King Hauler Mission Control

[1strodeo]

So, the king hauler has finally arrived,, and a few extra parts as well.. Havent started working on it yet, but the ordering of supplies has definitly begun,, its amazing how many things are out here..
My plan is to build the King with a few aftermarket parts, the MFC-01, and then a few extra running lights, eventually a trailer as well.
Whats the best route to go as far as radio,receiver, servos.
I dont need anything extravagent, but I want to make sure I get something to cover my needs.

[up9018]

I put a Futaba 4YF 2.4ghz in my first one. Its only 4 channel but it suits my needs just fine, and it was only $100 from Evilbay.

[1strodeo]

Thanks ,,,
I thought I'd get a bunch of mixed opnions on this one,, but sounds good

[bigford]

i run spektrum dx6i and a dx9. i like the ez programing
i just rebound all my rx's to the dx9 and will park my x6

[1strodeo]

Hay Bigford,, is the programming really that easy on the dx6i ? Seems like it might get confusing considering its geared towards r/c aircrafts.

[ricm]

to run a truck with basic functions and MFC-01 you need 4ch minimum. Futaba 4YF is a good choice for the novice, plug and play with no programming and it has manual trims which means calibrating MFC is as per the manual. It was my first radio, worked great till I ran out of channels

So you might quickly find (as many of us have) that 4 channels simply ain't enough....a few extra channels can be quickly used up depending on how you want any extra functions (eg. more lights) to work. So to upgrade, you basically need an aircraft radio....Dx6i and Turnigy (9x, 9xr, 9xr Pro) are popular choices, whatever you choose make sure it's compatible with the MFC-01 because the unit can be a bit fussy. Dx6i and Turnigy are all Ok with MFC-01, but with the digital trims on these units you have do -some- programming (mucking about with dual rate switches) to get MFC to work. Programming becomes easier as you get more confident with and improve your understanding of RC equipment. But lots of help here on the forum, and videos on YouTube to help you.

Servos - I use Futaba on all my models (S3001, S3003 or S3004). They work fine for gear changing and the coupler, no point spending big money there because the loads are small. But lots of people prefer metal geared high torque servo for the steering.....Hitech HS-645MG is a popular choice.

[1strodeo]

Originally Posted by ricm

to run a truck with basic functions and MFC-01 you need 4ch minimum. Futaba 4YF is a good choice for the novice, plug and play with no programming and it has manual trims which means calibrating MFC is as per the manual. It was my first radio, worked great till I ran out of channels

So you might quickly find (as many of us have) that 4 channels simply ain't enough....a few extra channels can be quickly used up depending on how you want any extra functions (eg. more lights) to work. So to upgrade, you basically need an aircraft radio....Dx6i and Turnigy (9x, 9xr, 9xr Pro) are popular choices, whatever you choose make sure it's compatible with the MFC-01 because the unit can be a bit fussy. Dx6i and Turnigy are all Ok with MFC-01, but with the digital trims on these units you have do -some- programming (mucking about with dual rate switches) to get MFC to work. Programming becomes easier as you get more confident with and improve your understanding of RC equipment. But lots of help here on the forum, and videos on YouTube to help you.

Servos - I use Futaba on all my models (S3001, S3003 or S3004). They work fine for gear changing and the coupler, no point spending big money there because the loads are small. But lots of people prefer metal geared high torque servo for the steering.....Hitech HS-645MG is a popular choice.

With a 6 channel, and the MFC-01, would you be able to program it to split out some of the functions of the MFC, like lets say make 1 channel be the break release sound? or is it not possible to do that ? Just a thought

[ricm]

with MFC-01, the sounds are locked in to the servo functions so you can't really split anything out. The only think you can do is split the turn signals from the steering by having the steering servo plugged directly into the Rx (as if you didn't have MFC), then plug the MFC steering input into another Rx channel controlled with a 3 way switch. So the MFC thinks you are controlling the steering from the 3-way switch, which will trigger the turn signals.

[1strodeo]

Thanks for the info ricm
Sounds like the Dx6i is the way to go

[1strodeo]

Is the high torque servo for steering really necessary?

[ricm]

if you drive slowly, under load, or go on soft surfaces, then you will increase the level of stress on the steering......so I would recommend the metal geared servos.

If you just want to run up and down the street on a hard concrete/ asphalt surface, then you can get away with a cheaper servo.

One option is to go with cheaper servo, then upgrade if you break it

[1strodeo]

Thats the way Im going,, Ill see what happens,, might be fun to see if I can break it