NEW CONTROLLER MOD! Check it out....

[mike_diaz19]

This mod can make the 2 LEDs on your controller a different color. you can also try the "cripple capacitor" mod found at http://www.ausmicro.com this mod will make your range better. some controllers dont have a capacitor so this mod cannot be done but check your controller for it so that if you do have one you can take it out! I havent done the cripple mod because my controller doesnt have a capacitor in it. im glad for that! :) and i have not done the LED mod yet because im not allowed to use the solding iron... :(

My LED mod:

Materials
~Soldering Iron
~2 LEDs of any color
~A Bit Char G Controller
~Patience
~Scissors
NOTE: When buying LEDs, take controller with you to make sure of LED's size, if you get the wrong size, your controller case might not fit over the bigger LEDs.

Steps
~Take controller and place it face down on table
~Unscrew screws
~Unscrew screws on battery pack
~Take out batteries
~Unscrew little screw in battery pack
~Lift back of controller
~Find little screws in circuit board that hold circuit board down
~Unscrew them (theres 2)
~Lift circuit board out
~Look at front of circuit board, observe the LEDs
~Compare the size of them to the new LEDs
~If they are the same, proceed to do following steps
~Plug soldering iron in
~Take scissors and cut the leads on the controller's original LEDs
~Try to cut so that you leave as much lead as possible
~Cut the both new LED's leads so that theres just enough to solder onto the old lead
~Hold 1st LED and its leads in place and solder it onto the old leads
~Repeat with 2nd LED
~Put circuit board back into place and screw it back on
~Put top of case back on
~Screw in all screws excapt battery pack cover screw
~Put batteries in and screw on battery pack
~Turn controller on
~Push foward motion button
~If 1st LED lights up, then you're halfway done
~Put car on charger
~If 2nd LED lights up, then you're done!

Troubleshooting

Problem ~ Circuit board doesnt go on all the way after performing mod
Answer 1 ~ Push LEDs down or bend the new leads down a little more and try again
Answer 2 ~ Snip newly soldered leads and make them shorter, then resolder

Problem ~ 1 or both LEDs dont light up after performing mod
Answer 1 ~ try snipping the leads off and turning the LED(s) so that the leads are opposite of the way they were the first time you soldered them on, then resolder
Answer 2 ~ You got the wrong voltage LEDs and your controller can not handle it, you need smaller LEDs, buy them and repeat steps

Thats all there is to it! Please leave comments or ideas about this mod. Tell me if you are willing to try it and if you do, try to take pics of the modded controller and post them here. i know this mod works because i have a cousin who is an electrician. thank, im out...

[Wedginator]

woah there buddy,
that's the amateur way which is very inconvienient to do.... when putting the LEDs in, DON'T cut them first. First, you desolder the old LEDs and bend the new ones accordingly without cutting the legs off... then, you slid the LEDs inside the holes where the old ones used to go, then you cut the legs.... this will make life a whole lot easier.... and if you're bending the LEDs on the circuit board, you're risking damaging your board cuz you're using your board as an anchor which the board is not strong enough to be....

[ViperKid]

does anyone know if that capicator mod really works, i would do anything for better range. also if you have done it, is it hard? i'm not very good with the soildering iron, but i would still like to try it. thanks:p

[Wedginator]

i've been talking about this mod with my friends at school.....2 of my friends have bit charg's and they were going to try the capacitor mod.... unfortunately, their controllers including mine don't have a capacitor in it.... i checked the diagram on the step by step page, and located the area where the capacitor is supposed to be... but comparing to mine, there was none....

ViperKid:
U can check out your controller.... then tell me if there is a capacitor there....

btw, soldering is not that hard... just don't touch the metal tip with bare hands....and don't hold the Soldering Iron in the metal too long....
:D

[ViperKid]

no, no capacitor here. thats a bummer i was hoping i could improve the range. oh well, if anybody else has range extending mods please post them. thanks anyway Wedginator:(

[was ist los?]

when i was with my friend in a gym on a basketball court, we used my bit char-g and the car went the whole way to the end of the court from the opposite side, the long ways, without being disturbed. i felt i could have gone farther but room was at a surplus. it was a 45mhz car(special skyline) and older style control. oh. why is it that my special control cant go about 3 feet without glitching and has no cap in it?:confused:

[hoyboy_92]

Did the cap mod last night. Took about 2 minutes. Before the mod I could get maybe 5 feet away before jitters, now at least 10 feet but I ran out of room space!

[lastfuture]

tried the crippled capacitor mod... i simply cut it out with good scissors cause my soldering iron is broken for ages now and i rarely have to solder anything.

it works great, i got about twice the original range indoors (due to reflection and interferences) and about 3-4 times the original range outdoors. amazing.. i just wonder if it drains more battery power.

note that those ranges were after i also applied the antenna mod (drilling a hole in the hood to get a longer antenna)

http://lastfuture.de/gnod/hood_closeup.jpg
http://lastfuture.de/gnod/hood_drilled.jpg

[Evil Monkey]

My original range was around 5-10 ft depending on if there was any interference (refrigerator, microwave, etc...). After modifying the controller with telescoping antenna and new 24 wires for the bits, the range now is around 18-30 ft indoors. Sweet!

Evil Monkey

[Bryan4691]

If you cannot find the CC on the controller, you might want to check the PCB of the car. (See attached pic from QFM Racing)

[shocon2k]

Bryan beat me to it, but yes, the newer cars have the cripple cap on the PCB instead of in the controller. However, be careful when you remove it not to leave anything bridging the gap, or your car won't move. Also, make a new antenna. about 6-8 inches of 22 guage solid copper wire (no insulation) will work wonders.

I did the PCB cap removal and the 8 inch copper antenna on my 27 mhz Skyline, and I get over 30 feet now...its pretty damn cool.

[JBit]

i am jealous of you guys with soldering skills. if i even new how i would but im too freakedto practice on my car. new antennas would be nice tho!

[hogjowlz]

then find a broken stereo in your basement and practice on it

[Draconious]

I have a car with range LESS THAN 2 foot... i removed the IN-car cripple cap as shown... no benifit, but now the car takes an extra second or so before it starts to move forward ;). (yes i got the right cap in that photo)... not sure if thats realy a crippler cap though, so be carful with the incar mod.

Also some TX that dont have the Cap, have the cap on the OTHER side of the board ;)... not sure if that cap is the crippler cap or not, but its not in one TX that has the listed crippler, im just now going to remove them both see what happens... i can always solder them back on ;)

[Draconious]

Well I managed to remove my caps, and went from 1.5 foot range to about 20-30 foot range :) I did this because my 35mhz car was working with my "better" 35mhz transmitter...

Funny though, the photos ive seen on the HOW TO remove the caps.. almost all of them show 10uf caps... my transmitter that had the crapiest range had a 30uf cap on it, less then a foot... when I first got it. The one that had just a little bit better range then that, had a 20uf cap... so maybe if we put a 1uf cap we will have the range intended by the manufacturer ;).

Any way it works...

And those that cant find their cap, might want to check the other side of the TX circuit board for a cap in almost the same spot... as far as I know there should not be one on that side at all, unless its the crippler.

[ib311]

ok i just did the cap mod and so did a friend. here are the results:

my cap (located inside car...not controller) was removed by s iron. car went from 5 ft to about 20 ft. nice!

my friend tried to cut his out with scissors and the car sits like a rock now. doesn't budge...not even for a cookie.

so, be careful when cutting it out. make sure you remove the gap completely and you don't break your board.

FOR PEOPLE WITH POOR SOLDERING SKILLS:
I bought a blank circuit board and put the solder on and took it back off again. over and over until i got it perfect. also, helps to find info about it on the web. plenty of sites out there.