Rc Hobby

There are several factors to consider before choosing which type of radio control cars to buy. Don't just jump in head first.

Making the correct choices, up front, can save you a lot of time and money down the road. Take a few minutes to read this helpful article so you can start out in the right direction.

First, it is important to determine who will be the primary user of the cars. This will help ensure that you don't start off with a car that is far beyond the child's ability to operate.

Choosing the right starter radio control car can often mean the difference between building a long-lasting family hobby, or having one more piece of plastic ending up in the toy box.

If the intended user is a young child, say under 13, then you might be better off purchasing the relatively inexpensive mini radio control cars that run on batteries. Not only are they inexpensive (often selling for under $20), but they are safe to operate in that they use no flamable gas and they include a low-voltage battery charger.

If an adult or older child will be using the radio control cars, then you have a much wider selection to choose from. Of course, the mini cars are fun for all ages, but there are also larger all-electronic cars as well as beefy gas-powered vehicles, and even Nitro powered monsters!

Expect to pay anywhere from fifty dollars to hundreds of dollars for the "big kid" radio control cars. Not only are the cars bigger and more powerful, but they come with a much more sophisticated radio control transmitter.

Capable of reaching speeds of up to 80 miles per hour (with the amazing Schumacher Nitro SST Fusion model), these cars provide intense thrills for people of all ages.

If you opt to buy the high-ticket models of radio control cars, your expenses don't stop with the initial purchase.

There are fuels costs, maintenance costs, and money that you'll want to spend on all of those very cool accessories such as custom wheels and tires, enhanced radio transmitters, light kits, custom shock absorbers, carrying cases,

display stands, souped-up engines, and a lot more.

If you are just starting out in the radio control car hobby, I suggest that you purchase one of the inexpensive electric or gas models first. This will enable you to get the hang of the hobby without investing a lot. If you decide that you're hooked, you can always trade up to the more powerful (and expensive) models.

One of the great things about being a radio control car hobbyist is how many other people share your interests.

There are thousands upon thousands of enthusiasts in the U.S. alone.

You'll find clubs, race teams, retailers, magazines, Internet user groups, book, and even videos that will help you learn more, meet new friends, and stay current on the happenings on this great family hobby.

Michael Holland is the creator of http://www.rc-car-fun.com. His site offers lots of free tips for buying, building, and racing rc cars and trucks.
support@rc-car-fun.com

Handy tips for Remote Control cars are always welcome for the newbie. Those especially not from an engineering background but pursue driving remote control cars as hobby is always on a look out for some handy tips.

By putting Velcro on the bottom of the radio and also at the top of the toolbox, you can stick the radio that way and walk off coolly to your speeding alley of your car.

By using 5 to 10 ohm ceramic resistors in your starter box, you can make your own glow plug driver. Over the time 10 ohms had been good but now supposedly they have degraded adding another in parallel should do the job.

Saving the paint in fast racing car has always been problems. A quick solution to the long standing problem can be to put tape inside the body where things might rub

One can spool planetary differences by just flipping 2 opposing planet gears.

Make a pigtail for your charger with all the different connectors you use. This way the TX, Rx, deans, power pole, and alligator can be clipped all in one off the charger.

One can put a ziptie on for body clips, or clips in general, and for fuel tanks as well.

If there is more than one car, that uses a removable radio tray like HPI, instead of buying 2 sets of electronics, stitching the radio tray in and out does the trick. It takes a little more time, but saves money.

When you buy a new chassis and the old on is not badly damaged if at all, one can make something out of it, like a radio tray or something that may be used as another car part. Using old car part is always a part of creativity. You may never know if you would surprise some judge in a participating contest.

Something as simple as a silly putty can also become a must presence in the tool box. It serves several purposes. It seals the receiver from dirt, dust and moisture.It also insolates and holds car wiring in place. It works great as a different lock. It also helps make custom chassis. It really helps to make mould out of the part that needs to be fit in every time. To add a part, a thin layer of putty can be laid down, press the piece that needs to be fit in onto the putty. Lifting the piece off will leave an impression of the part and its bolt pattern Once the center is punched and drilled, the part will fit perfect every time.

Putting a small piece of zip tie down the hole of a stripped plastic part will hold the screw in place till it is replaced with a new one.

To goose the runtime of remote control car the simple trick is to charge them multiple times. If you put your remote control car on charging and take off the plug two- three times then it might give you a good run time because the battery gets charged all over again. But doing it umpteen times might prove lethal to battery life.

The four-stroke glow or nitro engine is an elegant concept, though not as simple as its two-stroke counterpart. While there are many variations on the design, the basic elements remain unchanged.

There is a piston moving back and forth in a cylinder, that turns a rotating crankshaft. There is a combustion event on every fourth stroke of the piston (at the beginning of every other down-stroke). The combustion is caused by a platinum element in a heated glow plug, combined with a compressed fuel-air (and oil) mixture. There are intake and exhaust ports, as well as a carburetor to mix air with fuel in the required ratio.

This engine has separate intake and exhaust valves. These are operated by a cam arrangement. The most common design is overhead valves that are opened by pushrods, and closed by return springs. The fuel carries its own oil. Being able to remove the battery after the engine starts, due to the self-sustaining glow-plug, reduces weight considerably. This is very desirable in a model airplane engine.

Compared to two-strokes, four-strokes are generally quieter and have a more realistic (deeper pitched) sound. They generate much more torque and will swing larger props (at lower rpm). These advantages make them a good choice for scale models. Their disadvantages are related to their increased number of moving parts: they tend to be trickier to adjust, and are generally more expensive than comparable two-strokes.

If you need more info about starting or troubleshooting these engines, visit the

RC Airplane Advisor.

This article may be reprinted if proper credit is given and all links left intact.

Copyright © 2005 RC Airplane Advisor

Andre McFayden is a regular contributor to the RC Airplane Advisor:
www.rc-airplane-advisor.com.