This review and advice article covers the use of the surpass hobby/racerstar/goolrc brushless ESC programming card which can be used on most in not all power systems from these suppliers. It is a simple <$10 device that allows you to easily change the parameters of the ESC - how fast power comes on, how power braking is and much more. One of the easiest ways to upgrade your brushed RC car is to change the brushed motor and ESC with a brushless ESC. If you are lucky like me the drive train (gears, differentials, driveshafts) are designed to take brushless power but even if you don't there is a way to tame you power and still get the benefits of fast acceleration, higher top speed and better battery life. I've used budget Surpass Hobby (also branded as Racerstar) systems on both a large 4x4 SCT brushless upgrade here and the very popular WLtoys 144001 brushless upgrade here and can confirm the programming card works for both There are several cards that can be used to program these ESCs but the one I recommend is the Racerstar LED Program Card that works with all of the ESCs and motors branded as surpass hobby, goolrc, racerstar and probably more.
Closeup of the Racerstar program card adjustable parameters There are 5 sets of parameters that can be adjusted using the programming card and Ill run through those now:
![]() Low voltage cutoff, maximum reverse force and neutral range will likely never need to be adjusted again once set as there are clear 'best' settings here. Maximum brake force could be changed if you switch the same car between high and low grip surfaces e.g. gravel vs tarmac or carpet where the high grip surfaces allow you to have more braking power available without losing traction. But the most important setting available I believe is starting power (also called punch). If you have a car with and older or weaker drivetrain designed for brushed motors then you will definitely want to set this to "soft". This will limit the maximum current the ESC allows between battery and motor - this is always during heavy acceleration and this is where the impact will be noticed. For this reason it is also good for protecting your ESC if you are having overheating issues. You will probably find acceleration is still much stronger than the brushed setup it replaced plus you get the benefit of top end speed and efficiency. Conversely if you have a tough, reliable drivetrain with an over-specced ESC then the 'strong' setting will be your best chance of wheelies and skids - impressing kids in the neighbourhood 🤘💪 This Racerstar programming card for Surpass Hobby and Racerstar ESCs is a low-cost upgrade I definitely recommend - everyone runs their car in different conditions with different style and so this is a great way to customise performance to suit you personally. Thanks for reading, if you found this article useful please feel free to like or share, the facebook links below directly link/like this article. Links are affiliated and help me buy the bits I need to produce this type of content. If you are looking for quads or parts check out my coupons and discounts page which I keep updated with only the parts and quads I like at a proper discount
16 Comments
Zacharias
25/2/2021 04:03:15 am
Hi,
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QuadifyRC
25/2/2021 10:04:24 am
My pleasure!
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Zacharias
25/2/2021 10:57:59 am
Thanks a lot for the reply. Will look into that as it looks quite compact.
QuadifyRC
25/2/2021 11:47:10 am
Honestly I only recommend the ESCs I have personally tried of which I have two of the 16BL30 models. Both have been run successfully on 3s with 2838 4500kv and 2445 5400kv (at 109km/h)
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Htaa12
8/6/2021 02:28:12 am
Hello, is there a difference between the grey card and the red one? nope, right?
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QuadifyRC
8/6/2021 12:58:36 pm
The grey one linked about is the one you want, not the red crawler one.
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pjs
14/8/2021 02:13:13 am
Hi,
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QuadifyRC
17/8/2021 04:29:50 pm
Sorry have never used anything like this setup before.
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Ken Degraaf
11/9/2021 04:21:48 am
I have this card. Trying to program my esc. Plugged in properly. All first row lights come on and work state light keeps blinking an beeping. Cant change anything.
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QuadifyRC
13/9/2021 05:12:01 pm
Sorry to hear, I can only guess that the ESC you are using it with is incompatible.
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jhon
27/9/2021 12:23:22 pm
good writing mate, can you help me? I have brushless esc goolrc.. This thing doesn't have set button to set n program.. Just on off button , I'm new to this hobby.. Can you help me quadifyrc..
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QuadifyRC
28/9/2021 05:01:08 pm
Thanks! Here is the article you need: https://www.quadifyrc.com/rccarreviews/better-brushless-esc-control-budget-program-card-for-racerstar-surpass-goolrc
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30/1/2022 01:39:46 am
I have an FY-03 that I bought already converted to brushless. It has a TrackStar 60 amp ESC and a 3600 kv motor in a blue can. With the buggy, I also got a TrackStar programming card, but it's an actual card with touch buttons under the plastic cover, different looking than the one you show, but the same functions. There is a Click Here button on the lower right corner and it feels as if it is making and breaking the switch. When I plug the throttle lead into the card, the LED at the upper left = Cut Off Voltage - Auto Lipo lights and I can't get anything else to happen. I can press the Click Here button until the cows come home and nothing happens. My problem is that it wants to apply full brake when I let up completely on the transmitter throttle. I can't drive it unless I ease off the throttle slowly. I guess I can live with it if I have to, but it's certainly not right. My transmitter is a FlySky GT3C with a 3 channel receiver. Thanks.
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Dave
11/3/2022 07:09:06 am
Why are there so many stupid people into rRC that seem incapable of doing their own research??!
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Dale Tomlins
22/9/2022 08:49:19 pm
Hi there
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QuadifyRC
23/9/2022 11:35:55 am
Sorry I can only comment on the ones I've used specifically. Hobbywing is definitely different from Surpass. GoolRC is a rebrand that often but not always uses Surpass.
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