Help Me Science Guys!!

boho · #1 08-10-2003, 10:07 AM

Well, I just did a dual cell to the lambo super bit. I also replaced all the internal wires with CAT 5 (besides the steering wires of course), as well as making the contacts to the motor very small (next best thing to hard wiring it I guessed). It has a 3.8 motor, 8:1 gear ratio and 2 stock nicads in series (internal). The thing is rediculously fast. The first time I hit the go button after charging it, it went airborne and landed upside down, from a smooth surface mind you. I swear I'm not full of it. I've never made a tri cell, but I would wager this super bit dual cell is just as fast or faster. It makes all the other dual cells I have look like Slowpoke Gonzales. I definately have reniewed hope for the super bits now.

Besides the obvious control problems that I'm going to have to work with, I have a rather cliche problem. THE RANGE. It's so damn fast, it goes out of it's measly range within the blink of an eye.

SCIENCE GUYS, could you please, please, please open the controllers of these new super bits, and tell me what I can do to this poor thing.

I've already tried CAT 5 wire, adjusting the pots and putting a teliscoping antenna on (2+ ft). It still goes about 4 ft. I've also tried resoldering the antenna for better connection. I believe there must be something in the controller killing the range.

Please help. This machine is definately worth the effort.

Also, has anybody else dual celled a super bit yet (not laymen's)? Is it just my car, or is anybody else getting these results?

Canadian Bit · #2 08-10-2003, 10:22 AM

Do this.

boho · #3 08-10-2003, 10:59 AM

Thanx. Just finished. I used some copper wire. The range actually got worse. Is it a particular type of wire? I don't think that's going to get me very far, but I apreciate the effort. It's gotta be something inside that stupid controller.

charliebrown · #4 08-10-2003, 11:37 AM

Are you sure the range was worse? I tried that and it gave me almost double the range.....oh well

I guess one man's poison is another man's medicine lol

boho · #5 08-12-2003, 10:07 AM

Well, there is a resistor in series right before the antenna. I'm going to try to short that resistor tomorrow (I've got to get some sleep now). Can anybody tell me if this is a good idea, or offer any advise on how to spot a component in the controller that's limiting the range?

TypeZer0 · #6 08-12-2003, 01:26 PM

if you see a tuning inductor on the pcb (dunno how different these super bits are from teh regular ones) dig out the wax. have a friend stand at one corner of your largest room and hold the forward button. walk backwards slowly, if it stutters or stops responding, slowly turn the screw in the tuning inductor clockwise or counterclockwise until it gets a signal again. remember, do it slowly, it's kind of sensitive. then keep moving back until the controller is at its absolute maximum range or u've turned the screw in teh inductor alll the way until it stopped.

boho · #7 08-12-2003, 11:24 PM

Is it the same as a potentiometer? That actually sounds like some good sane advice. What do you think about the resistor shorting? Do you think that resistors can be used to limit the signal? My electronics skills are very basic. I'll do it sometime today anyways, and I'll let everyone know if it worked. But what about another idea?

What about adding extra batteries to the controllers? I don't think it would work, because it would most likely burn something out. But it is a thought swimming around in my head. How do I know if the circuit could take more volts and current? Is there a way to figure this out?

Also, one last thought that's been swimming. This is probably going to be considered pretty stupid, but it comes from my limited electronics knowledge. If the signal needs more power, then how would strapping a battery on the antenna work? I would put the positive on one end of the antenna and the negative on the other end. electrons take the path of least resistance, so I wouldn't think that the current would go back into the controller, but I'm not sure if the signal needs more current. An example of this would be an iron for ironning clothes. That's nothing more then current going through metal. I would use alot less power, so it wouldn't heat the antenna up (hopefully), but would it actually assist the signal transmited?

frizzen · #8 08-13-2003, 04:16 AM

Ok, first off the extra wire stuck on the ant. is incomplete advice. Antennas work by wavelengths. Just sticking more wire on it won't help unless you have it properly tuned.

Yes, a tuning inductor looks like a pot. But instead of being a way to divert power between 3 sources, it has a ferric core, inside of a wire coil. By turning that in or out, it changes the amount of power inducted. (in electricity, coils are just magic!)

The resistor removal *might* not be the best idea. You might be able to blow out your Tx that way, I'm not quite sure how the stuff applies to these yet

boho · #9 08-13-2003, 09:11 AM

Cool. Advice I can use. I'll tear apart the controller now and tell you guys how it goes. Thanx for all the help.

TypeZer0 · #10 08-13-2003, 10:28 AM

i suggest u tune the inductor on the car instead

crazydave · #11 08-13-2003, 09:39 PM

Usually a capacitor is used to limit range, I wouldn't touch those resistors, if I was you.

ph2t · #12 08-14-2003, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by boho
Well, there is a resistor in series right before the antenna. I'm going to try to short that resistor tomorrow (I've got to get some sleep now). Can anybody tell me if this is a good idea, or offer any advise on how to spot a component in the controller that's limiting the range?

It's not a resistor, it's an inductor, a totally different type of component. Don't short it whatever you do, it will kill any sort of transmission power you get out of the controller.

ph2t.

boho · #13 08-14-2003, 05:19 AM

Well, I shorted that resistor, took out some suface mounted caps, already had the inductor tuned on the car, and I got the range to a whole 8 ft with the same crappy interference.

There is no inductor in the controller. Could I put one in to help the signal?

PH2t, have you opened these controllers? I'm talking about the new ones for the super bit charge. Or you might have a different one then me.

I even tried putting the tx crystal in another controller. I kinda figure that wouldn't work, but I had to try cause it worked before with other controllers.

Well, I think I'm gonna do a pcb swap. I've got another super bit. I just got some mosfets in the mail. I've got this one 27mhz clone with very good range for $5.
$5 clone + mosfets + super bit chassis = we'll see.

This will be my first mosfet mod. Does anybody have some realy good close up pictures of micro amps technique with all the fets on the top of the board. All the pictures I have are hard to see were all the wires go.

b007a · #14 08-24-2003, 09:55 AM

boho,

ph2t is right ... not sure why someone would put a resister is series with an antenna. Some inductors (axial) look like resistors, even down to the color strips. Capacitors can also be axial.

In most cases, capacitors are put in series with antennae. Caps pass high frequencies and inductors resist high frequencies ... however, these rules are relative to resistance, inductance, and capacitance around them.

Post a photo of the controller PCB with a close-up of the component you are referencing.

From reading your posts, I would recommend sending your car to microAmp to have him do the MOSFET mod.

regards.

JackD · #15 08-24-2003, 10:41 AM

Couple of questions. 1. Do you think the Super BIT PCB is pumping out more juice than a regular BIT PCB 2. Do you have problems with the controller accelerator button sticking ? I am thinking of doing a dual cell, but I can't even control my super bits with a 4.2 motor in them.

Thanks JD