Friday, February 27, 2015

TINY! The ECX BeatBox and KickFlip 1/36 Vehicles

ECX - BeatBox and KickFlip 1-36 Vehicles_1 copy

Go big by driving small with the ECX® 1/36-scale KickFlip™ Buggy. This tiny intimidator delivers massive thrills with the same durability that has made ECX vehicles standout among bashers, all at a price that won’t break the bank. This vehicle comes loaded with everything you need to drive and include features that come standard on bigger, more expensive trucks. You’ll get the reliability of a 2.4GHz transmitter with quick charger integration so you can get driving ASAP. You can even challenge a friend to race or bash without having to worry about signal interference or loosing precision while driving from afar. With slow/fast throttle settings and reverse functionality, the KickFlip Buggy delivers convenient driving fun whenever you want to put the pedal to the medal.

Features

  • Completely ready-to-run with everything needed to drive in one box
  • 2.4GHz transmitter with integrated quick charger
  • Forward and reverse operation
  • Internal high-capacity 1S LiPo (3.7V) battery
  • Chassis includes an opening for convenient charging
  • Slow and fast driving settings
  • Pod style rear suspension
  • Eye-catching ECX® body
  • Includes four “AAA” batteries

 

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

LiPo Pioneers – MaxAmps Turns 10!

This year MaxAmps is celebrating their 10th anniversary of making lithium polymer batteries for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and RC markets. The company has won many industry awards including best battery for the past seven years and is now the emerging leader in the UAV market.

The company began in Else’s 2 car garage, where he would build battery packs after coming home from work as a mortgage broker. Else’s wife, Shannon answered phone calls and shipped out packages from the living room during the day.

MaxAmps_10 copy

“Sometimes I would be building batteries till two or three in the morning and then going to work the next day as a mortgage broker,” Else said.

Else started out building NiMh and NiCd batteries for the RC Airplane market and moved into the RC Car market quickly.

“We were the very first company to offer lithium polymer batteries for the RC Car market,” Else explained. “Lithium polymer batteries offered many benefits over the NiMh and NiCd cells, including higher energy density and higher voltage under load.”

Else said passion is what makes his company great.
“My favorite thing is working in an industry that I am passionate about,” Else said. “Work never feels like work when you love what you do.”

It’s also not unusual to see a few RC vehicles, including cars, trucks and multi-rotors buzzing around at MaxAmps during business hours.

“It is a very fun place to work as all the employees are also hobbyists themselves,” Else said.
The USA-based company will continue to assemble all of their battery packs in the USA in order to create the best quality batteries.

“Building our packs here in the USA also allows us to custom build a battery that is the perfect solution for our customers’ specific needs,” Else said.

Looking forward, MaxAmps will continue to focus on building the world’s best battery, offering the very best customer service in the industry, and creating a “raving” MaxAmps fan-base.

“Our goal is to remain the number one source for high quality lithium batteries for both the UAV and RC market and continue to grow every year,” Else said.

Author by : Dean Berry

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Getting Started In RC Car Racing

Whether you're nine or ninety, if you love cars and enjoy tinkering with things, you'll get hours of enjoyment and excitement from RC cars. But there are a lot of things involved in getting to the race, and if you're new to RC vehicles and RC racing, you've probably got a lot of questions.

There's a lot to choose from when it come to RC's, and if you're a newcomer, you may need help choosing off and on-road, electric or nitro remote control cars. The more you know about RC cars, the better you'll be able to choose the right vehicle for you.

Most people don't realize just how exciting RC vehicles have become-the hobby quality RC cars made and raced today have can get up to speeds of 60 mph and feature suspension systems that can be tuned just like a real car. Perhaps the most exciting part is the wide variety of types of RC vehicles: you can drive a race car, run a monster truck on dirt tracks or even fly a plane!

Because of this, though, you should consider just what you plan to use your RC for before you decide to buy. On-road or racing cars are made for speed, while off-road vehicles like buggies are mean to take more rugged terrain. Plus, you can choose to buy your RC ready to run out of the box or as a kit to build it yourself. These and many other aspects are important to know before you buy your first RC.

There are RC cars and trucks for every kind of driver: nitro engines for the speed demon, reliable ready to run electric cars for touring, and for the advanced, even planes to fly. The electric cars run quietly and so are better suited to run right in your neighborhood, while the nitro motors give you the real feel of the racetrack. What you buy should depend on your experience-choose your RC according to your experience to avoid frustration later on.

Something to keep in mind from the outset is that RC vehicles are a high-end hobby, and can get quite expensive. If you plan to race your car, there are additional costs that come with competition. But if you're prepared for the cost, and if you make your purchases carefully, you'll be rewarded with an amazing new hobby whose rewards certainly outweigh the cost. These are the decisions that need to be made before you buy:

o Do you want a ready to run car or do you want build your own?
o Do you want an on-road or an off-road RC vehicle?
o Which is right for you- a nitro or an electric RC?
o What type of RC vehicle do you want- and what size?

No matter what you decide, if you keep your own experience and commitment level in mind, you'll be certain to get the car that's right for you.

Whether you race them or just tinker with their engines, RC cars are a great hobby for kids of all ages. Though it might seem overwhelming at first, you'll find that the most you work on your car and the more times you race, the more fun and exciting this hobby can be!

The Race Is On!Whether you're nine or ninety, if you love cars and enjoy tinkering with things, you'll get hours of enjoyment and excitement from RC cars. But there are a lot of things involved in getting to the race, and if you're new to RC vehicles and RC racing, you've probably got a lot of questions.

There's a lot to choose from when it come to RC's, and if you're a newcomer, you may need help choosing off and on-road, electric or nitro remote control cars. The more you know about RC cars, the better you'll be able to choose the right vehicle for you.

Most people don't realize just how exciting RC vehicles have become-the hobby quality RC cars made and raced today have can get up to speeds of 60 mph and feature suspension systems that can be tuned just like a real car. Perhaps the most exciting part is the wide variety of types of RC vehicles: you can drive a race car, run a monster truck on dirt tracks or even fly a plane!

Because of this, though, you should consider just what you plan to use your RC for before you decide to buy. On-road or racing cars are made for speed, while off-road vehicles like buggies are mean to take more rugged terrain. Plus, you can choose to buy your RC ready to run out of the box or as a kit to build it yourself. These and many other aspects are important to know before you buy your first RC.

There are RC cars and trucks for every kind of driver: nitro engines for the speed demon, reliable ready to run electric cars for touring, and for the advanced, even planes to fly. The electric cars run quietly and so are better suited to run right in your neighborhood, while the nitro motors give you the real feel of the racetrack. What you buy should depend on your experience-choose your RC according to your experience to avoid frustration later on.

Something to keep in mind from the outset is that RC vehicles are a high-end hobby, and can get quite expensive. If you plan to race your car, there are additional costs that come with competition. But if you're prepared for the cost, and if you make your purchases carefully, you'll be rewarded with an amazing new hobby whose rewards certainly outweigh the cost. These are the decisions that need to be made before you buy:

o Do you want a ready to run car or do you want build your own?
o Do you want an on-road or an off-road RC vehicle?
o Which is right for you- a nitro or an electric RC?
o What type of RC vehicle do you want- and what size?

No matter what you decide, if you keep your own experience and commitment level in mind, you'll be certain to get the car that's right for you.

Whether you race them or just tinker with their engines, RC cars are a great hobby for kids of all ages. Though it might seem overwhelming at first, you'll find that the most you work on your car and the more times you race, the more fun and exciting this hobby can be!

The Race Is On!

About the Author:

Cal Golden is an avid RC car enthusiast and webmaster of the RC Car Station. Race on over and find out why rc cars are taking the hobby world by storm. http://rc-cars.niche-armada.com

Monday, February 23, 2015

RC Cars| ** DISPOSAL OF LIPO BATTERIES ** From Thunder Power RC

Unlike NiCd batteries, lithium-polymer batteries are environmentally friendly.  For safety reasons, it’s best that LiPo cells be fully discharged before disposal (however, if physically damaged it is NOT recommended to discharge LiPo cells before disposal -see below for details). The batteries must also be cool before proceeding with disposal instructions. To dispose of LiPo cells and packs:

  1. If any LiPo cell in the pack has been physically damaged, resulting in a swollen cell or a split or tear in a cell’s foil covering, do NOT discharge the battery. Jump to step 5.
  2. Place the LiPo battery in a fireproof container or bucket of sand.
  3. Connect the battery to a LiPo discharger. Set the discharge cutoff voltage to the lowest possible value. Set the discharge current to a C/10 value, with “C” being the capacity rating of the pack. For example, the “1C” rating for a 1200mAh battery is 1.2A, and that battery’s C/10 current value is (1.2A / 10) can be used, such as a power resistor or set of light bulbs as long as the discharge current doesn’t exceed the C/10 value and cause an overheating condition. For LiPo packs rated at 7.4V and 11.1V , connect a 150 ohm resistor with a power rating of 2 watts (commonly found at Radio Shack)to the pack’s positive and negative terminals to safely discharge connecting it to an ESC/ motor system and allowing the motor to run indefinitely until no power remains to further cause the system to function.
  4. Discharge the battery until its voltage reaches 1.0V per cell or lower. For resistive load type discharges, discharge the battery for up to 24 hours.
  5. Submerse the battery into bucket or tub of salt water. This container should have a lid, but it should not need to be air-tight. Prepare a plastic container (do not use metal) of cold water. And mix in 1/2 cup of salt per gallon of water. Drop the battery into the salt water. Allow the battery to remain in the tub of salt water for at least 2 weeks.
  6. Remove the LiPo battery from the salt water, wrap it in newspaper or paper towels and place it in the normal trash. They are landfill safe.

Thank you to the people at www.thunderpowerrc.com for this article.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

APEX Scion Racing tC Ready-To-Run

Brushless Powered All Wheel Drive Ready to Run

Built on the all-wheel-drive Apex chassis, the Scion Racing tC Rocket Bunny replica comes fully assembled and Ready-to-Run with factory installed Reedy brushless power and a Reedy WolfPack 6-cell battery wired with a High Current T-Plug.

Additional features include the XP water-resistant speed control and XP 2.4GHz radio system. The front and rear sealed metal gear differentials are connected together with a tough aluminum drive shaft that handles all of the Reedy brushless power. Imperfections in the road are managed by four adjustable fluid-filled coil-over tuned shocks. 

The high grip treaded racing tires are mounted on scale replica 5-Spoke hex drive wheels featuring detailed brake rotors and calipers. Topping it all off is the factory finished Scion Racing tC Rocket Bunny body that replicates the details of Fredric Aasbo's Hankook Racing Scion tC, built by Papadakis Racing, which has become one of the most competitive cars on the Formula Drift circuit! 

This vehicle may need extra parts to make it operational. Click on the SPECS tab above to see what's already included and what extra equipment you may need to make the vehicle operational, such as motor and battery pack.


Features
  • Fully assembled Ready-To-Run all-wheel-drive chassis that accepts NiMH or LiPo type batteries
  • Scion Racing tC Rocket Bunny replica body
  • 5-spoke wheels come mounted with high-grip racing tires and feature detailed brake components
  • Powerful Reedy 3300kV 540 brushless motor
  • Water-resistant XP brushless speed control with High Current T-plug connector (2S-3S LiPo compatible)
  • XP 2.4GHz radio system with XP digital metal gear steering servo
  • Reedy WolfPack 6-cell NiMH battery with T-plug connector and AC peak detection wall charger included
  • Adjustable fluid-filled coil-over tuned shock absorbers
  • Metal gear transmission with sealed differentials
  • Steel CVA drive axles front and rear
  • Metric hardware and ball bearings throughout
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