Have Vintage Kidsmate Car with no Transmitter, Help!

[BigEE]

Hi, i won a vintage RC car made by Kidsmate (China). The car is in excellent condition but has no transmitter! From what i read it's from the late 80's or early 90's. It is a 27mhz model. The car takes 8 AA batteries. I put some new batteries in and it didnt
do anything. So i dont know how to test! Is there a generic controller that will work with it? I do have a 27mhz for a MA Toys car but it didnt work!

 

[Suburban_Hooligan]

there are several different frequencies on 27mhz. for example, 27.025 and 27.145. they are both 27mhz but won't communicate with each other. both radio and car have to be exact matches. you'll have to find out exactly what frequency the car is.
i did this in the very early 2000's with a Nikko buggy. i opened the buggy up and found the frequency crystal on the board, the frequency was printed on it. i had a 27mhz HPI radio, i put a matching crystal in the radio and was able to control the car (although i remember throttle/break response was a little weird)

 

[BigEE]

there are several different frequencies on 27mhz. for example, 27.025 and 27.145. they are both 27mhz but won't communicate with each other. both radio and car have to be exact matches. you'll have to find out exactly what frequency the car is.
i did this in the very early 2000's with a Nikko buggy. i opened the buggy up and found the frequency crystal on the board, the frequency was printed on it. i had a 27mhz HPI radio, i put a matching crystal in the radio and was able to control the car (although i remember throttle/break response was a little weird)

So i managed to get the chassis off. There is some green powdery buildup on the ground screw and looks like the yellow wire broke off? I'm not sure if was attached to anything. I see no frequency number! Is this car worth repairing or throw away? I'm a noob with RC cars as you can tell.

 

[-zapper-]

you can clean up that corrosion with a wire brush and some alcohol and resolder or even use a crimp connector to reattach the yellow wire. Is there any stickers under the car that might say ch 27 band 1-6? Maybe inside the battery compartment? Sometimes the frequency sticker is color coded.

 

[Suburban_Hooligan]

I'm assuming the green powdery stuff is on the back of a battery terminal. its corrosion,. usually caused by battery acid. usually not a good sign. but can be cleaned up with a wire brush.
I'm not seeing a frequency crystal on there. so it ether uses something I'm not familiar with, or maybe its on the bottom of the board?
its hard to tell where the yellow wire came from, I'm guessing battery terminal(?)
i wouldn't trash it, it does look kinda cool. id get creative, put a hobby grade ESC (electric speed control) in it, a modern radio/receiver, steering servo. find a way to mount a modern battery pack in it. just use the stock motor. wouldn't break any performance records but it would be something fun to fart around with. probably work better than it would with the stock electrics. you would just need a small bit of fabrication skills. i did that to a Nikko High Roller Camaro monster truck about 20 years ago.

 

[-zapper-]

I've read that the most common 27mhz channel used in old toy grade rc cars is channel 4 (yellow) 27.145mhz. If you can find a cheap old transmitter it might be worth trying. The alternative is you can replace the electronics with modern gear. It's a nice looking little car

 

[WickedFog]

If I had to guess, that solder joint had flux on it and not cleaned off afterwards. Get some electronics cleaner and clean it up. That yellow wire should be connected there I believe (the length and routing would seem so), but you will have to inspect it to be sure. Or battery leakage.

Clean that corrosion corrosion with white vinegar. Let it bubble and fizz and do its work. Then clean with alcohol. That should be the battery terminal.

As far as the frequency, doing some research, it seems 90% of Kidsmate RC's default to the 27.145 (Yellow) frequency. There are some radios on ebay with that specific frequency, but it is a crap shoot whether or not they will work.
| Channel | Color | Frequency |
| :-------- | :------ | :----------- |
| Channel 1 | Brown | 26.995 MHz |
| Channel 2 | Red | 27.045 MHz |
| Channel 3 | Orange | 27.095 MHz |
| Channel 4 | Yellow | 27.145 MHz |
| Channel 5 | Green | 27.195 MHz |
| Channel 6 | Blue | 27.255 MHz |

 

[WickedFog]

You can adjust the tuning coil if you get a radio that doesn't talk to the receiver. This is the tuning coil. They are super sensitive, so mark the position of the screw in the center and only turn ever so slightly to try and match your transmitter. baby steps.

 

[CertifiedMike]

If you can't get the original chassis to run, I'd put that body on a different rc. It looks pretty cool!

Welcome to RC and welcome to RCTALK.COM!

Vintage RC can be tricky to find parts for some times but are a lot of fun too.
Good luck with your project!!!