Like any hobby, whether sport or leisure, RC modeling has its own vocabulary and its own technical aspects. When you start, it is essential to know the main parts that make up your electric car or your thermal car . This is what we are going to do together so that you can learn to locate the essential parts for the operation of your radio-controlled car .
Interior view of an electric car
Engine
The cheapest electric cars will be equipped with a brushed motor , the faster and more expensive cars will have a brushless motor . Brushless motors cost more than brushed motors but offer higher speeds, almost zero maintenance, and a much longer lifespan. We recommend that you read this article to learn how to choose which engine suits you best.
Battery
All electric cars run on a battery so they can be supplied with electricity. Depending on the models you choose, the battery may or may not be included. Two types of batteries are mainly used in RC: nimh batteries (easy to maintain and durable), and Lipo batteries (efficient and powerful but more delicate to handle). We recommend that you read this article to learn how to choose your battery .
The variator (ESC)
Also called ESC for Electronic Speed Controller, the variator controls the rotation speed of the motor based on the information sent to it by the radio. We recommend that you read this article to learn how to choose your brushless motor/drive combo.
The receiver
As its name suggests, the receiver receives the signals sent by the radio control and relays them to the servo and the variator. We recommend that you read this article to learn how to choose your radio control .
The servomotor
The servomotor (commonly abbreviated to servo ) is the muscle of the radio system, meaning it converts the information transmitted by the receiver into mechanical movement. We recommend that you read this article to learn how to install a servomotor .
Interior view of a thermal car
Engine
The vast majority of thermal cars run on “Nitro” fuel , a mixture of nitromethane, methanol and petroleum, which you can buy here . They must be started using a candle warmer and pull, bench or roto start. We recommend that you read this article to learn how to start a heat engine .
The carburetor
The carburetor (or resonator) allows air and fuel to enter the engine. Adjusting this carburetor is very important for the proper functioning of your thermal car. We recommend that you read this article to learn how to adjust your carburetor .
The throttle servo
In nitro cars, in addition to the steering servo, a servo is used that controls the opening and closing of the carburetor to control the engine speed . This servo is directly controlled by your radio system.
The reservoir
The tank allows you to store fuel. Its capacity has an influence on the range of your thermal car .
