Traxxas 1508 - Manual (Page 3)

NEUTRAL POSITION - The NEUTRAL POSITION is the standing
position that the SERVO seeks when the TRANSMITTER
controls are at neutral.
TRIM - TRIM is the fine-tuning adjustment of the NEUTRAL
POSITION of the SERVOS. This adjustment is made by moving the
throttle and steering trim sliders on the face of the TRANSMITTER.
PREPARING TO RUN
• INSTALLING TRANSMITTER BATTERIES
Your transmitter uses 8 “AA” size batteries. They should be alkaline
dry cells or nicad rechargeable batteries. The battery compartment
is located in the back of the transmitter. To remove the battery
door, push down and slide in the direction of the arrow. Be sure
that the switch is turned off before installing the batteries. Insert
the batteries into the battery compartment, making careful note of
the polarity. Now, slide the battery door back in place.
• OPENING THE TOP COVER
The top cover is held secure with 4 plastic nuts. A plastic T-
handle wrench has been supplied to help remove the plastic
nuts. Removing the top cover provides access to the battery
compartment and radio system.
• INSTALLING THE RECEIVER BATTERIES
Locate the 4-cell battery holder on
the radio tray inside the boat. Insert 4
“AA” Alkaline batteries into the battery
holder, making careful note of the
polarity. Secure the battery holder into
its compartment with the rubber band
• INSTALLING THE NiCd BATTERY
PACKS IN THE VILLAIN IV
Place one or two, fully-charged, 6
or 7-cell NiCd battery packs into the
front of the boat, and secure them
tightly with the Velcro™ straps. The battery connectors in the
Villain are wired in parallel so that adding the second battery
pack will increase your run time, not double the voltage. Do not
attempt to modify the wiring to increase the input voltage or
severe damage to your speed control will result. Do not connect
the battery packs yet.
• ANTENNA SETUP
Locate the metal wire-whip antenna. Screw the base of the
whip antenna into the mount in the top cover. Under no circum-
stances should you ever cut your antenna wire. Its length is spe-
cially tuned to the frequency band, and cutting it could severely
shorten the radio’s range.
On top of the transmitter, insert the chrome telescopic antenna
into the hole in the top of the transmitter and screw it down until
it stops. Do not overtighten.
TRANSMITTER CONTROLS
• THROTTLE NEUTRAL ADJUST:
The throttle neutral adjust, is located on
the right of the throttle stick (channel 2).
It controls the amount of desired forward
and reverse travel of the throttle stick. It
should stay in the down position as
shown in the drawing (arrow). If you
change this adjustment, your transmitter
throttle trim will have to be reset and the
electronic speed control may have to be
readjusted. See “Adjusting the Electronic
Speed Control.”
• THROTTLE TRIM/ STEERING TRIM:
Adjust the throttle trim control so that the motor in the Villain does
not run after the battery pack is plugged in. Adjust the steering trim
so that the Villain will drive straight without veering to the left or right.
RADIO SYSTEM ADJUSTMENT
Your radio system was pre-adjusted before it left the factory how-
ever, the adjustment should be checked prior to running the Villain
IV. These instructions are for Traxxas radio systems only. If you
installed your own radio, refer to your radio system’s instructions.
1) Before you ever turn your radio system on, you must “clear”
your frequency. Clearing your frequency means checking to be
sure that no one else in the area is operating on the same
channel as you. There are six different channels numbered 1
through 6. Each of the six channels is represented by a color.
Look at the crystal on the face of the transmitter to determine
which of the channels your Villain IV is operating on.
2) Always turn the transmitter on first, before you turn on the
receiver in the boat. If you do not, the boat could run out of
control. Slide the transmitter switch to the “on” position. The red
light should be on and not flashing. A flashing red light indicates
weak transmitter batteries. Weak batteries will cause the range
of your model to be limited, and you could lose control.
CAUTION: When nicad batteries begin to lose their charge,
they will fade much faster than alkaline dry cells. Stop imme-
diately at the first sign of weak nicad batteries.
3) Push the switch inside the boat to the “on” position. The steering
servo should jump and move to its idle (neutral) position. Keep
fingers and obstacles away from the propeller.
4) Operate the steering control on the transmitter (channel 1).
Check for rapid operation of the steering servo and that none
of the steering mechanism is loose or binding. If the servo
operates slowly, check for
weak batteries. Adjust the
“steering trim” control on the
transmitter to adjust the servo
so that the outdrives are point-
ing straight out from the back
of the boat. Also, check to be
sure that the outdrives do not
turn more in one direction
than in the other. If you cannot
align the outdrive, refer to the
section “Centering Your
Servos.”
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THROTTLE TRIM CONTROL CRYSTAL
STEERING TRIM CONTROL