Sensor

[JATO]

has anyone seen the new nomadio sensor it looks pretty funky but rc car action tested it in new york and they had no interferince. does anyone have the frist sensor and if so ho do you like it.

 

[bill61]

No one is talking about the Sensor?
I am thinking about getting one this year. Some people on other forums like it, others don't like the feel. Haven't heard any complaints about the operation of it.

 

[ZANDOR]

I do belive bruce(rushrc) has one maybe he will ring in on this one...

 

[truthseeker]

i have one that i got as a demo from nomadio. it's actually a really great radio. i have a couple of little issues with it, but other than that, it's as good or better than any of the other high-end radios out there. the biggest thing that i don't care for is the quality of the plastic that it's made of. it's kind of brittle but not to the point of being junk. you just have to be careful with it. the other thing is the tension of the spring on the wheel. it's not adjustable and it's a little firm for my tastes. so far that's kind of 50/50 with anybody that tries it. some like it firm some like it soft(insert joke of choice here). those things aside, it's awesome. it has all the features of the 3pk or the m11 plus some. tell you what, if you guys want to know all the gory details, chime in and i'll post it. i have a lot of experience with it now, so it makes for a long post. if you want it, though, you got it - no problemo.

 

[bill61]

I would appreciate hearing all about it. I am about to purchase one. If I am satisfied with what opinions are discussed I'll make the leap, otherwise I'll just stay with the M8 and synthesized set-up.

 

[truthseeker]

ok here goes...this may not flow very well but i'll try to get whatever i know in here. also, it's gonna sound like spektrum bashing but it's not. it's just the truth. the spektrum doesn't suck, it's just the only other thing out there that compares. and, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than the sensor, so don't get offended if you have one. anyway, the way this thing operates is different from anything else out there. it is a true dss system. it operates in the 2.4 ghz range just like the spektrum, however it actually channel hops throughout the band. the spektrum only sits on one channel. the sensor sends and receives info 100 times per second and each time, it's sending the same stuff 30 times. all the redundancy means that the signal gets to your car no matter what. that's important because with 2.4ghz, things can literally get in the way of the signal. another naughty little feature of the sensor is because of the channel hopping and all the redundant info being transmitted, it lands on your buddy's spektrum channel a lot. now, it won't interfere, but it also has 7 times more power, so the spektrum receiver has to wait for its info. thus, it has the response time of a rtr 27mhz radio. =devil another thing, speed-wise is the sensor is pure digital. there's no conversion to analog anywhere so response is even faster. it's faster than you can see or feel with digital servos. well that's the techno crap, now to the simple stuff. because it's 2.4 gig, the "receiver" is actually a TRANceiver. it receives and transmits meaning you get telemetry built in out of the box. it works really well, too. you get a temp sensor, voltage sensor, and speed sensor. it also tells you the receiver pack voltage. all that stuff is displayed on the screen in real time with a min and max reading. there are also multi-level alarms tied to each sensor. for example, it will beep or vibrate one way when temp hits 220. then something else at 240. then something else, and so on. you program all your sounds and alert points from your computer with standard .wav files. like homer simpson burps when my temp gets to 250. you can also set the vibrate pulses to different things. example, 2 longs and a short for low voltage warning. there's actually an editor for the pulses so they can be whatever you want. then, you can save all that stuff in a setup file on your hard drive. it'll store setups for 40 models, too.
ok I need a break. process that and ask me some questions. i'll answer 'em. i think i've accidently become kind of a pseudo-expert on this thing.

 

[TacRacing]

Where would I get one.. and how much would it be??

How much are extra receivers?? And do they come with all the stuff to monitor another vehicle??

 

[truthseeker]

well, you can get one from Fastrak Hobbies in Houston for sure. that's the shop I help out at. tower and other shops may have them also. they are going to be around 510 or 520 bucks wherever you look. extra receivers are about 100 to 110. they include the temp, voltage, and speed sensors. they are kind of in between the sizes of a novak xxl receiver and a stock traxxas receiver so it fits in most cars pretty easily. any other questions, feel free to sing out.

 

[TacRacing]

That thing is expensive... no sensor for me. haha

It does seem pretty cool though. I have been thinking about getting the M11, but I am not sure yet.

 

[truthseeker]

well...m11 and spektrum costs about the same but no telemetry. that's extra. fyi the m11 is mo fasta without the spektrum module if you can live without the 2.4 ghz. something to think about.

 

[bill61]

I tried to talk a friend of mine into getting one, instead he bought the M11 and a spektrum. Since he was starting out fresh with a radio system I told him it would be a better way to go. Now he wants the Sensor.
I have an M8 with a synthesized module and receiver and 4 regular receivers with a couple of different sets of crystals for them. I hate to abandon the old stuff completely as it still works flawlessly, but I have had the itch for a Sensor since I first saw them at RCX in 2004.
The only thing I have heard people complaining about is the plastic it is made of. As Truthseeker has stated don't drop it, but I don't make a habit of dropping my radios.
Right now Tower has them for $520 and a $25 discount so I don't know if I'll go for it. I would like to get it now (free shipping) as I am letting my subscription to their supersaver club expire because they don't carry Kyosho stuff anymore.

 

[truthseeker]

you better hurry up and buy one 'cause nomadio is very strict about their distributor's pricing. they actually police the net to protect the hobby shops' interests. highly irregular for this industry. so tower will probably be getting a little e-mail over the discount thing soon.

 

[bill61]

It is a general discount. Not on the radio specifically, just $25 offf any order above $149. I have noticed that everybody has it listed for $520 and figured that Nomadio had some kind of price structure such as the one that Bose has on their sound systems.

 

[truthseeker]

because i have a demo unit, i talk to Karlton Single from Nomadio a lot. He's one of the top guys who deals with the sensor radio. i just got an e-mail from him and he was complaining about that exact thing. someone at nomadio had already seen tower's ad and they're going to tell them not to give the discount on nomadio equipment. so like i said, if you're going to get one, you better do it now. shop owners take note. nomadio supports the local shop with face to face service and they absolutely will not let an internet distributor undercut the lhs. i think it's an admirable way to do business.

 

[bill61]

I can understand both sides of the situation. If they push the issue then Tower might just discontinue the Sensor, kind of like the way they discontinued Kyosho. I imagine it hurt both Kyosho and Tower when that happened. I had to search for other distributors of Kyosho parts along with many other people.
Tower has had these discount programs in place for many years (as long as I can remember which goes back to the late 80's) so it should not be a surprise to Nomadio. But Nomadio can sell their radio's to anyone they choose.

 

[truggyman]

Bill61:

Tower Hobbies did not discontinue Kyosho!

Kyosho discontinued Tower Hobbies!

Please get your facts straight!

 

[FastEddy]

I had a chance to play with one the other day. I have to say its bulky at first but not to heavy. It sure is feature rich things no other TX can offer at this time. I'm sure as its out in the field and more users have input it will only get better. For now, I'm a holdout till the next gen. IMO the price is a bit high but I'm sure there is a market for it.

Seekers wright up seems to be right on target.

 

[truthseeker]

Seekers wright up seems to be right on target.

that's one thing you will learn about me. i don't BS anybody. we all spend too much time and money on this stuff to waste either one because some jackass doesn't have their facts straight. and i REALLY don't want to be that jackass.

anyway, about the radio. if anybody's in houston, feel free to come try the thing out at Fastrak Hobbies. the one i have is for that exact purpose. you even get to drive my revo!(slowly) i've been through almost every feature of the sensor so if you've got any other questions, post 'em here or pm me. and if you own a shop, let me know and i'll get you in touch with nomadio about the demo program.

 

[BigDaddyJ]

Is the next nomadio sensor out on the market yet? What are the upgrads changes ? if any...
If so can anyone let me know where to go. I'm look'n at getting one but the look of the plastic was a turnoff now after reading everything from you guys the pro's out way the con. Any other info or thoughts please let me know it's a fairly costly investment i like to be informed.

 

[truthseeker]

if you mean the v2 transceiver, then yes, it is out officially now. the first transceiver was kind of big and had an external antenna connector on the side. the v2, which is what all sensors are being shipped with now, is smaller, and the antenna wire comes out of one end with no connector, similar to most other receivers. the size is comparable to the spektrum receiver or the jr r135 receiver. the v2 also now has full support for all the various sensors(speed, temp, voltage). as for any other concerns, i'm really just limited to the quality of the plastic. it's not what i would call crappy or anything, but it is kind of brittle. it just needs to be handled carefully is all. a fall from a table or something would probably crack the housing and you have to be careful not to whack the antenna on anything. that's not really that hard, though, 'cause it's only about 4 inches long. my opinion is that it's worth the money and the technology isn't going to be obsolete in 6 months.