What's the biggest advance/step backward you've seen in r/c over the last 15 years?
10-21-2012, 12:10 PM
#1
Tech Elite
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What's the biggest advance/step backward you've seen in r/c over the last 15 years?
As an r/c veteran of some 30+ years, I've seen a lot of stuff come and go, but some things have made a MASSIVE difference to the way we/I race.
Which is what this thread's all about... What is it that YOU think has made it better/easier for you?
And on the flip side, which things SUCK!
Here's a few that strike me (on the good side of the ledger)
1 - Lipos. Pretty obvious really. Massive capacity, easier to care for, huge performance. Remember the last of the Nimh? Half the time you'd get one heat and they'd pop!
2 - Brushless. Bye bye maintenance
3 - Multi outlet chargers. How'd I ever get by without my Quattro charger?
And what sucks?
1 - Boosted ESC's. Whoever invented them should be shot
2 - Cab Forward design off-road shells. They look UGLY and offer no advantage at all.
I've started it off, now it's your turn......
Which is what this thread's all about... What is it that YOU think has made it better/easier for you?
And on the flip side, which things SUCK!
Here's a few that strike me (on the good side of the ledger)
1 - Lipos. Pretty obvious really. Massive capacity, easier to care for, huge performance. Remember the last of the Nimh? Half the time you'd get one heat and they'd pop!
2 - Brushless. Bye bye maintenance
3 - Multi outlet chargers. How'd I ever get by without my Quattro charger?
And what sucks?
1 - Boosted ESC's. Whoever invented them should be shot
2 - Cab Forward design off-road shells. They look UGLY and offer no advantage at all.
I've started it off, now it's your turn......
10-21-2012, 12:25 PM
#2
Tech Regular
LiPos, Brushless and 2.4Ghz. That's about it.
What sucks? That some people still can't drive
What sucks? That some people still can't drive
10-21-2012, 12:35 PM
#3
I disagree.
Boosted ESC's have been the best thing, then 2.4, Lipos.
What sucks?
Blinky mode, and all the timing in the world, with ESC's that arent true 0 timing, and all the motors with ridiculous endbell timing for "stock", rotor strengths, diameters.
Boosted ESC's have been the best thing, then 2.4, Lipos.
What sucks?
Blinky mode, and all the timing in the world, with ESC's that arent true 0 timing, and all the motors with ridiculous endbell timing for "stock", rotor strengths, diameters.
10-21-2012, 12:49 PM
#4
Originally Posted by R3VoLuTiOn
with ESC's that arent true 0 timing
Brushless and LiPo are the biggest change in the hobby, no doubt about it. They have given consistent performance to every racer - we were just talking about it today as we sat down with nothing to do to our cars - "Remember when people would come racing with five fresh motors to use on each run? Remember when people would go through 10 packs of cells in a season?"
I also think that the extreme precision with which current cars are made and set up is a big difference. Whereas 10 years ago, moving a part by 3mm was considered a small change, now moving it by 0.5mm is considered a big change!
10-21-2012, 01:58 PM
#7
Tech Regular
good..............all the electronics
bad...............control tyres on dish wheels.
Bb
bad...............control tyres on dish wheels.
Bb
10-21-2012, 03:10 PM
#9
I am just getting back into racing RC cars after an eight year hiatus. I've still been flying my planes in that time. I just bought an AE TC6.1 WC recently and put it together last night. This car is a HUGE improvement over cars I've had in the past. Very precise.
The biggest improvement of all, is LiPo batteries. 2.4GHz radios is probably close behind. I used to race and fly nitro only. I never wanted to mess with the hassle of the electric stuff. These days, I don't want to mess with nitro because it's a lot bigger hassle! I've been looking at my nitro airplanes and wondering how I can convert them to electric.
The biggest improvement of all, is LiPo batteries. 2.4GHz radios is probably close behind. I used to race and fly nitro only. I never wanted to mess with the hassle of the electric stuff. These days, I don't want to mess with nitro because it's a lot bigger hassle! I've been looking at my nitro airplanes and wondering how I can convert them to electric.
10-21-2012, 03:14 PM
#10
I've been in the hobby for 26 years. Apart from the things mentioned above, I would also add that one of the biggest advances in that time has been 2.2 inch wheels & tyres for off road cars. Pick up a rear wheel and tyre from today and compare it to a 1.9 " rim and Yokomo or Tamiya tyre that we used in the past - massive difference.
(Yes, I know this is the on road forum. Just adding to the list).
(Yes, I know this is the on road forum. Just adding to the list).
10-21-2012, 03:22 PM
#11
Originally Posted by sosidge
Sounds like someone else fell for all the trackside rumours...
Brushless and LiPo are the biggest change in the hobby, no doubt about it. They have given consistent performance to every racer - we were just talking about it today as we sat down with nothing to do to our cars - "Remember when people would come racing with five fresh motors to use on each run? Remember when people would go through 10 packs of cells in a season !
Brushless and LiPo are the biggest change in the hobby, no doubt about it. They have given consistent performance to every racer - we were just talking about it today as we sat down with nothing to do to our cars - "Remember when people would come racing with five fresh motors to use on each run? Remember when people would go through 10 packs of cells in a season !
I don't miss the battery wars or the battery make of the month. I don't miss all the comm cutting and brush and spring work of those days either.
Blinky or boosted? All the same to me. Tune the motor or ESC, all the same. Boosting was by far less expensive for me because I had a Tekin to start with. Can't beat free firmware upgrades.
10-21-2012, 06:14 PM
#12
I only jumped in 4 years ago, so I waltzed in on the tail end of nimh, 27mhz and brushed motors. I'm really glad I missed that. The little taste I got was crap compared to today.
2.4, lipo and brushless make this much more affordable and easy.
2.4, lipo and brushless make this much more affordable and easy.
10-21-2012, 06:47 PM
#15
Tech Master
iTrader: (13)
I just got into electric racing about a year ago after having been out of the hobby since early 2003. I mostly raced gas on-road in the past. The biggest thing that jumped out @ me was the 2.4ghz radios. Waiting for your freq clip to return to the board, getting shifted to a different freq right before your next qual because the resort put someone else in your heat on the same freq, etc... all that sucked.
As far as other changes over the past 15 years... Personal transponders.... same as the above, but with the track's handout transponders... that sucked too.
As far as other changes over the past 15 years... Personal transponders.... same as the above, but with the track's handout transponders... that sucked too.
