# Parma Economy Controllers



## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

I saw on another BB that Parma will once again be selling Economy controllers. If I recall correctly it has been at least a couple of years since they have had them in stock. The Economy controller has been a mainstay of the hobby for many years and has been the most popular option for people looking to upgrade from set type controllers. Besides the complete controllers the supply of parts like triggers and grips dried up, making life difficult for other aftermarket controller makers that use those parts.


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## HOcar (May 12, 2017)

Wizzard has some Aurora Control Plus controllers in stock. I ordered one from them since the stock AFX 120 ohm controllers that came with my track didn't work well with my Wizzard Storm car. The Control Plus makes it much easier to control the Storm on my track. I forgot how much I paid for it, but I know it wasn't much.


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## Big Ralph (May 18, 2017)

*Econo Controllers*

Rich, can you give me a link to that discussion on the other BB? I'd like to read it too.
Also, have you had an opportunity to look at the DS entry level controllers?
I'm looking to buy too and I hear really good things about these DS controllers.
They use a circuit board swipe rather than a Parma style wound resistor.
I don't know if they can handle the power requirements of the HO neo cars though.
Terry Flynn did a nice review of them on his Harden Creek site.


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

Here is the link: Parma Controller Update... - Slot Car Illustrated Forum
It looks like the DS Basic controllers use small resistors, if those were wire wound types they might be OK, but ordinary carbon resistors can't take very much power. I have no experience with those controllers. I have raced with people that used the controllers from One Stop Slot Shop that were a similar design. Those had fuses and the fuses could blow during a race and leave you dead in the water. It would not be too likely that you would burn up the resistors by running a car, but a problem like a short circuit or a misconnected controller would fry them in an instant. Having a fuse would at least save the resistors. It is also possible to burn up the resistor in a Parma controller, it just takes a bigger malfunction to do that.
More expensive electronic controllers usually have a wiper pad and small resistors, but those are used to control a power transistor and don't ever see any significant amount of current. 

Rich Dumas


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## Big Ralph (May 18, 2017)

Rich Dumas said:


> Here is the link:
> It looks like the DS Basic controllers use small resistors, if those were wire wound types they might be OK, but ordinary carbon resistors can't take very much power. I have no experience with those controllers. I have raced with people that used the controllers from One Stop Slot Shop that were a similar design. Those had fuses and the fuses could blow during a race and leave you dead in the water. It would not be too likely that you would burn up the resistors by running a car, but a problem like a short circuit or a misconnected controller would fry them in an instant. Having a fuse would at least save the resistors. It is also possible to burn up the resistor in a Parma controller, it just takes a bigger malfunction to do that.
> More expensive electronic controllers usually have a wiper pad and small resistors, but those are used to control a power transistor and don't ever see any significant amount of current.
> 
> Rich Dumas


Thanks for getting back to me.
I haven't heard of anyone having heat or malf issues with them (not that that means much) and Terry did some quick testing with neo cars. I don't know if he has run high amp draw cars with them for any length of time but they've been around for a few years now and I'd think we'd have heard by now if there were any circuit or component issues with them. The low cost makes them hard to ignore and they appear to be a real competitor for the Parma Econo. They also have resistance rated models that put them right in the sweet spot for HO applications.
I know that DS had to redesign one of their adjustable models due to power problems but that appears to be an isolated case.
Anyway, I really appreciate the link and let me know if you get a chance to mess around with one of those DS controllers and give us your impression. Terry says he's really impressed but then he's also selling them so I take that with a grain of salt.


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## SCJ (Jul 15, 1999)

Rich Dumas said:


> I saw on another BB that Parma will once again be selling Economy controllers. If I recall correctly it has been at least a couple of years since they have had them in stock. The Economy controller has been a mainstay of the hobby for many years and has been the most popular option for people looking to upgrade from set type controllers. Besides the complete controllers the supply of parts like triggers and grips dried up, making life difficult for other aftermarket controller makers that use those parts.


below or near below 

Why not just buy a used Turbo controller.....better quality and you can find them near or below Eco prices ($20). Swap out the resister for your favorite ohm rating and race on!


SCJ


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

Often people that have just gotten into the hobby post questions about what controllers they might buy to replace their low quality set controllers. While they were still available as new items I usually recommended the Economy controllers because they were cheap, readily available and got the job done if you picked the right resistor. Once the Economy model became a scarce item I did recommend either searching ebay for used ones or buying a more expensive Parma controller. If someone asked about the best possible controller with cost being no object I certainly would make a different recommendation. If someone had just gotten their driver's license and was asking what car they should buy I would not recommend a Ferrari or Lamborghini.
A resistor transplant seems like a simple thing to an experienced person, a person that has never done any soldering might be put off and would have to buy a soldering iron and learn to use it in any case.


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