T-maxx radio

[jtanner]

Hey y'all, I am new to RC rock crawling and new to the forum. From what I can tell, ya'll seem to really help each other out(just like a good forum should). So i thought that i would ask in here and see if anybody has any feedback.

Has anyone used a stock tmaxx radio and receiver for their rig. I am asking cause there is a 3rd fuction on it that I could possibly use for rear steer.

Any and all feedback is helpful.

Thanks in advance,
-Jennings

 

[slowngreen]

people use those alot as far as i know, actually all the guys i crawl with use them, they dont have dig or rear steer but they do use the traxxas recievers and radios. i might be wrong but i think i was told it is a cheap mod to one of them to use the 3rd channel for dig.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

jtanner, if I was you, I would put dig in your crawler instead of rear steer. Dig will allow you to have a tighter turning radius than rear steer when used properly, and it will help you crawl A LOT better than not having dig or having rear steer. Go down the list here in the crawler section and there are several article explaining dig and how it works.

Also, once you start crawling, you're going to fall madly in love with it a lot more than you think. Once you start crawling, you'll want to start meeting guys from your area and participating in get togethers and competitions. Rear steer in a 2.2 class rig is not allowed per the rules of the sanctioning body, but dig is allowed and most people run it.

The Traxxas TQ3 is an excellent radio for crawling. You can simply install a $3 switch from Radio Shack and have it set up for rear steering on a toggle switch with left, right, and center, or you can install a momentary switch in addition to the switch that's on there, and you can turn rear steer on and off with the momentary switch and use the rocker switch for left and right.

If you're not looking to make any mods at all to the radio, then the TQ3 isn't your best option to control dig or rear steer. But if you can spend about 20 minutes installing a very simple switch and a few wires, you will have one of the best crawling radios on the market that's under $100. You can even install potentiometers (I think thats the right term) and be able to make endpoint adjustments.

 

[jtanner]

Great Info guys, thanks a lot.

I love all this mod talk, I always used to open up electronics as a kid and mess with stuff to make it do different things.

Any other good (cheap, very cheap) suggestions to do radios with 3 channels or more.

Charlies, what was that comment about "potentiometers"? What is that?

 

[CharliesTheMan]

I'm not an electronics guru so I can't explain why they do what they do. Basically, with a high end radio, you're able to control the servo travel by adjusting the endpoints. Let's say you have a nice servo, with 333 oz/in of torque (that's what my 7955 titanium gear puts out) and it's in a racing buggy. The servo might have 130 degrees of rotation. The steering on the buggy may turn full lock to full lock and only use 80 degrees of rotation. This means that the servo is trying really hard to push the wheels further than the buggy will mechanically allow. This will cause problems. It will put a really bad bind on the suspension and parts because it's trying with everything that it has to push the wheels a lot further than its physically possible for them to go. This also puts a really big bind on the servo, and will strip out a plastic servo arm. So the high end radios have EPA (end point adjustment) so you can set the servo travel in both directions so that it will only travel far engough to reach the point just a fraction before full lock so as to nit put it in a bind. With a dig servo, you have to adjust these endpoints so that it only pulls the servo linkage as far as it's supposed to go. Since the servo is in certain positions for long periods of time, it will burn up the servo if the travel is not adjusted so it's not in a bind for long periods of time. The potentiometers allow you to adjust the endpoints so that you can adjust the servo travel just right. I'm not an electronics expert so I can't explain why they work like that, I just know that a lot of people use them and they do work.

 

[jtanner]

Would this be a radio or receiver mod? If it is on the reciever then you could tune it easy.
That makes a lot of sense why you would want one on your rig, less breakage.

Would these "meters" come on switches from radio shack or would I need to purchase them as well.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

the potentiometer is just a fancy name for knob basically. The mods are on the transmitter. For the three position switch, you will take out the red rocker switch out and replace it with a 3 position toggle switch and run a couple of wires. With the potentiometer knob or knobs, you will just drill a hole just like you would to mount a switch and run the wires.

 

[jtanner]

Sounds pretty straight foward, with the hook up and I would guess there is someone online that has put some instructions that I could follow if I got in a bind. Is there anyone who has done it on here?

 

[CharliesTheMan]

I can get some articles for you if you would like