Fazon Help! Fazon Voltage Runaway Car!

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Stack15

Active Member
Messages
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Location
Macon, Georgia
Arrma RC's
  1. Fury
  2. Granite
  3. Mojave
  4. Talion
  5. Voltage
  6. 4x4-Mega
so my Fazon Voltage (blue) that I bought last month is now stuck in runaway mode.

As soon as a battery makes contact with the vehicle it runs forward at full steam. This happens regardless if the controller is on or off. Any ideas??

I tried to follow the steps for a reset. The light on the esc flashes slow red. The car is full steam ahead constantly. Reset failed to do anything. I called Arrma support and I am awaiting a call back - 1 hour estimate.

The motor runs in full blast even with the esc in the off position.
 
That was about the conclusion I came to as well. It runs at full steam even in the off position. The led flashes red when it is on or off.

I am picking up a raider later. It looks like the esc from it will fit the Vootage. I want to upgrade the raider to brushless anyway (requires a new esc). What I am absolutely and totally stumped on - how do I tell a controller to link with an ESC? I get that moving the raiders ESC to the voltage moves the controller to the voltage.

Then how would I take the current voltage control and link it to a new esc? YouTube tells me there is a receiver part as well. But I looked at all five of my cars - there is no separate receiver part. It is built into the esc.

And this car is two weeks old. It shouldn’t be broken already. Doh.
 
Yeah, that is one of the drawbacks of the Uber-cheap Voltage - the RX/ESC/Servo controller 3-in-one. If you want to swap a proper ESC, you need a new Tx/Rx, and a new servo.
 
Hobbico is sending a replacement once they are back in stock. I dislike the downtime.

Yeah. I paid $140 shipped. It’s a cheapie.

I don’t comprehend the tx/rx.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobby-king-2-4ghz-4ch-tx-rx-v2-mode-2.html?___store=en_us

It appears to be a controller and a receiver but not an ESC. Is it not possible to program my current controller to a different ESC? That’s what I would like to do - but a more durable ESC than what I had.

Could I upgrade to brushless and program my remote to this ESC:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/401378505359

I am totally and completely lost on how to sync a controller to ESC. I watched a few hours of YouTube videos and they all have a receiver part. None of my cars have a receiver part. And the above ESC doesn’t seem to have one either. I am lost.
 
Yeah, having "all in one" systems makes it so simple, it is confusing.

For regular hobby radio systems, you have a the Transmitter / TX (the part you hold) and the receiver/RX - the small box in the car with an antenna (some new RX have internal antenna, so you don't see them). The RX has a group of 3-prong plugs on it, one for each 'channel'. For a basic car, you need 2 channels, one for steering, one for throttle. The "Regular" servo's and ESC's have a standard 3-wire connection, so they can plug into any open channel on the RX - but normally, steering is CH1 and throttle is CH2. Still with me?

When you buy a radio, it will normally come with one Tx and one RX. Then (if needed) you can buy more RX's that work with your radio, so you can drive several models with one radio. Note - most of the time, you MUST buy the same brand RX to match your TX. Sometimes a brand will have several 'protocols' so you even need to make sure you get the correct RX for your TX.

So here is a basic car radio - 2 channels, $27, come with a RX, and a lipo for the TX (that is not common, most use 4xAA cells)
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbyki...-receiver-w-rechargable-li-ion-battery-1.html
And if you want an extra RX for a second car, they are only $7-
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykingr-tm-gt-2-2-4ghz-receiver-3ch.html
Note, some brands (like Spktrum) the RX cost can be $50 or more!

The Radio I use is a rebrand of this radio -
https://www.banggood.com/RadioLink-...-1169456.html?rmmds=category&cur_warehouse=CN
And extra RX's are $12 - which is good, as I have about 6-8 RX's and 2 TX's.

Now you need an ESC - that Ebay combo comes with a ESC, so that will work. (note that motor is an F540, not a full size 540/3650 -better than the stock Voltage motor, but not the huge power brushless most people expect)
Here is a cheap 3650 combo - this in the 3900kv flavor would be a strong motor for that Voltage. But note the ESC is not really waterproof. It is "Waterproof motor" and "ESC"... LOL Yeah, I've had 2 Racerstar combo's, still have both motors, but both ESC's died after water exposure. Video of the run that killed one of them in on THIS REVIEW thread of my F540 - which also would give an idea of what to expect from the combo you linked...
https://www.banggood.com/Racerstar-...-1056317.html?rmmds=category&cur_warehouse=CN

Next - the Voltage comes with a 5-wire servo that won't work with the new RX, so you need a new standard 3-wire servo - here are a few choices -
$11 - strong, but not real fast -
https://www.banggood.com/JX-PDI-622...s=detail-left-hotproducts__1&cur_warehouse=CN
$22, great specs -
https://www.banggood.com/JX-Servo-P...013372.html?rmmds=mywishlist&cur_warehouse=CN
I have a pair of these in different cars, fast, strong, cheap -
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/trackst...course-steering-servo-11-1kg-0-09sec-57g.html

Yeah, it will cost to upgrade the Voltage. But you can do it, for $50 + $30 + 20 = $100

And I've ordered a lot from both Hobby King and Banggood. Shipping from Hobbyking costs more, but is much quick - I pick the DHL option and get it in 3-5 days. Banggood does not have a super fast option, so I pay the extra $1 to get tracking, and settle in for a two or three or 6 week wait.
 
Thank you. This is excellent information. What I am gathering is that the stock controllers must only be good with the stock three in one ESCs.

I am going to take some time tomorrow and review all of those links. However as a cheap and immediate alternative would an ESC from a grainte mega work?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/352395397969

It’s not the exact same ESC as the stock one. And I don’t understand how I would like my transmitter. But it almost feels like it should work.

Also, if I take this as the opportunity to go brushless does the voltage need metal gears for that?
 
4CF03366-6B75-4E37-89DF-050C3FEB9381.jpeg
74D45375-D13B-4143-87C5-F06CEF25ED36.jpeg
To help my understanding, this picture is from my raider. I believe this setup is an ESC in front and a receiver (r/x) behind it. Both the raider and the voltage use the ADS-5 servo.

So in theory I could take the ESC and receiver out of the raider and put them in the voltage? And then use the voltage with the components from the raider?

I am not quite sure if it would all line up space wise though. But I could probably make it fit.
 
Thank you. I ordered the RadioLink RC4GS transmitter and receiver. The extra receivers are out of stock it seems. I will try to find one elsewhere. Thank you.
 
You are correct that hand unit (TX) from the voltage will not work with anything other than the 3-in-1 module in the Voltage. This is because the RX is one of the three parts of the 3-in-1. Also, the radio protocol that radio uses is different than the 'standard' Tactic, so you can't just buy another Tactic Rx and drop in in your Voltage.

The ESC you linked is probably the same one in your Raider - which won't work with your TX. If you could Ebay the ESC from a Granite Voltage it would be the same 3-in-1 as your Fazon came with, and that would work.

In the pic of your Raider - the black box behind the ESC is just a weather-proof box. Open it up, and the RX will be inside. Notice all the cables that plug into the RX are 3-wire. Now look at your Voltage and the servo cable - it is 5 wire. This is why you need a new servo too.

As far as upgrading to brushless - metal gears would be good, but don't exist that I know of. Also, no slipper clutch in that car is not great for high power. so I would say choose a mild brushless - your original choice of the F540 will give you a bit more power and speed, but not a huge difference. If you go with the 3650 I linked, you would want to use the extra controls of the new radio (the TS4GS) to dial back the throttle, so you don't over-stress the driveline.
 
I think you will like the RC4gs. It has a lot of the programing features of higher priced radios, in a very affordable package. Plus the gyro in the RX can be a big help in 2wd cars like your Voltage.

Two tips -
First thing, go into the menu for "F/S" - Failsafe (option 20 on my radio, the last on the list) and set it. Select channel 1, then OK it. Same for channel 2. Don't turn the wheel or apply throttle while doing this. 3 and 4 you can skip. What this is, if the RX looses contact with the TX, it will move each channel to this pre-defined position - so steer straight ahead, throttle to neutral. I urge you to set this, as the default is 100% for all channels - so full right turn, full throttle. That might be a good idea for a boat or airplane, but for a car, it is a hazard...

Second - Bookmark THIS THREAD on the RC4G. It starts with the RC4G/RC3S/TS4G, and later in the thread covers the upgraded RC4GS.

Post up when your stuff starts coming in, and we can help you get it set up-
 
I am ready for my parts orders. I had a spare ADS5. So I put that in. By the touch the steering does not feel as smooth as my other voltage. I think that is because the bottom parts of the servos are different. Does that mean this new servo in there probably won’t last long?
 
What do you mean the bottom part? The servo horn? Did you use the servo saver horn from the Voltage on the new ADS5? With a plastic gear servo like the ADS5, you need a servo saver. This will protect the servo from 'shock' when you crash and the front wheels violently try to turn the servo. For a plastic gear servo with no SS, one crash generally equals stripped gears.

Also, "smooth by hand" you mean just turning the wheels by hand, not using the radio? This I would not worry about, I have had servos that 'feel' very bad, but still run great. Oh, and twisting the wheels making the servo go "REEE- REEE" is not good for the servo... :)
 
Thank you. I opened up a savox servo that I had bought with the intention of using in my granite 4x4. And I stole the servo saver from it. That saver fit perfectly on my replacement ADS5 (3 wire). The one that came with the voltage had three dots whereas the replacement has teeth.

I really want to test it but have to wait until Friday when my new esc gets here.

I was turning it by hand because I was trying to figure out if I did It right. I have a good feeling now. Thank you.
 
The RC4GS arrived. It looks really nice but the instructions Confused me badly.

1. Put transmitter and receiver close to each other within 50 centimeters. Okay.
2. Turn the transmitter on, (okay) then Power on the R6FG -that’s the receiver.

I see no way to power on the R6F6. It has a bind button but that doesn’t power it on. All the YouTube videos are either in Russian or talk on and on about features. Any help please?

Binding the transmitter to the receiver should be easy to follow but it is not.

* edit - you have to plug the receiver box into the ESC with the car powered on. That turns the receiver on. *
 
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Well I am over that newbie hurdle already. I plugged the transmitter into the ESC and it got power.

I went through the pairing step and the transmitter is now green. The ESC is flashing red. The controller does nothing - no wheel turning and no motor revving. I have the servo on channel one and the ESC on channel two.

Black wires on the left and white on the right. What did I do wrong? There are no more steps in the manual.
 
Can you get an up close pic of the RX, and how the servo and ESC wires are plugged in?
(and I need to look at my RX at home to tell which direction the plug goes)

Edit found a pic on line. Black goes on the right.

Black = (-)
Red = (+)
White = Signal (box with open bottom)

Edit #2 - Oh, and 3 day delivery? Dang, I've never gotten anything from Banggood's China warehouse that fast. What delivery option did you pick?
 
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