[rahulthegreat]

hey,

well, i just got done with my exams and since i have tons of free time on my hands, i've decided to invest it by building an RC car. i read around a bit, and it seems quite hard to source parts for these little toys anywhere in mumbai. can't seem to figure out where to start.

so, if anyone could point me in the right direction, it would simply be superb. also, if someone is bored enough and wants to pitch in, that would be great.

thanks and regards,
rahul

PS: lookin to build a petrol powered rc car.

[SRK]

hey rahul..Why dont you go to Lamington road ..you'll find all the stuff that you need..

Also what have you planned??
Any specific books you are referencing??

[pawan]

i was looking for a powefull 3v motor for it i bought it for 199 rs really cheap and the thing wheel spins like crazy but decided to remove the 3v motor and replace it with a 9v back and 3v front.

[ananthkamath]

as a hobby rc flying is much more developed in india than others like boats and cars/stadium trucks/buggies/monster trucks.

all the parts you want can be sourced from Tower Hobbies - Radio Control ( R/C or RC ) Cars, Trucks, Airplanes, Boats and Helicopters . The place in India where you can buy rc stuff is www.paylessflymore.com but I dont know if he has anything for cars. Also check out the forum at indiarc.com which has some useful information but again its for flying. A much better forum for a wealth of information on anything rc is RC Universe features rc cars, rc airplanes, rc helicopters, rc electric planes, rc boats, radio control jets, rc discussion forums, rc classifieds and auctions. .

I wouldnt advise you to build an rc car from scratch because so many of the moving parts are readily available off the shelf for less money than you can get them made. Building an rc plane is a different story but even there the key parts like the engines, radio control system and all the hardware (like wheels, control horns etc) are bought.

I think you'd be better off starting with a kit because you get to learn the intricacies of rc car design and then you can build or modify something if you want to improve on the existing design (very hard for a beginner).

Ananth


PS. petrol powered rc cars are too big. they usually dont come in sizes less than 35cc. you should start off with what is known as a "glow engine" (runs on a mixture of methanol, nitromethane and castor oil) or an electric motor which is least messy.

[rahulthegreat]

Thanks a lot guys.

Ananth, thanks especially for the indiarc.com link. that forum rocks and has a lot of usefull stuff that i'll be needing.

if i'm not mistaken, i'd seen a RC car powered by 2 3cc petrol powerplants. wanna build somethin on those lines. though that was entirely imported. if i can successfully complete this project, my next one would probably be an electric/solar powered thingie. but let's see. need to do a crapload of research before i can begin, not to mention save up some cash. these things are costlier than i thought!

[ananthkamath]

2.3 cc means its a glow engine not a petrol engine however good luck with the project

[arunforu1]

Hello Rahul,

I am an automobile designer & an avid model maker too, i would like to know if you are looking for a kit & simply assemble it, i know when i strated 12 years back it was even more difficult to find parts.

So i decided not to buy parts but make them, except some standard stocks everything else can be made with patience & little self help, well if you are looking for a kit plentifull are available on net, or need some help to make your self you are always welcome.

[rahulthegreat]

Originally Posted by arunforu1

Hello Rahul,

I am an automobile designer & an avid model maker too, i would like to know if you are looking for a kit & simply assemble it, i know when i strated 12 years back it was even more difficult to find parts.

So i decided not to buy parts but make them, except some standard stocks everything else can be made with patience & little self help, well if you are looking for a kit plentifull are available on net, or need some help to make your self you are always welcome.

well, making my own parts at this stage would be a little too ambitious for me, since i am a management student with very little "under-the-hood" experiance. also, as my efforts to find parts so far seem to be futile, i might go in for a KIT build this first time.

do you know where i can buy good enough KITs in mumbai for not too exorbitant prices?

[arunforu1]

Dear Rahul,

Tell me what budget do you have, If you are planning to buid an RC itself as first attempt then try to source a Radio (min. 2 channel) first.

2-channel means: one for forward-reverse, another for right & left, if you are bit innovative you can integrate throttle function in for-rev channel itself.

My advice would be not to go for petrol powered in first attempt, try electric motor first, beleive me its easy to fit & control, and you can source a good motor for 50-500 Rs depending upon your size & torque requirment.Its readily available through out india at any elctronic spare part dealer.

For sourcing of radio: try ebay india, its full of cheap chinese brands offering R/C cars & planes roughly around 2k-3k, i hope that fits your budget.

Dont use these cheap toys, but you can extract no of important parts from it, Like RADIO, MOTOR, SERVOS, WHEELS(most diff. to make), CHASSIS.

use some improvision & creativity to build body your self: you can use plastic sheets , paper, wood, tubes etc. or try some cheap chinese kits first.

Try big toy stores you can always find some chinese kits there, i agree they are of poor quality, but good for beginers , you will not loose much of money as well as you will learn as every body makes mistakes in first few attempts (i am still learing after 12 years of making hahaha).

remember EBAY & BIG TOY STORES, after that you can switch to better kits like rewell, tamia etc.

I think must start producing kits.....i will find enough buyers..hahahaha

Best of luck, if need any assistance anytime, please feel free....

FOR PETROL engines, i tell you they are available as small as less than 1cc-3cc, the range is infinite but they are costly & most of them are suited for High RPM applications like R/C planes.

In india sharma engines is the company which commercially makes model petrol engines([COLOR=#008000]www.sharmamodelaero.com/ )[/COLOR].brands like frog & O2 are costly but very reliable.

or you can import one from ebay for as low as 60$-100$, but RC car specific engines are practically non existent.

Arun

TRY following store in mumbai i found on net, not suer what they store in:

[FONT=Verdana][COLOR=#00005b]M/s India Hobby
Centre 337, "Mayur", Shop No. 3, Ground Floor, Near Congress House,
V.P Road,
Mumbai -4
phone: 3823125[/COLOR][/FONT]

[satish_appasani]

I have a Mercedes DTM RC Car which is super quick. But sadly the reverse stopped working. Can somebody please suggest me how that can be fixed?

[ananthkamath]

Originally Posted by arunforu1

.........most of them are suited for High RPM applications like R/C planes.

..........but RC car specific engines are practically non existent.

Not true. A wide range of engines from 0.08 to 0.46 CUBIC INCHES (approx 1.2 cc to 7.5 cc) specifically meant for r/c cars and trucks are available. Maybe not on ebay but definitely from the sites i mentioned before. And these engines spin in the range of 20,000 to 40,000 rpm (that's right, 4 zeroes) unlike engines meant for r/c planes which do only 18,000 rpm at the maximum.

keep in mind though, like arun said, that these engines can set you back anywhere from $50 to $400 depending on size and performance. if you are bent on using engines and not electric motors, you can try using an airplane engine which is available for as less as $50 for a 7.5 cc; but it will need modifications which I presume are beyond your present capabilities.

so the best bet for now is to simply get a kit and work on it till you get the hang of what is involved and whether you want to spend more money on the hobby. remember, its not just building the kit, in the end if you have so many problems with it that you cant get it to run , you may get frustrated beyond imagination. think about that.

[arunforu1]

Originally Posted by satish_appasani

I have a Mercedes DTM RC Car which is super quick. But sadly the reverse stopped working. Can somebody please suggest me how that can be fixed?

well satish, sad that reverse stopped working on your R/C :

there could be three possibilities:
1. Problem with R/C remote.
2.Problem with sensor or motor controller circuit.
3.problem with motor itself, which is ruled out as forward is working so motor must be ok.

if you know basic circuit dignosis usisng a simple multimeter then you can locate fault, other wise find a good electronic repairmen, he can do it for you.

The most likely cause is the switch (joystick-control) for reverse position on RC, after prolonged or rough use contacts get burnt & needs simple cleaning.

If you are confident enough to DIY, simple step is to try cleaning of metal contacts on joystick switch.It sould work. If it doesnt then try to locate fault in circuit continuity.

bets of luck.

[arunforu1]

Originally Posted by ananthkamath

And these engines spin in the range of 20,000 to 40,000 rpm (that's right, 4 zeroes) unlike engines meant for r/c planes which do only 18,000 rpm at the maximum.

.

Hey ananth, please let me know how 20,000-40,000 rpm engines are suited for car/truck application, you will need a very high reduction ratio in gear arrangement, other wise model may spin out of control.

You are more informed in small engines front, please shed some light of your expereince with those high rpm engines , how do you manage to reduce RPM available at final drive, without using a massive reduction series of gears/belts while still not going out of scale.

as per my common sense you need to have a big scale model plan to accomodate, such a large arrangement of gears.

Also the nylon or other plastic gears can handle those speeds without being melted? or you are using metal ones(costly to fabricate).

In addition to above, in car/truck specific application, constant RPM engines seems not to be pratical for models, although most of toy kits have constant or very narrow range motors.But a serious modeller will not settle for toys.

Please advice.

Arun

[ananthkamath]

Originally Posted by arunforu1

Hey ananth, please let me know how 20,000-40,000 rpm engines are suited for car/truck application, you will need a very high reduction ratio in gear arrangement, other wise model may spin out of control.

i havent built any from scratch, just seen one of them very closely. They do have a very high reduction ratio but i dont know what it is. The one i rebuilt (see pic below) was equipped with a 3 speed gearbox (automatic shift) with centrifugal clutches that opened as the rpm went up.

Nylon gears are fine and they do handle the power effectively.

http://image.rcuniverse.com/forum/up...23/Ay75213.jpg

[GTO]

Ponnanna shares the following build

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nepxo_fxWA