Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Are you sure that's an antenna, looks like a grounded shield for the PCB? What's it look like on the other side of the PCB?
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
I used to get upto 40 meters on similar rc stuff in the past outside mind you, so look at the transmitter crystal then check with a frequency counter and look at the amplitude with a scope see whats coming out.
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Originally posted by caphair View PostFinally had some time to take this thing apart and check out the antenna. It’s just a square piece of paper with a shiny side that’s connected to the antenna wire. Other side is non reflective and glued to the plastic.
Could I just replace it with a coiled piece of wire?
That said, I do have one old Tyco RC (called "Jacknife", IIRC) that had an integrated antenna, which basically consisted of a long wire ran along the whole body of the car in a loop. Some years later, I was repairing one for a friend's kid, and that RC had a metal circular loop antenna inside - about 6-8 cm (2.5-3 inches) in diameter. I don't remember what kind of range that one got, but it wasn't bad IIRC.
Anyways, you can try replacing that current "antenna" piece with something else. I'd sat a long piece of wire would do just fine for testing. But if that doesn't appear to do anything, it could be indeed like Sparkey55 mentioned: just bad design. And of course, fresh batteries are absolutely a must with these.
One more sidenote: going by the pictures you posted, your receiver board looks very familiar to one of these on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4CH-40MHZ-R.../202425771105?
These are much newer than the ones I have in my late 90's / early 2000's RCs (none of them have SMD components). So I just cannot attest to how good or bad these are. But I can tell you that my older toy stuff with longer antennas didn't perform too bad... save for some of them frying a few BJTs on the motor outputs (at least the ones that came with all TO-92 stuff).
*EDIT*
Talking about toys... I just hit post # 8448. That's the dream LEGO Technic car of my childhood. Ironic coincidence?Last edited by momaka; 11-21-2018, 10:22 PM.
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
replace it with a vertical wip, your trying to catch waves, not just match the frequency.
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Finally had some time to take this thing apart and check out the antenna. It's just a square piece of paper with a shiny side that's connected to the antenna wire. Other side is non reflective and glued to the plastic.
Could I just replace it with a coiled piece of wire?
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
try a foot-long bit of spring-steel wire on the car.
it's what they used to come with.
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Originally posted by eccerr0r View PostWell, then need to know what's expected behavior for this device, should it really be conking out at 10ft?
Not sure if bandages like antenna hacks or preamplifiers should be done to fix an underlying problem like battery weakness or improper tuning.
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Well, then need to know what's expected behavior for this device, should it really be conking out at 10ft?
Not sure if bandages like antenna hacks or preamplifiers should be done to fix an underlying problem like battery weakness or improper tuning.
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Originally posted by eccerr0r View PostThen the only explanation for the issue is receiver tuning?
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Then the only explanation for the issue is receiver tuning?
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Originally posted by eccerr0r View PostCar antenna can only be so big, a ¼λ antenna is quite huge...
Transmitter antenna also needs to be optimized.
But 10ft seems a bit low unless it's one of those tiny RC cars. They should go 30-40 ft without issues. I'd vote for receiver tuning if the transmitter battery isn't half dead...
... and don't use NiMH in the transmitter. Alkaline!!!
(BTW, 27MHz CB, ¼λ = 9ft. So you're dying at quarter wave away...)
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Car antenna can only be so big, a ¼λ antenna is quite huge...
Transmitter antenna also needs to be optimized.
But 10ft seems a bit low unless it's one of those tiny RC cars. They should go 30-40 ft without issues. I'd vote for receiver tuning if the transmitter battery isn't half dead...
... and don't use NiMH in the transmitter. Alkaline!!!
(BTW, 27MHz CB, ¼λ = 9ft. So you're dying at quarter wave away...)Last edited by eccerr0r; 06-02-2018, 08:34 PM.
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Originally posted by stj View Postthe problem is the car, you need a good antenna on it with the length optimised for the frequency.
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
the problem is the car, you need a good antenna on it with the length optimised for the frequency.
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Then all the kiddies with RC toys will wonder why they move in strange patterns...
Look ma, I'm not touching the controller!
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Originally posted by eccerr0r View Postfun with antennas.
It's likely a coiled rubber ducky antenna else it has some electronics to impedance match it inside the transmitter. Replacing it likely won't help.
Transmitter batteries must be fresh. Weak transmitter batteries will do bad performance.
Where are you playing with it? Sure there's no noisy interference around from other possible sources?
Any ideas of other people with the same toy have similar issues? Perhaps the receiver needs to be retuned properly to the transmitter.... though doing so might be a bit tricky or impossible...
Unfortunately as this is a Part 15 device you can't bump power on it...
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
fun with antennas.
It's likely a coiled rubber ducky antenna else it has some electronics to impedance match it inside the transmitter. Replacing it likely won't help.
Transmitter batteries must be fresh. Weak transmitter batteries will do bad performance.
Where are you playing with it? Sure there's no noisy interference around from other possible sources?
Any ideas of other people with the same toy have similar issues? Perhaps the receiver needs to be retuned properly to the transmitter.... though doing so might be a bit tricky or impossible...
Unfortunately as this is a Part 15 device you can't bump power on it...
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Re: Any way to improve distance of toy remote control car?
Originally posted by Sparkey55 View Post1. Increase length of transmitter antenna.
2. Increase length of receiver antenna.
3. combine 1 and 2 above.
4. Replace with fresh batteries.
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