43 replies to this topic

[Gary Adams]

Good day to all. I am considering buying a new Third Eye Renegade 2 controller, and would like to hear thoughts and opinions from those of you who are currently using Third Eye controllers. Are they reliable? Are they easy to maintain? How good are the sensitivity and brake settings compared to other controllers you own or have used? Any other comments would be welcomed and appreciated.

Also, if you switched away from a Third Eye, I'd like to hear your reasons for changing controllers to a different brand.

Thanks very much for your help!

Gary

[Guardrail]

Good day to all. I am considering buying a new Third Eye Renegade 2 controller, and would like to hear thoughts and opinions from those of you who are currently using Third Eye Controllers. Are they reliable? Are they easy to maintain? How good are the sensitivity and brake settings compared to other controllers you own or have used? Any other comments would be welcomed and appreciated.

Also, if you switched away from a Third Eye, I'd like to hear your reasons for changing controllers to a different brand.

Thanks very much for your help!


Gary

I switched from a difalco to the Third Eye, Renagade , and I love mine. I use mine for retro racing, and this controler gives the Falcon motors lots of brakes. I have had mine for over a year now, and the only thing I have done to mine is to square up the wiper arm and clean up the wiper button with a little 600 grit sand paper. I like it so much I bought another one for a back up.
Keith

[Roho21]

Same here. I love my Difalco, and still use it for some cars. When I bought my Renegade and used it with my flexi cars, I picked up alot! Not only was I faster per lap, I was more consistent. I don't know if it was all the controller, or just that it "fit" my driving style better, but I love mine!

[Gus Kelley]

Hey All! I wouldn't trade my third-eye for any other at this point. Besides the full adjustability of control, this is the lightest controller available with un-sur-passed smoothness. Gus

[68Caddy]

I have to say the Third Eye is making me a better racer?
Oscar no bad comments here please.
Seriously why do people pay for that product if it did not help them, don't have enough money to through around but this one is helping
me out.
Sure some of the guys at BP like Pro Motor controllers and they are just pros, I guess you could give them two wires to short out and
they would kick a**.
NOT me I need all the help I can get.


Nesta

[Wizard Of Iz]

You see a lot of them at the driver's stand at big races. Must be a reason. Or maybe it's follow the leader.

BUT .... I know of more than one racer who has told me that the 3rd Eye Controllers are not consistent. In other words, some are a smidge better (or worse) than another.

Also consider that Jim Difalco and Dan Ruddock are so at the top of their game when it comes to customer service that Howard pales by comparison.

I'll stick with my Difalco. I know it's easier to work on in the incredibly rare instance that there is an issue.

[Bob D]

I have had my third eye for 3 years now and it is the smoothest controler I have ever used in my 27 years. It gives you so much brake and the feel with the 200 bands is just uncomparable. The best part of it all is Howard Smith is just a good guy!!! He goes out of his way to make sure your controler works fine. I had a problem and he took care of it right away. You just can't say more about the service.

bobby davis

I have to say the Third Eye is making me a better racer?
Oscar no bad comments here please.
Seriously why do people pay for that product if it did not help them, don't have enough money to through around but this one is helping
me out.
Sure some of the guys at BP like Pro Motor controllers and they are just pros, I guess you could give them two wires to short out and
they would kick a**.
NOT me I need all the help I can get.


Nesta

[John Gorski]

Buy it if your a serious racer..great controller. Get a new one it will have all
the latest updates.

[Pablo]

I won a refurbished Third Eye several years ago. My results went up remarkably.
Not one single problem with it. Ultra smooth compared to my previous controller.
The only thing I have done is cleaned the wiper with a qtip. I love it.

[Gary Adams]

Thanks to all of you who took the time to share your opinions, I sincerely appreciate it! Looking forward to getting my new Third Eye Controller!


Gary

[Guy Spaulding]

All the regulars at my track use a Difalco, except one. He uses a third eye.

Curous thought. He wins EVERY race, unless he breaks

[Dan Ruddock]

I copied this post of mine from another thread I started and if you would like to read can read the whole thread you can go here # of bands These are questions anyone shopping for a new controller should ask himself. Dan




One of the reasons I started this thread was to get people to think about this issue.

There is so much more to a controller than how many bands or what wiz bang features it has. If the focus by manufactures and consumers is only on number of bands and what new widget it has progress in other important areas will be neglected. I have seen this in other areas of endeavors where the numbers race madness blind people from what is a real improvement.

When shopping for a controller, consider all the major brands, Ask questions, Call the manufactures and listen to the reasons for the things they do. Don't just buy what some hot shoe recommends.

Here are some questions that need to be asked so you can clear threw the BS.

1. Is the controller overly complex and does it's complexity have a real advantage or just a
marketing one?

2. What effects does the complexity have on reliability?

3. Is the possible improvement that the complexity adds so slight that it is not worth doing? It is
important to understand that controllers operate under a very harsh environment electrically and must be very rugged electrically to survive.

4. Does the controller have any multi pin (more than three) I.C. chips?
Most of these devices have a low voltage ratings which can have problems with the harsh environment in the track, car and controller circuit. I have had first hand experience with this when I used a 30 volt rated schottky barrier diode and I started having a few not many failures of this part. I went to a 100 volt rated rectifier diode and the problem went away. So what's happening? the motors inductance in the circuit is generating high voltage spikes and oscillations. I question the wisdom of using these devices (chips) when a very good controller can be built with out them.

5. Is the mechanical trigger mount to wiper contact design flimsy, inaccurate and difficult to repeat?

6. Does the controller have one or two power transistors to ensure enough amperage head room and to reduce voltage drop at full transistor power?

7. Does the controller have individual bands and resistors to allow it to be re-curved?

8. Does the controller have a fuse on it's transistor output saving an unnecessary repair?

9. Does the controller have the ability to load regulate (the sensitivity feels about the same when you change to a different wattage motor). Controllers with out this can sometimes be a pain to get it to feel right and require more adjusting to get things right.

10. Does the controller have no dead band? This can really create problems. With no dead band if the trigger stop contacts are fouled with dirt not only will you lose brakes it will also not turn off the transistors making for an even harder wall blast.

Back to the band # controversy. Yes I could of put more bands on my new 18 band board but I was concerned that if the bands became too narrow that the glue that bonds the copper to the board might fail over the long term. Also the gaps between the bands need to be big enough to reduce problems with conductive dirt bridging the gaps.

It's important to understand that as you increase the number of bands the voltage increase from band to band gets very small reducing the chance of upsetting the car and also your finger only has so much precision to it.

This is where a smooth trigger is very important which makes it easier to control your finger. I have had racers ask me if ball bearings really help and my answer is a definite yes. After building thousands of controllers with and without BB the controllers with the BB just feel better. The trigger returns easier, has less play in it and it is just easier for your finger to control the trigger.

Did my best to not name any brands but these are questions that anybody should be asking when considering a controller purchase. Dan

[Bill from NH]

Curous thought. He wins EVERY race, unless he breaks

Guy, my guess is that when it comes to driving, this individual is head & shoulders above the rest of the group no matter what he has in his hands. We have had a guy like this ever since the local track opened in 1996. He posts on here using the name Dominator. I used to be able to stay with him for 2 or 3 laps, but the only times I ever beat him, it was because he broke & I didn't.

[Dominator]

Bill, of course it also helps that I can be looking at my car at one end of the track while looking for trouble on the other end! I use a DR-40 and love it. I have also tried a 3rd and Carsteen. Both are great controllers, but I do prefer the Carsteen over the 3rd eye not because of features so much as it just felt better to me. Would I trade my DR-40 in for a Carsteen, probably not as because I am so used to it. If it blew up tomorrow I would probably invest in another Ruddock or Carsteen.

[Jonathan Forsyth]

Gary,
Third Eye Controllers are the best on the market, hands down. I have had mine for close to 6 years, and has been problem free. Howard is easy to contact, and has great service, if anything is to go wrong. The brakes are probably the best of any controller, and the sensitivity range is very broad. You won't be dissapointed in your purchase.

Welcome to the 3rd Eye Family.

Jonathan

[Gary Adams]

Thanks for the votes of confidence on this controller, guys. Especially glad to hear from racers like Jonathan that have had their controllers for a good long time with no problems. Mine is ordered, and should be in my hot little hands in advance of the R4 race in Columbus.

And Dan, thanks for taking the time to write your opinions on controllers as well. The DR40 will likely be finding a spot in my race box in the very near future, as I am impressed by it as well.

Thanks again everybody!

[Ed Miller]

Dan Ruddock is a great guy and the best controller builder hands down.

We only use his product because when you found the best why change.

Ruddock is the only name we know around here.

This is my 2 cents.

Contact Dan with your needs and he will tell you which controller will fit your needs.
Dan is the sales person the designer and the builder ,he has been doing this for along time.

[Joe Chavez]

I have had every controller. The only controller i still own is my third eye gold crown. Also when it comes to service , Third eye is the fastest turn around. My third eye has never had an issue but a friend of mine hooked his third eye up wrong and did some damage. well he had his controller back the same week he sent it out. I have had a dr 40 that had issues and it took two weeks to get it back. Then when it came back it still had a small issue and i sent it back to get fixed. It didn't cost me to resend it except shipping, but the thing that got me was that it wasn't fixed right away it was put at the back of the line i guess and it took another two weeks to get it back. So needless to say it was put on ebay after it was fixed and that was the end of that headache. I have also sent stuff to difalco . Now he has a policy were you can pay extra for a faster turn around. That didn't work for me because he was to busy. That fix also took about three weeks to get back. I have had my third eye for about 5 years and its never given me a problem. I am looking forward to the new third eye that is coming out. I also have to say that my carsteen was a nice controller. It had an issue and i sent it over seas to get fixed and i got that back in about 8-9 days. That was great service for having to ship over seas. Those guys are great. It also didn't cost me anything but shipping to get it fixed. All the guys no matter who they are beat you up on repairs. The electronics they use to fix them cost about a third of what they Charge you for them when you send your stuff out to be fixed. But thats business. Thats why i fix everything i can myself and only use them if i cant figure it out.

[Les Boyd]

I hate to be the one, but the Thid Eye is very prone to problems due to dust or debris. Do not put it in your box without placing it in a plastic bag. You will soon start having troubles if you don't.

[Sleepy]

THIRD EYE RULES!!! imho

[68Caddy]

I agree, love mine.

Nesta

[Warren D]

I have three of the FETrollers for my sons and me. My 12-year-old holds the LMP Expert and GT12 qualifying records at Chick's using his Third Eye.

Great controllers!

[32Deuce]

My 12-year-old holds the LMP Expert and GT12 qualifying records at Chick's using his Third Eye.

Most 12 year olds I know with a couple years driving experience or more can beat most people using a standard resistor controller!

I'm still using an Omni. Maybe that's why I'm slipping in the standings? This will be a tough decision. Thanks for the comments!

Z

[JerseyJohn]

LOL!! At the recent Fall Brawl we had 12 and 13 year olds killing us old guys. There reflexes are sooooooooooooooo sharp.

[redbackspyder]

I think that Dan Ruddock is a great guy, customer service oriented, and I believe that his controller has made a better racer out of Phil Nyland and myself, by going to his 18 band upgrade. Dan is so knowledgeable and even Bryan Warmack has been loving trying my Ruddock. The trigger feel is so smooth, and John Cukras and Oscar just upgraded to them, says a lot about the company that his controllers keep. You can not go wrong with a Ruddock. Dan even adjusted my Difalco, and his new brake pot with the six position switch made it a better controller.