a little ramble

[Planehazza]

When I first got into RC 10 years ago (flying planks on NiCADs) I said I'd never go nitro. I joined the heli scene at the very end of 2009 and bought a nitro 600. Thought it was great. Then big electrics started getting popular and then I said I'd never go electric because of the battery cost, needing a genny and a good charger... Now 2 of my 3 models are electric, I have a custom PL8 charge station and a 1000W genny haha. Electric is so much better than I thought it would be, but ouch the outlay hurts!

[andyclark]

Is this not progress?

[Tim Procter]

I remember rate gyros too before heading hold came available.

Andy Clark you are correct, its called progress.

[Ade_Law]

My first electric was powered by a 6 cell nicad 1400mah with an on/off relay! It was own designed and built in the mid 90s for a GCSE technology

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[waveydavey]

Thank Heavens for progress.

[Mike Sanders]

When I were a young man, in me 50's, I used to race 1/10 off road buggies. 7.2 v Nicads and brushed motors represented the limit of technology.

Those motors and batteries took a hell of a hammering. Often the packs were too hot to touch after a five minute race. We were lucky if we got 20 cycles out of them. The motors were always hot. Occasionally so hot that the connecting leads unsoldered! We didn't have balancing chargers or programmable esc's. Programmable radios were just coming in but the cars were not complicated from a radio point of view, having only throttle and steering. 2.4Ghz hadn't come in. We used crystals in the radios. Frequencies were allocated by the race director.

I haven't kept abreast of buggy racing but I bet they are a lot more sophisticated now.

This is a good ramble. You can tell I am getting old but what I mean is that I agree that it is a wonderful thing that technology is moving on.

Thank Heaven for progress.

[KevDavies]

When I were a young man, in me 50's, I used to race 1/10 off road buggies. 7.2 v Nicads and brushed motors represented the limit of technology.

Those motors and batteries took a hell of a hammering. Often the packs were too hot to touch after a five minute race. We were lucky if we got 20 cycles out of them. The motors were always hot. Occasionally so hot that the connecting leads unsoldered! We didn't have balancing chargers or programmable esc's. Programmable radios were just coming in but the cars were not complicated from a radio point of view, having only throttle and steering. 2.4Ghz hadn't come in. We used crystals in the radios. Frequencies were allocated by the race director.

I haven't kept abreast of buggy racing but I bet they are a lot more sophisticated now.

This is a good ramble. You can tell I am getting old but what I mean is that I agree that it is a wonderful thing that technology is moving on.

Thank Heaven for progress.

TBF tenth buggys are still quite simple, the chassis tech has only really gained alloy plates like the 8th scales and big bore shocks. Radios are fully digital computer items costing just as much as air sets and brushless motors have twice the power, twice the speed, and run cool. Lipos last 100's of cycles. but tbf a cheap charger is all u need now with the 2s lipos

Biggest problem we have now, especially in 2wd is stopping them wheelying!! Takes good throttle control and a perfectly set slipper clutch

[Ade_Law]

I had a 10th scale tourer for a while. When it was still brushed motors and nimh batteries. Until I got bored of it but it was good fun on a smooth sports hall floor was really easy to drift 😀

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[Gate88]

I remember rate gyros too before heading hold came available.

Andy Clark you are correct, its called progress.

ha! I remember a time before gyros!

I remember Dave at Dave Nieman Models trying to sell me one and me saying it was cheating and a gimmick that'd never catch on.

[Ade_Law]

You haven't leant to fly if you havnt flown an Icarus piccolo fixed pitch!

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[George J]

The Four Yorkshiremen - Harry Enfield, Alan Rickman, Eddie I - YouTube

Sorry, this just reminded me of this thread, looking back at how things used to be!!