My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

So I bought my first hobby level car today. It is a older Honcho rtr version. My first question is this. The truck has the older ae-1 esc on it. I am going to run a lipo battery in it (protek 2s 5000 50c) and I know that it does not have a lvc in it. Should I step up and buy the ae-2 or just buy a lvc switch/buzzer? Another question is what are the differences between the ae-1/2? I know there is the lvc and I think the ae-2 is programmable. Anything else I should know or think about? Another related question is if I do upgrade to the ae-2, would I be able to program it with the old receiver (controller?)? Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

Instead upgrading to the AE-2, I would upgrade to the Holmes Hobbies BR-XL. It has a better drag brake, a higher powered internal BEC and can support up to 6s lipo packs. Also, you can buy a waterproofed version of the BR-XL.

Both the AE-2 and BR-XL can be program the basic settings with your radio or with Castle link for the advanced settings.

Holmes Hobbies / Holmes Bikes :: Motor Speed Controllers :: Holmes Hobbies TorqueMaster BR-XL

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

Thank you for the link. 100+ might be hard to swallow for my wife after just buying the truck...lol. I am not against used, but are used ESC's just a bad idea or do ESC's hold up well if they are well taken care of? I do understand "you get what you pay for" but I also am cheap. Would you guys buy a used ESC if you could save 40 bucks or so?

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

You can buy new AE-2's on eBay for 50-75 depending on the day and the other bidders. People buy RTRs and part them out. If you're patient you can get them cheaper.

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

So should I be safe running my lipo without a lvc until I find a good deal? I know I would have to be careful and not let the battery get too low. I have read that a lot of people can run 1.5-2 hours on their 5000mah lipos before their lvc activates. Can I run it for 30-45 minutes and likely be safe until I can find a good deal? I was looking also at the lvc switches and buzzers but a lot seem to be out of stock.

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

Well, the Honcho came in about an hour ago and I think I was over-thinking the esc problem. I have an old 1500mah nimh and I just ran with it for over half an hour and showed no signs of stopping. I think I will pick up a cheap 5000nimh or something and then focus on some other performance enhancing stuff until I find a good deal on a ESC. I also found out that it is a am transmitter and not a 2.4ghz. So now I need to look into what it is going to take to get it switched over. I assume it will be just a new controller and receiver, is this right? Thanks to those who answered me earlier. I have some new reading to do...:oops:

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

Yep, new transmitter and receiver to switch to 2.4. As above, if you're fine with the limitations of the Axial RTR sets you can get new parted out Axial transmitters and receivers on eBay on a regular basis. Or there are plenty of radios available with more advanced features.

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

Yup, you will need a transmitter and receiver. If you can currently charge LiPos and have a volt meter to keep an eye on them until you get a proper LVC set, then don't even waste the dough on a heavy 5000mAh NiMH. A 2s 5000mAh LiPo is going to weigh half as much, but even that seems overkill to me unless you really hate changing a pack during a LONG trail run or you have a heavy throttle finger.

Let the fun begin. :)

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

Yeah, my son has a 5000mah lipo for his truck that I can use and I like the idea of not changing batteries that often. My wife will be very reluctant to give me two or three batteries, so if I can buy one "big" one, it would work better for me. Besides no antenna will a 2.4ghz radio offer much better performace or would a better esc offer up better response, etc?

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

I don't see any problem at all with used parts. Buy a star here on RCC to get access to the classified section.

Another option is the salvage yard at RPP hobby. They are new parts taken out of RTR kits and sold at a good discount.

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

If your going to buy a new radio there are good ones on hobbypartz.com for cheap. FlySky FS-GT3B Digital 3ch 2.4ghz TX & RX LCD Transmitter & Receiver


This is the one iam about to pick up. Its a good set up I have a few friends that use it and love it. This website has good prices on lipos also.

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

How long do the stock can hold up under a lipo or does it make a diffrence new to the crawling scene

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

Hi, i'm newbie from Indonesia.
I've just bought tekin fxr esc and 35t handwound motor. What about its perfomance vs torquemaster brxl?

Re: My new to me Honcho ESC questions
 

Sorry, double post... my internet connection