JASON
photo guy

Plug in. Feb 01, 2010 - 09:10 PM

Has anyone ever noticed just how many different battery plugs there are in our hobby? I understand the theory and business logic behind proprietary plugs, but I gotta tell ya, I don’t like it. I know there’s much more to it (cough*politicaljargonandtouchystuffs), but for the sake of simplicity, I’m just going to touch on the obvious.

Essentially, what manufacturers are doing is armlocking and pushing consumers’ faces into their own products: buy our car, use our battery! Ok, so maybe not that aggressively or near that extent, but you get the point. Again, from a business standpoint, this practice is understandable. It’s going to help the manufacturer generate revenue, and for the most part, the probability of consumer loyalty, purchasing a battery by the same manufacturer to get the “right” battery (which is more like forced suggestion), is pretty high. Ok, fair enough. But this is only the small picture. And I’ll explain why later.
There is a way of getting out of this armlock though, and that is to cut off your arm. Figuratively speaking, of course. In other words, snip the plug, solder on a new one, and purchase whatever battery you please. This is what this hobby was maybe 10 years ago. Everyone would cut off their Tamiya plugs, and solder on a brand spanking new high-flow, never-melt-down-to-a-blobulous-thingy plug. Unfortunately, the likeliness of the average consumer doing that now is not very high, which is probably why this proprietary plug business plan thingamabober works. It’s an order of convenience. However, this shuts third party battery manufacturers (and in a way, the car manufacturer themselves) out of the loop. Unless these companies conform and produce a battery pack with the right plug, the third party battery companies are destined to fail.

The worst part is, it doesn’t just stop at battery plugs. Not only are we looking for the right male end to simply charge a battery, but if you run LiPo packs, you also have to find the right plug just to balance the cells! Yeah, there’s got to be half a dozen different balancing leads that exist now, and it’s incredibly frustrating. And don’t think you can get away from this plug-matching game by going nitro, oh no, no, no. Because receiver packs and switch harnesses also have proprietary plugs. The skinny red ones don’t work with the fat black ones. You know, this one’s actually fairly easy to resolve, and I don’t understand why receiver pack plugs aren’t standardized. There’s only 2 different ones! If the industry were to eliminate just one of them by setting them all aflame, it would be done! Or even if the male end were redesigned so that it would accept both JR and Futaba style plugs. It would relieve so much unnecessary frustration.

So here’s what I propose: standardize all plugs, within their specific categories, of course. Standardize a LiPo balancing plug; standardize a receiver pack plug; I don’t care which one, just pick one. And most importantly, standardize battery plugs. Here’s why, and this, in my opinion, is the big picture. Manufacturers making proprietary plugs are only limiting themselves to their own customers, ultimately missing out on various sales opportunities. For example, with proprietary plugs, Traxxas will only be able to cater to Traxxas consumers running Traxxas cars with Traxxas plugs, and Losi will only be able to cater to Losi consumers running Losi cars with Losi plugs. What about all the other potential consumers that are out there? People that run Associated or HPI or Tamiya or whatever that don’t have Traxxas or Losi plugs? That’s an entire group of consumers that aren’t going to buy your product. Missed opportunity? Absolutely. Standardize a plug, then appeal and cross sell to the “competitor’s” customers as well as your own. Don’t think this can work? Look at radio manufacturers. Virtually every single receiver and servo plug has been standardized. Because of that, Futaba radio users can not only run Futaba servos, but also KO servos, Airtronics servos, JR servos, Spektrum servos, Hitec servos, etc, etc, etc. And the same goes with any of those radio manufacturers with each other’s servos. Why not do that with batteries? Run Losi batteries in Traxxas cars and vice versa and versa visa and so on and so forth and such.

From a consumer’s standpoint, we’re being limited to whatever the manufacturers (and whatever third party manufacturer) provide us. At least until, as I’ve mentioned earlier, we amputate the plug, which is the only way to make every brand battery work with your stuff. Proprietary plugs are also inconvenient. It’s likely that if you’re die hard into this hobby, and to a level anywhere like us, you’re going to have more than just one car. And if they’ve both got proprietary plugs, guess how much more specific stuff you’d have to buy. Another charger, another battery, blah, blah, blah, blah. Or if you’re out running with some friends, and if your charger fails and none of your buddies have the same plug, you’re dead in the water. A standardized plug would save a lot of headache. Right? (Actually, we just make adapters for our chargers and Racers Edge has a “Squid” plug adapter you should check out. But I digress.)

For the longest time, the Tamiya plug was the standard. But people began seeing the plug’s shortcomings, so they upgraded to their favorite hight-current plug. To date, I can think of eight different types of plugs. Eight! There may still be more, but I mean come on, do we really need eight different plugs for the same type of product?
Since every manufacturer has a high current connector now, I’d happily see any one of them be “the one.” Honestly, I don’t care which plug becomes the standard, I just want one. It would make RC life so much more pleasant. I’m just saying. But then again, what do I know? I’m just the photographer.

Disagree? Tell me. (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Happy new year! Jan 07, 2010 - 01:39 PM

We’ve all made our new year’s resolutions, and despite how absurd they may be, we have every intention of sticking to them. Along with the usual lose weight, get in shape, and quit whatever bad habit that may be ailing us, we’ve also made a new year’s resolution for the magazine; to have a cleaner, fresher look. To be more riveting and compelling. To be more editorial-like and edit. To keep the office cleaner than it is now. Maybe. To not let typos get the best of us. To continue getting you the top stories and product reviews in the most comprehensive, unbiased, and honest way possible. To produce more of our quirky and informative little films. To be all that we can be because knowing is half the battle. And to simply be more in general. Yes, we are going to do all this for you, and we’re going to do it with smiles on our faces. Hopefully. 2010 will be the best year yet. Happy new year, everyone!

RepreZent! Dec 17, 2009 - 02:47 PM

We finally got a hold of one; a Chinese car. And of course, Stephen hands it to the only Asian guy on staff to review. We’re going to have fun with this one. Rucky day!

So far, so good! Nov 13, 2009 - 11:52 AM

Despite losing an entire day yesterday to hectic scrambling at airports, delayed flights, and smelly passengers, I finally reached my destination here in Queens, New York. It’s certainly much windier here than I thought. And while Stephen, Charles, and John are convinced that I’m going to get mugged, everyone I’ve run into so far has been unbelievably friendly. I’m fact, within half an hour of me being here, I got my first opportunity to try New York style pizza, courtesy of a very generous man on the elevator at the hotel. He was carrying the pizza box up to his room, and after some small talk in the elevator, he offered me 2 slices of his gigantic pepperoni pizza and a can of Diet Coke! How random is that?
The architecture here is profoundly urban yet beautifully industrious. The subway runs like clockwork, kids are playing soccer in the street, the deli’s here aren’t just places to eat, but more like the little convenient stores back home, taxi’s are everywhere (Literally, everywhere. I haven’t not seen a yellow cab every time I turn a corner.), and really the overall sense of American industrialism is quite pronounced. It’s very different here, and you know what? I’m loving every second of it.
The film festival is just a few hours from now. And as I sit here typing, I can’t help but think just how awesome tonight’s going to be. Once again, if you’re in the New York area, stop by the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts for the world premier of Carpet Racers. The showing is at 8pm. I hope to see you here!

Ps. Woot for first to blog on Friday the 13th! :D      

The BIG apple. Nov 09, 2009 - 10:53 PM

In just a few short days, I will be heading off to New York for the very first time. I’m hilariously anxious, excited, and as giddy as a school girl. Ok, I know what you might be thinking; so what? But I assure you, this is a big deal. You see, whilst in New York, I will be attending the world premier of the long anticipated documentary film, “Carpet Racers - A Crash Course.” This is the first RC related full length film EVER, and to miss out on this opportunity to see it on the big screen, I feel, would be a tremendous disservice to not only myself, but to our hobby as well. If you’re in the New York area, or have the means to get there, I invite you to come join us for the world premier of “Carpet Racers.” The film will be playing at the Queens International Film Festival at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Bennett Hall. The showing is on Friday, Nov 13, 2009 at 8PM, sharp! Come hang out, say hi, show your support, and watch a movie with us! It’s guaranteed to be a good time!

Here’s the official film trailer.

The second item on my agenda: to find out just how good New York style pizza really is. Film and pizza updates to come.