on the wheels. this is way to make your steering adjustments more subtle.
Exponential Mapping:
This is a MUST and will majorly improve your driving. This is a computer function that allows you to be more delicate with the steering. Basically, it allows the minor adjustments to be smaller at the wheel, while the bigger adjustments get bigger at the wheel. http://www.rmfm.org/Exponential%20Graph%20-%20Soft.jpg
Throttle Travel:
Very similar to steering rate, but for throttle. This allows you to say how much full throttle on the radio engages the motor. if you set it to say 50%, this will mean that a full pull on the throttle will only mean the motor spins to 50%. this is a great way for beginners to get to know their car and how it responds on the race track without crashing all the time.
Again, i know there is more, but i hope i caught all the important things there.. Please feel free to respond and give me corrections or input - im still learning!
Lastly, I am a bit of a data geek and am trying to assemble a few graphs for everyone to illustrate performance of major RC products. I have started with Chassis - I would very much appreciate a few seconds of your time to fill out this rather small survey about any chassis you have or currently own. There will be a pretty graph at the end of this, so the more data the better! Find it here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...ZBNkE6MQ#gid=0
12-01-2012, 10:02 PM
#37
Not relevant in my eyes, I run a very soft steering tension, meaning if you let go it does bounce, but the reality there is you should never been letting go of the wheel in that way, you should be controlling your steering, and steering return in full.
12-01-2012, 11:56 PM
#39
And I've been around a few drivers that use the "let go of wheel to straighten up" method of driving, sounds like a wood pecker is on the drivers stand.
Cheers
Rob.
12-16-2012, 06:20 PM
#41
Hi All,
So after a couple of weeks (last week, i haven't pushed it too much - been busy wrapping up work) - got the survey results together...
I only have about 30 or so replies so far, so its hard to give very detailed numbers, but this is what i have so far (still working out a few kinks in google reporting like the dummy rows, etc). also remember some results will change with more data
These are also live graphs, so any updates should be reflected immediately... 'should' being the operative word:
Graph of Manufacturers by location
Graph of Manufacturer in each class
Are people buying new or used?
who drives what manufacturer?
I am also looking to get the following graphs, but lack data:
cost/value per model
trend of experience vs model -are more experienced people buying different models?
lots more, but need data -please help!
anyways, as always - feedback welcome...
Survey is live and awaiting your feedback here...
R,
So after a couple of weeks (last week, i haven't pushed it too much - been busy wrapping up work) - got the survey results together...
I only have about 30 or so replies so far, so its hard to give very detailed numbers, but this is what i have so far (still working out a few kinks in google reporting like the dummy rows, etc). also remember some results will change with more data
These are also live graphs, so any updates should be reflected immediately... 'should' being the operative word
:Graph of Manufacturers by location
Graph of Manufacturer in each class
Are people buying new or used?
who drives what manufacturer?
I am also looking to get the following graphs, but lack data:
cost/value per model
trend of experience vs model -are more experienced people buying different models?
lots more, but need data -please help!
anyways, as always - feedback welcome...
Survey is live and awaiting your feedback here...
R,
Last edited by mswamy; 12-16-2012 at 08:42 PM.
