TOPIC:

Hi guys!

So the beginnings of my n00b questions lol.

The first thing I have noticed with the boomerang I picked up is I got it with no batteries, I had a check on the net and saw in the manual these things came with an optional 7.2v hi-power ni-cd battery. I had a 7.2v battery spare and so decided to use it to test the boomerang worked fine.

I first noticed as soon as I plugged the battery in the car would twitch and badword even though I hadn't switched it on? After switching on and having a little drive around to see if it moved I noticed the white resistor behind the driver was getting VERY hot.

Is this due to the fact I was using a 7.2v battery when I should be using 6v? And that in order to use a 7.2v battery it requires any additional parts? Or is this a completely different area??

Thanks guys!!

sounds like you still got the 'old' mechanical speed controller.
think you should check if this is all still setup correctly.
the MSC might need some grease on the contacts.
Does the receiver gets it power directly from the 7.2v batterie or does this have its own batterie pack?

maybe post some pics of the car and its electronics.

The resistor is meant to get hot - heat is how the power to the motor is reduced to make it run slower on the low & medium speed, flat out the resistor is out of the circuit - which is why Tamiya don't recommend you run at slow speeds. If you were just having a gentle tootle around a small space, the resistor getting hot would be perfectly normal.

The "twitching" you describe sounds simply like the car was turned on before the transmitter - or the switch on the car was already on when you connected the battery ... the reciever on the car was just picking up random radio noise - again, it's normal.

Thanks for the reply guys

I believe the car is completely stock as it came from the factory bar an uprated motor (unsure of what it is I haven't delved that deep yet lol! So with you mentioning about the original MSC I would hazard a guess it is!

Thanks for confirming on the resistor too, yer I was just using it at very light throttle around my small bedroom so that would clarify what your saying, it did smell a bit but it's probably from old grease or whatever may have settled on it over the years so at least I know thats fine

The car was definately in the "off" position on the switch. I don't believe the MSC has a seperate power supply unless anythings hidden away under the top half of the chassis. I'll get it apart, check out the MSC and clean it up where possible and see what results that gives

Hey guys, just been having a little mess with it lol, it appears that the MSC is powered directly from the battery with no switch inbetween, the switch only controls the steering servo! Just had a little drive of it after sussing out how that was working hehe need to give one of my batts a good charge and play! Is it common for the batteries to get warm in these pretty quick??

Yep, that's the problem with MSCs - when the car is switched off, it's possible to move the speed control manually to send power to the motor (By hand, by dropping, by switching the radio off whilst the MSCs still activated etc). The switch ONLY powers up the radio, & doesn't isolate the battery. You MUST disconnect the battery when not using the car or you risk damage &/or fire.
When you're about to play, switch on tranny first, receiver second, then plug in the main battery. When you're done playing, switch off the receiver first, then unplug the battery, then switch off the tranny. If you follow this order for all of your cars, (MSC & ESC & unknown) you should avoid any runaways or fire or damage

griffo20022 wrote:

... Is it common for the batteries to get warm in these pretty quick??

Yes it is

I can't give you any actual temperatures, but as a guide, there's only a problem if it gets so hot you would dare stick it down your pants (50 to 60 Celcius?).

Similarly, motors - if you can't touch it for more than 3 seconds, it's too hot (70 to 80 Celcius?), and for the resistor pack anything short of actual melting is normal.

Ok thats good then as long as I know that everything thats occuring with mine is normal that's great! Means the old boys running as it should!

I have noticed the props a little bent on it so wouldnt mind replacing that, I cant believe how thin the props are lmao!!