What should I buy for realism?

[RRGreen89]

Hello Everyone,

So I have been out of the hobby for about a decade and decided to get back into it with the Gelande II Defender. I am a huge LR nut and love the crawler scene. However when I was active I only had gas powered cars and am at a loss on where to start with electric.

I have a Futaba 2 Channel radio, but after reading some posts and what I am looking to do it sounds like I need a 4 Channel.

I also have a Futaba S3005 High Torque Servo out of my old Savage that I thought I could use.

My goal is to make this truck look, work and drive like a loaded NAS Defender 90

Lights, Winch, side markers, maybe blinkers?

What do you guys recommend I use to accomplish this? Battery size and brands for LiPo, Motor, ESC, Radio? Ideally I would like to power everything off of one LiPo battery if possible but am totally open to any recommendations.

I also don't really know how electric cars work with an ESC and how it all ties together. I have been looking around online for diagrams.

Any help and guidance is greatly appreciated with this. I am not in a rush, I plan on painting the body and everything as I look into what do get for electronics.

Thank you!

[m0nster]

flysky 4 ch radio
rc4wd chassis, axles etc.
holmes hobbies brxl and maybe a 35/45t motor
and a blank check for everything else

[r6cj69]

First off, get a quality 2.4 radio. The Futaba 3PM-x is a good choice. If you really need/want a 4th channel, take a look at the Futaba 4PL. A good radio can go with you no matter what you drive. Just add a receiver and bind it to a second channel on the radio.
Regarding servos, I have had solid luck with Savox servos. They are very affordable for the performance and last a very long time.
Batteries- It's a mixed bag here for me. I've been running the Turnigy Nano-Tech lipos from Hobbyking the past few years but the quality and longevity seem to be going down. I have an SMC as well and so far it has preformed well. I'm also starting to run some of the Venom batteries with good success.
ESC- I'm a Tekin fan for years now. I take good care of my equipment ensure I solder correctly when I wire one up. They've always treated me well so I stick with them. I like a sensored ESC, power delivery is much smoother. There are other brands that are doing well also. Castle appears to be very popular with the crawlers. I like the performance and adjustability of Tekin better. Motors- for me its sensored brushless all the way. Again, less maintenance and smother power delivery. You may also see the need for a BEC...get a Tekin of other ESC that the output amperage can be adjust on and you should not need a BEC.
As far a wiring goes, it's very simple. Your servo and ESC will plug into your receiver. Servo into channel 1 and ESC into channel 2. A brushless ESC will have 5 wires coming out of it. 2 for the battery, (power and neutral) and 3 for the motor. Solder them up according to the instructions and you're ready to go.
Hope this helps.

[RRGreen89]

Thank you for the replies. What would the main difference be between the 3 or 4 channel for what I am trying to accomplish?

[lonleycreeper]

1 extra function via remote.

[RRGreen89]

Forward/Reverse 1
Steering 2
Headlights 3
Winch 4

How do I achieve the brake lights activating when braking?

[Kesuai]

Need light controller that does it automatically when you apply brakes/reverse from the trigger. Axials NVS system will do all the things including turn signals for $99. If you want simple lighting they have a controller for $20 as well. Not sure if that will do brakes. HeyOK may make a controller that does the brake light thing as well but I'm not sure. HeyOK makes fantastic light and winch controllers though.


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[RRGreen89]

Great thank you!

[svt923]

My truck is set up with headlights, brake lights, reverse lights, a roof mounted light bar, and a winch so my 4 channel radio is like this:
Ch 1 - Steering
Ch 2 - Throttle
Ch 3 - Winch
Ch 4 - Light bar switch

This kit does the same thing as the Axial kit for $10, its what controls the lights on my truck. Plugs inline with your speed controller and steering servo to turn on the brake lights, reverse lights, and turn signals in response to throttle and steering inputs so it doesn't require its own channel. It also can power several other leds for various purposes.

Hobbyking Scale Car LED Light system

I use this to control the light bar:

Turnigy Receiver Controlled Switch

[new2rocks]

Welcome to the addiction. The Gelande 2 D90 is a great kit and provides a very scale driving experience. You've gotten a lot of good info here, so I won't pile on. I run the Holmes Hobbies BRXL ESC and Crawlmaster 16T on 2s in my D90, and it seems just about right. You don't need a ton of torque from a servo for this rig, but look for at least 200 oz. I like the Savox 1210 (270-ish oz) on this type of rig. I also use a Castle BEC and recommend one for you given all the accessories you plan to run. There are a few different ways to set up BECs, but the basic setup that Castle shows in their wiring diagram should be fine. You can order the ESC, motor and BEC all soldered up with leads and plugs directly from Holmes so that all you need to do is plug it all in when you get it.

Try to keep your battery pack under .9" thick do that it doesn't press up against the floor pan. Thunder Power makes some good ones that are quite thin, albeit a bit pricey.

As far as learning about wiring, setup, etc., I strongly recommend finding and patronizing a good LHS and befriending some folks near you that crawl. They'll be able to show you how to get everything connected for the first time much more easily in person than we can over the Internet. Good luck!

[RRGreen89]

Awesome, thank you everyone this is great feedback!

I started assembly last night, will probably start ordering everything next week sometime.