Traxxas RC vehicles are one of the most popular controllable toy vehicles for both beginners and veterans. So, it’s only natural for people to be curious when they’re not functioning as perfectly as they should. For instance – have you ever found your Traxxas remote blinking red out of nowhere?
If your Traxxas remote is blinking red, your RC car is likely running low on power. If your battery is running out of juice, the remote will start to blink red as a warning indicator. And honestly, it’s the only reason a Traxxas controller will ever blink red unless it’s a complete mechanical technicality.
Basically, if you’re encountering blinking lights, you don’t naturally have to look any further than the battery itself. Today’s write-up will mainly cover the battery issues and fixes, so you can easily handle the problems the next time they bother your joyrides. Additionally, we’ll also cover some of the uncommon reasons, so you can prepare for them too.
When Does A Traxxas Remote Blink Red & Why?
Traxxas remotes hardly ever go through malfunctioning issues. The manual is quite straightforward and easy to follow. But even then, if you’re encountering sabotaging issues, especially blinking lights, here are the usual reasons –
Lack Of Power
Red is usually the color of warnings. Traxxas ESC systems follow the same principle. If a Traxxas remote is blinking red, you can almost stay assured that your RC battery is running low.
Reading the manual will give you a clearer picture of the situation. The whole point of the control mechanism is to indicate two things – connection stability and power status. When the LED light is green, you will immediately know that everything’s working as it should.
And consecutively, when the LED light is red or blinking red constantly, it means your car’s about to run out of power. Blinking lights are supposed to divert your attention to the fact that you should probably find a spot to park right away. Afterward, you can either recharge the battery or take appropriate actions accordingly.
Binding Problems
Remember how in the movie How To Train Your Dragon, the rider always had to bond with their dragon to ride on them? Similarly, the RC set-up needs to bind properly with its counterparts to work and crawl properly.
For instance – if your transmitter or receiver is working with variable frequencies, then you’re not going to get a stable enough signal. And without appropriate signals, i.e., proper binding, it won’t matter how good the voltage output is.
In cases like these, sometimes the LED light would flash red out of nowhere, even if it doesn’t blink consecutively. You would also have other noticeable fallacies, such as – the car would refuse to start altogether.
Faulty Wiring
If both the battery and the transmission set-up seem to have no problem at all, take a look at the wiring diagram. Sometimes, if you place the wires in a series connection instead of a parallel one, then they would draw more voltage.
In other words, you would run out of power sooner than expected. And once you start to run out of power, the LED light in the controller will start to blink red to notify you.
Connectivity Issues
If the transmitter antenna is misplaced or if it’s broken, then you could be facing severe connectivity issues. Radio signals work best when the antenna is directly facing the receiver within the car.
So, if the antenna is pointing in a different direction, you might even experience a complete lack of communication. The controller sometimes flashes red when it’s desperately trying to find a reliable destination.
Faulty Systematic Counterparts
If you’re not using the right battery, then the LED could blink red to alert you of systematic failure. Basically, with the blinking red light, everything eventually indicates the low power situation, one way or the other.
Again, if you’re using transmitters and receivers of different types or frequencies, you could face a similar issue. The light may not keep blinking, but it might flash instead.
What To Do When Your Traxxas Remote’s Blinking Red?
So far, we have figured out five probable reasons behind the flashing and blinking of a Traxxas remote. But yes, as annoying as they’re, they’re not unsolvable kryptonite.
Here are a few step-by-step instructions that you can follow to resolve the blinking problems in a Traxxas controller –
Step 1: Unplug & Replug The Battery
If the light is blinking red, you should unplug and replug the battery first to see if the connection feels stabilized. Make sure your battery has ample charge, and here’s another trick that you can follow to keep them safe.
Never charge your batteries fully. Or, let them keep getting charged once they have reached completion. The extra power weakens the battery from within.
Step 2: Replace The Transmitter/Receiver
Check the frequency levels of both the transmitter and the receiver. If it’s not possible to adjust the frequencies of both interfaces, consider replacing the existing parts.
Remember that transmitters and receivers are both interchangeable. So, you can use the same transmitter or receiver for different RC cars, as long as they follow protocol.
Step 3: Bind The Transmitter/Receiver
If it’s connectivity issues that you’re concerned about, try binding or rebinding the transmitter with the receiver. It’s not a very complicated process, but you should still rewire the connections carefully to avoid short circuits.
If you want a detailed guide on how to bind and reset transmitters, we found this particular guide super helpful.
Step 4: Reset The Traxxas Remote
If the given solutions don’t seem to work out, you can try resetting the entire remote to jumpstart the setup. By resetting the controller, you’ll get another big advantage, such as – clearer radio signals, low wave interferences, etc.
To reset the Traxxas remote, you can follow this official to-the-point guide from Traxxas. Or, if you feel like you could use model-specific instructions and information, we suggest looking at this amazing factory reset tutorial.
FAQs
Q: Is it a good sign if my Traxxas remote is blinking green?
Yes, with a Traxxas ESC connection, green refers to a positive response between the controller & the receiver. Unlike the blinking red light, the green light is a good sign. However, if the green light is blinking as well, it might be time to look into the ESC connections.
Q: What to do when the Traxxas remote is blinking alternately?
If the controller is blinking red and green at the same time, your car is trying to warn you about low voltage output. Either the ESC is burning energy way too fast, or the energy is not being redirected appropriately.
Either way, when the Traxxas remote is blinking alternately, you should take a look at the NiMH battery and its status. A common giveaway is that – the battery will feel comparatively warm, and the RC car will run much slower.
Final Verdict
So, why is your Traxxas remote blinking red? Is it solely because of the low battery level or something a bit severe?
Well, if you’re lucky, then it’ll almost always be the battery. According to both the manual and the manufacturers, the sole purpose of the red blinking light is to indicate a lack of power. Hence, if you find your Traxxas controller blinking, immediately make a mental note to recharge or replace your battery before your car completely runs out of power.
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