Kaetwo's Tekin FX-R Review...

[Cruzin Illusion]

Well I went out and bought the Hot Wire equipment so I could upload the new program for the crawlers for the FXR. I finally got sick of waiting and just installed a Mamba Max in place of the FXR. This is just my opinion but it is so much smoother with alot more low end throttle control. It is so much easier to creep the crawler along. My wife definately can see and feel the difference and I she is happier with the Mamba Max for her driving style and vehicle. I think the FXR would not be as much of an issue in my axial vs. her berg. My axial seems to be geared lower so you have more control, on the lower end, than the berg. Remember this is just my opinion.

 

[Locked Up]

There is really no issue per se. What you will see is a small lurch from stop to rolling when running a 35x1 or so motor with high voltage. If you running a 55 you should be great, but it's enough of a gap that Tekin want's to address the problem. I solved it by changing from twin 35x1's to twin 45x1 and it's smooth as glass. You can also solve it with the following;

- Softer brush springs
- Lower gearing
- Higher wind motor
- Harder brushes

I hope that helps.

8)

I solved it with a sidewinder.

I hate to say it but it has been a long time since we first heard of adjustable throttle bands coming from Tekin and I got sick of waiting. I still have 1 of the FXRs I bought and if Tekin can get it to do what my sidewinbder does I'll certainly reconsider.

Hopefully they can get something good out before someone else hits one out of the park. I'm surprised Castle hasn't made a smaller brushed only ESC yet.

 

[Rockcrawler]

I finally got sick of waiting and just installed a Mamba Max in place of the FXR.

I solved it with a sidewinder.

Well this sucks. I just bought 2 FX-R's and the hotwire to replace my Mamba Max and 1 for the new rig we are about to build. :x

Tekin, I really hope you guys can get this fixed quick. I really dont want to have to turn around and sell these so I can buy another mamba. I have been running tekin stuff for years until you guys went out of business or what ever it was that happened. Ran it from 93 up till I could not find them anymore.

 

[kaetwo]

Well this sucks. I just bought 2 FX-R's and the hotwire to replace my Mamba Max and 1 for the new rig we are about to build. :x

Tekin, I really hope you guys can get this fixed quick. I really dont want to have to turn around and sell these so I can buy another mamba. I have been running tekin stuff for years until you guys went out of business or what ever it was that happened. Ran it from 93 up till I could not find them anymore.

Rockcrawler don't sweat it. I have hundreds of users (and that's not an inflated number) in the 801 and UTRCRC club that are using FXR's for there Berg, Axials, Clods, Venoms and TLT's with no problem at all. I have not read back to the root of this lowspeed issue that a few users are talking about but I would not sweat it.

No other manufacture can provide the support, size, tunability and most importantly a drag brake like Tekin. I'm not going to say that it fits the bill for each and every user and there are certainly great things to say about Castle and Novak, but I don't run for those guys for one simple reason....They don't offer a complete package. I wouldn't stake my reputation on any other ESC.

8)

 

[Rockcrawler]

Rockcrawler don't sweat it. I have hundreds of users (and that's not an inflated number) in the 801 and UTRCRC club that are using FXR's for there Berg, Axials, Clods, Venoms and TLT's with no problem at all. I have not read back to the root of this lowspeed issue that a few users are talking about but I would not sweat it.

No other manufacture can provide the support, size, tunability and most importantly a drag brake like Tekin. I'm not going to say that it fits the bill for each and every user and there are certainly great things to say about Castle and Novak, but I don't run for those guys for one simple reason....They don't offer a complete package. I wouldn't stake my reputation on any other ESC.

8)

I am hoping so. I run a berg with a TP 11.1 battery. I bought the Tekins because of what I have read about the drag brakes. But I am also running JPCustoms 35t Warrior-R's. If they have any problems with the low wheel speed, these will be coming out. I use the stall on my berg a lot and this will be greatly affected. I will try one of them though. "thumbsup"

I agree with the size and the drag brake. Not really sure about the tuneability though, the mamba is nice.....just wanted it smaller and more drag brake.

As far as the package goes, I could care less. I am sure that Tekin has some good handwound motors, but I dont think they are close to JPCustoms or Holmes' motors. I have never ran one but I am not hearing much about them either. As far as speed controls and chargers, Tekin has made some great products over the years. "thumbsup"

Maybe I wont have any problems with them, but I am not going to change springs, brushes or motors just to run it.

I will post up how they are working with my setup this week. Should have them in within the next few days. "thumbsup"

 

[Kryton]

Thanks for the awsome review. I'm running an FXR myself and your review hit the mark this thing is awsome."thumbsup"

 

[Cruzin Illusion]

My wife went out today and tested the Mamba Max compared to the FXR. The Mamba Max out performed the FXR in every catagory except for the drag brake. It was far superior to speed control than the FXR. But it lacked in the drag brake catagory. Her crawler could climb obsticles that it would have had problems with running the FXR because of the low end speed control. She will stay with the Mamba Max versus the FXR but that is her opinion and mine. The FXR may have a place for some and Mamba Max for others. Before making the decision I would see if you could run the same type of rig that you are building with the two different ESC's and make up your own mind. I know I changed one persons mind today and they will now install a Mamba Max in the rig they are building because of running my brothers with a FXR-Pro and my wifes with a Mamba Max. Both are running bergs with pretty close to the same set up. I will compromise some size for the drivability aspect. I am not bagging the FXR or the FXR pro, but they just do not fit the type of control my wife or I seek.

 

[kaetwo]

My wife went out today and tested the Mamba Max compared to the FXR. The Mamba Max out performed the FXR in every catagory except for the drag brake. It was far superior to speed control than the FXR. But it lacked in the drag brake catagory. Her crawler could climb obsticles that it would have had problems with running the FXR because of the low end speed control. She will stay with the Mamba Max versus the FXR but that is her opinion and mine. The FXR may have a place for some and Mamba Max for others. Before making the decision I would see if you could run the same type of rig that you are building with the two different ESC's and make up your own mind. I know I changed one persons mind today and they will now install a Mamba Max in the rig they are building because of running my brothers with a FXR-Pro and my wifes with a Mamba Max. Both are running bergs with pretty close to the same set up. I will compromise some size for the drivability aspect. I am not bagging the FXR or the FXR pro, but they just do not fit the type of control my wife or I seek.

I can totally understand you having your opinion and respect that, however this is NOT a comparison thread, which is the reason why I left out my research on the other brands. Tekin nor myself has any desire to put down other brands of ESC's. Some of the finest drivers in crawling use both ESC's and I have no doubt (having countless hours testing both brands) that they both perform great! However like I stated in my first post, I was looking for something that fit my needs and Tekin did it in EVERY catagory and they continue to do so.

If you believe that your Mamba Maxx allowed you to crawl an obstical that the Tekin prevented you from doing or would have given you problems, then I would encourage you to run the Mamba. It works for you and that's all that matters.

I would like to keep this thread open to Tekin support and feedback and I will continue to provide updates to my testing. I as well as Zach (the 2.2 National Champion) have done hours of testing with the 45x1 motors in our Bergs and the low speed crawling is awsome. There is no lurching or delay. More to come however and please keep in mind that Tekin is also working on it from the software end.

8)

 

[Cruzin Illusion]

I can totally understand you having your opinion and respect that, however this is NOT a comparison thread, which is the reason why I left out my research on the other brands. Tekin nor myself has any desire to put down other brands of ESC's. Some of the finest drivers in crawling use both ESC's and I have no doubt (having countless hours testing both brands) that they both perform great! However like I stated in my first post, I was looking for something that fit my needs and Tekin did it in EVERY catagory and they continue to do so.

If you believe that your Mamba Maxx allowed you to crawl an obstical that the Tekin prevented you from doing or would have given you problems, then I would encourage you to run the Mamba. It works for you and that's all that matters.

I would like to keep this thread open to Tekin support and feedback and I will continue to provide updates to my testing. I as well as Zach (the 2.2 National Champion) have done hours of testing with the 45x1 motors in our Bergs and the low speed crawling is awsome. There is no lurching or delay. More to come however and please keep in mind that Tekin is also working on it from the software end.

8)

That is the reason I stated that it was my opinion. I truely am not putting down the FXR, it just does not fitting the driving style that my wife likes. I am sorry I made it into a comparison but thought others would rather know what I was comparing it to versus a brand X. I have kept up with this thread to try to find a solution and waiting for an update for the issue we were having with the FXR. I just got to the point that I spent the money to get the Hot Wire to fix the problem but no update has been finalized. I just reach a turning point after the way the rig handled in a comp yesterday and thought I would try a different path to fix the problem. I just thought I would bring up an issue that others may want to concider when deciding on a ESC for their crawler. I have many of friends that run the FXR and love them. Again I am sorry if I went the wrong direction on this thread.

 

[Trugg]

I have none of these "issues" with any of my three FXRs (3s and 45t)...

 

[Rockcrawler]

Is anyone running an FX-R and a handwound 35t? If the 45's are as smooth as you say, I dont see how a 35t can make that much of a difference.

 

[Locked Up]

Sorry,
I'm not here to bash Tekin at all. I want them to put out an update and when they do I will 100% test it in my rig. If it performs the way I need it to I will run it till it explodes.


Tekin does have a far stronger drag brake, I'll give them that. "thumbsup"



I'm running 3s with a 45t handwound and I had the low end issues.

 

[Coldnorth]

...Well, I got my FXR on Friday, and threw it in that night. It was replacing an Axial ESC.

AMAZING. The slow-speed control is mindboggling - it used to chug along, and now it will creep, almost unmoving. The drag brake is amazing - took it out for a rip with the dragbrake on full, and it just kept endoing on downhills. :shock: Gotta tweak that next time I'm out - based on 'carpet crawling,' I think a setting of 3 or 4 will be about right.

Basically, I'm totally and completely impressed. Thanks, Kaetwo, for this review; this thread pretty much sealed the deal. "thumbsup"

 

[kaetwo]

That is the reason I stated that it was .........

Cruzin it's totally cool and I don't think you where out of line or anything. Like you said the Castle works for your application and that's all the matters ;-)

In my opinion there are only two competing crawler manufactures out there. Tekin and Castle. It's good to have oposition as it only makes the products better and better "thumbsup"

I have none of these "issues" with any of my three FXRs (3s and 45t)...

Good to hear! I'm having no problems myself with single motor applications but I did notice a slight change when running 35x1 in my berg. 45 however cleared it up for me.

Is anyone running an FX-R and a handwound 35t? If the 45's are as smooth as you say, I dont see how a 35t can make that much of a difference.

You would think that the difference would be minimal, but I found as well as Zach and Pinchflat that 45x1 where smoother. Did it change the ESC? NO! The motors are just smoother and they continue to get smoother and smoother the higher your winds go. It's a subtle change but it did help for us. Now keep in mind that there are a lot of things that can change how smooth the characteristics of a rig are.

How heavy is it? Mine is VERY heavy.
What tires? Size, Compound, foam, etc....
Terrain
Weight Bias
Gearing
Is everying running free with no binding
Guage of cable used (I use 12 guage)

The list goes on and on.

Sorry,
I'm not here to bash Tekin at all. I want them to put out an update and when they do I will 100% test it in my rig. If it performs the way I need it to I will run it till it explodes.


Tekin does have a far stronger drag brake, I'll give them that. "thumbsup"



I'm running 3s with a 45t handwound and I had the low end issues.

That's good information. That's the kind of stuff that Tekin can take back and work with. I'll have more today on my testing as well to post up some examples "thumbsup"

...Well, I got my FXR on Friday, and threw it in that night. It was replacing an Axial ESC.

AMAZING. The slow-speed control is mindboggling - it used to chug along, and now it will creep, almost unmoving. The drag brake is amazing - took it out for a rip with the dragbrake on full, and it just kept endoing on downhills. :shock: Gotta tweak that next time I'm out - based on 'carpet crawling,' I think a setting of 3 or 4 will be about right.

Basically, I'm totally and completely impressed. Thanks, Kaetwo, for this review; this thread pretty much sealed the deal. "thumbsup"

I'm happy that we could help! I can't get enough of them :lol:

Once again, thank you for all the imput! It's what keeps the products improving over time, and if there is one thing that I've learned with manufactures, there not always willing to listed to the croud, but Tekin is and that in itself is a rare quality "thumbsup"

Thanks again!!!!!

8)

 

[ADDICT]

Im sorry to break the line here but can someone tell me if there was a HOTWIRE review so I dont have to scroll through 17 full pages of info? Maybe a link? :lol: Thank You. "thumbsup"

*

 

[mann0mann]

Rocky, I have some comments on it in my post of page 5.

In summary they hotwire software is a very nice feature to have, Anytime you can upgrade the software remotely and change settings is great!

But to be fair there is not much in terms of features right now with the software. Just basic settings. It not as feature rich as the castle link software right now. Although it sounds like there is more on the horizon from Tekin.

Looking forward to that. "thumbsup"

The ESC though is extremely easy to program on it's own. The Hotwire is not a must-purchase from that perspective.

 

[Rockcrawler]

Has anyone had trouble updating the software? I was trying to check it but I cant tell if its locking up on me or just takes a while. Shows "Checking the website for updates".

 

[minor_threat]

Well, my wife made me french toast while i wrestled with the elecs i just got tonight ...from the best lhs ever...and I'm stocked. bummed it's raining and it's way ass late but yeah, the programing was a bit tricky as my esc beeped and such a lot which confused me. nothing in the instructions reads about this thing talking back like it did but i have it set with and love it. I'm running this with the spektrum and after resetting that thing, the only issue i have is i have to run it in revers on the trans to get it working. I'm completely stoked with this tekin not just for it's size but it's out of the box features and such. thanks for the suggestion Mike, and yeah, get to bed early? never.
i would suggest this one over the rooster any day!

 

[Thorne_Dog]

Im sorry to break the line here but can someone tell me if there was a HOTWIRE review so I dont have to scroll through 17 full pages of info? Maybe a link? :lol: Thank You. "thumbsup"

*

The last ESC I bought was a Tekin Titan. Years ago. I have a FX-R with hotwire waiting for me at home...I'll be there on Friday or Saturday. I'll be sure to post up any of my thoughts/opinions on this beast and probably with some pictures (maybe screenshots from the hotwire setup too). So if you can sit tight for a few days I'll have some additional input. I've got high hopes after reading this thread.

 

[Thorne_Dog]

Yes the BEC is the same on the pro and non pro units. 6V/3 amp is correct. Yes you will see a drop on either unit when going 3s, the FX is a very robust lil bugger and the numbers we provide to the public are in a real world range...no fluff and actual.

An EBEC is always an option but so far the FX has kept up pretty well.

What's the story on this? This quote is from a few months ago...it was suggested to me that I use a CC BEC (which I do not have yet, I figured with a 2 cell lipo it would not be necessary with this ESC). Is the general consensus that an external BEC is still not required with this ESC or has it become more of a recommendation now, after more testing and tuning with these things over the past few months? Obviously I understand that it's an option and perhaps may even work 'better' than if I'm not using one...but if I can get by without any overheating issues or lack of power supply issues to the servo then I'll probably opt out of the EBEC dealio.

Thanks for the input!