"New" to RC... Educate me (Please)

[Sivart]

Classic newbie post here; I'm fresh to the 1/10 RC scene. I've had many of the cheapo RC cars, trucks, planes, and boats as a kid.. but its been awhile (i'm 37) and I've never had something like the Ruckus.

I have the brushed 2WD version; found a good deal at a local hobby store (I presume because the brushless version just came out..). I picked up an upgraded battery and charger, but it's completely stock other than that.

- Batteries.. The stock one is a 1800mAh 2S 20C lipo and the "upgraded" one is a Lectron Pro 5200mAh 35C. Also a "2S".. The kid at the hobby shop did a poor job of explaining it to me. Other than "this one is better than this other one and lasts about 15 min longer".

- Whats the deal with lipo batteries? Are they the best (only) option?

- Whats the "2S" indicate? Is that important? Or is it the 20C vs 35C..?

- Battery strap? The bigger 5200mAh battery doesn't quite allow me to tighten down the battery strap .. I can't twist the little knobs. Is it as simple as trimming off some plastic from the knobs?

- Take-off ... My Ruckus tends to take off a little slow then build speed quickly. Is this normal for stock? Would this be related to the ESC? Or the battery?

- Wheelies ... I see lots of videos of guys doing wheelies. I can't seem to make mine do one. It's on the highest speed setting on the controller. It's highly likely that it's just operator inexperience ... but in these videos the trucks seem to take off so much faster. Doing wheelies isn't why I got this thing, I'm just using it as a performance benchmark.

- Reverse ... Usually I have to put the trigger into "reverse" position twice before it actually goes in reverse. The first time doesn't do anything. Is this normal?

- Braking ... Am I a moron for using reverse as a brake? Feels like something is bound to bust/strip with doing this.

- Maintenance ... What should I be doing? I read somewhere that the motor should be removed, cleaned, and oiled after every few runs if you want it to last and maintain peak power output. True? Anything else that should be done periodically? (Do the shocks really have oil in them???)

- Voltage checker ... I've seen the "Venom LVD" specifically mentioned. Is this just for checking the balance of the 2 cells in the battery..? Why is that important?

- Lipo Alarm ... What is it for? Is it true I should have one of these, espescially if running the stock ESC..? Do I need one if I have a voltage checker?

- Battery Bag ... Is it necessary? I've just been charging and storing my batteries on the kitchen counter.

- ESC Recall? I was googling around about the Ruckus and saw that the exact truck I have has a recall for the ESC..? Is this serious and worth the trouble?

- Controller - there are all these adjustments on it. I didn't touch any of them and just ran it as-is out of the box. Should I tweak anything, or be on the lookout for anything that might need adjusted?

- Upgrades ... seems there is plenty of discussion around many sites about this truck. It seems very "bashable". I already have a short list going, but will probably run it stock until something breaks and take it from there.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate any replies.

 

[Tamyosho]

- Whats the deal with lipo batteries? Are they the best (only) option?

Pretty much. Same price and better performance than nimh

- Whats the "2S" indicate? Is that important? Or is it the 20C vs 35C..?

Voltage. Multiple of 3.7v. 3S is 7.4 volts

- Battery strap? The bigger 5200mAh battery doesn't quite allow me to tighten down the battery strap .. I can't twist the little knobs. Is it as simple as trimming off some plastic from the knobs?

Yes, velcro strap is way easier.

- Reverse ... Usually I have to put the trigger into "reverse" position twice before it actually goes in reverse. The first time doesn't do anything. Is this normal?

It's to avoid breaking things, normal

- Braking ... Am I a moron for using reverse as a brake? Feels like something is bound to bust/strip with doing this.

Not a good idea, trigger into reverse one should be enough.In the manual you can find the brake force setting.

- Maintenance ... What should I be doing? I read somewhere that the motor should be removed, cleaned, and oiled after every few runs if you want it to last and maintain peak power output. True? Anything else that should be done periodically? (Do the shocks really have oil in them???)

Nah, brushed motors are more or less disposable. Shocks are indeed (hopefully) full of oil.

- Lipo Alarm ... What is it for? Is it true I should have one of these, espescially if running the stock ESC..? Do I need one if I have a voltage checker?

When discharged too much (below a certain voltage around 3.4 / 3.2volts) lipos get damaged. They either lose capacity or turn into fire hazards if you are less lucky.
Not sure if you NEED one with the stock ESC, it could have a Lipo and Nimh setting. RTFM.

- Battery Bag ... Is it necessary? I've just been charging and storing my batteries on the kitchen counter.

It's 3$, maybe it doesn't work, maybe it prevents your house from burning down.

- ESC Recall? I was googling around about the Ruckus and saw that the exact truck I have has a recall for the ESC..? Is this serious and worth the trouble?

The ESC catches fire. It's bad. Get it exchanged.

- Controller - there are all these adjustments on it. I didn't touch any of them and just ran it as-is out of the box. Should I tweak anything, or be on the lookout for anything that might need adjusted?

When fully turning left of right, the servo should not make a whining noise or it will die fast. There's a knob for that on your remote.

- Upgrades ... seems there is plenty of discussion around many sites about this truck. It seems very "bashable". I already have a short list going, but will probably run it stock until something breaks and take it from there.

Cheapest one is a zip tie around the servo saver. Next step is brushless conversion with metal axles and a metal diff, better tires and weight in the front (most of this at once to keep it driveable with all the extra power).

 

[Tamyosho]

Also, no wheelies: maybe the slipper is too loose (or maybe the brushed Ruckus won't wheelie). There's also a "punch" settings in the ESC you might need to up to get it to wheelie.

 

[nate94gt]

- Batteries.. The stock one is a 1800mAh 2S 20C lipo and the "upgraded" one is a Lectron Pro 5200mAh 35C. Also a "2S".. The kid at the hobby shop did a poor job of explaining it to me. Other than "this one is better than this other one and lasts about 15 min longer".

The mah is the amount the battery can hold. A 5200mah battery can hold almost 3x as much as an 1800mah battery, therefore you'll get longer run times. The 2s is the battery cell count, which is 2, which is a max voltage of 8.4. More volts, faster car, but only if the ESC can handle the extra voltage. The C rating is the amount of current the battery can pass through. the 35C battery will be able to release more current, allowing more juice to get to the ESC, which can also increase speed.

The motor can only be supplied by as many amps as the ESC can give it, which can only give the motor as many amps as the battery can get the ESC. So if your ESC has a max current of 150 amps, you want to be able to supply at least 150 amps to the ESC for best performance. the 5200mah battery with 35C can supply 182,000mah (5200x35), or 182 amps. the 1800mah 20c battery can only supply 36000mah, or 36 amps.



- Whats the deal with lipo batteries? Are they the best (only) option?

they are the best option

- Whats the "2S" indicate? Is that important? Or is it the 20C vs 35C..?

as mentioned, the 2s indicates the number of cells (voltage). they are both important, but the C rating is less important IMO unless you're a racer and need maximum performance.

- Battery strap? The bigger 5200mAh battery doesn't quite allow me to tighten down the battery strap .. I can't twist the little knobs. Is it as simple as trimming off some plastic from the knobs?

I cant answer that, I'd probably try the Velcro strap like tamyosho said, its faster.

- Take-off ... My Ruckus tends to take off a little slow then build speed quickly. Is this normal for stock? Would this be related to the ESC? Or the battery?

it could be slipper clutch, c rating, voltage. The 2wd brushed ruckus can also utilize a 3s lipo which will be a lot faster but again, make sure nothing overheats. a brushless motor would be even faster yet.
you could also change the pinion gear to a smaller one, that would increase torque (take off) but with less top end speed. just make sure nothing overheats (motor or esc) when you do that. the esc would be the most likely candidate to get hot with a smaller pinion.

- Wheelies ... I see lots of videos of guys doing wheelies. I can't seem to make mine do one. It's on the highest speed setting on the controller. It's highly likely that it's just operator inexperience ... but in these videos the trucks seem to take off so much faster. Doing wheelies isn't why I got this thing, I'm just using it as a performance benchmark.

view previous response, but also those other vehicles could be upgraded w/ 3s lipos or brushless motors, tightened slipper clutch

- Reverse ... Usually I have to put the trigger into "reverse" position twice before it actually goes in reverse. The first time doesn't do anything. Is this normal?

that's normal. the ESC uses reverse for the brake, then reverse for reverse. so its like a double tap for reverse.

- Braking ... Am I a moron for using reverse as a brake? Feels like something is bound to bust/strip with doing this.

view previous response

- Maintenance ... What should I be doing? I read somewhere that the motor should be removed, cleaned, and oiled after every few runs if you want it to last and maintain peak power output. True? Anything else that should be done periodically? (Do the shocks really have oil in them???)

the stock motors are super cheap, I think they are like 10 or 15 bucks. no real point in maintaining them IMO. and yes the shocks have oil in them. you can take them apart and make sure they are full, other than that there shouldn't be any maintenance other than cleaning them up if dirty. check and make sure screws and wheels are tight and the servo horn is tight to the servo.

- Voltage checker ... I've seen the "Venom LVD" specifically mentioned. Is this just for checking the balance of the 2 cells in the battery..? Why is that important?

the stock ESC has a lipo cutoff, you don't need one. as far as battery importance, you don't want the lipo to get below 3 volts per cell because that can potentially damage them.

- Lipo Alarm ... What is it for? Is it true I should have one of these, espescially if running the stock ESC..? Do I need one if I have a voltage checker?

view previous

- Battery Bag ... Is it necessary? I've just been charging and storing my batteries on the kitchen counter.
battery bags are recommended. it would be SMART to use one. I do. basically you just don't want the lipo to catch on fire. before I had a lipo bag I would charge them in an ammo can (or coffee can, whatever that will prevent a fire from getting started) with the lid open just in case. Ive never had a problem, I don't personally know anyone that's had a problem, either, its just to cover your ass.

- ESC Recall? I was googling around about the Ruckus and saw that the exact truck I have has a recall for the ESC..? Is this serious and worth the trouble?

call horizon hobby and ask them about it, im not sure honestly.

- Controller - there are all these adjustments on it. I didn't touch any of them and just ran it as-is out of the box. Should I tweak anything, or be on the lookout for anything that might need adjusted?

all you'll need to tweak is the steering and throttle trim. I would tweak the steering trim periodically when it wouldn't go straight, otherwise its fine. the throttle trim is to set it to more susceptible to going forward or reverse while in neutral, that one doesn't really need much tweaking

- Upgrades ... seems there is plenty of discussion around many sites about this truck. It seems very "bashable". I already have a short list going, but will probably run it stock until something breaks and take it from there.

that's what I would do.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate any replies.

 

[Sivart]

Wow, thanks so much Tamyosho and nate94gt for answering all my questions!!! Really appreciate it.

I'm having so much fun with this truck and finally starting to get the hang of it. I still do have a mild concern with the "no wheelie" aspect ... as I've said, I'm not all about doing wheelies - I just see it as a baseline; i.e. - the truck should have enough power to do them on take-off. At least, that's what I assume. I'll tweak the stuff suggested and see what happens.

Thanks again!

 

[i_r_beej]

- Whats the deal with lipo batteries? Are they the best (only) option?
Lithium polymer batteries are lighter and provide greater capacity and runtimes than NiMh. Plus they tend not to heat up during use like a NiMh meaning that you can charge them immediately after driving the car. HOWEVER: LiPo batteries are not as abuse tolerant as NiMh batteries. They can burst into flame if the battery is punctured (a very remote possibility, especially since most car batteries are encased in a hard plastic case). If you over charge (by not paying attention to your charge rate) or over discharge (by installing a 2S battery in a car that needs 3S or 4S batteries like a 1/8 scale or larger truck) or by running them too low, you can damage them which makes them more susceptible to incendiary actions.

All of the above is not meant to scare you. LiPos are quite safe is you practice common sense and pay attention to what you are doing.

- Whats the "2S" indicate? Is that important? Or is it the 20C vs 35C..?
The above responses were not quite accurate. The digit (2) refers to the number of (3.7V) battery cells and the letter (S) indicates that they are wired in Series. So a 2S battery is a pack constructed of TWO 3.7V cells wired in series to yield 7.4V. Wire in series and you ADD each cell's voltage; wire in PARALLEL and you add the capacity (mAh).

In short, for RC car batteries, 2S, 3S etc can be interpreted as voltage. But those numbers and letters have very specific meanings.

- Battery strap? The bigger 5200mAh battery doesn't quite allow me to tighten down the battery strap .. I can't twist the little knobs. Is it as simple as trimming off some plastic from the knobs?
Turn the car over. You'll see that the thumb knobs are held with screws. Simply back the screws out a turn or so. Test. Adjust the screw in or out again.

- Take-off ... My Ruckus tends to take off a little slow then build speed quickly. Is this normal for stock? Would this be related to the ESC? Or the battery?
It's the battery. NiMh lacks the "punch" of a LiPo. You switch to a LiPo battery and you'll notice a big difference. An easy performance upgrade. Your truck likely came with a "LiPo compatible" ESC. This just means that the ESC will stop the truck or sound an alarm once the battery voltage drops below a certain threshhold. (Anywhere from 2.8 to 3.8 volts per cell)

- Wheelies ... I see lots of videos of guys doing wheelies. I can't seem to make mine do one. It's on the highest speed setting on the controller. It's highly likely that it's just operator inexperience ... but in these videos the trucks seem to take off so much faster. Doing wheelies isn't why I got this thing, I'm just using it as a performance benchmark.
It's the motor. Your only benchmark should be the fun factor.

- Reverse ... Usually I have to put the trigger into "reverse" position twice before it actually goes in reverse. The first time doesn't do anything. Is this normal?
First time is braking, second is reverse. This is normal. Crawlers do not have a brake function and just do fwd/rev.

- Braking ... Am I a moron for using reverse as a brake? Feels like something is bound to bust/strip with doing this.
The ESC should have a brake function. Typically it will not "lock up" the wheels but instead slow the car quickly.

- Maintenance ... What should I be doing? I read somewhere that the motor should be removed, cleaned, and oiled after every few runs if you want it to last and maintain peak power output. True? Anything else that should be done periodically? (Do the shocks really have oil in them???)
You can do as much or as little maintenance as you want. Effort=results. I use the "water" break in method for my brushed motors and spray them out with motor cleaner spray after every few runs in the dirt. They are still doing fine a year and a half later (but they WILL wear out eventually). Yes the shock have oil in them- it provides a damping action to keep your car from "pogo-ing" all over the place.

- Voltage checker ... I've seen the "Venom LVD" specifically mentioned. Is this just for checking the balance of the 2 cells in the battery..? Why is that important?
See above. If you car has a "lipo compatible" ESC you do not need a separate LV alarm.

- Lipo Alarm ... What is it for? Is it true I should have one of these, espescially if running the stock ESC..? Do I need one if I have a voltage checker?
See above. If you car has a "lipo compatible" ESC you do not need a separate LV alarm.

- Battery Bag ... Is it necessary? I've just been charging and storing my batteries on the kitchen counter.
A "flame resistant" bag for charging LiPos? Not really. Maybe. Depends. I don't have one and NO ONE at any of the races that I go to uses one. However, there are also fire extinguishers stationed nearby and I've seen melted batteries in buckets of sand. So flame-outs DO happen, but not as often as you might fear from reading stuff on the internet.

- ESC Recall? I was googling around about the Ruckus and saw that the exact truck I have has a recall for the ESC..? Is this serious and worth the trouble?
I don't know the nature of the recall, but if it affects the stability of your battery-- ABSOLUTELY look into taking action.

- Controller - there are all these adjustments on it. I didn't touch any of them and just ran it as-is out of the box. Should I tweak anything, or be on the lookout for anything that might need adjusted?
Old joke: RTFM. Seriously, just read the manual. The DX2E isn't that complicated.

- Upgrades ... seems there is plenty of discussion around many sites about this truck. It seems very "bashable". I already have a short list going, but will probably run it stock until something breaks and take it from there.
Excellent plan. Drive it stock, get use to it, and THEN start upgrading. Beware that some "upgrades" are more for bling than performance or durability. Definitely be wary of aluminum parts.

Finally- welcome to the hobby!

 

[Jerry-Rigged]

Wow, thanks so much Tamyosho and nate94gt for answering all my questions!!! Really appreciate it.

I'm having so much fun with this truck and finally starting to get the hang of it. I still do have a mild concern with the "no wheelie" aspect ... as I've said, I'm not all about doing wheelies - I just see it as a baseline; i.e. - the truck should have enough power to do them on take-off. At least, that's what I assume. I'll tweak the stuff suggested and see what happens.

Thanks again!

To do a wheelie you need both lots of power and lots of traction. The stock brushed motor is not real powerful, and the stock Speedtreads are pretty sucky. So, Get brushless power, Lipo batteries, and good tires, then lock down that slipper, and you will be in wheelie heaven. But then you may start stripping gears and snapping u-joints. The ECX Metal gear set and Hot Racing driveshafts can help with these issues.

 

[mikeyinid]

To do a wheelie you need both lots of power and lots of traction. The stock brushed motor is not real powerful, and the stock Speedtreads are pretty sucky. So, Get brushless power, Lipo batteries, and good tires, then lock down that slipper, and you will be in wheelie heaven. But then you may start stripping gears and snapping u-joints. The ECX Metal gear set and Hot Racing driveshafts can help with these issues.

If he goes brushless he will definitely want to put metal gears and drive shafts in. I just started a thread here explaining how I learned that the hard way. But, if wheelies are what you want it's totally worth it. Just read my post and don't make the same mistakes I did LOL

 

[streetracer621]

In response to the ESC recall, the 40 amp ESC that was originally included was the one catching fires. They have been recalled and the new package with lipo includes a 60 amp ESC that does not suffer from that issue. I got my Ruckus back in November and it came with the lipo and 60 amp ESC.