Just been given this to fix... gonna need some help tho!!!

[Stigtheone]

Ok so I’ve just been given this little monster, by the name of Bugsta- there’s some of the wiring loom melted and a plug that’s badly half repaired!
The cooling fan spins when you turn it on but apparently the digital receiver smokes when you try to run it. I’m digging out some batteries for the controller to test it but I don’t even know where the plugs are supposed to go atm- just as well I’ve got the manuals with it too!!!
So I’ll definitely be back here picking peoples brains on what to do as I have no experience of electric RC stuff!!!

 

[pug]

Ok so I’ve just been given this little monster, by the name of Bugsta- there’s some of the wiring loom melted and a plug that’s badly half repaired!
The cooling fan spins when you turn it on but apparently the digital receiver smokes when you try to run it. I’m digging out some batteries for the controller to test it but I don’t even know where the plugs are supposed to go atm- just as well I’ve got the manuals with it too!!!
So I’ll definitely be back here picking peoples brains on what to do as I have no experience of electric RC stuff!!!

The esc might’ve fried the reciever or the reciever is just bad.

 

[Stigtheone]

The esc might’ve fried the reciever or the reciever is just bad.

The receiver is defo fried, there’s a hole straight through the back and some of the wires are melted and broken... think it’s gonna be worth salvaging?

 

[pug]

The receiver is defo fried, there’s a hole straight through the back and some of the wires are melted and broken... think it’s gonna be worth salvaging?

It should be a cheap fix, if you can find the correct receiver, use that, if not, buy a DumboRC TX/RX, they are cheap and good.

 

[Stigtheone]

It should be a cheap fix, if you can find the correct receiver, use that, if not, buy a DumboRC TX/RX, they are cheap and good.

So there’s two sets of white red and black wires, one set from the steering servo and one set from the esc. The ones from the esc are the ones that look fried, the black one in particular. Will this mean the esc is also dead?
Have to add on the plug for the three smaller gauge wires that go to the battery (not the fat bigger gauge ones) there is one that is brown at the pin (the red wire)

 

[pug]

So there’s two sets of white red and black wires, one set from the steering servo and one set from the esc. The ones from the esc are the ones that look fried, the black one in particular. Will this mean the esc is also dead?
Have to add on the plug for the three smaller gauge wires that go to the battery (not the fat bigger gauge ones) there is one that is brown at the pin (the red wire)

It might be possible to fix the esc wire by cutting and soldering on a new wire but that isn’t guaranteed to work. At that point I don’t think it’s worth it, it’s also a Chinese brand so part availability is scarce.

 

[tntpoof]

unplug main battery 1st
do you have a charger to charge that battery ?
if you do charge it
do you have a volt meter also called a vom .voltage ohm meter.
if you do id check esc to see if bec is working... you will need to set vom to dc on like 10 volt range. does it read voltage when turned on..if so then id replace rx plug..like 5 volts or so on rx esc plug wire black and red wire.

 

[Monster Slash]

Receivers

 

[tntpoof]

upgrade to 2.4 maybe even use and existing radio ...

 

[WickedFog]

You can get a Flysky GT3B for around $45. Great radio for the price, and receivers are pretty cheap when you add another RC yo your collection.

 

[STONER RC]

So there’s two sets of white red and black wires, one set from the steering servo and one set from the esc. The ones from the esc are the ones that look fried, the black one in particular. Will this mean the esc is also dead?
Have to add on the plug for the three smaller gauge wires that go to the battery (not the fat bigger gauge ones) there is one that is brown at the pin (the red wire)

Ok so the reciver is fried. The little set of wire from the esc white red black. Is basically the servo wires. But for the esc(speed controller) like the throttle servo on nitro.. is that plug good. You can cut those back to where the wire is good. And resolder new wires for it then add the plug. I would save the pins in the plug or cut of plug with enough wire to resolder too.. the little wires off battery are most likely your balance wires. Which can be fixed as well.. the reciver and radio. Is it digital or analog? Due they have chip/crystals? Do you have the radio? If not a new flysky gt3b is your best option. Just picked one up my self for the duratrax. 39$ with a reciver. And like WICKED said you can run up to 10 other vehicles with the flysky.. just need to get the reciver. Which are only 8$. Or 20 for 2 waterproof recivers.. I would fix it all day it's only electrical correct? And that's just time and wires.. plus 40$ for the TX and a RX... you know how to solder so do it up... I would all day... some soldering and some 16awg wire you are all set bud... you will need a charger for the lipo I believe or is that battery a nimh. Seems lipo if you have two sets of wires. Red black the 3 other wire attached to battery... will be here to help no worries fix it fix it..

 

[Stigtheone]

unplug main battery 1st
do you have a charger to charge that battery ?
if you do charge it
do you have a volt meter also called a vom .voltage ohm meter.
if you do id check esc to see if bec is working... you will need to set vom to dc on like 10 volt range. does it read voltage when turned on..if so then id replace rx plug..like 5 volts or so on rx esc plug wire black and red wire.

Thanks bud, I’ve got a multimeter so can check voltages, but you’ll have to explain a little clearer as I don’t know the abbreviations for each part yet- this is the first electric rc I’ve played with so far!!!

You can get a Flysky GT3B for around $45. Great radio for the price, and receivers are pretty cheap when you add another RC yo your collection.

Can’t I get a receiver that will work with the controller it came with? I believe it’s 2.4 ghz already, that’s pretty much where my knowledge ends so far bud haha

Ok so the reciver is fried. The little set of wire from the esc white red black. Is basically the servo wires. But for the esc(speed controller) like the throttle servo on nitro.. is that plug good. You can cut those back to where the wire is good. And resolder new wires for it then add the plug. I would save the pins in the plug or cut of plug with enough wire to resolder too.. the little wires off battery are most likely your balance wires. Which can be fixed as well.. the reciver and radio. Is it digital or analog? Due they have chip/crystals? Do you have the radio? If not a new flysky gt3b is your best option. Just picked one up my self for the duratrax. 39$ with a reciver. And like WICKED said you can run up to 10 other vehicles with the flysky.. just need to get the reciver. Which are only 8$. Or 20 for 2 waterproof recivers.. I would fix it all day it's only electrical correct? And that's just time and wires.. plus 40$ for the TX and a RX... you know how to solder so do it up... I would all day... some soldering and some 16awg wire you are all set bud... you will need a charger for the lipo I believe or is that battery a nimh. Seems lipo if you have two sets of wires. Red black the 3 other wire attached to battery... will be here to help no worries fix it fix it..

You’re talking to a total electric noob here mate haha but yeah I’ve got the battery charger and controller it came with and it’s a 2.4 ghz type as I said to wicked, and yeah I can solder so can easily replace all the damaged wiring! Will it have to be the exact gauge or can I use a slightly bigger one as I’ve got plenty here that’s a bit bigger that those red/white/black wires. The servo wires seem good, it’s the red/white/black wires from the esc that are fried- all the plugs are ok and the esc powers up and the fan works if I turn it on along with the motor flicking and beeping twice (I guess that’s a check it does itself when turned on).
But as I said to tnt I’m not up on all the names and abbreviations for the parts yet so you’ll have to treat me like a simpleton when explaining things lol

It might be possible to fix the esc wire by cutting and soldering on a new wire but that isn’t guaranteed to work. At that point I don’t think it’s worth it, it’s also a Chinese brand so part availability is scarce.

Can defo solder new wires bud, just wondering why it’s fried them in the first place?

 

[Greywolf74]

So there’s two sets of white red and black wires, one set from the steering servo and one set from the esc. The ones from the esc are the ones that look fried, the black one in particular. Will this mean the esc is also dead?

If I had to take an educated guess Id say your ESC is fried. More than likely its what took out the receiver in the first place. You can try and replace the connector and see if it still works but you might lose another receiver doing that. Your call. If you choose to replace the ESC you can get a Hobbywing ESC which is a decent budget brand. You can get the 10BL60 SD which is just adequate for that kit on 2S LiPo (which is what it comes with) but personally for like $8USD more you can get the 10BL120 SD which can handle twice as much current. Who knows, one day if you ever wanted to give the Bugsta a kick in the rear, you could put a higher KV (faster) motor in it and that ESC would be able to handle it. The 10BL60 can't handle much more than the 2950kv motor thats in it already.

Have to add on the plug for the three smaller gauge wires that go to the battery (not the fat bigger gauge ones) there is one that is brown at the pin (the red wire)

The plug you are referring to here is called the balance plug. This plug is plugged in to the lipo charger so that the charger can make sure the 2 cells inside the battery are charged evenly so one doesn't get over charged/over discharged. That and checking cell voltages are the only things this plug is used for. Take your volt meter and take a DC voltage reading of the red wire and the wire in the middle which appears to be the black wire. Then measure the voltage from the middle (black) wire and the last (blue) wire and let us know what the readings are. This will give us a rough idea if the battery is any good or not. Also make sure the lipo feels solid and flat. If its squishy or puffy then its no good.

You will need a lipo charger to charge that battery. I'm assuming you dont have one yet. Personally I recommend the Hitec X2 AC Plus. Its not the cheapest charger around but its extremely capable for the money. Other people will offer other recommendations but we can discuss that later when your ready to buy one.

Just FYI, You can buy extensions for the balance plugs to make it easier to plug into the charger cuz the lead on the battery is quite short.

If you're saying that you need to replace the plug on the battery because of the scorch mark, you can do that. The connector is called a JST-XH connector. You may not need to though. It looks like the plug is still probably functional, assuming that the wires and the plug inside are still intact. Something shorted that out though at one point which makes me question the batteries integrity but lets see what the volt meter reads on each of the cells and go from there.

Can’t I get a receiver that will work with the controller it came with? I believe it’s 2.4 ghz already, that’s pretty much where my knowledge ends so far bud haha

The manufacturers website has a few replacement parts for that car but a receiver isnt one of them unfortunately. This is often the case with cheap Chinesium RCs. What parts are available can be found HERE.

I believe you can buy the receiver from the manufacturer of the radio though. Check and see if THIS is your radio. If it is then the receiver is also on that page below it.

I second the vote for a Flysky GT3b as a good budget radio option. Receivers for it are cheap ($10 USD) and you can use the same radio on as many as 10 different RCs provided you have a Flysky receiver for each car you want to control.

 

[biggman100]

If I had to take an educated guess Id say your ESC is fried. More than likely its what took out the receiver in the first place. You can try and replace the connector and see if it still works but you might lose another receiver doing that. Your call. If you choose to replace the ESC you can get a Hobbywing ESC which is a decent budget brand. You can get the 10BL60 SD which is just adequate for that kit on 2S LiPo (which is what it comes with) but personally for like $8USD more you can get the 10BL120 SD which can handle twice as much current. Who knows, one day if you ever wanted to give the Bugsta a kick in the rear, you could put a higher KV (faster) motor in it and that ESC would be able to handle it. The 10BL60 can't handle much more than the 2950kv motor thats in it already.

While i mostly agree with this, i would go a slightly different route. Look for a Redcat Racing rebranded HobbyWing ESC. They are listed on eBay as the WP 10BL60-RTR ($45 or less) and WP 10BL120-RTR (around $58). They are the only ones i use, and they will both run 2S and 3S, and are a bit more forgiving to motor KV, just make sure to follow the specs in the instructions. As for that motor, i would toss it. That motor was also used in the HobbyKing Quanam Vandal (quite a few of the vehicles HobbyKing used to sell were FTX knock-offs or rebrands. The Vantage buggy on the cover of the manual you have is also the HobbyKing Quanam Vandal. I have 3 of them, and parts are never available for HobbyKing and FTX stuff) and some of the Exceed RC cars. I burnt 4 ESC's using those motors before i quit using them, and started looking for 3650 sized 3300KV to 3800KV motor's on eBay. If that motor is the smaller 540 sized, you can find them just as easily from many companies and sellers on eBay cheap. I would replace pretty much all the electronics except the servo, unless it fried that too.

 

[STONER RC]

Thanks bud, I’ve got a multimeter so can check voltages, but you’ll have to explain a little clearer as I don’t know the abbreviations for each part yet- this is the first electric rc I’ve played with so far!!!

Can’t I get a receiver that will work with the controller it came with? I believe it’s 2.4 ghz already, that’s pretty much where my knowledge ends so far bud haha

You’re talking to a total electric noob here mate haha but yeah I’ve got the battery charger and controller it came with and it’s a 2.4 ghz type as I said to wicked, and yeah I can solder so can easily replace all the damaged wiring! Will it have to be the exact gauge or can I use a slightly bigger one as I’ve got plenty here that’s a bit bigger that those red/white/black wires. The servo wires seem good, it’s the red/white/black wires from the esc that are fried- all the plugs are ok and the esc powers up and the fan works if I turn it on along with the motor flicking and beeping twice (I guess that’s a check it does itself when turned on).
But as I said to tnt I’m not up on all the names and abbreviations for the parts yet so you’ll have to treat me like a simpleton when explaining things lol

Can defo solder new wires bud, just wondering why it’s fried them in the first place?

Ok so when I said servo wires I didn't mean the actual servo. I ment the esc wires that look like the servo wires.. those are fired correct? Which the esc plugs into channel 2 in reciver. By the looks of your reciver I bet you flip over cover channel 2 will be over the top of burnt spot.. which might mean your esc is fired. Like said above.. I wouldn't use bigger wire. Stay with what is on them. Should be 10awg I believe.. try to match best you can. And that is a lipo you can't use a regular Ole charger. You need a lipo charger with balance boards for the white plug with the 3 wires on battery.. look into 2s to 3s esc's.. what type of radio is it. Would have to see if you can find a reciver to match up with the radio.... before anything else pull it all out of car. So can bet a better look at things. So can better help you bud. To much of a mess going on...

 

[WickedFog]

Can’t I get a receiver that will work with the controller it came with? I believe it’s 2.4 ghz already, that’s pretty much where my knowledge ends so far bud haha

You can, if you can find one. But the GT3B can be used for up to 10 models and is a really good controller for the money.

 

[STONER RC]

Yeah but you got to find one. What kind of controller you have. Or a reviver that will bind with it.. this was 39$ with a reciver.

 

[biggman100]

Can’t I get a receiver that will work with the controller it came with? I believe it’s 2.4 ghz already, that’s pretty much where my knowledge ends so far bud haha

It depends on the actual radio. If it is the same one that FTX and HobbyKing sold with their RTR stuff typically, then it is just a rebranded FlySky radio. Without a pic of the radio and the label though, i couldnt begin to tell you which receiver would match it. If it is the FS-GT2B or GT3, those receivers are less than $20 each for the waterproof version. Does it look like this one:

Is it a 2, 3, 4 or 6 channel receiver?
Or is it this one:

 

[STONER RC]

You can look at reciver and car..It's a two channel.. the esc and servo thats it... I would be buying new electronics to be safe..

 

[Stigtheone]

Thanks for all the pointers peeps, @biggman100 @WickedFog @StonerRC365 this is the controller it came with, says etronix pulse on it, I can find the replacement receiver on eBay straight away so that isn’t a problem, £12 delivered- the esc is available too but it’s £45 delivered (yikes lol)

@Greywolf74 i have the correct charger that came with the car, basically have everything it came with here. The battery voltages are;
Red/black 8.36v
Blue/Black 4.16v
I guess that’s a problem?
Also the battery is in a plastic bonded case, it MAY be very very slightly pushed out at the centre but that could be how it came for all I know as it’s so slight I could be just imagining it! Is it worth popping open? Or is that a bit dodgy lol

@StonerRC365 Yeah that’s the wires that are burned my apologies I don’t know Jack about these electric RCs yet! And the receiver has a hole right between (and behind) the signal LED and VCC port if that means anything to you bud?

I get the feeling this may not be worth the money it will take to fix it, if it needs new battery, esc and receiver especially when I’m trying to sort the two nitro cars I have already haha starting to see how this hobby gets expensive lol
another thin I’ve noticed as I’m stripping it down, is this stuff in the front diff- it’s almost rock solid like epoxy putty, not at all like grease, surely this isn’t right?