ASK Cub Reporter- Our Mailbox Overflow’eth, Version 02.17.2011

Cubby
I am going to buy a new short course truck, what is better Associated SC10 or Traxxas Slash? Thanx
Robert G.

Cubby– Which one is better? The Traxxas Slash, and here’s why…
Let’s say you are a basher- the Slash is better. The Slash is less prone to breakage, waterproof, has more ground clearance, and replacement parts are cheaper.

Let’s say you are a racer- the Slash is better on medium and low bite tracks, and given a Thundertech Outlaw chassis, can be just as fast on high bite. The stock set-up on the Slash generally works quite well. The SC10 comes with a crap set-up, it’s harder to tune, and needs more tuning to suit different tracks.

So Bobby G, it’s an easy decision, buy the Slash and let the good times roll.

Greetings and salutations good people at Bigsquid

While reading an on-line forum I came across a thread about using a helicopter gyro on a steering servo. I have a Lazer ZX-5, what gyro should I buy and how does it hook up?
Edward

Cubby– Well……. if you are an rc drifter, using a gyro on your steering servo makes it easier to pull trick drifting moves, on a 4wd off road buggy like your Kyosho, a gyro can make your buggy easier to drive on slick surfaces.

Just how does a gyro make your off road buggy easier to drive? Let’s say you are going into a corner and the rear of your buggy slides out to the side- a gyro will automatically generate countersteer to help keep you from spinning out. In fact, any time the rear of the buggy kicks to the side, the gyro will send a countersteer to your steering servo, generally making your buggy easier to drive.

What gyro should you buy? I am a fan of the GWS PG03. It’s easy to set-up, fairly crash/shock resistant, and typically costs under $40.

How does the gyro hook up? It’s really very simple. Unhook the servo lead from your receiver and plug it into the gyro. Next, plug the lead that comes out of the gyro into the servo slot on your receiver. Done!

How do you set-up the gyro? This is quite simple and should take you under 10 minutes. First, read the instructions for whatever gyro you buy, but to boil it down, the important part is the direction that you mount the gyro. You’ll need to mount the gyro in the proper direction to generate countersteer. You’ll then need to adjust the gain. A typical gyro will have a “gain” setting on it- when set to “low” the gyro’s effects on steering are minimal, when set to “high” it will generate a lot of countersteer. To adjust the gain- simply do some driving on different settings and see which setting you like best.

Some people love the feel of a gyro on their servo, others hate it with a passion, so give it a try and have some fun.

Hey, you made it to the end of yet another ASK Cubby column, congrats! But seriously, we dig getting your emails, so shoot’em to Cubby at BigSquidRC dot com!

YOUR Cub Reporter