Archive for the ‘rc cars’ tag
The Appeal Of Radio Control Models
In recent years RC Models have enjoyed a period of renewed enthusiasm. Many new models have appeared on the market including some fantastic RC helicopters, rc tanks and even a range of UFOs.
And RC models are no longer considered toys, although there are still plenty that are aimed at the younger market. The typical RC model enthusiast today is a middle aged man with a keen engineering interest.
To get the most from an RC model it’s useful to have an understanding of how they operate. Every radio control system has the same basic components. These are the transmitter, generally held in the hands; the receiver, which is contained within the model; the drive motor which powers the wheels or propeller; and the steering system which may be a rudder or control of a vehicles wheels or tracks.
The transmitter or controller is the handheld device that you hold. It will generally provide a couple of joysticks used to control the speed and steering. The device transmits short range radio signals to the model vehicle. An antenna mounted on the vehicle or craft picks up the radio signals. The radio signals are modulated with control information that is decoded by the receiver and used to tell the motor how fast it should be running and the steering mechanism (rudder or wheels) which way the vehicle should be going.
All of these electrical components need power and this is generally provided using rechargeable batteries. In RC aircraft these batteries need to be small and lightweight so they can need to be recharged regularly. RC Cars can sometimes use tiny nitro powered engines, rather than electric motors, but they still need batteries to power the electrical circuits.
Although RC models are clearly very simple there is much that can be done to enhance their performance. This is the aspect of the hobby that many enjoy, modifiying and customising their RC models to ge the best performance from them.