Tekin FX-R 55T Crawler Combo System
by Tony Arnold - StampedeProject.com
Jim Campbell has promised and delivered big things from the new Tekin, but more importantly he listens to customers for new ideas. Crawlers have been loudly raving over Tekin's new FX-R ESC. All Tekin needed was a great 55T motor and wa-la the Tekin FX-R Crawler Combo was
created.
Features
Crawlers have plenty of reason to rave over the FX-R with built in Lipo cutoff circuit, on board temperature indicator, ...etc (see sidebar). Features are packed into the smallest and lightest crawler safe ESC and the beep and click interface is the easiest I have used. Did I mention it's freaking tiny? Crawler guys love the FX-R because we can tuck it out of harms way easily on an already cramped chassis.
Innovative features such as easy tuning, a tunable powerful drag brag and high output power also make the FX-R a notch or two above competing ESCs for rock crawlers. Set the drag brake at max and you can stick to inclines like glue, or tune it down a bit and you don't need to feather the brake while on steep descents. HotWire PC interface compatibility assures your ESC will never be outdated, however the beep and click interface is so easy you probably won't use it for anything other than saving profiles and ESC updates but future features are sure to come. You don't get limited to the semi-retarded tuning mode when using the beep and click interface, it's all there. Crawlers are always moving stuff around and swapping wire lengths so Tekin's inclusion of real solder posts on their ESCs is a huge plus. Want big wheel speed on the rocks? No problem, Tekin has made the FX-R plenty powerful and can handle a whopping 3S - 11.1V input with motors over 35T, however if your run multiple servos or very high torque servos an external BEC (Battery Eliminator Circuit) is advised for optimal performance.
The Tekin 55T brushed motor is a proven rebuildable 540 motor designed specifically for the high-torque demands of rock crawling and delivers plenty of smooth power. Is the Tekin 55T much different than other 55T dual ball bearing, comp legal motors? A little. The motor is noticeably smoother than other brands I have tested - perhaps better brushes and springs. Tekin also rates their 55T motor at 3S, where Novak and others only note a 2S limit. The Tekin motor may be a bit higher quality or someone at Tekin actually took the time with testing to realize that 11.1V isn't much for a 55T motor to handle - these guys do their homework. Tekin also included plenty of wire to hook everything up, caps for the motor and a larger capacitor for the ESC. I also used Tekin's new 4mm gold connectors from the ESC to the motor. I like the idea of a Tekin combo kit that you know works together and is backed by Tekin support.
Test Platform
I used a tweaked Axial Scorpion as the test vehicle with some standard upgrades. Pull the battery tray, upgrade to Axial bent links and aluminum shock shafts, and go with a small armored MaxAmps 2000Mh 2S crawler LiPo pack. I also cut a stock Axial servo mount in half to use as on axle mounts for the ESC and Spektrum unit. The next upgrades are some new AX10 upgrades finds. I added RCPCrawler's four-link conversion plates to convert the stock three-link suspension to a more stable and more tunable four-link setup that nearly eliminated torque roll. Pro-Line's new M2 Hammer Tires and Memory foams up traction by a huge margin. Mayhem Engineering's Double Phatty Competition Beadlocks are not only super heavy, but lock in tires with 32 machine screws per tire, are available with your own custom branding (mine were branded with StampedeProject.com), colors, and styles, and feature tunable in-wheel ball-bearing weights that rotate in the wheel to maintain a near ground level CG - very cool indeed. Tack on a Spektrum system and JR Sport high-torque servo and we have an outstanding competition level test platform for the Tekin Crawler Combo.
Our test AX10 crawler featured a MaxAmps LiPo pack, custom Mayhem Engineering beadlocks with Pro-Line Flatiron tires, Spektrum RX, JR Sport ST126MG servo, and RCP Crawlers 4-link mounts.
Testing
The tiny size allowed mounting at the axle with room to spare and the solder posts allowed me to lay down the wiring for a lower CG. The motor mounted up un-eventfully. Wheel speed was very good on 2S and super quick with a 3S pack. The on board temp indicator never reached a critical point on either 2S or 3S, however an external BEC would really help deliver more power when running 3S as the BEC is working a little harder to step down the higher voltage. I set up a crawler test course and did my best to punish the Tekin system. Even though the test crawler tipped the scales at over 4 lbs with the heavy Mayhem Engineering wheels, the Tekin system moved the crawler around effortlessly with super smooth predictable power. The system allowed both slow controlled climbs and delivered serious wheel spin with a throttle blip to kick over obstacles.
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FX-R ESC Specs
- Brushed ESC Forward / Brake / Reverse
- All Feature Easily Programming
- On-Board Temperature Indicator
- PC Interface for Custom Programming*
- HDAC: High Density Copper Fet Boards
- Solder Posts for Easy Wire Replacement
- Self Test Diagnostics and Factory Reset
- Pit Tune Mode
- Digital Glitch Filtering
- QuickTune™ One-Touch Programming
- One-Touch Radio Calibration
- Drag Brake (11 steps)
- Current Limiter (none, 10 steps)
- Push Control- Anti Drag (11 steps)
- Brake Profiles (6 choices)
- Voltage Cutoffs (none, 2S, 3S, Custom)
- ON Resistance: 0.0012 Ohm
- Input Voltage: 4-9 Cells / 2S Lipo (3S with 35T or higher motor)
- BEC: 6.0V / 3.0A
- Motor Limit: 14 Turn
- Rev Type: 3 Choices
- Rev Strength: 11 Steps
- Dimensions: 1.1 x 0.80 x 0.40 " (28 x 20 x 10mm)
*Tekin HotWire interface required
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What I Liked
The size, features, power, and weight easily make the FX-R a class leading ESC by itself, however the crawler guys love the tiny postage stamp footprint, drag brake and raw power. Features like the on-board temp gauge make this ESC super user-friendly. The FX-R has everything you need in a crawler ESC and at $100 street price, it won't break your bank. Adding in the Tekin 55T motor to make the combo is a no brainer at a $130 street price.
What We Would Change
There really isn't much to not like about the Crawler Combo. 3S inputs does push the on board BEC, so an external BEC is advised for heavy current demands on 3S. Pushing the system hard on both 2S and even 3S and didn't produce any heat issues. Actually I had zero problems - it just worked.
Conclusion
Most of the brushless systems are still far too high strung for crawling, so top crawlers use old school brushed power for one reason, silky smooth power delivery and the Tekin Crawler Combo delivers just that. Like other manufacturers, Tekin stumbled into the crawler market, however they quickly recognized the potential and pulled together a great ESC/motor kit that is perfect for any crawler. With all the built in tuning options the FX-R is quite a bit better than other ESC's in this price range and if you take into account the size, there is no other ESC that comes close. Tekin's 55T motor is as smooth and powerful as other crawler motors I have tested and is factory rated to even handle 3S current. Overall a great bolt on system that just plain works... I wouldn't expect less from a company like Tekin that listens to it's customers.
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Highs - The FX-R is tiny, feature rich, and delivers plenty of power with the 55T motor.
Lows - On 3S the BEC is straining a bit.
Final Call - A great deal on for bolt on power that adds extra features competitors don't offer.
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Sources - Tekin - www.TeamTekin.com, Axial - www.AxialRacing.com, Mayhem Engineering -
www.MayhemEngineering.com, Spektrum - www.SpektrumRC.com, MaxAmps - www.MaxAmps.com, JR Servo - RCP Crawlers - www.RCPCrawlers.com
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