RED CAT Blackout XBE User manual

RC CARS & TRUCKS

STOP
WELCOME TO HOBBY GRADE R/C VEHICLES
Congratulations on your new hobby grade radio control vehicle. Hobby grade RCs offer many ad-
vantages over radio controlled vehicles sold in the toy department. One of the greatest advan-
tages of hobby grade RC vehicles is the ability to set up the vehicle the way YOU want it. This in-
cludes changing gear ratios to better suit your terrain, tuning the many adjustable suspension
components like ride height and geometry, as well as customizing the overall appearance of your
vehicle. Redcat Racing hobby grade RC vehicles were designed with all these characteristics in
mind to provide you with much fun and adjustability.
Redcat hobby grade RC vehicles are incredibly fast! While going fast is fun and exciting, it also
comes with a great deal of responsibility. An RC vehicle traveling at full speed carries much mo-
mentum. Getting hit in the leg at high speeds hurts and serious injury may occur. Property
damage as well as damage to your RC vehicle are also possible. Great care must be used while
operating these vehicles.
Redcat radio controlled vehicles are engineered for performance as well as durability. This means
shedding weight where ever possible and using complex suspension components that offer many
tuning options. This allows the operator to make adjustments that will effect the way the vehicle
responds to all aspects of the terrain. As you may know, any RC vehicle, whether it be hobby or
toy grade, can break. How and when it breaks depends solely on your driving style. Unlike toy
grade RCs, hobby grade RCs are designed with parts replacement in mind. Spare parts are read-
ily available from Redcat and more durable aluminum parts are available as well. It is recom-
mended to keep spare parts on hand so if you run into that oak tree at full speed, you will have
the necessary replacement parts to get you up and running again quickly.
Appearance is just as important as speed and handling. Who wants to go fast and look good
doing it? You do! That is why Redcat has also designed their vehicles to look as good as they
perform. Accessories may also be added to your vehicle to customize its looks. As mentioned
earlier, Redcat hobby grade RC vehicles are completely customizable and that is where all the
fun is at.
Imagine yourself being on the pit crew of a full scale race team. Making suspension adjustments
for better handling or changing the gearing to get that hole-shot from the start. That is the feeling
you will get when adjusting the suspension on your new Redcat. Increase ride height so you can
clear the driveway with a single jump or thicken the oil inside the oil filled shocks to make high
speed laps around your front yard. The possibilities are endless with Redcat, so put on you favor-
ite pit crew cap, grab your Redcat and have the time of your life!
This is not a toy and should not be treated as one. Electric motors are very powerful and need to
be used only as directed. Follow the included instructions closely and be sure to keep hands
away from the hot surfaces of the motor and ESC. Make sure you read all manuals, including the
online manual, completely before attempting to run your RC vehicle or charge the battery pack.
The batteries in this RC vehicle are potentially dangerous. Follow all charging and operating in-
structions found in this manual as well as the ESC manual. If improperly used, property damage,
product damage, and potential injury to the operator may occur.
WARNING
Recommended for ages 14+ (with adult supervision)
Electric

8pcs. AA batteries
for transmitter
Blackout XBE

A A
AA
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
II
JJ
JJ
KK

D
E
DC
A
B
BC
D
A
HINGED BODY

UNPACKING & SET-UP
Electric

CONTROL PANEL
BIND PLUG
VCC
BIND
THROTTLE
STEERING
RECEIVER
TRANSMITTER
ANTENNA
STEERING
WHEEL
THROTTLE
TRIGGER
RADIO GUIDE
Electric

CHARGING
LED
ATTENTION
Ensure POS+ wire is connected to POS+
& NEG- is connected to NEG-
STOPSTOP
WARNING
CHARGERS
Electric

UNDERSTANDING BATTERY PACKS
We will go over four different types of battery packs in this section. NiCd, NiMH, Li-ion, and LiPo.
Although these four types of batteries have their differences, they also have some things in
common. Such as, needing to be charged with a charger designed to charge that specific type of
battery. Below are some terms used when talking about batteries.
Electric

UNDERSTANDING BATTERY PACKS
We will go over four different types of battery packs in this section. NiCd, NiMH, LiPo, and Li-ion.
Although these four types of batteries have their differences, they also have some things in
common. Such as, needing to be charged with a charger designed to charge that specific type of
battery. Below are some terms used when talking about batteries.
Electric

LIPO BATTERIES CAN BE A SAFE EFFICIENT WAY TO POWER YOUR R/C
VEHICLES AS LONG AS THE PROPER SAFETY PROCEDURES ARE FOLLOWED.
FIREPROOF BOX
LIPO batteries are efficient and have high capacity capabilities, which is why they are so popular in
the RC industry. They provide both long run times and massive power, allowing the user to drive
their RC car fast for long periods of time. There are however, some extra precautions that must be
taken while using LIPO batteries. If the rules below are followed, you should be able to enjoy your
LIPO packs for many years. However, if they are not followed, injury and damage may occur.
LIPO SAFETY & CARE
Electric

Brushless motors need an electri-
cal supply to the coils as well, but
the coils are mounted to the
inside of the motor can instead of
the shaft. This allows a direct wire
connection. The magnets are
mounted to the center shaft,
called
called a rotor, and no brushes are
needed. Brushless motors run
more efficiently than brushed
motors because there’s no friction
and loss of current from brushes
rubbing against a commutator.
This means more power and
longer
longer run times. Although brush-
less motors are efficient, they still
create heat and over heating any
electric motor can cause failure.
Motor Can
Rotor
End Bell
Brushed motors use magnets mounted to the
inside walls of the motor can. The center shaft,
called an armature, contains wire coils used to
create positive and negative charges. In order for
these coils to work, they must have power sup-
plied to them. Brushed motors use brushes to
transfer power to the center shaft through the
commutator,
commutator, located toward the top of the shaft. A
typical motor uses two brushes as seen to the
right. These brushes must keep constant contact
to the commutator in order to charge the coils and
keep the motor running. As you can imagine, lots
of heat and friction are created between the
brushes and commutator. Keeping this part of the
motor
motor clean is important to having a good running
motor. Motor cleaning sprays are sold at hobby
stores and come in easy to use spray cans. Spray
the end of the motor that contains the brushes
with motor spray every couple of runs to keep it
working properly. Thin bearing oil can be used to
lubricate the bearings or bushings after cleaning.
Commutator
Motor Can
Armature
Brush
Brush
End Bell
There are two types of electric motors used in RC vehicles, brushed and brushless. Redcat offers vehicles
with brushed motors as well as vehicles with brushless motors. In this section we will compare the two.
ELECTRIC MOTORS
Electric

BS213-043
HX-3CP
BLACKOUT XBE
EXPLODED VIEW

Servo Mount
BS213-043

Driving Toward
Driving Away
DRIVING TIPS
STOP STOP
Electric

ADVANCED DRIVING TIPS
Here is an example: Let’s say you are driving in loose dirt. You are
traveling at full speed and you want to make a left hand turn while
maintaining most of your speed. You turn the wheel left spinning the
vehicle 360 degrees resulting in a complete loss of speed.
Adding steering input in conjunction with throttle inputs will cause a whole new outcome.
Let’s say you are in mid flight, your left front tire is closest to the ground, and you want to level the
vehicle out. In this case you would steer left and apply throttle. This will raise the left front tire. Ap-
plying too much throttle will raise the left front tire too high.
Here is a good rule of thumb. Steer into the front corner of the vehicle you want to correct and
apply the appropriate trigger response. Remember, applying throttle raises the nose and applying
the brake lowers it.
This will take much practice so be sure to have some spare parts on hand. Bad landings can do
lots of damage.
As you become comfortable driving your Redcat RC vehicle, you may want to drive smoother and
with more precision so you can go faster. Here are a few driving tips that are sure to add some ex-
citement.
SLIDE
PUSH BRAKES
PULL THROTTLE
STOP STOP
Electric

TROUBLE SHOOTING ELECTRIC
Electric