Pope
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The Tekin Mini Rage ESC is designed for 1/18 scale R/C.
The price on the Mini Rage ESC is around $80-100 dollars depending on where you buy it.
What you get: Speed controller, Motor wires, two sticker sheets, Instructions
Setting up the Tekin Mini Rage is the same as any other ESC on the market. Soldering on the ESC is very simple do to the large vertical frets. Once soldered and connected to a power source you have to program the ESC to your remote which takes only seconds; Push and hold the mod button wait for the beep, leave the throttle in natural position wait for the beep, pull full throttle and wait for the beep, than push full break and wait for the beep.
Programming the ESC can be done in either of two ways. You can either use the built in programming buttons or use the Tekin Hotwire (Sold separate). When using the built in buttons it is as simple as using the mode button to advance through the different modes and using the set button to adjust each. When doing this some settings are limited due to the increments that the ESC uses. Using the Hotwire is simple and only requires installing the Hotwire software (Download the newest versions direct from www.teamtekin.com) and plugging the hotwire into both the pc and the ESC. Once you start up the software you will be able to make fine adjustments to the settings and update the software in the ESC with the most current version.
What is adjustable: Drag Break, Voltage cutoff, Timing, Throttle profiles, Break/Reverse strength, Forward and reverse modes, Break profiles.
Power sources: This esc can be used with 4-12 cell nicd/NiMH or 2-4s LiPo (4s cannot be used with motors 8000kv or more)
I used a few different motors and cars in this test, Tekin redline 6800kv, Losi, 9400kv, Mamba 8000kv, AE RC18, and Robitronics Scalpel.
Using this ESC I found it best to use a motor other than the Tekin series of motors. The Tekin motors have smaller cans and produce less TQ than the other 1/18 scale BL motors on the market. This causes the motor and ESC to run much hotter and could cause damage if not watched.
In the RC18 running anything more than 2s caused the car to self-destruct (Note this is even with top of the line everything) The power created on 3 and 4s is such that it is completely un-usable on the track and for anything other than High speed passes. When used on 6 cell NiMH or 2s LiPo the power is very smooth and controllable and will not leave you wanting. On the track both on and off road the power is there any where in the rpm range and even grabbing to much throttle will put you into the wall fast so it is best to use smooth throttle inputs till you are used to the setup. Runtimes were about 10-15min on either LiPo or NiMH.
The Scalpel is where the Mini Rage shines. The adjustments offered in the ESC make fine tuning a breeze. The smoothness of the ESC is really noticeable here even with only 4 cell NiMH. I don’t know what to say other than I loved driving this car with this ESC. Instant power with the ability to dial in the drag break and throttle profiles made setting up the car to match my driving style easy. This is where you would want to use the Hotwire over the onboard programming.
Things I liked: Easy setup and programming
Usable with Hotwire
Smooth power band
Things I didn’t like: No real explanation of what a few of the settings do to performance
Notes: when wiring this esc it is best to solder direct to motor. Do not use connectors they will cause glitching due to the extra resistance.
The price on the Mini Rage ESC is around $80-100 dollars depending on where you buy it.
What you get: Speed controller, Motor wires, two sticker sheets, Instructions
Setting up the Tekin Mini Rage is the same as any other ESC on the market. Soldering on the ESC is very simple do to the large vertical frets. Once soldered and connected to a power source you have to program the ESC to your remote which takes only seconds; Push and hold the mod button wait for the beep, leave the throttle in natural position wait for the beep, pull full throttle and wait for the beep, than push full break and wait for the beep.
Programming the ESC can be done in either of two ways. You can either use the built in programming buttons or use the Tekin Hotwire (Sold separate). When using the built in buttons it is as simple as using the mode button to advance through the different modes and using the set button to adjust each. When doing this some settings are limited due to the increments that the ESC uses. Using the Hotwire is simple and only requires installing the Hotwire software (Download the newest versions direct from www.teamtekin.com) and plugging the hotwire into both the pc and the ESC. Once you start up the software you will be able to make fine adjustments to the settings and update the software in the ESC with the most current version.
What is adjustable: Drag Break, Voltage cutoff, Timing, Throttle profiles, Break/Reverse strength, Forward and reverse modes, Break profiles.
Power sources: This esc can be used with 4-12 cell nicd/NiMH or 2-4s LiPo (4s cannot be used with motors 8000kv or more)
I used a few different motors and cars in this test, Tekin redline 6800kv, Losi, 9400kv, Mamba 8000kv, AE RC18, and Robitronics Scalpel.
Using this ESC I found it best to use a motor other than the Tekin series of motors. The Tekin motors have smaller cans and produce less TQ than the other 1/18 scale BL motors on the market. This causes the motor and ESC to run much hotter and could cause damage if not watched.
In the RC18 running anything more than 2s caused the car to self-destruct (Note this is even with top of the line everything) The power created on 3 and 4s is such that it is completely un-usable on the track and for anything other than High speed passes. When used on 6 cell NiMH or 2s LiPo the power is very smooth and controllable and will not leave you wanting. On the track both on and off road the power is there any where in the rpm range and even grabbing to much throttle will put you into the wall fast so it is best to use smooth throttle inputs till you are used to the setup. Runtimes were about 10-15min on either LiPo or NiMH.
The Scalpel is where the Mini Rage shines. The adjustments offered in the ESC make fine tuning a breeze. The smoothness of the ESC is really noticeable here even with only 4 cell NiMH. I don’t know what to say other than I loved driving this car with this ESC. Instant power with the ability to dial in the drag break and throttle profiles made setting up the car to match my driving style easy. This is where you would want to use the Hotwire over the onboard programming.
Things I liked: Easy setup and programming
Usable with Hotwire
Smooth power band
Things I didn’t like: No real explanation of what a few of the settings do to performance
Notes: when wiring this esc it is best to solder direct to motor. Do not use connectors they will cause glitching due to the extra resistance.
