Range Testing

Did some range testing with the Futaba 3PM over the weekend and was quite surprised.

I have talked to some other guys who tried the 3PM and it didn't give them that good of range but after mutliple runs (and as you can tell from the picture, calling a buddy as I have never read the manual on how to adjust the transmitter) it was giving me numbers over 1000ft easily, I had control far enough away that I could barely see the car.

I want to use the 3PM as I just already had one that I use on one of my other cars and really would just like to avoid dropping 400 big ones on a 3PK if I can help it.

I also put together my old TAO2FF (FF01) for the wife to drive around....and she broke it. Perhaps I should get her something to drive with better parts availability.

An update

To run as big of a pinion (35 tooth) as I am wanting to run I had to modify the stock motor mount to get more adjustment. A buddy of mine experimented a bit with on old TC4 motor mount to find out how to get enough out of it and above is what he came up with (THANKS SCOTT!).

The TC4 uses a cam setup to mount the motor and he grinded away to the left to allow the cam to lean more. You also have to bevel the heatsink on the side and notch the hole in the chassis just a little more for when it swings the motor over. If you are using the Mamba you need to trim the bottom side of the upper heatsink so that the screw on the side of the motor case will clear. Finally you have to take a bit of material all the right side of the cam on the opposite side as it have these little ear stops that need to go.

So I replicated what Scott did and now I have plenty of adjustment and can set the gear mesh properly. When you do this with a pinion that big the next issue you hit is that the pinion actually hits some of the webbing on the back of the chassis so remember to cut a notch out of the webbing for the pinion to run in.

Chris