Radio Control Rock Crawler Basics

[mikebecher]

I've put together this R/C crawler basics page for those who are unfamiliar with R/C in general. This is where I direct people who happen to see me out crawling and want to know more.
Below is an export from this nicely formatted Google Doc: https://goo.gl/pQXy8o.

As always, comments and suggestions are welcome

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

radio control rock crawler basics

introduction
Speed isn’t everything when it comes to radio controlled vehicles. For R/C enthusiasts around the world, the challenge of conquering nearly impossible terrain is the ultimate thrill. To accomplish this, we drive miniature vehicles with over-sized tires, big shocks and lots of ground clearance. These rigs, as we like to call them, also sport four wheel drive, powerful motors and durability just like their full-size counterparts. Most of us don’t stop there. Building a scale R/C crawler often involves making it look, handle and sometimes sound just like the real thing. From working lights and winches to interiors complete with gauges and drivers, the level of detail possible is astonishing.



Scale Military Jeep - photo credit: Bitter End
Scale Toyota Truggy - photo credit: 1BadJeepBruiser



the spirit of scale
What is ‘scale’ in the first place? In R/C terms it’s a smaller version of an actual vehicle. The most popular scale size in R/C crawling is 1:10 - one inch on a scale vehicle is equal to ten inches on the real thing.

The Spirit of Scale involves making R/C vehicles as similar to 1:1 as is reasonable. This includes parts, like tires, wheels, shocks and bodies that are often exact, licensed replicas of the real things. But it also includes how we drive and how we treat each other. There is a strong camaraderie among R/C drivers to support and help one another and to share the enjoyment of this pastime with others.




photo credit: bilinvic


events and competitions
Driving an R/C crawler more challenging and fun than it first appears. It’s even better when groups of people get together to drive, encourage and help one another. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of R/C clubs and associations all over, dedicated to organizing and hosting events. Many events are family-oriented and meant to be casually enjoyed by drivers of all ages. Others are highly competitive with drivers building fully customized crawlers and traveling all over the world to compete. Whatever an event may entail, they’re great occasions to meet others and see how they have made this hobby their own.

While competitions may require qualifying, the majority of events are open to anyone. There are no requirements for experience and many are free or very low cost. Many clubs and events embrace a policy to never turn any driver away as long as they have a scale crawler and a positive attitude.



RECON G6 - “April Fowl” Scale Adventure Event, Dry Creek RC Course, Grants Pass, Oregon



classes of crawlers
Events will commonly divide crawlers and/or drivers into different categories, or classes. The classes available and the requirements for each will vary from one event to the next and are usually based on rulesets published by SORRCA (Scale Off Road RC Association) or RCCA (Radio Control Rock Crawling Association). Other, more relaxed events use rules similar to the RECON G6. The G6 style events may also divide drivers by age and are usually not timed and are scored on an honor system.

In the most general terms, classes are determined by tire size and the ‘scaleness’ of a vehicle. This ensures vehicles that most resemble 1:1 trucks you might see on the street or trail aren’t competing with rigs that only resemble 1:1 vehicles from the off road racing world. Comp classes forego scale looks all together and are built for pure performance.



Class 1 Toyota - photo credit: Matthew Kett/imthatguy
Class 2 Jeep - photo credit: Lentsnh2012



Class 3 Axial RR10 Bomber - photo credit: bilinvic
Super Class Comp Crawler - photo credit: Erik D_lux


primary components
These scale, hobby-grade vehicles are not your $49.99 Radio Shack toys. They are designed to be fully disassembled, repaired, upgraded and customized. Parts are readily available, both from the original manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers. The basic components of any R/C crawler consist of the following:

chassis and body
The frame of most R/C crawlers is mode from metal or plastic. Bodies are often one-piece shells that can be custom painted and easily swapped for a totally different look.

tires and wheels
Tires are made from soft rubber and have the look and feel of a real tire. Wheels are made from plastic or metal and are easily removed or changed.

battery
Lithium-Ion Polymer (LiPo) batteries have completely changed the landscape for R/C. These batteries can be quickly charged, provide huge amounts of power, are lighter, and last longer than anything before. They are quickly displacing all other battery technologies as well as nitro or gas as a power source.

motor
The large electric motors used in R/C crawlers provide smooth, quiet and reliable power. Coupled with LiPo batteries, these motors can outperform most fuel powered engines that once dominated R/C.

drivetrain
All scale R/C crawlers utilize a transmission, drivelines, u-joints and differentials to provide power to the wheels. All of these components are very nearly exact replicas of what would be seen in a real off road vehicle.

electronic speed controller
The Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) uses the radio signal from the controller to drive the motor at the desired speed sent by the driver via a trigger on the transmitter. Advanced ESCs can be programmed for regenerative braking, adjustable acceleration, varying speed and many other custom functions.

servo
The servo is a small actuator that typically turns the front wheels to steer the vehicle. The steering servo is normally controlled by a small steering wheel on the hand-held transmitter. Other servos may power winches, transmission linkages or even rear-wheel steering.

transmitter and receiver
The heart of R/C is the remote controller, also known as a transmitter. This device is held in one or two hands and sends the driver’s steering and throttle commands (among others) via radio waves to the receiver in the vehicle.

brands and vendors
There are many brands of R/C vehicles even more vendors. Here are links to some of the most popular crawler manufacturers followed by some well-known vendors:

Axial Racing, G-Made, Losi, Redcat, RC4WD, Tamiya, Traxxas, Vaterra

RPP Hobby, RC4WD, Tower Hobbies, CKRC Hobbies, Amain Hobbies, TCS Crawlers, RC Planet



ready-to-run vs. kit
Most manufacturers offer their R/C vehicles as Ready-to-Run (RTR) or kit format. RTRs come assembled, complete with electronics (motor, ESC and servo) and the transmitter/receiver pair. All that is required to start driving is a battery, and some even supply that. Kit versions are a collection of individual parts that are assembled much like a plastic model car, only with screws rather than glue. They require proper tools, glue and paint on top of the needed electronics which must be purchased separately. Many newcomers to the hobby choose an RTR for their first R/C.



cost
As mentioned earlier, this is not your $49 Radio Shack special. Some entry-level RTR crawlers can be had for as little as $150. The more capable and popular RTR rigs start at about $300 and go up from there. It’s not uncommon to see competition-level rigs that cost $1,500 or more to build. There are also deals to be had on used rigs by turning to online R/C forums, craigslist, local R/C clubs or newspaper classifieds. One thing to remember is that a hobby-grade R/C will last for years when properly maintained.



additional information
Most of the time, the best source of additional information is a reputable Local Hobby Shop (LHS) that sells R/C vehicles. They will have knowledgeable salespeople who are likely R/C enthusiasts themselves. If this resource is not available, there is a dizzying amount of information available online as well. In addition to all the vendors and manufacturers, here are just a few more sources of R/C crawler information:

RCCrawler.com, Facebook, Google, Scale 4x4 R/C, UltimateRC.com, RCUniverse.com, RCGroups.com

[CODYBOY]

Great job Mike, direct and to the point. It will be good information to share with a non RC person.
Ernie,

[viper6171]

good job !!! needed this

[Mike Flea]

Very informative Mike, good job!

[joe122]

Agreed, very well done and very informative Mike.

[Dezertdirt]

Can we get a sticky on this? Nicely done, good info.

[waw]

if possible I would like to translate what you wrote into my language so that more and more non-RC enthusiast are exposed.. especially those from my country

thank you in advance

[mikebecher]

Originally Posted by waw

if possible I would like to translate what you wrote into my language so that more and more non-RC enthusiast are exposed.. especially those from my country

thank you in advance

Absolutely! Be my guest

[waw]

Originally Posted by mikebecher

Absolutely! Be my guest

awesome, I'll post the link here as soon as I finished translating + adding a few more items to it




additional notes: you might add the positive and minus sides of the components mentioned, oooyea some pictures might also provide a better imagination

with the difference between Twin Plate Chassis (on a dedicated crawler) and Ladder Chassis (on many adventure rig)

[waw]

Originally Posted by mikebecher

Absolutely! Be my guest

here ya go.. the thread

[HockmanRCBoys]

a much needed little article! I can see many new RC Crawlers benefiting from this!

[mikebecher]

I added some more links and reference photos. Thanks to picture owners for allowing them to be used here