Petrol R/C Car - Which to buy? (UK)?

ZAMtendo

What is the best, most value for money petrol R/C car to buy in the UK? I'd like to make it a hobby, what is a good place to begin, and which should be my first R/C car?

Thanks!

Answer
Well, if your starting out into the world of RC, i would strongly suggest you start electric. There are 4 types of engine that run RC cars. Electric, electric brushless, nitro, and petrol. Electric tend to be your cars that can do 20-30 mph, are good for throwing round jumps, take very little maintenance and aren't too expensive.
Brushless electric motors are a new technology, and therefore quite expensive. However, brushless electric has become a reall challenger for nitro in speed and power, though as with all things on batteries, you can only run them for a limited time. Brushless cars run from 35-70 mph, depending on your motor and setup.
Nitro is the most popular choice about. A small single cylinder engine running on a nitro/oil fuel mix. A starter nitro car will do about 40 mph. The thing with nitro cars however, is that they take alot of maintenance and love, and alot of time to get going when you first get them. If you do decide nitro, get your hobby shop to adjust all the needles, and run it in for you. But make sure you take the time to watch them do it, and read some how toos online.
Final petrol. Bigger two stroke engines, very like those in a petrol lawnmower. These cars are the biggest you can buy, run on actually petrol, and are a very limited class. I dont know alot of people who own them, and there isn't a class to race them at my track. (I personally wouldn't buy petrol). They need a whole lot of space, and similar maintenance to nitro.

Right, after that rant, ill give you a couple of examples.

Nice starter nitro cars; http://www.speedymodels.com/nitro-sport-33-p.asp
Traxxas is a good brand, and this car has been specifically designed for a begginer in mind.(It's offroad, will give about 40 mph, at top performance)
http://www.rccarsandtrucks.co.uk/564_1_105551793.html
is one you can grab from your high street shop.

Please remeber with nitro that you need a glow start. (Which heats the glowplug etc,) As well as the car, and these tend to come seperately.

Some good stock electric: http://www.rccarsandtrucks.co.uk/1248_1_105820349.html
Is super cheap and cheerfull, will do about 15-20 mph. A great begginers rc car.

http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/item/TRX-5805-Traxxas-Slash-Pro-2WD-Short-Course-Truck-RTR__2697/
A friend owns one of these and loves it. You'l get a good 30 mph out of it, and its totally waterproof. See the you tube videos. A great buy imho.

http://www.nitrotek.co.uk/H94107.htm I own this one, and love it. My first RC car, virtually indestructable. Will do about 25 mph, maybe just 30 with a better battery.

If you do buy one of these, make sure you get the battery and charger thrown in, most high street shops will be willing to haggle.
I would really suggest considering a stock electric for your first RC.

Finally, electric brushless.
I own and like http://www.nitrotek.co.uk/A2012T.htm
40 mph plus, but takes alot of control. I trashed mine first time i took it out, as i really underestimated the acceleration.

http://www.rccarsandtrucks.co.uk/1962_1_1342158.html
Is a good car. Though you wont get the battery and charger thrown in, so you could end up with about £350 worth of bills.

If you want to try brushless on the cheap, i own; http://www.nitrotek.co.uk/A2003T.htm
It's like a tiny jack russel, about 35 mph, and fantastic fun.

Whatever you decide, always read the instructions, and always take it easy first time out. If you have any problems, model shops will help, and there are always many the forum for this sorta thing.

Have fun!

Can I use "bad petrol" from my lawnmower in my car?

East Ender

I had some petrol left for my lawnmower from last year. I filled the tank with fresh petrol (about 8 litre), obviously contaminating whole content of my tank. The lawnmower had difficulty in starting. When it started it ran OK but it started kicking back when I started the engine again. I suspect the trouble is with the oxidized petrol I have in the lawnmower and the tank. I do not want to waste this petrol. Can I use it in my car? Are car engines more tolerant than small petrol engines? May be the problem lies somewhere else and not in the "bad petrol". Perhaps someone out there knows?

Answer
What happens with old gas is that it loses its most volatile compounds in there and the rest will not burn well enough. There also is a tendency for "varnish" to form in that gas.

That means that if you use the stale gas in you car you can have starting and gumming-up problems there too. The cost of cleaning your car's fuel system is more than the value of the gas you are recycling.

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magneto ignition system is made up of 2 electrical circuits what are they?

thomas w

Answer
magnet and coil
A magneto provides pulses of electrical power to the spark plugs in some petrol-powered internal combustion engines where batteries are not available, most commonly those in 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines used in small motorcycles, lawnmowers and chainsaws, as well as in most small aircraft and some racing automobiles, serving a similar function to the coil-type ignition system found in automobiles. In aircraft, typically each cylinder has two spark plugs, each driven from a separate magneto. This arrangement provides redundancy in the event of a failure of one of the magnetos, and two sparks burn more efficiently than one.

Magnetos combine the functions of a dynamo, contact breaker points and coil into one unit. The engine rotates a coil of wire between the poles of a permanent magnet to provide a basic source of electrical energy (In some variants the permanent magnet is rotated and the coil remains stationary). On each revolution, a cam opens the contact breaker one or more times, interrupting the current, causing the voltage in the secondary winding of the coil to reach a very high value, enough to arc across the electrodes of the spark plug. Because no battery or other source of energy is required, the magneto is a rugged, reliable and self-contained solution to providing ignition of the fuel. In some modern magneto designs, an electronic switch replaces the contact breaker.

Bought Camera From Argos?

Nicole

Lost my camera last week, went to argos today to purchase a new one, got a hitachi brand 12mp set me back £80, basically bought it in store tried to turn it on outside in the foodcourt, battery wasnt charged (so even if i had of asked to see the quality in store this would not of been possible) Went home, charged the battery turned it on, awful quality of photos flash makes them ghost like, and macro setting is awful.. I am comparing this camera to the cheaper 12mp Alba i purchased the previous month which was outstanding but unfortunatly they stopped selling it therefore I had to chose a different model...

So my question to you is the 30 day guarantee does not apply to cameras, but im sure if A. i couldnt test the camera instore and B. the quality was not as described for a camera which apparently was priced at over £200 prior to the sale.. That it should be high quality? and not this pixelated probably 5mp crap that I have recieved..

How should I go about returning this item?
I did put it to the highest setting, due to my photography background I know about settings etc. I did go into argos the very next day and they could see what I meant and happily exchanged my camera to a different model

Answer
Ok if you are going to return it I recommend you do it asap, the 30 day money back guarantee DOES NOT apply to cameras, or any other high-value electrical items. If you look at the receipt it does state this underneath the product description (*Exempt from 30 day money back guarantee) and thus Argos are not obliged to give you a full refund unless the camera is faulty and after being sent for testing and is irreparable.

Additionally, no retailer is allowed to sell an item stating that it is less than the specification given on the ticket/in the catalogue. The Trading Standards act (1970-specifically) denounces this practice as illegal and retailers can be sued or shut down.

If you state that you're unhappy with the quality, Argos are not legally obliged to refund or exchange it for you, however if the camera is clean and (looks) unused, and if it's within a couple of days from the purchase date they may exchange it.
If you state that the camera is faulty, they will send it for repair. There's no way they will refund you without sending it away first.

Argos do not test camera's in-store as they don't have staff trained or the facilities specifically to do so. Also keeping charged batteries in a camera is classed as a biohazard and a fire risk, in the same respect that they do not keep lawnmowers already full of petrol.

There are a couple of points I have that might help you without having to go through the hassle of taking it back to the store.
1) Are you definately sure you've set the DPI/Resolution on the camera to 12mpx? As with most camera's, they're not automatically set to their highest quality settings and it has to be done manually. Check your instruction manual for details on how to do this.
2) If you bought the camera close to the new catalogue launch date, all stores drop the price in order to clear particular lines. If Argos do no longer sell your camera, it's classed as RO stock. Ask at the tills to see if any other store in your local area has one still in stock. You will have to travel to pick it up as Argos do not transfer stock between stores.

Hope this helps.

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Petrol R/C Car - Which to buy? (UK)?

best value petrol lawnmower image

ZAMtendo

What is the best, most value for money petrol R/C car to buy in the UK? I'd like to make it a hobby, what is a good place to begin, and which should be my first R/C car?

Thanks!

Answer
Well, if your starting out into the world of RC, i would strongly suggest you start electric. There are 4 types of engine that run RC cars. Electric, electric brushless, nitro, and petrol. Electric tend to be your cars that can do 20-30 mph, are good for throwing round jumps, take very little maintenance and aren't too expensive.
Brushless electric motors are a new technology, and therefore quite expensive. However, brushless electric has become a reall challenger for nitro in speed and power, though as with all things on batteries, you can only run them for a limited time. Brushless cars run from 35-70 mph, depending on your motor and setup.
Nitro is the most popular choice about. A small single cylinder engine running on a nitro/oil fuel mix. A starter nitro car will do about 40 mph. The thing with nitro cars however, is that they take alot of maintenance and love, and alot of time to get going when you first get them. If you do decide nitro, get your hobby shop to adjust all the needles, and run it in for you. But make sure you take the time to watch them do it, and read some how toos online.
Final petrol. Bigger two stroke engines, very like those in a petrol lawnmower. These cars are the biggest you can buy, run on actually petrol, and are a very limited class. I dont know alot of people who own them, and there isn't a class to race them at my track. (I personally wouldn't buy petrol). They need a whole lot of space, and similar maintenance to nitro.

Right, after that rant, ill give you a couple of examples.

Nice starter nitro cars; http://www.speedymodels.com/nitro-sport-33-p.asp
Traxxas is a good brand, and this car has been specifically designed for a begginer in mind.(It's offroad, will give about 40 mph, at top performance)
http://www.rccarsandtrucks.co.uk/564_1_105551793.html
is one you can grab from your high street shop.

Please remeber with nitro that you need a glow start. (Which heats the glowplug etc,) As well as the car, and these tend to come seperately.

Some good stock electric: http://www.rccarsandtrucks.co.uk/1248_1_105820349.html
Is super cheap and cheerfull, will do about 15-20 mph. A great begginers rc car.

http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/item/TRX-5805-Traxxas-Slash-Pro-2WD-Short-Course-Truck-RTR__2697/
A friend owns one of these and loves it. You'l get a good 30 mph out of it, and its totally waterproof. See the you tube videos. A great buy imho.

http://www.nitrotek.co.uk/H94107.htm I own this one, and love it. My first RC car, virtually indestructable. Will do about 25 mph, maybe just 30 with a better battery.

If you do buy one of these, make sure you get the battery and charger thrown in, most high street shops will be willing to haggle.
I would really suggest considering a stock electric for your first RC.

Finally, electric brushless.
I own and like http://www.nitrotek.co.uk/A2012T.htm
40 mph plus, but takes alot of control. I trashed mine first time i took it out, as i really underestimated the acceleration.

http://www.rccarsandtrucks.co.uk/1962_1_1342158.html
Is a good car. Though you wont get the battery and charger thrown in, so you could end up with about £350 worth of bills.

If you want to try brushless on the cheap, i own; http://www.nitrotek.co.uk/A2003T.htm
It's like a tiny jack russel, about 35 mph, and fantastic fun.

Whatever you decide, always read the instructions, and always take it easy first time out. If you have any problems, model shops will help, and there are always many the forum for this sorta thing.

Have fun!

Bought Camera From Argos?

Nicole

Lost my camera last week, went to argos today to purchase a new one, got a hitachi brand 12mp set me back £80, basically bought it in store tried to turn it on outside in the foodcourt, battery wasnt charged (so even if i had of asked to see the quality in store this would not of been possible) Went home, charged the battery turned it on, awful quality of photos flash makes them ghost like, and macro setting is awful.. I am comparing this camera to the cheaper 12mp Alba i purchased the previous month which was outstanding but unfortunatly they stopped selling it therefore I had to chose a different model...

So my question to you is the 30 day guarantee does not apply to cameras, but im sure if A. i couldnt test the camera instore and B. the quality was not as described for a camera which apparently was priced at over £200 prior to the sale.. That it should be high quality? and not this pixelated probably 5mp crap that I have recieved..

How should I go about returning this item?
I did put it to the highest setting, due to my photography background I know about settings etc. I did go into argos the very next day and they could see what I meant and happily exchanged my camera to a different model

Answer
Ok if you are going to return it I recommend you do it asap, the 30 day money back guarantee DOES NOT apply to cameras, or any other high-value electrical items. If you look at the receipt it does state this underneath the product description (*Exempt from 30 day money back guarantee) and thus Argos are not obliged to give you a full refund unless the camera is faulty and after being sent for testing and is irreparable.

Additionally, no retailer is allowed to sell an item stating that it is less than the specification given on the ticket/in the catalogue. The Trading Standards act (1970-specifically) denounces this practice as illegal and retailers can be sued or shut down.

If you state that you're unhappy with the quality, Argos are not legally obliged to refund or exchange it for you, however if the camera is clean and (looks) unused, and if it's within a couple of days from the purchase date they may exchange it.
If you state that the camera is faulty, they will send it for repair. There's no way they will refund you without sending it away first.

Argos do not test camera's in-store as they don't have staff trained or the facilities specifically to do so. Also keeping charged batteries in a camera is classed as a biohazard and a fire risk, in the same respect that they do not keep lawnmowers already full of petrol.

There are a couple of points I have that might help you without having to go through the hassle of taking it back to the store.
1) Are you definately sure you've set the DPI/Resolution on the camera to 12mpx? As with most camera's, they're not automatically set to their highest quality settings and it has to be done manually. Check your instruction manual for details on how to do this.
2) If you bought the camera close to the new catalogue launch date, all stores drop the price in order to clear particular lines. If Argos do no longer sell your camera, it's classed as RO stock. Ask at the tills to see if any other store in your local area has one still in stock. You will have to travel to pick it up as Argos do not transfer stock between stores.

Hope this helps.

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Can I use "bad petrol" from my lawnmower in my car?

best value petrol lawnmower image

East Ender

I had some petrol left for my lawnmower from last year. I filled the tank with fresh petrol (about 8 litre), obviously contaminating whole content of my tank. The lawnmower had difficulty in starting. When it started it ran OK but it started kicking back when I started the engine again. I suspect the trouble is with the oxidized petrol I have in the lawnmower and the tank. I do not want to waste this petrol. Can I use it in my car? Are car engines more tolerant than small petrol engines? May be the problem lies somewhere else and not in the "bad petrol". Perhaps someone out there knows?

Answer
What happens with old gas is that it loses its most volatile compounds in there and the rest will not burn well enough. There also is a tendency for "varnish" to form in that gas.

That means that if you use the stale gas in you car you can have starting and gumming-up problems there too. The cost of cleaning your car's fuel system is more than the value of the gas you are recycling.

magneto ignition system is made up of 2 electrical circuits what are they?

thomas w

Answer
magnet and coil
A magneto provides pulses of electrical power to the spark plugs in some petrol-powered internal combustion engines where batteries are not available, most commonly those in 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines used in small motorcycles, lawnmowers and chainsaws, as well as in most small aircraft and some racing automobiles, serving a similar function to the coil-type ignition system found in automobiles. In aircraft, typically each cylinder has two spark plugs, each driven from a separate magneto. This arrangement provides redundancy in the event of a failure of one of the magnetos, and two sparks burn more efficiently than one.

Magnetos combine the functions of a dynamo, contact breaker points and coil into one unit. The engine rotates a coil of wire between the poles of a permanent magnet to provide a basic source of electrical energy (In some variants the permanent magnet is rotated and the coil remains stationary). On each revolution, a cam opens the contact breaker one or more times, interrupting the current, causing the voltage in the secondary winding of the coil to reach a very high value, enough to arc across the electrodes of the spark plug. Because no battery or other source of energy is required, the magneto is a rugged, reliable and self-contained solution to providing ignition of the fuel. In some modern magneto designs, an electronic switch replaces the contact breaker.

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