Nitro Car with a brain?

[El Pirata]

I have been pondering this one for a couple of days. How long do you guys really think it will take for the nitro cars to have an internal computer brain inside them? All of our radio receivers have boards in them but this is nothing more than the board telling the servos what to do. I was thinking along the lines of a board that say controls the amount of fuel into the engine. The needles would be replaced from a conventional way of thinking to a new setting internally on say an LCD screen. Set your hsn +2 your msn +1 and your lsn -3.

Think this it too far fetched? Doubtful? Let's use another hobby I used to have as an example, paintball. When I started in the mid 80s all the markers were pumps, then semi autos hit the market and finally the electro pneumatic markers took over the sport.

I am very sure long before my life is over we will see rc cars that have a board in them. Base models will have just basic settings. The ones will all the buzzers and whistles will probably have average run time, temp, timers, seasonal settings, altitude settings and so forth.

Like I said, it's just something that's been nagging my mind for a few days and I thought I would share this thought with you.

 

[FastEddy]

Here is a good start.
http://eagletreesystems.com/CarDataRecorderProductInfo.htm
Its a data system recorder.

Records RPM/speed, temperature, steering/throttle movement and glitches, receiver voltage

Options include 2nd temp sensor, pack current/voltage monitoring, g-force, and exhaust gas temperature

Powerful built-in graphing

USB Plug and Play - No new drivers needed!

Fully Compatible with Win 98SE, ME, Win2K and XP™

 

[El Pirata]

It's a start but I was thinking more towards tuning the rc and running the whole show. One of the higher end paintball markers out there you can set the dwell, rate of fire, fire mode (full auto, turbo, semi, etc...) and a score of more things.

 

[kwong2001]

Well they currently make plane engines with fuel injection. I think it's some multipoint thing where you adjust the air/fuel at different points on the rpm's. Supposed to be really complicated but a lot more power than a regular carbeurator engine.

 

[Error401]

How about cross hobby goodies. Take for instance helicopters. To fly a model heli, you gotta have one electronic goody called a gyro. This keeps the tail under control. There are three types of gyros: 1) single rate, 2) dual rate and (best of all) heading lock. The single and dual rates are almost useless to r/c cars, since any yaw (turning) will make the gyro produce a counter command that will reduce your desired steering rate. The heading lock gyros, however, have what's called yaw rate demand. This means that the gyro can tell that you want to turn and does not feed the servo a counter comand. You get the rate that you want. The other cool thing is that once you attain a heading, it will attempt to keep that heading no matter what, until you tell it to change. Heading locks also have dual rates, so you can switch it on and off from remote.

Now I wonder, would this be a benifit to onroad and offroad rivers. Like the car would be taking care of the details of staying pointed in the right direction and under control while you get it going in the direction you want to go. I might mount one on the Savage just to see.

 

[Bill Hoskinson]

www.pcrc.com

I wish I coud find one of these systems used someplace... I have been looking on e bay for them, but haven't had any luck yet.

I bought one of thier digital tachs for my Picco .26 and it works pretty good. I was surprised to find out my big blocks idle at about 3,500 rpms.

I was doing some testing today, and my Picco levels out at about 43,000 rpm. With the 18/46 gearing in my MGT, on 6" tall tires.

According to my Venom speed meter, the truck was running 40mph.

Anyone know where I can find a speed calculator to check those #'s for accuracy?

well, that figures.... Thier web site is gone. Sorry.

 

[Error401]

you got a video camera, some masking tape and a tape measure? Mark off about 20' to 30', or measure some painted parking lines at a parking lot. Video tape your truck doing some high speed runst through this trap. Then use frame advance on the camera and count the number of frames. each frame is 1/30th of a second (30 frames per second is standard). Then you have a time and a distance. Convert it to MPH. tada. That'll get ya real close to actual MPH. be sure to mark off a good enough distance to get an accurate measurement, but not one that is too long.

 

[newnitrofan]

Originally posted by Bill Hoskinson
www.pcrc.com

I wish I coud find one of these systems used someplace... I have been looking on e bay for them, but haven't had any luck yet.

I bought one of thier digital tachs for my Picco .26 and it works pretty good. I was surprised to find out my big blocks idle at about 3,500 rpms.

I was doing some testing today, and my Picco levels out at about 43,000 rpm. With the 18/46 gearing in my MGT, on 6" tall tires.

According to my Venom speed meter, the truck was running 40mph.

Anyone know where I can find a speed calculator to check those #'s for accuracy?

well, that figures.... Thier web site is gone. Sorry.

Bill www.nitrorc.com has a speed calculator. Just go to that page and click on reference/faq than click on gear finder calculator. I would be interested to see how accurate that thing is.

 

[Error401]

Gears, damn, that requires a calculator and stuff. Also, doing it that way is living in fantasy land. Get it on tape, and you got proof.

 

[Bill Hoskinson]

I can't find it? If you know where it is, could you post a link? Thanks!

 

[cozea]

Originally posted by Bill Hoskinson
www.pcrc.com

I wish I coud find one of these systems used someplace... I have been looking on e bay for them, but haven't had any luck yet.

I bought one of thier digital tachs for my Picco .26 and it works pretty good. I was surprised to find out my big blocks idle at about 3,500 rpms.

I was doing some testing today, and my Picco levels out at about 43,000 rpm. With the 18/46 gearing in my MGT, on 6" tall tires.

According to my Venom speed meter, the truck was running 40mph.

Anyone know where I can find a speed calculator to check those #'s for accuracy?

well, that figures.... Thier web site is gone. Sorry.

with the VSM. I'm just wondering, but if you get some air with the truck and there is no load on the engine. would it increse the speed of the tires and driveshafts and then give you an unacurate reading of speed? making that just a waste of money?

 

[newnitrofan]

Originally posted by Error401
Gears, damn, that requires a calculator and stuff. Also, doing it that way is living in fantasy land. Get it on tape, and you got proof.

Ok That thing doesn't work real well cuz it says my savage will do 174 mph. Maybe I did something wrong. Here's a link

http://www.nitrorc.com/reference/gearfinder.asp

 

[Error401]

http://www.nitrorc.com/reference/gearfinder.asp

According to their calculations: 300 Mph

I think there's one value missing, the diff input to diff ring gear ratio.

 

[Bill Hoskinson]

Originally posted by newnitrofan


Ok That thing doesn't work real well cuz it says my savage will do 174 mph. Maybe I did something wrong. Here's a link

http://www.nitrorc.com/reference/gearfinder.asp

I only use it for on road testing.

 

[newnitrofan]

Bill dude no offense holmes but the picco 26 is only rated at 37000 rpm's man. Sorry to burst ur bubble man.

 

[Bill Hoskinson]

Its not stock.

Lets not get off topic folks.... I dont wanna screw up someone's else's topic.

 

[newnitrofan]

What?? What about it is not stock Please tell me how I can squeeze that kind of RPM out of my Picco dude cuz I want it like yours. I mean with a gain of 6000 RPM I will kill all at the track. What did you have done.

 

[Bill Hoskinson]

I do my own port work. I have been doing one mod at a time, and testing them with the speed meter, and the digital tach.

There is more to getting the extra rpm from the engine in high gear, than just porting and tuning. Gearing, tires, inserts, air filters, tuned pipe mods, fuel, glow plugs.... the list goes on and on.

 

[El Pirata]

Originally posted by Error401
http://www.nitrorc.com/reference/gearfinder.asp

According to their calculations: 300 Mph

I think there's one value missing, the diff input to diff ring gear ratio.

My t-maxx goes 174!!!! Rock on. I always knew it was fast.

 

[Bill Hoskinson]

getting back on topic....

the link I posted on page one, was for a comany called PC-RC, and they made a fuel system with an electronic barrel valve, that was controlled by an ECM that read block temp, throttle position, and EGT. Someone bought out thier patent, or something, and they no longer sell them to the public.

I am guessing, you would just turn your needle settings out and the ECM would take over the fuel metering. It was a pretty wild set up. I wish I could get that web site to come up.... It was working the other night.

OS already builds FI air plane engines with an ECM that plugs into the reciever. I look for some RTR models to have EFI within the next 5 years.