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Nitro RC Helicopter Mess! I hate it, you hate it - what to do about it?
The nitro RC helicopter is still a popular contender with electric. High power to weight ratios, refuel & go convenience, plus the sound & smell.
Align Helicopters continue to give us some of the best value going in this hobby. Let's take a look so you can find the perfect kit for your needs.
Continue reading "Align Helicopters - Always Great Bang For the Buck"
The SkyRC D200neo RC Charger is an impressive computerized charger for those of you looking for great value, performance, power and dual versatility. An RC charger you can grow with in other words.
The D200neo combines all that into a small yet powerful, good looking charger with a very intuitive user interface that is easy to use with a full color display to show all the important charging information at a quick glance. No digging deep into menus or having to remember how to access them; one scroll wheel and a button to toggle between both charging ports - that's it!
If you are in the market for an easy to use and live with RC charger that has dual port charging capabilities, has a built in AC power supply offering 200W of charging power along with external DC power input brining the charging power up to 800W with other very useful RC features, this charger is definitely worth checking out.
Is your iCharger RC charger not balancing one or more cells anymore in your LiPo battery packs? Mine too! Let's open it up and get it fixed.
This problem can occur on the iCharger S and X series along with their Duo series (4010 duo, 308, duo, 306 duo). It can stem from age/hard usage or simply shorting one or or more of of the balance pins.
I pretty much knew I cooked mine when I accidently forced a balance plug in backwards (I heard a small spark); however, the charger seemed to be working fine still after correcting the balance plug polarity.
Unfortunately, after a few charge cycles, I soon noticed cell 6 would never balance up afterward, even though it was indicating on the screen a full balance load was being applied.
This can happen to any of the 6, 8 or 10 balance cells and is most likely caused by a faulty PNP power transistor, the device that puts a load on each individual battery cell when balancing. The specific PNP transistor number used in these iChargers is J42CG (also goes by MJD42CG & J42C).
The repair is very inexpensive (a single J42C transistor costs about $1.00 USD), and it's also fairly easy if you have moderate soldering skills. The problem is also easily fault traced with any half decent digital multi meter that has a diode checking function (almost all do).
Likewise, you can fault trace by just swapping two of the balance load power transistors to see if the problem moves with the suspect faulty transistor to another balance cell.
RC soldering questions? Let's go over what equipment you'll need to know about, how it works, tips and solid recommendations.
Continue reading "RC Soldering For Beginners - Tools & Tips"
An RC Flight Simulator is a great practice aid for RC helicopters, planes, gliders, & quadcopters. But which is best for you and your specific setup?
Continue reading "Choosing The Best RC Flight Simulator For Your Needs"
Charging RC LiPo batteries is a big part of the hobby these days. Here are the simple LiPo charging rules I follow for maximum battery life.
Continue reading "Charging RC LiPo Batteries For Maximum Life - Top Tips"
Confused by all those numbers listed on your LiPo Battery Ratings label? Lets look at every one and explain what they mean.
Why is RC LiPo battery storage so important? Easy, it extends battery life saving you money plus increasing storage safety.
Continue reading "RC LiPo Battery Storage - Keep Your LiPo's Safe & Healthy"