Tx advice for a basher/trail Bomber setup

[Geochimica]

Hey folks. Lurker turned poster.. getting back into RC after a long absence. I raced electrics back in the 80s and 90s and tinkered with some gas buggies after that. All of my wheeltime was spent with a bare bones Futaba 3PKA (I think?), so the new crop of smart transmitters has thrown me for a loop.

What I'm looking for- a Tx /ESC combo that I can set two throttle curves (one for blasting and one for crawling), and a switch to turn the drag brake on and off. If the amount of drag brake can be changed via Tx, that's a sweet bonus. And for giggles, I want an extra channel to turn on a LED light bar because, well, cool points.

Does such a thing exist? I'm pretty new at knowing how these things work and what they're capable of these days.. my racing was done on rotary, servo operated speed controls if that tells you how outta the loop I am. Budget isn't a primary issue. I don't want an 18 channel airplane tx that looks like a pincushion, but I'm fine throwing some cash at a transmitter I can use for a couple different cars. Might even dig my old SuperShot outta storage.

Thoughts?

Cheers-- TW

 

[durok]

To be able to turn drag brake on and off, you need an ESC capable of that - and one that can have that set to a 3rd channel. Castle Creations Mamba X is where it's at!

MAMBA X, 25.2V WP ESC, 8A PEAK BEC, DATALOGGING

"AUXILIARY WIRE FUNCTIONALITY
The Mamba X allows “on-the-fly” adjustments to be made through the AUX wire once enabled in Castle Link. Once you have selected an AUX wire function, that setting can then be tuned from your transmitter while driving. Torque control, max throttle, max brake and drag brake adjustments are a sampling of the available modes. This real-time tuning allows you to quickly and easily fine-tune your system."

"New Firmware Available! Version 2.02 offers improved low speed control, stronger drag brake, new Aux Wire Mode "Crawler/Rock Race", and MUCH more. Check out all of the changes here and be sure to update your new Mamba X via the Castle Link!"

This thread covers it all:

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/electronics/581556-mamba-firmware-v2-02-a.html

A decent 3-channel-minimum TX added to that ESC and you're all set...

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Like durok said, get the Mamba X ESC. Its Crawler/Rock Racer mode is awesome.

 

[makya]

as far as transmitters: if you don't need a super high end, low latency radio, take a look at the flysky radios. hard to beat for the price, and you can mod the GT3B and GT3C to do just about anything you want, including up to 8 channels with aftermarket hacking kits. I use a GT3C with a hardware hacking kit that gives me 3 extra potentiomers and 3, 3-way toggle switches on top of steering and throttle. the firmware hack gives you up to 8 channels as well, but also adds programming tricks too numerous to mention.

If you don't want to hack a radio, or you want more of a name brand, futaba makes a couple of 3-channels (3-prka at $69, 3PV at $109) or Spektrum just came out with the DX5C which has 5 channels. That would allow you to turn on/off drag brake, lights, and have a winch control later if you decide to add it.

 

[StomperCrawler]

Check out this thread: http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showthread.php?t=593916

 

[Hydrocarbon92]

Wow...rotary speed controls lol. I think there's a charred "rsc" on my original Clod parts, and my brother's first Traxxas used one (for a week).

The Mamba X is nice but it's hard to justify the premium for such an adjustment. If you're going brushless, you could be served just as well by the WP-8BL150 for $50 less, minus the TX adjustments. You to plug in the the $10 3-pin programmer and click a few buttons to turn the drag brake off. For brushed the popular WP1080 esc adjusts the same way for $95 less than the Mamba X. The Mamba X does work with both brushless & brushed, but for the same price you could get both the 1080 & 8BL150.

For radio I'd suggest the $50 Flysky GT3C from personal experience. As a kid I was stuck with the cheap Futaba Attack & Magnum radios, and these don't feel as cheap. They might to you if you were a FM/PCM guy. It comes with 3 channels but can be modded to do up to 8. It also has a lipo that can be charged with a mini USB jack. They're also coming out with a 5ch version soon. There are other options from Radiolink for 4ch & Spektrum, but I really caution against the later.

 

[durok]

Got a FlySky GT3-C and a Futaba 3PV, myself... Really like the FlySky, haven't even tried the Futaba yet.

 

[durok]

OP mentioned turning drag brakes on and off on the fly, hence my recommendation... Of course you can go cheaper without that, love the HW 1080 in my Ascender, but my Bomber gets the "X"!

BTW, the Mamba X is capable of more than a simple drag brake change on the fly... The profile can have other changes when switched as well.

 

[Hydrocarbon92]

The website didn't really make it clear, they just listed that X feature could go from 10%-100%. Is it 2 profiles, multiple profiles, and/or just 1 feature that you can fine-tune via dial/pot (10%, 25%, 34%, etc)?

 

[durok]

I posted the thread link as the discussion is fairly in-depth there, with input from Castle employees...

There are dozens of posts where members ask questions, mention how useful the Aux Wire functionality is - and how it can be setup in different ways.

(Once again, I'll state that my Bomber is but a huge pile of parts on my coffee table in my living room - not yet assembled - I have a Futaba 3PV radio, Mamba X & Mamba Monster X ESCs, Holmes Hobbies Puller Pro 2200kv & 3500kv motors, and ProModeler 470oz-in & HH SHV500 servos - not certain which will be used)