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Getting started - help with shopping list


Nigelcliffe
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  • 8 months later...

Hello all,

 

I hope I'm not treading on anyone's toes by posting in this thread, but I thought it might be preferable to starting a whole new topic along similar lines.

 

I am interested in getting into micro RC having seen some of those fantastic German 1/87 vehicles on the web. I've done a pretty extensive stage of online research into the subject at a number of different scales and ultimately found myself in this forum :D. I've looked at quite a few threads and videos, including those by Giles.

 

I don't have any experience with RC at all, and not much in electronics (though I can use a soldering iron and have tinkered a bit with electric airsoft guns in the past, wiring in battery cells an the like).

 

I'm fairly well versed in miniatures and modelling, however, with plastic kits at a range of scales and 1/64 diecast cars.

 

I am thinking of opting for 1/50 scale for a number of reasons;

 

- it's relatively cheap

- it is similar in size to 1/64 scale I am familiar with

- it should be larger and more spacious for installing parts than 1/87 or 1/76 (both of which I find the idea of working with a little intimidating, at least as a beginner in RC conversion)

- lastly it's my understanding that it's one of the better scales for my main area of interest: forestry, plant/construction, and farm machinery, as I believe there's quite a wide range of manufacturers and models to choose from. 

 

It's important that I can keep such a first project as low cost as possible (I am prepared to spend more money later when I'm not so green) and an issue I'm having is choosing an appropriate transmitter. I understand that Deltang components are preferred for 1/76 and 1/87 and this means a DSM2 transmitter is needed. I found one on ebay second hand for £25 but unfortunately someone else snapped it up and I can't really find anything else for less than £70. I really can't justify spending more than around £30 on a transmitter at this stage.

 

I was wondering whether at 1/50 scale vehicles would be sufficiently sized to accommodate components larger than the Deltang stuff? This would mean I could use a different protocol and perhaps find a cheaper transmitter to work with? I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or suggestions along these lines.

 

Assuming that's possible, my basic plan is to get the Oxford/Cararama 1/50 plain white Scania truck and semi trailer with a view to a VERY basic setup (literally just forward, reverse, and steering, no lights or anything else) using a 6v N20 motor geared to about 100rpm. I'd then look at converting the trailer into either a log trailer or a flatbed.

 

Does this sound at all plausible? Looking for any and all advice, thoughts, comments, feedback etc.

 

Thanks to those who read the whole thing!

 

-Paul

 

 

Edited by PaulB85
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Hi Paul,

 

I have a number of spare E-Flite type transmitters (Mode 2 , although they are switchable to Mode 1) of the type I have used for all my models (I am now buying more expensive programmable types). I have a couple new for £22 plus postage if you're interested.  Personally I should stick with the Deltang receivers, as they are very reliable, perform well, and well understood. You can also opt to buy them pre-wired for an extra £2 which is a good idea.

A single Lipo battery ( preferably somewhere around 5-700mAh will be needed - but you need to work out where it's going first. A 1.7g battery (also obtainable from Micron) will be sufficient for steering, and an on/off switch, charging socket, and preferably an in-line re-settable fuse (Micron again).

 

I can supply front axle kits at almost any size if you didn't want to scratch-build one. 

 

It is fun! And addictive...

 

Giles

 

 

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51 minutes ago, Giles said:

Hi Paul,

 

I have a number of spare E-Flite type transmitters (Mode 2 , although they are switchable to Mode 1) of the type I have used for all my models (I am now buying more expensive programmable types). I have a couple new for £22 plus postage if you're interested.  Personally I should stick with the Deltang receivers, as they are very reliable, perform well, and well understood. You can also opt to buy them pre-wired for an extra £2 which is a good idea.

A single Lipo battery ( preferably somewhere around 5-700mAh will be needed - but you need to work out where it's going first. A 1.7g battery (also obtainable from Micron) will be sufficient for steering, and an on/off switch, charging socket, and preferably an in-line re-settable fuse (Micron again).

 

I can supply front axle kits at almost any size if you didn't want to scratch-build one. 

 

It is fun! And addictive...

 

Giles

 

 

Hi Giles,

 

Thanks for this! Buying your spare transmitter sounds like an ideal solution. I'll send you a message on here shortly to sort out the details :)

 

- Paul

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17 hours ago, Giles said:

I can supply front axle kits at almost any size if you didn't want to scratch-build one.

Giles

 

 

 

Giles,

 

I am converting two Canadian Military Pattern "Blitz" Trucks.  One in 4mm and one in 7mm.  How do you glue the stub axle into the bearing?

 

Rod Hutchinson.

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3 hours ago, Rod Hutchinson said:

 

Giles,

 

I am converting two Canadian Military Pattern "Blitz" Trucks.  One in 4mm and one in 7mm.  How do you glue the stub axle into the bearing?

 

Rod Hutchinson.

Hi Rod, after ensuring a good fit, I put a thin smear of 5 min epoxy inside the bearing (not on the stub axle) and then push the stub axle in. This is so any excess of glue gets harmlessly pushed through, and not forced back into the end of the axle where it will cause problems...... hope this makes sense!

 

Best

 

Giles

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Hi folks, back again with some questions! I've found a lot of components that have been suggested so far, but in several cases I'm a bit overwhelmed by various connector options or different models and variants of certain parts. 

 

So my shopping list at the moment is looking a bit like this:

 

  • 1:50 scale Oxford/Cararama  Scania Cab [Amazon] - ordered
  • E-Flite DSM2 Transmitter/Controller  [Giles]  - purchased from Giles
  • N20 RC Motor; 100:1 Gear Ratio; 6v; 90-100rpm [eBay] (£6.99) - seems ok?
  • Small Bevel Gears - Nylon or Brass? Source? I've looked on eBay but everything seems large and expensive. Any ideas on refining the search terms? (measurements etc.)
  • Deltang Receiver & Speed Control - I see Micron can supply these, as can a number of other websites, and of course the Deltang site. I saw the Rx43d and Rx45 were recommended for land vehicles but I'm not sure which variants exactly to go for in terms of how many reversible ESC's? I did say I just wanted forward, reverse, and steering but I'm now wondering if I should go for some future-proofing in case I want to add lights or sound later on? If so, which model would be best?
  • LiPo Battery 500-700mAh [Micron] - I see there are differences in discharge rate and size, I'm not really sure what is preferable in terms of discharge rate? Any particular recommendations? Also I'm assuming the Micron USB charger will be ok? However, I don't know what to choose from the different selection boxes but I suppose this depends which battery you go for?
  • 1.7g Steering Servo [Micron] - not sure which connector type to go for between JST-H and Molex Picoblade?
  • On/Off Switch [Micron] - again, not really sure what to go for here, many options and connection types.
  • In-Line Re-settable Fuse [Micron]
Edited by PaulB85
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8 hours ago, Giles said:

Hi Rod, after ensuring a good fit, I put a thin smear of 5 min epoxy inside the bearing (not on the stub axle) and then push the stub axle in. This is so any excess of glue gets harmlessly pushed through, and not forced back into the end of the axle where it will cause problems...... hope this makes sense!

 

Best

 

Giles

 

Hi Giles,

 

Yes that makes sense.  I shall be more careful in the future.

 

RodH

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15 hours ago, PaulB85 said:

So my shopping list at the moment is looking a bit like this:

  • N20 RC Motor; 100:1 Gear Ratio; 6v; 90-100rpm [eBay] (£6.99) - seems ok?
  • Small Bevel Gears - Nylon or Brass? Source? I've looked on eBay but everything seems large and expensive. Any ideas on refining the search terms? (measurements etc.)
  • Deltang Receiver & Speed Control - I see Micron can supply these, as can a number of other websites, and of course the Deltang site. I saw the Rx43d and Rx45 were recommended for land vehicles but I'm not sure which variants exactly to go for in terms of how many reversible ESC's? I did say I just wanted forward, reverse, and steering but I'm now wondering if I should go for some future-proofing in case I want to add lights or sound later on? If so, which model would be best?
  • LiPo Battery 500-700mAh [Micron] - I see there are differences in discharge rate and size, I'm not really sure what is preferable in terms of discharge rate? Any particular recommendations? Also I'm assuming the Micron USB charger will be ok? However, I don't know what to choose from the different selection boxes but I suppose this depends which battery you go for?
  • 1.7g Steering Servo [Micron] - not sure which connector type to go for between JST-H and Molex Picoblade?
  • On/Off Switch [Micron] - again, not really sure what to go for here, many options and connection types.
  • In-Line Re-settable Fuse [Micron]

Motor is OK

Bevel Gears - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/183938849218

Deltang RX - I only use 1 per for servo and 1 for brake lights.

Lipo - 180mAh,  selection mainly driven by physical size

Servo - I cut plugs off and solder directly.

Switch - SPST    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/264561276899

Edited by Rod Hutchinson
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These are the gears I use for a lorry or some-such. I only use brass gears when I'm converting a smaller vehicle and I'm pushed for space.

 

https://www.technobotsonline.com/mini-plastic-bevel-gear.html

 

For a normal vehicle, you only need one reversible ESC to drive the motor. You would only need more than one if you were converting a more complex vehicle such as a crane where you had hoist motors to control as well.....  so you can select an Rx based on the light functions you may want.

 

I get my Lipo batteries from EBay. The reason I use 700mAh batteries is so that they last a full exhibition without charging. If you never need to to this, you can drop down to the 280 - 300 mAh level, and choose a convenient size to suit. The discharge rate that we use us extremely small, so doesn't really concern us in practice. 

 

eflc1105auk_467.jpg

This one looks fine 

 

Go for their very small on off switches. Spst

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi everyone,

 

My project Scania lorry is going ok so far but I'm now at the point where I'm trying to configure the transmitter/receiver and have run into a problem. I also have questions about my circuitry and the on/off switch.

 

So I'm trying to follow the programming instructions here.

 

I follow these steps:

 

Invoke programming mode:
1. Switch Transmitter on.
2. Ch3 (Elevator) should be normal, not reversed.
3. Hold left/right sticks (Ch2/4) in towards middle of Tx (use rubber band if necessary).
4. Switch Receiver on and wait for the Led to flicker very fast.
5. Center all sticks.

 

What happens is I do get the LED on the receiver flickering very fast, it is orange but I'm not sure if that matters? Once I center all sticks, however, nothing changes. The light continues to flicker at the same speed indefinitely. I can't seem to progress any further. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

 

As for my other questions;

 

I have my battery lead connected on the red (positive) wire to the receiver with the re-settable fuse in-between this connection - is this correct? The black wire (negative) just goes straight to the receiver.

 

At the moment I have not wired in my on/off switch as, frankly, I don't know where it goes or which wires to use - it has three; a red and an orange close together, then a brown one out on its own. Do I have to connect the switch directly to the receiver or simply along the circuit and which wires go where?

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies!

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You need to 'bind' the receiver to the transmitter first - have you done that? If they are already bound, then yes - with the transmitter on, hold the two sticks to the centre (cross-head, was it were) turn the transmitter on, whereupon it should rapidly flash, and release the sticks, at which point the receiver should revert to a slow, single flash which is the start of the programming mode.

Led colour is fine.

Red and black wires - yes, though it's good to have a switch in after the fuse and before the receiver on the red wire

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23 minutes ago, Giles said:

You need to 'bind' the receiver to the transmitter first - have you done that?

 

Hi Giles,

 

Ah no I have not done this, how would I go about binding them?

 

 

Quote

Red and black wires - yes, though it's good to have a switch in after the fuse and before the receiver on the red wire

 

Ok, thanks for clarifying, which wires from the switch do I use to connect it?

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11 hours ago, Giles said:

 

Look at the video- Binding down the page

 

http://www.deltang.co.uk/video.htm

 

Also, there are instructions on the back of your transmitter.

 

Switch contacts. Battery wire to the middle (of the three) contacts, transmitter wire to one outside contact.

 

Thanks Giles, seem to have sorted things now.

 

With the electronics working it has shown up my previously prepared drive-shaft,  drive axle and bevel gear arrangement as somewhat inadequate so it is back to the drawing board on the mechanical side! I've just ordered some more tubing of various sizes to see if I can jig up something better :).

 

Also awaiting delivery of my Servo from Micron to get the steering set up.

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