Upgrade crawler's speed advice

[JD666]

Hello everyone. I'm looking for advice on how to upgrade an RC, I hope this is the right place to ask: I would like to to make it go faster, however I don't know much about pcbs and batteries (but I definitely know how to handle my soldering iron lol).

I've attached a couple of photos of the crawlers' inside for your reference. I'm guessing I should buy a more powerful battery pack (not sure about voltage etc.) to go with a new pcb that can handle more voltage perhaps?

If anyone could point me in the right direction that would be much appreciated. Many thanks

[stimpy]

No idea on the pcbs or even what model you have!. 
 

Generally if you want a faster rig then the options are as follows:

 

1. If you want a little bit quicker - change the motor pinion.

2. If you want significantly quicker - change the motor .

3. If you want more torque and revs ( which equates to top speed) but same set up then up the battery voltage - but only if your electrics  can handle it.

 

Goodluck! 

[JD666]

 

 

14 minutes ago, stimpy said:

No idea on the pcbs or even what model you have!. 
 

Generally if you want a faster rig then the options are as follows:

 

1. If you want a little bit quicker - change the motor pinion.

2. If you want significantly quicker - change the motor .

3. If you want more torque and revs ( which equates to top speed) but same set up then up the battery voltage - but only if your electrics  can handle it.

 

Goodluck! 

 

Many thanks for the prompt reply!

 

I'll definitely look into the third option, it sounds like something I could handle (I'm still a beginner in the RC world but like to expriment with stuff). The crawler is this one https://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/MTCRCCAR2/AMPHIBIOUS-RC-CAR/

It's just a basic, entry level RC that I bought for my son (who's 5 years old), but I'd like to pimp it up a bit... Now I should find out what battery pack this thing can handle but no idea where to start from. It takes 9 AA batteries (1.5V).

[Fat Freddy]

Hi there,

 

I’ll start by saying I don’t have a clue what I’m talking about here so take everything I say with a pinch of salt.

 

The simplest way to extra speed is probably gearing. Fit a pinion with more teeth (about £3-£5), to get more speed....assuming the motor/esc/battery is up to the job.

 

A faster motor is another option (maybe £7-£20? Depending what you need).

 

Both of those things could be done without touching your circuit board.

 

Out of curiosity, what car is it? Made by whom and to what scale? What motor is fitted? What kind of battery(ies) are you using?

 

Making a wild guess, I’d say this is a toy grade model and the circuit board you are holding is a combined receiver and electronic speed controller (ESC)?

It probably IS possible to alter that to get more speed but I wouldn’t have the first idea where to start. Probably someone on here actually understands electronics and could help though.

 

You could  get yourself a new ESC (approx £10-£50+, depending on quality ), and battery (approx £15-£50+, depending what kind), but then of course you’d also need a new receiver/transmitter(approx £25-£hundreds)....but if it IS a toy grade model you’d have to ask yourself if it was worthwhile?

 

If I’m wrong and it’s a vintage Tamiya or Kyosho or something similar, we’ll, that’s a different story. 😀👍

 

Good luck with it, have fun.

 

 

[stimpy]

1 hour ago, JD666 said:

 

 

 

Many thanks for the prompt reply!

 

I'll definitely look into the third option, it sounds like something I could handle (I'm still a beginner in the RC world but like to expriment with stuff). The crawler is this one https://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/MTCRCCAR2/AMPHIBIOUS-RC-CAR/

It's just a basic, entry level RC that I bought for my son (who's 5 years old), but I'd like to pimp it up a bit... Now I should find out what battery pack this thing can handle but no idea where to start from. It takes 9 AA batteries (1.5V).

I was just sat here waiting for you to post! 😂👍
 

Ok, so it’s running 14.5v.??The issue will be the esc and what it can take. You are already at a 3S lipo power point though the change to lipo would make an incredible difference - however, it is very unlikely that your esc would accept that nor would it be able to manage a lipo in terms of monitoring voltage... 

Edit: It says 7.2 nicad in the add!?? 

 

 

Edited November 2, 2020 by stimpy

[JD666]

5 hours ago, Fat Freddy said:

Hi there,

 

I’ll start by saying I don’t have a clue what I’m talking about here so take everything I say with a pinch of salt.

 

The simplest way to extra speed is probably gearing. Fit a pinion with more teeth (about £3-£5), to get more speed....assuming the motor/esc/battery is up to the job.

 

A faster motor is another option (maybe £7-£20? Depending what you need).

 

Both of those things could be done without touching your circuit board.

 

Out of curiosity, what car is it? Made by whom and to what scale? What motor is fitted? What kind of battery(ies) are you using?

 

Making a wild guess, I’d say this is a toy grade model and the circuit board you are holding is a combined receiver and electronic speed controller (ESC)?

It probably IS possible to alter that to get more speed but I wouldn’t have the first idea where to start. Probably someone on here actually understands electronics and could help though.

 

You could  get yourself a new ESC (approx £10-£50+, depending on quality ), and battery (approx £15-£50+, depending what kind), but then of course you’d also need a new receiver/transmitter(approx £25-£hundreds)....but if it IS a toy grade model you’d have to ask yourself if it was worthwhile?

 

If I’m wrong and it’s a vintage Tamiya or Kyosho or something similar, we’ll, that’s a different story. 😀👍

 

Good luck with it, have fun.

 

 

 

Thanks for your reply. The car is this one https://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/MTCRCCAR2/AMPHIBIOUS-RC-CAR/

It is indeed a basic toy RC which I'd like to experiment on and definitely not worth spending lots of money on. Your guess is correct, it is a combined receiver and ESC. Car takes 9 AA batteries (1.5V), no clue about the motor. I would avoid messing with the motor if possible as it seems to me it might be expensive and more complicated than what I can handle but perhaps it's worth looking into. I was hoping to fiddle around with voltage/battery/electronics to get some more oomph out of it as it's quite slow while sucking a lot of battery.

[JD666]

3 hours ago, stimpy said:

I was just sat here waiting for you to post! 😂👍
 

Ok, so it’s running 14.5v.??The issue will be the esc and what it can take. You are already at a 3S lipo power point though the change to lipo would make an incredible difference - however, it is very unlikely that your esc would accept that nor would it be able to manage a lipo in terms of monitoring voltage... 

Edit: It says 7.2 nicad in the add!?? 

 

 

Yes it says Batt 7.2 V on the PCB

[stimpy]

I would say then that unless you are willing to change the esc / electrics or potentially blow yours up then you are at an impass with regards battery type and voltage change. Best bet then would be different motor and pinion... That said, some pretty cheap China esc/motor combos can be had...

 

[Fat Freddy]

6 hours ago, stimpy said:

I would say then that unless you are willing to change the esc / electrics or potentially blow yours up then you are at an impass with regards battery type and voltage change. Best bet then would be different motor and pinion... That said, some pretty cheap China esc/motor combos can be had...

 

Agreed. I was going to say just having a couple of extra teeth on the pinion would make a big difference but what do you reckon the chances of it having adjustable gear mesh? If it does, that would be worth a try.

If not, I’d say the best bet would be the motor.... 

 

[Jens]

21 hours ago, JD666 said:

 

 

 

Many thanks for the prompt reply!

 

I'll definitely look into the third option, it sounds like something I could handle (I'm still a beginner in the RC world but like to expriment with stuff). The crawler is this one https://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/MTCRCCAR2/AMPHIBIOUS-RC-CAR/

It's just a basic, entry level RC that I bought for my son (who's 5 years old), but I'd like to pimp it up a bit... Now I should find out what battery pack this thing can handle but no idea where to start from. It takes 9 AA batteries (1.5V).

I had a quick look at the car on the site you gave.

It is somewhat similar to the first RC car I gave to my son.

The only difference I see is that I have 4 wheel steering and it was a bit more expensive.

( But then the video on the site suggests 4 wheel steering as well)

But everything else looks the same. Even the transmitter.

Do you have the version with the LiIon  battery or the AAs?

 

Unlike you, I didn't dare to take it apart . 😀

Since it is amphibious everything is carefully sealed.

You have a front and rear motor to make it 4WD but without the more costly gears and driveshafts.

Honestly speaking, many of the tuning options available to hobby grade RC cars are not really     available to yours.

 

A higher voltage might indeed destroy the electronics.

Apart from the fact that you would need more space in the battery compartment.

Which you might not have, unless you give up the waterproofness.

 

Change of motor or pinion/gear:

You would need to take front and rear motor apart and change it there.

Provided that you will find ones that fit.

 

At the end you might spent more than it is worth and if something doesn't work afterwards, you get some unwanted tears from your son.

I left my sons amphibious car as it is and went on to get him a hobby grade RC car --> FTX Mauler.

And joined this forum...

Now the amphibious car is for his playdate friends.

 

In my opinion, toy grades cars work the way they are and should stay that way.

That's why I rather consider them a waste of money today.

 

My son was 7 when he got the FTX Mauler.

I believe your son could easily handle a hobby grade car already. Kids have an amazing learning ability.

( I don't trust anymore statements like 8+, 10+, etc)

And both of you can have fun fixing/tuning it.

With lots of good advice from     this forum!

 

 

[Fat Freddy]

13 minutes ago, Jens said:

I had a quick look at the car on the site you gave.

It is somewhat similar to the first RC car I gave to my son.

The only difference I see is that I have 4 wheel steering and it was a bit more expensive.

( But then the video on the site suggests 4 wheel steering as well)

But everything else looks the same. Even the transmitter.

Do you have the version with the LiIon  battery or the AAs?

 

Unlike you, I didn't dare to take it apart . 😀

Since it is amphibious everything is carefully sealed.

You have a front and rear motor to make it 4WD but without the more costly gears and driveshafts.

Honestly speaking, many of the tuning options available to hobby grade RC cars are not really     available to yours.

 

A higher voltage might indeed destroy the electronics.

Apart from the fact that you would need more space in the battery compartment.

Which you might not have, unless you give up the waterproofness.

 

Change of motor or pinion/gear:

You would need to take front and rear motor apart and change it there.

Provided that you will find ones that fit.

 

At the end you might spent more than it is worth and if something doesn't work afterwards, you get some unwanted tears from your son.

I left my sons amphibious car as it is and went on to get him a hobby grade RC car --> FTX Mauler.

And joined this forum...

Now the amphibious car is for his playdate friends.

 

In my opinion, toy grades cars work the way they are and should stay that way.

That's why I rather consider them a waste of money today.

 

My son was 7 when he got the FTX Mauler.

I believe your son could easily handle a hobby grade car already. Kids have an amazing learning ability.

( I don't trust anymore statements like 8+, 10+, etc)

And both of you can have fun fixing/tuning it.

With lots of good advice from     this forum!

 

 

Agree with all of this.... go hobby grade.

Join us on the dark side @JD666 , you know you want to, or you wouldn’t have “bought it for my son” 😂

on a serious note, most RCs are rated as 14yrs plus, but it’s fairly easy to restrict the speed so he won’t trash it every time it’s used.

 

[Jens]

2 minutes ago, Fat Freddy said:

Agree with all of this.... go hobby grade.

Join us on the dark side @JD666 , you know you want to, or you wouldn’t have “bought it for my son” 😂

on a serious note, most RCs are rated as 14yrs plus, but it’s fairly easy to restrict the speed so he won’t trash it every time it’s used.

 

Right! And I add this:

Your sons behavior will change if he likes to drive RC     cars.

There will be some very strange things happening...

All caused by the dark side.

He will demand to go for long walks. Sometimes for hours.

And with more batteries the walks will be even longer.

( The longest I experienced was 6 hours non stop walking in the nearby forest )

Rain will not bother him anymore.

In extreme cases he will reject TV, video games and the games on your phone.

He will demand that you will bring him to fields/parks/forests nearby that you might not have seen before. 😇

 

Are you prepared for this?

Is your wife prepared for this?