RC-Lights.com Head and Brake Combo Review
From: http://www.rc-lights.com – RC-Lights.com
What: Head and Brake Combo – LED Light System (Cost about $94)
Review By: Brian S.
I have to admit, every time I see someone running LED lights on their RC, I think to myself.. cool!! As cool as the look is, it’s still not really common, so it’s a nice way to stand out from the crowd. Recently I decided it was time to make the jump and get some sweet bling lights of my own. Since everyone and their mom has a Slash, I figure this will help make MY Slash stand out.
The kit we got was the Head and Brake combo set from RC-Lights.com. This combo set allows you to run up to 10 LED’s from the receiver’s power, and has dual intensity brakes. Meaning, when I hit the brake on my truck, the RED LED’s in the back get brighter just like on a real car! Very cool! The kit comes with 2 5mm white LED’s for headlights, and 2 5mm RED led’s for the brake lights, also the 10 LED controller, 14 inch wire extention (to go from your receiver to the controller) the brake switch, and some misc stuff to help mount it all.
Hooking up the system into the receiver was easy enough, along with the brake switch. Hooking those wires into the 10LED controller was a little more complicated then I think it needed to be. In the end, it wasn’t a big deal, but I think the instructions could of been written better to help me figure out exactly where how to plug the wires into the controller. It took me a few ‘random’ tries to get it plugged in and working correctly.
You then need to cut holes (I suggest a body reamer) to fit the LED’s and their housing into. This is a little more trial and error. Take your time, and don’t make the holes too big or you are going to be sad. Make a small hole, see if it fits, if not, make it a LITTLE bigger each time so you have a nice snug fit. Trust me, you’ll be happier! The LED’s just plug into servo type connectors. This works fine, and is easy to do, but once you get them all wired (and tested and working!) I suggest a little shoe goo to help keep things in place.
You then mount the controller somewhere on the body. You can see here I have it mounted to the roof. While this works just fine, it’s not the most convenient because as you can see in my Slash here, I can’t take the body off. The controller is taped and attached to the roof, and this makes plugging the wires a little difficult, and the other end is hidden in the receiver box, which I also can’t get to easily. A quick fix for those handy with a little wiring would be to add a 3 wire servo connector in the middle of the wire seen here, so you can plug and unplug the wire and the body much quicker making it easier to work on the vehicle when needed.
The first night the vehicle rolled out of the Big Squid RC Headquarters, it received a lot of Oooh’s and Aaaah’s and the lights are pretty darn bright. The brake lights work great, and while they don’t get noticed that often, when people do notice that they get brighter, it brings a smile to everyone’s face. The lights are bright enough to see during the day, and on a well lit track, so the bling factor is always there. The LED’s don’t seem to take enough power away to notice any difference in performance or run time which is also a plus.
The durability on the whole system has been great. I have had this vehicle at bashes, and in several demolition derby’s and the lights continue to work. Every once in a while one comes loose from the LED connection but like I mentioned, nothing shoe goo can’t fix.
For more information on the RC LED Front and Brake light system, please visit http://www.rc-lights.com. They sell a few different style kits, and even a version that works with the RPM canister sets.
As with all our stuff, if you see us at a bash or at the track, feel free to stop by, say hi and check out the stuff! We will give ya some stickers, and even let ya try stuff! (maybe… if you ask nice)
SUMMARY Time To Bash – 7/10 – Directions could be much better, take your time to make it look right! Workability – 9/10 – Ability to add more lights is nice. Car Show Rating – 10/10 – Awesome bling factor, working brake lights are great. Bash-A-Bility – 10/10 – Can take a serious beating!! No problems there! Big Squid Rating -7/10 – Tentacles.. The system is great, durable and cool. The cost (almost $100?!) and install bring down the score.
