FIX the WLToys 2428 or any other small crawler with the DumboRC BL3F(g)

The DumboRC BL3FG is the perfect all in one receiver/ESC to greatly improve your small scale crawler or other brushed vehicle

​Like:
+Included a built in full featured adjustable brushed ESC
+Compact size
+Very low priced
+Extra channels and light control galore

Don't like:
-Low throttle resolution could possible be better although this is likely a issue of the low wind motor on the test car
-Too many features I wont use. Is this a negative?

I ordered the DumboRC BL3F(G) 2.4GHz 6CH 3-in-1 Light Control RC Receiver from Banggood here. You can also buy it bundled with the excellentX6PM-350 remote which I reviewedhere.​

I've recently reviewed theWLToys 2428 mini RC crawler here and although it is a very good truck, its not perfect because it is light on power and could have better throttle resolution at low speeds. In my attempt to fix it I wanted to get a larger motor with more winds (less speed and more torque) but since I had the DumboRC BL3FG receiver-ESC combo lying around I thought I'd try that first. It's worked much better than I'd expected but read on to see how I installed, set it up and how it was so improved.

In this article:

• DumboRC BL3FG: All in one receiver-ESC with light controls
• DumboRC BL3FG: Installing on the WLToys 2428
• DumboRC BL3FG: Setup up the receiver to suit your car
• DumboRC BL3FG: What has improved?
• DumboRC BL3FG: This is a must have with small brushed vehicles

 

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DumboRC BL3FG: All in one receiver-ESC with light controls

The DumboRC BL3FG is a small 6 channel PWM receiver with a built in 10A brushed ESC and light control built in. You need a DumboRC remote to operate it; any of the X4, X5, X6 or X6PM-350 will run it perfectly but I recommend the X6PM-350 not least of which is because you can buy in a bundle with this receiver and it is VERY sharply priced. So far as I can see I believe it is designed for 3 key applications in order of usefulness:

1. Mini crawlers with multiple light modules. This will run everything needed on the car with the steering servo being the only other electronic item needed. It will even control headlights on a channel switch, brake lights when you reverse and turn signals when you turn left or right.
2. Small scale brushed models like the mini Z or 284131, 284010, K989, 284161. You won't probably use the light module as much here but these would be a good replacement option if you wished to stay brushed
3. Small scale RC plane. As well as inbuilt ESC for throttle on a small motor you have up to 5 other channels for control surfaces. 

You can buy this receiver-ESC with a gyro included (BL3FG) or excluded (BL3F). Even though I don't need they gyro on a crawler, the cost difference is so minimal I'd just get it in case I every happened to put it in something else.

 

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DumboRC BL3FG: Installing on the WLToys 2428

Installing the BL3FG on the WL Toys 2428 is simple since you don't necessarily need to change any plugs if you are focusing on the main functionality. Here is how I did it.

Before I start any project I always take a picture of the wiring first in case I get stuck. Just in case you didn't here is mine

Thought you might like to see a comparison in size between the stock unit left and the DumboRC BL3FG. Much better featured but smaller

Test run. You can see the motor plug on the top left, the steering servo plugged in to channel 1 and the battery plugs into the port that is obscured but the channel 1 connecter here. Power on, LEDs on. Lighting not connected at this stage, not plugs have needed changing

Next remove the old unit, it's just double sided taped on to a tray at the rear

The DumboRC unit fits neatly in the same place

Shown here with my X6 transmitter as that what I have nearby but I do prefer the newer X6PM-350 remote

 

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DumboRC BL3FG: Setup up the receiver to suit your car

The manual is actually well written here so I will just say that I did the following:

• Binding with remote (code matching in the menu below)
• Gyroscope I didn't bother because not required in a crawler
• ESC mode set to green (brake off)
• Light control I haven't set up yet, will look at this later as I need to change plugs
• Travel calibration I used default

 

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DumboRC BL3FG: What has improved?

When I first ran the WL Toys 2428 I found it was low on power which I thought to be due to the small motor as you can see here; I was wrong. Changing to the ESC unit showed me that the stock ESC was throttling the power by a lot and so not I have much more power - speed and torque as you can see from the video above. This meant that rather than just running on relaxed trails I can actually get over significant obstacles as you can see below. I am only limited by grip now.

You can also see in the video above that low speed control is not that fine. In honesty I don't believe this is the fault of the DumboRC BL3FG but rather the fact that the motor is too fast. My guess is that WL Toys used the motor from the 284010/284131/284161 which is much faster simply because it was available. On putting into the build they probably realised this and rather than taming with hardware (higher wind motor or shorter gearing) they went the lazy way and went with software - that being a throttle cut in the ESC program. This means that putting in an aftermarket ESC like this unlocks that extra power. Being a crawler I still think this would benefit from more low speed control and buying a high wind low speed high torque 180-sized motor should acheve the right final setup although this is now 80% there with the improved power output.

 

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DumboRC BL3FG: This is a must have for small brushed RC vehicles

The DumboRC BL3FG sells for around $15 and at this price and with these features in this size it is a must-have upgrade for any small brushed RC, particularly crawlers. It allows you more channels, full light control and options for gyro and many different program options as well as the ability to use a very nice well priced remote with excellent range. I'd happily recommend this for the WL Toys 2428 as upgraded in this article or indeed any other small scale brushed RC where a 10A ESC is suitable. For this reason I award it an easy 5 stars.

I ordered the DumboRC BL3F(G) 2.4GHz 6CH 3-in-1 Light Control RC Receiver from Banggood here. You can also buy it bundled with the excellent X6PM-350 remote which I reviewed here.​

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