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Author Topic: Cheap Hobby King Radio  (Read 2392 times)

Offline Tim Wescott

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Cheap Hobby King Radio
« on: April 07, 2016, 03:09:23 PM »
So I just found out that the 3rd channel on the $20 Hobby King radio is a flip-flop -- push the button once and the servo goes one way, push the button again and it goes the other.  I have no idea what car guys would use this for, but it seems like a no-brainer if you wanted to actuate flaps.  The only downside (for me) is that the button is hard to reach if the radio is in your right hand -- but that can be fixed with some hacking.
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AMA 64232

The problem with electric is that once you get the smoke generator and sound system installed, the plane is too heavy.

Offline Ken Burdick

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Re: Cheap Hobby King Radio
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2016, 03:26:11 PM »
got a link?
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Offline Tim Wescott

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Re: Cheap Hobby King Radio
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2016, 03:36:02 PM »
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AMA 64232

The problem with electric is that once you get the smoke generator and sound system installed, the plane is too heavy.

Offline Ken Burdick

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Re: Cheap Hobby King Radio
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2016, 04:17:56 PM »
cool!
I'm self imposed r/c challenged. What servo do you get with this thang
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Offline Ken Burdick

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Re: Cheap Hobby King Radio
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2016, 04:32:41 PM »
Thanks Tim.
I've been "gonna" get around to a carrier 24mhz but just hadn't looked much.....now I guess I'll have to do it now....and, best of all, they had my glow plugs in stock for Geezer Speed!
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Offline Tim Wescott

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Re: Cheap Hobby King Radio
« Reply #5 on: April 07, 2016, 04:41:03 PM »
I'm using a cheap, digital, 9 gram servo.

Cheap, because I'm cheap.

Digital, because digital servos respond faster than analog servos, and throttle response seems to matter.

9 grams, because it's big enough to see, but still light.  This may be a bit too light -- the throttle doesn't present much of a load, but the airplane will be vibrating to beat the band, and servos Don't Like That.  Time will tell on this, although I've been using a 5g servo for engine cut-off in my stunt plane (don't ask -- think "weird experimentation") since November and it hasn't died yet.  There also hasn't been many chances to fly, so that may not be saying much.

I'll start posting pictures to my Ringmaster thread so you can see all the bits, and of course I'll be at the Tune Up.
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AMA 64232

The problem with electric is that once you get the smoke generator and sound system installed, the plane is too heavy.

Offline Paul Smith

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Re: Cheap Hobby King Radio
« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2016, 05:27:09 PM »
Don't they make left-handed car controllers for lefties?  The usual mode is steer with the right and throttle with the left.  Do lefties just have to make do?

The all-or-nothing flap control would be unrealistic for planes that used half flaps for takeoff and full for landing, as is the usual practice.

The 3rd channel would be OK for retracts.

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Paul Smith

Offline Tim Wescott

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Re: Cheap Hobby King Radio
« Reply #7 on: April 07, 2016, 05:47:08 PM »
Quote from: Paul Smith on April 07, 2016, 05:27:09 PM
Don't they make left-handed car controllers for lefties?  The usual mode is steer with the right and throttle with the left.  Do lefties just have to make do?

The all-or-nothing flap control would be unrealistic for planes that used half flaps for takeoff and full for landing, as is the usual practice.

The 3rd channel would be OK for retracts.

I doubt that they make $20 left-handed car controllers.  You may be able to get lefty $100 radios, though.

This is carrier, where flaps, slider, and tail hook are all actuated by a sharp, full-travel "down" command on the handle now.  I don't think we're talking "scale-like realism" here.
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AMA 64232

The problem with electric is that once you get the smoke generator and sound system installed, the plane is too heavy.

Offline Ken Burdick

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Re: Cheap Hobby King Radio
« Reply #8 on: April 08, 2016, 09:27:40 AM »
thanks Tim.
Are the connectors standardized? I'm thinking plug into the receiver and it should be done. I like the idea of a more robust servo for the reasons you mention. I was half expecting HK to be advertising servos to go with the set.
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Offline Tim Wescott

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Re: Cheap Hobby King Radio
« Reply #9 on: April 08, 2016, 11:39:43 AM »
Hey Ken:

The connectors are more or less standardized these days, at least for "full sized" radios.  There's two, JR and Futaba.  The Hobbyking receiver uses the Futaba standard, so if you use a servo with a Futaba-standard connector it'll plug in and it'll enforce polarity. 

However, just to confuse things, you can plug a JR-standard plug into the thing just fine -- but you can plug it in backwards as easily as forwards.  If you squint, you'll see that the receiver shows the proper polarity, so you can go ahead and use a JR-connected servo.  Fortunately, the wires are arranged so that if you do plug one in backwards, the worst that'll happen is that it won't work but nothing is damaged.  So you can try it one way, and then reverse it.

Color-coding is sort of universal -- black is always negative (-), red is always positive (+), and signal (s) is always some other color (usually brown or white, but you see just about anything).
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AMA 64232

The problem with electric is that once you get the smoke generator and sound system installed, the plane is too heavy.

Offline Tim Wescott

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Re: Cheap Hobby King Radio
« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2016, 02:02:14 PM »
Quote from: Ken Burdick on April 08, 2016, 09:27:40 AM
thanks Tim.
Are the connectors standardized? I'm thinking plug into the receiver and it should be done. I like the idea of a more robust servo for the reasons you mention. I was half expecting HK to be advertising servos to go with the set.

I'm pretty sure than a 9gm servo will work just fine -- I don't think anything over 15gm or so is necessary.  You do want a digital one -- analog servos use a control technique that was really nifty in the late '70's, but you have to sacrifice speed for stability.  Digital servos react way faster.

The reason that HK doesn't pair servos with the radio is because there's so many different sizes and types of car that everyone's going to want something different.  Over half the cars will be electric, and the steering servo needs to be sized to match the size of the car, its speed, and whether it'll be running on a "paved" track or off-road.

The radio, switch, servo and battery barely fit into one wing bay of a Ringmaster -- I'm skimping a bit on cushioning foam to make it all work.  If I were going to build another I'd go with two bays, and instead of using the scrap of 6-pound balsa lying on my bench for the top of the wing, I'd use some of the scrotty old 13-pound balsa in my "when will I ever use this stuff" pile.
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AMA 64232

The problem with electric is that once you get the smoke generator and sound system installed, the plane is too heavy.

Offline Ken Burdick

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Re: Cheap Hobby King Radio
« Reply #11 on: April 08, 2016, 03:02:27 PM »
thanks Tim.
I picked up a light servo and light weight battery along with a charger. Somewhere in the kit pile is a mustang that will fit the bill nicely.
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