Rediscovering my old RC10

[NomadRacer]

Hey Zipity,

I'm on my mobile but will try to cover your questions.

Futaba 2.4Ghz receivers come in two types, one with external antenna and one with internal, hence, no wire. It's common to see both types. You will see the RX without designated with an "E" in the part number.

Yes, you can cut your antenna tube down to size, just long enough to contain the wire. I do that all the time, looks nice .

[XLR8]

These wheels are pretty hot:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-2-Aluminum-Wheels-For-Team-Associated-RC10-Classic/283325338318?hash=item41f78192ce:g:KVoAAOSwcqxcLTMi:rk:1:pf:0

That said, my guess is aluminum is a lot heavier. Anyone know if they make this same style in plastic?


I did pick up some JC Racing wheels:

https://www.jcracingproducts.co.uk/vintage-wheels/wheels/rc10

but I like the more original style of the top wheels.

Wow, those are some amazing looking wheels!! I've not seen them in plastic but I reckon the JC wheels are the closest thing. The spokes are really thin on those alloy wheels and I doubt that exact design in plastic would be sufficiently strong but I guess it's possible. Anyway, keep checking ebay; there are a lot of RC wheels coming over from Asian manufacturers these days. I found some really nice alloy Landies style beadlock wheels for my TF2 Blazer from a Chinese manufacturer on ebay. Part of the fun that comes with these old RC10's is finding new and interesting parts that will still fit them.

[Zipity]

Hey Zipity,

I'm on my mobile but will try to cover your questions.

Futaba 2.4Ghz receivers come in two types, one with external antenna and one with internal, hence, no wire. It's common to see both types. You will see the RX without designated with an "E" in the part number.

Yes, you can cut your antenna tube down to size, just long enough to contain the wire. I do that all the time, looks nice .

Ah ha! Thanks for explaining this. Makes a lot of sense now.

I did some searches and I was surprised I didn't see much information about how the E and non-E versions compare with respect to actual performance. Sounds like the E versions do fine on a normal track, but it's not clear how much more range a version with an antenna has. Would be interesting to do some testing to compare the effective range of:
a) an E version (internal antenna)
b) a version with an antenna, but inside the car
c) a version with an antenna, arranged vertically straight up a mounted antenna tube

[Zipity]

Wow, those are some amazing looking wheels!! I've not seen them in plastic but I reckon the JC wheels are the closest thing. The spokes are really thin on those alloy wheels and I doubt that exact design in plastic would be sufficiently strong but I guess it's possible. Anyway, keep checking ebay; there are a lot of RC wheels coming over from Asian manufacturers these days. I found some really nice alloy Landies style beadlock wheels for my TF2 Blazer from a Chinese manufacturer on ebay. Part of the fun that comes with these old RC10's is finding new and interesting parts that will still fit them.

Good point, it's quite possible they would be designed with thicker "spokes" if made from plastic. Would be interesting to know how much they weigh. But anyway, they've already sold!

Agreed, it's fun to check out all the interesting parts out there

[jwscab]

considering the gold tub, a and b will be very similar if you lay the antenna down on b. b can be as good as a or better if you keep it internal but raise the exposed part of the antenna above the tub sides. C will be marginally better or a lot better depending on how you place b.

the 2.4G antenna is a folded dipole, so essentially they stripped back the center conductor of it's shield. but since it's a 'folded' dipole, if the center conductor is like 20mm long, the next 20mm of shielded cable acts as the other part of the pole. don't quote me on length there. it will be 1/4 wave, or half wave, I don't know the length off the top of my head.

as long as you have most of this dipole placed above the chassis sides, it's not shadowed by the chassis and you will achieve full range. I usually use a little stub of antenna tube, but lately I am working it so the antenna sits in the canopy or cockpit section of the body.

[XLR8]

Wow, those are some amazing looking wheels!! I've not seen them in plastic but I reckon the JC wheels are the closest thing. The spokes are really thin on those alloy wheels and I doubt that exact design in plastic would be sufficiently strong but I guess it's possible. Anyway, keep checking ebay; there are a lot of RC wheels coming over from Asian manufacturers these days. I found some really nice alloy Landies style beadlock wheels for my TF2 Blazer from a Chinese manufacturer on ebay. Part of the fun that comes with these old RC10's is finding new and interesting parts that will still fit them.

Good point, it's quite possible they would be designed with thicker "spokes" if made from plastic. Would be interesting to know how much they weight. But anyway, they've already sold!

Agreed, it's fun to check out all the interesting parts out there

The seller says about 12 oz (340 grams) for the set. Yes, they are very HEAVY!!

[Zipity]

considering the gold tub, a and b will be very similar if you lay the antenna down on b. b can be as good as a or better if you keep it internal but raise the exposed part of the antenna above the tub sides. C will be marginally better or a lot better depending on how you place b.

the 2.4G antenna is a folded dipole, so essentially they stripped back the center conductor of it's shield. but since it's a 'folded' dipole, if the center conductor is like 20mm long, the next 20mm of shielded cable acts as the other part of the pole. don't quote me on length there. it will be 1/4 wave, or half wave, I don't know the length off the top of my head.

as long as you have most of this dipole placed above the chassis sides, it's not shadowed by the chassis and you will achieve full range. I usually use a little stub of antenna tube, but lately I am working it so the antenna sits in the canopy or cockpit section of the body.

Terrific, thanks for the antenna tips. I'm surprised I'm not seeing more advice on how to properly set up an antenna and what kind of range to expect with different approaches. Perhaps I'll try to do some simple measurements and report back.

[Zipity]

The seller says about 12 oz (340 grams) for the set. Yes, they are very HEAVY!!

That is heavy. Hard to imagine that's a performance enhancement for racing, but it is pretty

[Zipity]

Well, after sitting in storage for 20 years, here's a couple of shots of my old RC10. I consider these "before" shots. Will be fun to clean her up and do a few upgrades before taking her out for a spin.

[XLR8]

Cool! Vintage Futaba ESC, servo and Rx with G connectors... and a foam motor cover. A real time machine!!! You'll want to replace those plastic wing nuts with metal lock nuts on the wheels. Otherwise, it doesn't look like it will require much effort to make it road worthy again. Very nice!!

[Zipity]

Cool! Vintage Futaba ESC, servo and Rx with G connectors... and a foam motor cover. A real time machine!!! You'll want to replace those plastic wing nuts with metal lock nuts on the wheels. Otherwise, it doesn't look like it will require much effort to make it road worthy again. Very nice!!

Ah, thanks for pointing out the old G connectors. The old Futaba Magnum Jr. controller I had was lost in the moves, so I just purchased a new controller, a Futaba 3PV, and it comes with the Futaba R304SB receiver. I haven't received them in the mail yet, but now that you point it out, it looks like the new receiver has the Futaba J connectors (I think that's what they are called). Thus, the old style G connectors from the servo and the ESC are not going to just plug into the Futaba J connectors on the receiver.

Can I simply adapt the male G connectors from the servo and ESC to a Futaba J connector and plug them into the new receiver? Or is there something fundamentally different about the electrical protocol that's used between new receivers, servos, ESCers, etc.?

[jwscab]

yes, adapters will work for you, the servo drive signals and voltage is the same.

[Zipity]

yes, adapters will work for you, the servo drive signals and voltage is the same.

Excellent Thanks!

[Zipity]

Cool! Vintage Futaba ESC, servo and Rx with G connectors... and a foam motor cover. A real time machine!!! You'll want to replace those plastic wing nuts with metal lock nuts on the wheels. Otherwise, it doesn't look like it will require much effort to make it road worthy again. Very nice!!

Good idea. Do you happen to know what size the rear wheel lock nuts those are?

[XLR8]

Cool! Vintage Futaba ESC, servo and Rx with G connectors... and a foam motor cover. A real time machine!!! You'll want to replace those plastic wing nuts with metal lock nuts on the wheels. Otherwise, it doesn't look like it will require much effort to make it road worthy again. Very nice!!

Good idea. Do you happen to know what size the rear wheel lock nuts those are?

Thanks! The rear wheel nuts are #8-32 (same thread as those large aluminum green/gold screws). The cheaper steel ones appear to be out of stock on AE's website but you can also find them at Fastenal and many well-stocked hardware stores.