[pasiro]

I noticed on Thursday night that nearly everybody's controller had a box with a few knobs attached.
Would I be write in thinking one knob controls sensitivity? In other words it would be like using a controller with a different ohm rating would it?

And would I also be thinking that one of the knobs is for brake adjustment? Now I'm not very electrical minded but, how does that work? A controller without one of these boxes would be on maximum brakes all the time wouldn't it, therefore the box can only give you less brakes, is that right.

What is the benefit with this type of controller? I didn't feel like I had a problem with sensitivity in any class and if anything I didn't have enough brakes at times (mainly when i was going into the corners too quick

)

Paul

 

[montoya1]

Better to leave somebody from G-slot to answer specifics, but the answer to the benefit is in a word: confidence.

A better controller (however you define that) will not make you faster per se, but it will give you confidence that you have the right settings, and that might.

I know in the HO circles we came from that such controllers are feared, but they are one of those 'can't put the genie back in the bottle' facts of life. You will encounter 'fancy' controllers, and the 3 pin white plugs, on most or all of your travels away from CHORC.

 

[Michael363672]

Hi Paul I have not been to your club but I know that a couple of them have built this

The Build Thread can be found here GTRaceway Club Controller By JCS100

As a user of a derivative of this controller I can say that they DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO LAP TIMES everyone at our club who has one has seen there laptime fall by being able to balance of the power to the car and the amount of brakes that you apply to the car Full brakes is not always the fastest - remember we race without magnets so motor braking is important.

JCS100 is working on even more updates for this and they are showing great advances over the standard model

Hope this helps

Michael

A Member of GTRaceway Essex

 

[Mr Croker]

Hi Paul

Control always makes difference!

Jim has made his own I think from the above.

The rest of us have the awesome TruSpeed PWM which does more thing than you can shake a stick at but it will be the only controller you ever need.

 

[Michael363672]

2 of our guys have the TRUESPEED but at nearly £ 200

I have the JCS100 and with the developments being made of which the parts only set you back about £ 35.00 for the complete controller
if you handy with a soldering iron much better value I would say

And with the latest development of the JCS controller no one can get off the line as fast as he can now

Michael

 

[davekp]

most important thing to do paul before progressing any further is to try out both
Jim i think is still using the jcs100 and both Pete and Ian are using the truspeed
chris and moe are using thumb controllers, with different setups
so you have a good range of controllers to try while you decide which one to spend a lot of money on

 

[pasiro]

OK, thanks everyone for your replies.

I don't think I'm going to be able to build my own, that diagram looks like a bowl of spaghetti to me

And I'm not spending £200 for a controller either

Are any of the cheaper ones any good i.e.

Truspeed Diode Controllers

Truspeed Transistor Controller

Thanks
Paul

 

[montoya1]

There will be as many opinions are there are options on that Paul.

I like the BRP Stage III for example, but it has quite a low fuse rating, and it is fitted with a quick-blow fuse. For the HO racing it is superb, and any 'Scalex' racing I do it gives me lots of options.

Whilst I would not disagree that £200 is a lot of money, and you can in fact spend more than that if you wish, you are coming from that ingrained old school HO mentality. My BRP was £80, not really a lot for something that gives me confidence and will last me years...

 

[Michael363672]

PM JCS100 He might be able to help you

 

[jimk04]

Paul - myself and Archie run the JCS design - I built them both. Not easy I must admit.

If you wanted to add adjustable brakes to your comtroller for now I could knock you up a diode brake pot that can be fitted inline to the brake wire on your parma throttle.

If you look at the top group at Gainsboro - Pete and Chris use Truspeed (although Chris only swapped to the PWM quite recently). Both Moe and Steve still use old faithfull SCD designs which can be had for about £120.

That Steve is arguably the equal fastest guy round our track on a simple throttle setup says something (for him and the throttle)!

I think I am ok to say that Archie and I dont disgrace ourselves with our home made jobs, so I think you dont need to spend a lot of money on one to be quick.

 

[lee.bes]

I use the truspeed PWM...and although a lot of it is down to confidence, a lot of that is down to the fine tuning on the controller. Being able to set a car to how you drive really makes a difference, and it certainly did for me....especially if you get a certain Mr Croker to show the basic of setting it up for a car!!!

No getting away from it, £200 is pricy. But the way I look at it, I could never build a JCD controller even if I wanted too and I use my truspeed once if not twice a week, plus weekends away for the Slot It rounds. With the right maintenance it'll last years...so break it down, £200 isn't that bad at all.

Plus Steve Hills (the truspeed man) will always be there if I hit any problems

 

[pasiro]

QUOTE (Michael363672 @ 29 May 2011, 16:53) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>PM JCS100 He might be able to help you

Thanks for that, I'm not looking at the moment, just trying to find out more for when I do have a bit of cash saved up

QUOTE (jimk04 @ 29 May 2011, 19:17) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If you wanted to add adjustable brakes to your comtroller for now I could knock you up a diode brake pot that can be fitted inline to the brake wire on your parma throttle.

The question is, would this give more brakes or just the ability to tunr them down a bit?

QUOTE (jimk04 @ 29 May 2011, 19:17) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If you look at the top group at Gainsboro - Pete and Chris use Truspeed (although Chris only swapped to the PWM quite recently). Both Moe and Steve still use old faithfull SCD designs which can be had for about £120.

That Steve is arguably the equal fastest guy round our track on a simple throttle setup says something (for him and the throttle)!

I think I am ok to say that Archie and I dont disgrace ourselves with our home made jobs, so I think you dont need to spend a lot of money on one to be quick.

Mentioning names is no good too me, I can't remember everyone in one night

BTW, I've not heard Slot it mentioned, their controller looks good and is reasonably priced I suppose... I take it it isn't as good as it looks?

 

[300SLR]

QUOTE (pasiro @ 29 May 2011, 21:19) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>"If you wanted to add adjustable brakes to your comtroller for now I could knock you up a diode brake pot that can be fitted inline to the brake wire on your parma throttle."
The question is, would this give more brakes or just the ability to tunr them down a bit?
A diode brake box allows you to reduce brakes from the maximum dynamic braking.
Alternatively a resistance brake box can be used to reduce maximum braking.

If you want more brakes there are options like tuning or changing the motor: changing the gear ratio.

A controller with a battery arranged for reverse polarity braking will increase braking. This is widely banned, I don't know if it is permissible at your club.

 

[jimk04]

Paul you will find as you learn the track and your cars improve you will rarely need stronger brakes than normal, and as mentioned above if you do you shorten the gearing or add a motor with more torque.

You will fin d that eventually you will prefer to knock the brakes back a touch to allow the car to flow more.

Cars with a lot of mechanical drag such as the 4wds, and also cars that have a short ratio on a grunty motor will want the brakes backed way off. I run my 4wd at about 50% and my saloon at about 70% brakes.

 

[ferraif40]

Hi Paul,

Im in the TruSpeed camp mate, it is superb!

I have raced with both the Parma Economy and the Slot.it SCP1 controller. The Parma is a very nice controller, and I still sometimes use it when Im at home on my own track. The Slot.it is a great controller for what it is. The settings you can adjust are very useful, however I didnt get on with the light trigger.

About 2 months back, I bought from Steve, the TruSpeed PWM controller. I was like you, very nervous to pay £180 for a controller, however I sold two of my cars, and my Slot.it controller to raise the needed cash. I think I had to add about £30 to the 'pot'.

Since then, my consistency has improved and I am now about 0.5 seconds per lap quicker. So if you can, go for that one mate!

Regards
Jon

 

[montoya1]

Paul,

What are you allowed to use at CHORC? Or are you more thinking of a seperate controller for 1/32nd?

Deane

 

[pasiro]

QUOTE (montoya1 @ 30 May 2011, 11:39) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Paul,

What are you allowed to use at CHORC? Or are you more thinking of a seperate controller for 1/32nd?

Deane

I'm not really sure, I can't say I've ever seen the CHORC rulebook (if one exists?), but as no one else uses electronic controllers I can only presume that they are not allowed so it would have to be a separate one for 1/32nd

Paul

 

[300SLR]

At most clubs there are helpful guys around that'll tell you about what controllers they use and let you try it for yourself.
There's a considerable element of personal preference in controllers, so there's a lot of value in trying them for yourself.
There's no need to worry about too strongly/lightly sprung triggers or plungers, changing the spring tension on most controllers is a simple do it yourself job.

There's plenty of alternatives around if you are going to set a budget limit of £185 on a controller, for example the Carsteen is very popular, as is the SCD which start at under half that price.

 

[delta]

Don't know how many of you saw my controller when I was there around xmas time? I can't even remember what it's called, but it's a finger-controller with about 3 knobs on, with a bloody great fan-assisted heat sink separate to it.

I used to use a thumb controller which was built for me, but I bought the finger one back in about 2001 having tried one that had been bought by someone else at the club. I thought it was so much better than my old one that it justified me spending £275 (in 2001ish!) on it.

Having said that, I always used to use my old controller for cars on the small track.

 

[MSM]

If £200 for the TruSpeed seems expensive, investigate buying the Mad Motion controller. It’s £700. Weigh up in your mind how great it would be. How much better you would drive with it. How women would flock to your side just to be near the owner of such an object of wonder.
Then realise that you can save £500 by getting the TruSpeed.
Michael