Spektrum receivers and SMART technology

[AfterWolf]

If you want to read voltage while driving you do need a smart battery, esc, and receiver to send the info to your dx5c or whatever other spektrum radio with the capabilities.

I'm saying you don't need the battery for voltage. You need the ESC and stuff but if you have the ESC and any other battery you can get overall voltage but the SMART battery is what gives you individual cell voltage and other stuff. If you want just overall voltage for the whole battery you can use any other battery as long as you have the smart Tx Rx and ESC.

 

[N.Mango]

I'm saying you don't need the battery for voltage. You need the ESC and stuff but if you have the ESC and any other battery you can get overall voltage but the SMART battery is what gives you individual cell voltage and other stuff. If you want just overall voltage for the whole battery you can use any other battery as long as you have the smart Tx Rx and ESC.

My bad I misunderstood you, plus I did not know that overall voltage can be read on the radio with other batteries. Thats all thats really needed so that solves the expensive batt issue.

 

[Monster Dork]

It'll work great as long as the generation is supported. I have the first gen AVC and telemetry, but can't use SMART (except for the AVC portion, that works) because Spekky wouldn't put out a simple firmware patch for my radio (former flagship DX4S, same chips as DX5-whatever). They'd rather sell me a new one and send my tx to the landfill. I promise, my next radio won't be another damn Spektrum. I'm tired of the love/hate abuse. Spektrum kit is like Samsung phones. Great hardware, poor software support, zero mod-ability.

 

[parcou]

I'm saying you don't need the battery for voltage. You need the ESC and stuff but if you have the ESC and any other battery you can get overall voltage but the SMART battery is what gives you individual cell voltage and other stuff. If you want just overall voltage for the whole battery you can use any other battery as long as you have the smart Tx Rx and ESC.

My bad I misunderstood you, plus I did not know that overall voltage can be read on the radio with other batteries. Thats all thats really needed so that solves the expensive batt issue.

Yep, correct

I started with all Spektrum stuff now just need the two (ESC and RX) I use CNHL, Gen Ace, and SMC batteries and I get voltage reading. It is NOT the Smart voltage reading but another menu you can add for just "voltage" and this way I know my battery info. Smart voltage menu "Smart" if I had the smart battery in gives me pictures of each battery and visual meter when it is full and low and all the data. It gives you more data. But the "Voltage" menu has far less but all that I need to know when I am getting to a low point

 

[N.Mango]

It'll work great as long as the generation is supported. I have the first gen AVC and telemetry, but can't use SMART (except for the AVC portion, that works) because Spekky wouldn't put out a simple firmware patch for my radio (former flagship DX4S, same chips as DX5-whatever). They'd rather sell me a new one and send my tx to the landfill. I promise, my next radio won't be another damn Spektrum. I'm tired of the love/hate abuse. Spektrum kit is like Samsung phones. Great hardware, poor software support, zero mod-ability.

I'm a spektrum fan thats all I use and even I will agree with you. They are the 'Apple Computer' of the rc world. Great technology but you pay to keep up with it.

 

[parcou]

It'll work great as long as the generation is supported. I have the first gen AVC and telemetry, but can't use SMART (except for the AVC portion, that works) because Spekky wouldn't put out a simple firmware patch for my radio (former flagship DX4S, same chips as DX5-whatever). They'd rather sell me a new one and send my tx to the landfill. I promise, my next radio won't be another damn Spektrum. I'm tired of the love/hate abuse. Spektrum kit is like Samsung phones. Great hardware, poor software support, zero mod-ability.

I must agree with you. Before I got my knowledge up I was already 4 AVC rx in and the radio. It would be costly to change now. Solid point SIr!

When it works it is good but I can see the hate when it is bad....man it is bad and Spektrum puts out little follow-up on support and updates. Growing too big to stay at pace.

 

[Sargent_Horse]

If Spektrum put out a 1650kV range motor and especially if they ran sensored like the 1717, I'd never have a reason to switch. Alas, HW and CC are the go-to upgrades for those reasons

 

[N.Mango]

If Spektrum put out a 1650kV range motor and especially if they ran sensored like the 1717, I'd never have a reason to switch. Alas, HW and CC are the go-to upgrades for those reasons

I'm with you. I use their radios and receivers with my trucks. The only full spektrum outfit I have is in my lasernut as it was a rtr.
Castle is my go to esc and motor.

 

[vans5oh]

This is good to know on the voltage reading. I am just getting into my new K6S I went with HW Max6 ESC I would like to get some voltage reading to my DX5C. I need to see if that is possible and if a separate cable HW sells is needed for that.

Good info!

If you buy a 6100 or 6110 receiver the voltage cable comes with it. HW will not sell the cable for it. Thats a Spektrum cable. One end gets soldered to your battery leads and the other plugs into the receiver. Thats all there is to it, super simple.

AVC is just like a gyro correct? What would a gyro even help with in bashing and racing?

I see some good and bad things about the DX5 pro. It seems mostly good though and it has good features which is why I want to get it. Also, I don't really like sensors it adds weight when I can just get a smart ESC. Anyway, what are your thoughts on the DX5 pro? Does it have good range and is it fast? I mostly just want pros and cons.

Overall I am very happy with the Pro. If you get the right receiver you can get as low as 5.5ms latency but that doesn’t have AVC or telemetry. Range is pretty good actually. There are better radios out there but they are also much more expensive. The screen is backlit and super easy to read and the scroll wheel is much nicer to have than the touch pad like the DX5 Rugged. It is easy to setup and is actually comfortable to hold. The one big drawback to the radio is that the battery hatch is held in with screws. You need an Allen wrench to take the battery door off. This normally wouldn’t be that big of a deal if you could charge the battery in the radio but you can’t. I do have the LiOn battery for the radio and battery life is super long. I can easily drive all day on a single charge. What really sucks about those screws is they are extremely and I mean extremely easy to strip. I had to fill the holes in with JB weld and re-thread them. It’s fine now but there are better ways to do it.

I am with you on not adding sensor unnecessarily. I was just explaining the features available and to me that would be under pro for this radio. You never know if you decide to buy or build something that can utilize it. I run Castle electronics in two of my cars so I lose out on a lot of the stuff that the Smart ESCs have. Not a big deal though because I just use my computer to data log then.

 

[LIMITLESSbudget4RCs]

No I've seen many people on here and on Reddit say they don't need a smart battery (but u need the other stuff) for voltage. It's mainly used for smart charging and some other small SMART features.

You may get voltage but that’s likely it. You need the ESC to even get the voltage though and OP doesn’t have ESC. Unless you get a SR6100AT or similar receiver with a voltage wire that you can splice in, that could work.
Voltage isn’t the same as getting battery life though. The DX5C and other transmitters have a battery specific meter along with voltage. You need SMART batteries for this.

If you buy a 6100 or 6110 receiver the voltage cable comes with it. HW will not sell the cable for it. Thats a Spektrum cable. One end gets soldered to your battery leads and the other plugs into the receiver. Thats all there is to it, super simple.

Overall I am very happy with the Pro. If you get the right receiver you can get as low as 5.5ms latency but that doesn’t have AVC or telemetry. Range is pretty good actually. There are better radios out there but they are also much more expensive. The screen is backlit and super easy to read and the scroll wheel is much nicer to have than the touch pad like the DX5 Rugged. It is easy to setup and is actually comfortable to hold. The one big drawback to the radio is that the battery hatch is held in with screws. You need an Allen wrench to take the battery door off. This normally wouldn’t be that big of a deal if you could charge the battery in the radio but you can’t. I do have the LiOn battery for the radio and battery life is super long. I can easily drive all day on a single charge. What really sucks about those screws is they are extremely and I mean extremely easy to strip. I had to fill the holes in with JB weld and re-thread them. It’s fine now but there are better ways to do it.

I am with you on not adding sensor unnecessarily. I was just explaining the features available and to me that would be under pro for this radio. You never know if you decide to buy or build something that can utilize it. I run Castle electronics in two of my cars so I lose out on a lot of the stuff that the Smart ESCs have. Not a big deal though because I just use my computer to data log then.

I use the Castle Telemetry XBUS and it works great.

 

[vans5oh]

I use the Castle Telemetry XBUS and it works great.

I was wondering if I could use the Castle XBus and get telemetry one the radio. This is great info! I know what I’m getting now.

 

[AfterWolf]

You may get voltage but that’s likely it. You need the ESC to even get the voltage though and OP doesn’t have ESC. Unless you get a SR6100AT or similar receiver with a voltage wire that you can splice in, that could work.
Voltage isn’t the same as getting battery life though. The DX5C and other transmitters have a battery specific meter along with voltage. You need SMART batteries for this.

I use the Castle Telemetry XBUS and it works great.

Lol I know. I am OP. Idky but this post went from me asking about receivers to everyone talking about spektrum smart features.

 

[vans5oh]

Lol I know. I am OP. Idky but this post went from me asking about receivers to everyone talking about spektrum smart features.

Well part of picking the receiver that’s right for you is making sure you get one with the right features. Maybe I’m speaking for myself here but I believe people just want to make sure you get the right one and are aware of all the features and how they integrate. Bottom line is, if you want AVC or telemetry then get a 6100/6110, if not then pretty much any other one will be fine.

 

[SrC]

I have a DX5 Pro and I really like it. Good choice for a radio. My K8 and Mojave are running the 6100 receivers and my Limitless is running a 6110. Functionally they seem to be the same. Spektrum says the 6110 has some more refined tuning of the AVC or whatever but honestly don't use AVC so I can't really speak to it. Plus when you do have AVC activated you can not use channels 3 and 4 on the radio as those are used for adjusting the AVC. You can still power lights and fans off of channels 3 and 4 but that's about it. I like the 6100/6110 receivers because it has a separate port to plug into for voltage monitoring. My K8 and limitless have castle electronics so I have to use that plug if I want to monitor voltage. So that is a nice feature. My Mojave has a Spektrum ESC so that port goes unused. But another nice thing about those receivers is they have the ability to add on different sensors and whatever else.

Latency rate also takes a hit when running AVC.

 

[vans5oh]

Latency rate also takes a hit when running AVC.

That’s a very good point, you can’t run in 5.5ms mode when using telemetry or AVC, assuming you have a receiver that supports it. The SR2100 can support 5.5ms.

 

[Monster Dork]

My nerves are fried, so AVC helps the rx cope with the jerks and spasms I provide as input. Too much of a spaz to notice any detriment from latency.

 

[SrC]

There is a difference that I do notice between 5.5ms and 11ms. Some don't observe the difference or know about this. I do. I have NB4, DX5C and RL RC6GS among my rigs here.
I don't want my upgrade radio to feel like a RTR, response wise. depends which rig I am using however. And 11 will do for a few of my rigs and the DX5C.

 

[Monster Dork]

There is a difference that I do notice between 5.5ms and 11ms. Some don't observe the difference or know about this. I do. I have NB4, DX5C and RL RC6GS among my rigs here.
I don't want my upgrade radio to feel like a RTR, response wise. depends which rig I am using however. And 11 will do for a few of my rigs and the DX5C.

How do the NB4 and the DX5c compare?

 

[Maxxamillion]

Just my thread! I have a new Mojave V2 RTR. Already have the DX5C (not bound to the Mojave at this time), guess I just need the proper receiver.

Looks like the 6110AT seems to be it, correct?
Also is my Firma 150A Smart ESC up to the task of full AVC? I believe it to be??

First I will dial my truck non AVC, to get a good understeer/oversteer balance. By spring preload or shock oil weight adjustment. Diff fluid weight's I don't expect to have to change out from new.
I like to come in hot and throttle out hard when I can (don't we all lol). Which can be borderline spinout. I hope to have it setup for track, but I will take the AVC assistance as I am not doing organized racing (if the Mojave would even be competitive on a track). Just looking for it to track well if I can't do it on my own, non AVC.
My Mojave is brand spanking new, so I am planning ahead at this point.

 

[*420+3RC*]

Just my thread! I have a new Mojave V2 RTR. Already have the DX5C (not bound to the Mojave at this time), guess I just need the proper receiver.

Looks like the 6110AT seems to be it, correct?
Also is my Firma 150A Smart ESC up to the task of full AVC? I believe it to be??

First I will dial my truck non AVC, to get a good understeer/oversteer balance. By spring preload or shock oil weight adjustment. Diff fluid weight's I don't expect to have to change out from new.
I like to come in hot and throttle out hard when I can (don't we all lol). Which can be borderline spinout. I hope to have it setup for track, but I will take the AVC assistance as I am not doing organized racing (if the Mojave would even be competitive on a track). Just looking for it to track well if I can't do it on my own, non AVC.
My Mojave is brand spanking new, so I am planning ahead at this point.

Sounds like a good plan. And ive noticed myself is you have to have a set plan on what you want to do for u and your truck. If not, thats when all the opinions can be very frustrating. I myself mostly by impulse purchase have all but an esc for the smart system. And AVC. Lots folks call it a crutch. But if it helps get what the owner wants then why not.? It can always be taken out and replaced with some other systems