RC electronics Part 3 - Tamiya CC01 power consumption

In this blog post we look at the power consumption of the Tamiya CC01 Unimog.

RC electronics Part 2 - Battery charging

The popular four-button-chargers support charging of different battery types. This article examines the different charging strategies applied for NiMH and LiPo batteries.

RC electronics Part 1 - Tenth scale 4WD Buggy power consumption

When it comes to RC electronics there is not a lot of technical information available. Not many RC enthusiasts are experts in electronics and the manufacturers only provide very few data-points for their products.

Recently I got the opportunity to acquire a second-hand Eagle Tree Systems eLogger. This device can measure battery voltage, current draw, motor RPM, temperature and throttle input while you are driving your vehicle.

My first target was our 1/10 scale buggy. A Tamiya DB01 Durga: belt driven 4WD, running a sensored 10.5T Turnigy TrackStar motor with a 60A Hobbyking X-Car ESC. The buggy is geared with a 23T pinion on the 97T spur, giving a final drive ratio (FDR) of 8.13. Power was supplied by a LPR 2S LiPo rated 4600mAh 30C.

DIY temperature sensor for 4-button RC battery chargers

Most 4-button chargers on the market appear to have a connector for a temperature probe. Unfortunately almost none of the chargers come with the sensor in the box, and even aftermarket availability of temperature probes is non-existent. With a little bit of DIY you can easily build one yourself though.