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  #1  
Old 05-25-2002, 01:53 AM
mike_diaz19 mike_diaz19 is offline
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Lightbulb NEW CONTROLLER MOD! Check it out....

This mod can make the 2 LEDs on your controller a different color. you can also try the "cripple capacitor" mod found at http://www.ausmicro.com this mod will make your range better. some controllers dont have a capacitor so this mod cannot be done but check your controller for it so that if you do have one you can take it out! I havent done the cripple mod because my controller doesnt have a capacitor in it. im glad for that! and i have not done the LED mod yet because im not allowed to use the solding iron...

My LED mod:

Materials
~Soldering Iron
~2 LEDs of any color
~A Bit Char G Controller
~Patience
~Scissors
NOTE: When buying LEDs, take controller with you to make sure of LED's size, if you get the wrong size, your controller case might not fit over the bigger LEDs.

Steps
~Take controller and place it face down on table
~Unscrew screws
~Unscrew screws on battery pack
~Take out batteries
~Unscrew little screw in battery pack
~Lift back of controller
~Find little screws in circuit board that hold circuit board down
~Unscrew them (theres 2)
~Lift circuit board out
~Look at front of circuit board, observe the LEDs
~Compare the size of them to the new LEDs
~If they are the same, proceed to do following steps
~Plug soldering iron in
~Take scissors and cut the leads on the controller's original LEDs
~Try to cut so that you leave as much lead as possible
~Cut the both new LED's leads so that theres just enough to solder onto the old lead
~Hold 1st LED and its leads in place and solder it onto the old leads
~Repeat with 2nd LED
~Put circuit board back into place and screw it back on
~Put top of case back on
~Screw in all screws excapt battery pack cover screw
~Put batteries in and screw on battery pack
~Turn controller on
~Push foward motion button
~If 1st LED lights up, then you're halfway done
~Put car on charger
~If 2nd LED lights up, then you're done!

Troubleshooting

Problem ~ Circuit board doesnt go on all the way after performing mod
Answer 1 ~ Push LEDs down or bend the new leads down a little more and try again
Answer 2 ~ Snip newly soldered leads and make them shorter, then resolder

Problem ~ 1 or both LEDs dont light up after performing mod
Answer 1 ~ try snipping the leads off and turning the LED(s) so that the leads are opposite of the way they were the first time you soldered them on, then resolder
Answer 2 ~ You got the wrong voltage LEDs and your controller can not handle it, you need smaller LEDs, buy them and repeat steps

Thats all there is to it! Please leave comments or ideas about this mod. Tell me if you are willing to try it and if you do, try to take pics of the modded controller and post them here. i know this mod works because i have a cousin who is an electrician. thank, im out...
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  #2  
Old 05-26-2002, 10:41 PM
Wedginator Wedginator is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2002
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woah there buddy,
that's the amateur way which is very inconvienient to do.... when putting the LEDs in, DON'T cut them first. First, you desolder the old LEDs and bend the new ones accordingly without cutting the legs off... then, you slid the LEDs inside the holes where the old ones used to go, then you cut the legs.... this will make life a whole lot easier.... and if you're bending the LEDs on the circuit board, you're risking damaging your board cuz you're using your board as an anchor which the board is not strong enough to be....
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  #3  
Old 06-06-2002, 10:38 PM
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ViperKid ViperKid is offline
Redneck Drifter
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Corn Field
Posts: 434
does anyone know if that capicator mod really works, i would do anything for better range. also if you have done it, is it hard? i'm not very good with the soildering iron, but i would still like to try it. thanks
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  #4  
Old 06-06-2002, 11:06 PM
Wedginator Wedginator is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Toronto Canada
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i've been talking about this mod with my friends at school.....2 of my friends have bit charg's and they were going to try the capacitor mod.... unfortunately, their controllers including mine don't have a capacitor in it.... i checked the diagram on the step by step page, and located the area where the capacitor is supposed to be... but comparing to mine, there was none....

ViperKid:
U can check out your controller.... then tell me if there is a capacitor there....

btw, soldering is not that hard... just don't touch the metal tip with bare hands....and don't hold the Soldering Iron in the metal too long....
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  #5  
Old 06-07-2002, 11:17 AM
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ViperKid ViperKid is offline
Redneck Drifter
 
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Location: Corn Field
Posts: 434
no, no capacitor here. thats a bummer i was hoping i could improve the range. oh well, if anybody else has range extending mods please post them. thanks anyway Wedginator
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  #6  
Old 06-08-2002, 07:41 PM
was ist los?'s Avatar
was ist los? was ist los? is offline
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 272
when i was with my friend in a gym on a basketball court, we used my bit char-g and the car went the whole way to the end of the court from the opposite side, the long ways, without being disturbed. i felt i could have gone farther but room was at a surplus. it was a 45mhz car(special skyline) and older style control. oh. why is it that my special control cant go about 3 feet without glitching and has no cap in it?
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  #7  
Old 06-12-2002, 06:16 AM
hoyboy_92 hoyboy_92 is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 3
Cap mod last night

Did the cap mod last night. Took about 2 minutes. Before the mod I could get maybe 5 feet away before jitters, now at least 10 feet but I ran out of room space!
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  #8  
Old 12-17-2002, 06:29 AM
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Bryan4691 Bryan4691 is offline
Asia-Link Racing
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Posts: 66
If you cannot find the CC on the controller, you might want to check the PCB of the car. (See attached pic from QFM Racing)
Attached Images
File Type: jpg pcb_cap2.jpg (25.6 KB, 467 views)
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  #9  
Old 12-17-2002, 12:42 PM
shocon2k
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Bryan beat me to it, but yes, the newer cars have the cripple cap on the PCB instead of in the controller. However, be careful when you remove it not to leave anything bridging the gap, or your car won't move. Also, make a new antenna. about 6-8 inches of 22 guage solid copper wire (no insulation) will work wonders.

I did the PCB cap removal and the 8 inch copper antenna on my 27 mhz Skyline, and I get over 30 feet now...its pretty damn cool.
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  #10  
Old 12-17-2002, 02:14 PM
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JBit JBit is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2002
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i am jealous of you guys with soldering skills. if i even new how i would but im too freakedto practice on my car. new antennas would be nice tho!
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  #11  
Old 12-17-2002, 02:17 PM
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hogjowlz hogjowlz is offline
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then find a broken stereo in your basement and practice on it
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  #12  
Old 12-18-2002, 09:41 PM
Draconious Draconious is offline
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I have a car with range LESS THAN 2 foot... i removed the IN-car cripple cap as shown... no benifit, but now the car takes an extra second or so before it starts to move forward . (yes i got the right cap in that photo)... not sure if thats realy a crippler cap though, so be carful with the incar mod.

Also some TX that dont have the Cap, have the cap on the OTHER side of the board ... not sure if that cap is the crippler cap or not, but its not in one TX that has the listed crippler, im just now going to remove them both see what happens... i can always solder them back on
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  #13  
Old 12-18-2002, 10:23 PM
Draconious Draconious is offline
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Well I managed to remove my caps, and went from 1.5 foot range to about 20-30 foot range I did this because my 35mhz car was working with my "better" 35mhz transmitter...

Funny though, the photos ive seen on the HOW TO remove the caps.. almost all of them show 10uf caps... my transmitter that had the crapiest range had a 30uf cap on it, less then a foot... when I first got it. The one that had just a little bit better range then that, had a 20uf cap... so maybe if we put a 1uf cap we will have the range intended by the manufacturer .

Any way it works...

And those that cant find their cap, might want to check the other side of the TX circuit board for a cap in almost the same spot... as far as I know there should not be one on that side at all, unless its the crippler.
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  #14  
Old 12-18-2002, 11:02 PM
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ib311 ib311 is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2002
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ok i just did the cap mod and so did a friend. here are the results:

my cap (located inside car...not controller) was removed by s iron. car went from 5 ft to about 20 ft. nice!

my friend tried to cut his out with scissors and the car sits like a rock now. doesn't budge...not even for a cookie.

so, be careful when cutting it out. make sure you remove the gap completely and you don't break your board.

FOR PEOPLE WITH POOR SOLDERING SKILLS:
I bought a blank circuit board and put the solder on and took it back off again. over and over until i got it perfect. also, helps to find info about it on the web. plenty of sites out there.
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