Tools for getting started in RC

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Hi.

It is really a good tread, because i'm trying to figure out what I need in my toolbox when I get my new Kraton in a week :)

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I'm trying to find the mentioned tools here i Europe, but do I really need a set both of metrix hex and .050" hex. Are both type used in Kraton cars?
 
Hi.

It is really a good tread, because i'm trying to figure out what I need in my toolbox when I get my new Kraton in a week :)

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I'm trying to find the mentioned tools here i Europe, but do I really need a set both of metrix hex and .050" hex. Are both type used in Kraton cars?
Kraton hardware is metric. These are the hex sets I'm using, both are awesome. Tips are almost indestructible imo.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DYNAMITE-US...712504?hash=item5d67d10e78:g:68QAAOSwcnpTl3Yq

This one is is very handy, I use the separate bits in a small electric screwdriver to speed things up.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Dynamit...840347?hash=item568a619c9b:g:6oUAAOSwIgNXj8AV
 
Those hobby star tools have a great feature missing from a lot of hand hex-drivers - the handle is also hex. My Turnigy tools fit a 17mm hex tire wrench perfect - which is great for those high-torque screws like the motor mount screws...
 
don't know if those allen tools are working for you still but me and my friend had different chinese sets identical to this and he managed to break both of our 1.5mm allens. There cheap and better than the L-shaped ones provided but there typical chinese junk

No doubt, they're junk, the price says so.
And so far, they are hanging in perfect.
I use the 2mm mostly except when R&R'ing a pinion gear, then 1.5mm.
 
I've been using this driver set for several months now -
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__11048__Turnigy_Long_Shaft_4pc_Hex_Driver_Set.html
Overall, they are decent quality, but not great. The 1.5mm, I have to be careful how much torque I put on it, it is starting to round on me... Also, the 2.5mm - the set screw in the handle kept comming loose, I would lock it back down and keep going. Well yesterday, the threads sheared... I guess I can re-drill and tap for the next size larger grub screw, but still annoying. But for $7 for the set, I am not complaining too much. I have started buying MIP drivers, though.

Another two tools that IMHO, are both overlooked and super important -

Battery voltage tester - I use this one -
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...Battery_Cell_Display_and_Balancer_2S_6S_.html
And Temp gauge/gun - here is mine -
http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/thermometers/non-contact-pocket-thermometer-93983.html

If I get to the track without one or both of these, I will almost be in a panic... LOL. They are somewhat cheap, get them both! or at least something similar...
 
Thats a nice list Woodie, nice tools will pay for themselves in the end! With Arrma being electric a nice soldering station is a must, I love my Trakpower TK-950, it will handle any rc related job and at $70 it's a bargain IMO.
Why would you need this tool for? I am new to RCs.
 
It's a soldering station, very useful with electric RC's when replacing ESC's, motors, connectors, etc.

If you get into modifying your RC, 2 handy tools are a soldering station and a Dremmel.
I picked up a decent soldering station on Amazon for about $20.
I got my Harbor Freight Dremmel knockoff for about $20, then a kit with attachments for $10 on eBay.
 
Why would you need this tool for? I am new to RCs.
Yes, as others have said, you need to learn now to solder. While $90 soldering stations are nice, a $15 60w stick iron with a chisel tip will also work fine. Soldering is not hard, you just need to practice a few times, and understand solder is not glue. :)
 
While $90 soldering stations are nice, a $15 60w stick iron with a chisel tip will also work fine
It really depends on how you define "fine" I mean in the same sense you could use a blow torch to solder as well but I wouldn't recommend it nor would I recommend anyone that's into electric RC's (most certainly brushless and LiPo) to use a stick soldering iron either.

For those of you that really want to know much more than you probably wanted to know about soldering I'd suggest reading the article "How to Solder Correctly".

Most notably rule 2: "Use the right temps 600 – 750*F and never hold heat to your components longer than 6 seconds (Ok, I will admit this 6 second rule gets broken at times, it happens and sometimes is necessary; See bellow for more info first.)"

and section 2:

Use the right temperatures... and the dangers of high temps and poor heat control.

While Lead solders melt around 400*F you will need higher heat to work effectively. I use 650*F for all purpose soldering and will increase the temp if I have issues with thermal recovery or large components not heating quickly. It should not take longer than 6 seconds to make a connection. If you have problems, increase the temp by 10 or 15*. 600 – 750*F is the usable temp ranges for good soldering. 750* is pushing it, and I would avoid going that high if possible. If your solder tip is turning discolored (a rainbow like shine) you are using to much heat.

Now the biggest issue with the amount of heat, is how long you need to hold the iron to the component being soldered. Heat can damage some components. Another big issue is that the heat can travel down the component and start to melt the solder connection at the circuit board, this can cause cold joints, or poor electrical connections that can cause resistance and poor performance. Robbing you of voltage, power, and speed. In high current applications like ESC's and battery packs, resistance causes heat that can cause even more damage to solder, battery or board. Heat can damage a circuit board, be it from holding the iron on the connection too long or a poor connection causing heat when high amps run through it. The amount of heat needed to damage the board is much less than soldering temps. The board can handle short term heat, its when you have longer exposure that causes problems. Hence the 6 second rule. And if you re-solder, or reheat the same connections the damage accumulates. Several people move ESC's between cars or change layouts. Even if the heat does not burn the board, (which is rare) it causes the epoxy holding the board layers together to weaken. (I have seen boards that had areas that were falling apart) This weakening can cause failures from vibration and jarring from the big jumps. I would not be surprised if many ESC failures are caused by this. Tekin, Castle and the other manufactures would never spend the money to lab test every failure for bad soldering of the user, it is cheaper to just repair under warranty. But failures mean less play time and waiting on repairs or needing to buy a new part, and that is never fun. Numerous crash investigations and research has shown that bad soldering can cause failures, so don't think it does not happen. Remember, just because your solder joint looks good, does not mean you didn't cause damage elsewhere.

A good rule of thumb to prevent over heating components, is to let them cool for a few seconds after tinning before you make the final connection. Also do not work on two parts that are next to each other in succession. Skip every other component or terminal post and then come back to them.

Now about that 6 second rule; sometimes you just have trouble and need to bend the rule a bit. This is where experience and some common sense is needed. If the solder starts to melt around the 5 or 6 second mark, take the extra second or so that you need to finish up a good connection. Now if you don't start to see any melting of the solder by 6 seconds, you have a problem; stop, let it cool and figure out why. For large wires soldering to plugs and bullet connectors it is less important, especially if the wires are not connected to other components. These large parts can be hard to heat quickly, even with a large iron tip. I would guess that 12 seconds on large gauges of wire (like 10ga) to a connector is fairly safe, and 8 to 10 seconds for ESC posts and motor leads. (the shorter the wire the less time you have before the heat travels, so keep that in mind) Use caution, and if your having issues, you an wrap a small piece of damp paper towel around the wire to help prevent heat from flowing into other components.

Also, heat kills soldering tips...

But to be more detailed tips are made of a base of copper and a protective plating of another metal, Iron or less often nickel or chromium (or in the case of hakko, a double plating of chromium over iron. others may have this as well)

More active metals tend to invade and replace/erode less active metals, in a similar way water can erode dirt and rock. (in result only, the processes are completely different) Copper has a low reactivity level compared to most other metals. (like the lead and tin in solder) This is why tips have protective coating of a different metal that is more active than tin and lead. The erosion process increases with heat, (I think its on the level of doubling for every 10*C) and in the presence of reactive compounds like acids. (flux is a form of acid, RMA is weak compared to other types and is best for long tip life) Iron as we all know reacts easily with oxygen (rust) even at room temp, and acids make this worse. Also rust flakes away easily exposing fresh metal to react. All metal rusts, but the rusts of other metals (like chromium or the zinc used in galvanized steel) do not flake off and actually protect the metal from further damage.

Cheap irons have iron plated tips, which will wear out quickly, and the more heat the quicker it happens. More watts is more heat, and cheap irons are on or off, temp selection might at best be high and low.

You can also crack or wear away the protective plating by using bad technique when soldering or cleaning the tip. Even tiny cracks will exposes the copper to damage. If you ever need to file the tip, you are in a loosing battle. When the copper is exposed, just a few minutes is enough to put huge pits in it.

https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/threads/how-to-solder-correctly.81520/

There is a TON more info there but a good soldering STATION is what you want, something you can control the heat a soldering iron stick is not one of those.

So as I said above, it really depends on how you define "fine". In my opinion the above becomes even more important when you're dealing with high power such as the kind of power we are sending to our ESC's and brushless motors from high current LiPo batteries.
 
It really depends on how you define "fine" I mean in the same sense you could use a blow torch to solder as well but I wouldn't recommend it nor would I recommend anyone that's into electric RC's (most certainly brushless and LiPo) to use a stick soldering iron either.

The $15 stick was okay to solder a deans plug, but useless on the 4mm bullet plugs.
Also, the heat was inconsistent.
Maybe okay for a quick fix but not much more.
Glad I upgraded to a station.
Also, solder makes a difference.
The "solder" at Harbor Freight is awful.
Order some 60-40 from eBay in advance, when you have the 2-4 weeks to wait.
 
By "Fine" - I mean you will be able to solder battery / ESC plugs, and build your own charging leads. For us hobby guys, 95% of folks will never need to do more than this. Heck, I was in this hobby for years with only a 40w stick iron. Trust me, it gets the job done, but the 6-second rule is right out the window. :) If you get into trying to repair an ESC and need to solder directly on the PCB, then yeah, a stick iron may have issues - and a self-regulating soldering station is a great option. But for swapping that Tamiya plug for a XT60 (or whatever)? Stick iron works.

This is kind of like sticking two pieces of wood together. We can argue all day about the best cordless screw driver, and square head vs philips vs star head screws, pilot holes vs self tapping screws, etc,etc.... But sometimes all you need is a hammer and a nail.
 
I've been using this driver set for several months now -
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__11048__Turnigy_Long_Shaft_4pc_Hex_Driver_Set.html
Overall, they are decent quality, but not great. The 1.5mm, I have to be careful how much torque I put on it, it is starting to round on me... Also, the 2.5mm - the set screw in the handle kept comming loose, I would lock it back down and keep going. Well yesterday, the threads sheared... I guess I can re-drill and tap for the next size larger grub screw, but still annoying. But for $7 for the set, I am not complaining too much. I have started buying MIP drivers, though.

Another two tools that IMHO, are both overlooked and super important -

Battery voltage tester - I use this one -
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...Battery_Cell_Display_and_Balancer_2S_6S_.html
And Temp gauge/gun - here is mine -
http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/thermometers/non-contact-pocket-thermometer-93983.html

If I get to the track without one or both of these, I will almost be in a panic... LOL. They are somewhat cheap, get them both! or at least something similar...
Quoting myself to add this - I posted this on another board, and figured I would add it here -

Here are a few pics of my Turnigy tools, and a few comments - First the wrenches - I really like the 17mm hex handles, and the spinner on the end. Note the two that have long set screws - one issue with these handles - the steel set screw works loose in the aluminum handle. It is too easy to just reset it, but then after doing this several times, the soft aluminum threads get loose, then the grub screw strips. The easy fix - blue thread lock before it gets to be an issue. Also, the stock set screw is very short - there are exposed threads behind it. This is why I am using the longer set screws on two of them. That, plus the thread lock, and this issue is more or less fixed.
4Pc3OWy-JJQp4MbhHXCn1YA-tqsLTlCF5qczi8n83C9HSnTikFiW_83Np7VTOTHsz3Ej9JSRhMrCj68dK0w=w800-h450-no.jpg


Second issue is these are cheaper tools, so the tips will wear quicker than nice tools. Mine are about 8 or 10 months old and they look like this -
l-hG0rx2AMhBGomieqvKA9PNQrom8pivnwpNAMj7kJjXo7MRw1o71MtTJ4CJcQYMzllQofSNoviA9l6D5_u=w800-h450-no.jpg

The worst is the 1.5 and the 2.5 - these I have purchased MIP drivers in this size. I could do what others have noted, and grind off about 1mm off the end, and they would be good as new for another 6-8 monts, but this fix will only work a few times - there is only about 5mm of hex on these tips.

While I like these handles, if someone wants them, I would say be sure an plan on buying better tips pretty soon.

Also, there are the V1 of the Trunigy tools. They now sell a V2, with a square handle, and supposedly "improved" tips. seeing as they are so cheap, I am thinking of picking up a set just to see if they are better quality...
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hex-combo.html
 
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I really never understand why people pay the prices for Eds, Hudy, Turnigy etc. hex drivers. They are very over priced IMHO.

If you want the Ferrari of hex drivers/bits, get yourself some PB Swiss tools hex bits with a bit holder. Costs less than Hudy yet the quality is FAR better. Their hex keys and T-Handles are second to none also.
 
I really never understand why people pay the prices for Eds, Hudy, Turnigy etc. hex drivers. They are very over priced IMHO.

If you want the Ferrari of hex drivers/bits, get yourself some PB Swiss tools hex bits with a bit holder. Costs less than Hudy yet the quality is FAR better. Their hex keys and T-Handles are second to none also.

those Turnigy drivers are about $3 each. not exactly high dollar... :)
 
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