My favorite hop-up for my Kyosho MR-02 definitely has to be the KO Propo AD Board conversion set. The AD board has a better signal, smoother throttle response and much quicker steering than the regular Mini-Z PCB. This allows for much better control around the track, which in turn leads to quicker lap times.

Just installing the AD Board conversion set makes a huge difference on your car. But what lies beneath the top cover, where the potentiometer usually is on a Mini-Z, is the real advantage.

The small 3 prong plug on top of the AD Board allows you to connect to the Mini-Z HG AD Board manager. This simple software/hardware package allows for the adjustment of many different parameters on the AD board.

The only problem with the AD setting kit is the fact that the instruction manual and the software interface are in Japanese. Even the English translation manual is not very clear as to what each setting does.

We at AtomicMods.com thought that this needed to change. So after countless hours of research and experimenting, we were finally able to crack the code on the “Engrish” translation that KO Propo provides.

Below is a better explanation of what each setting does to your Mini-Z AD Board. We hope that the following information is useful and stated more clearly than what is found in other resources.

Gain will adjust the force applied to the servo when a signal is received from the radio. Low is a value of 1, high is a value of 3. This is the reaction time of the servo adjustment setting.

This is the setting used to adjust the transit time of the servo. A higher value will make the servo operate quicker from lock to lock and allows for the steering in your car to behave more responsively. Again 3 is the highest setting value.

Punch is the adjustment for the initial movement time of the servo. Think of this setting as the sensitivity adjustment. The value can be switched in between 10 (high) and 1 (low). A low value makes the servo in the car act more like a regular Mini-Z servo (analog vs. digital). A low setting value might be good when the movement of the steering wheel makes the car react too sensitive.

This is the neutral position sensitivity adjustment. Dead band can be adjusted between a value of 1 (Low) to 5 (High). If the value is small, the dead band becomes small. This causes a small initial input of steering on the transmitter to create a bigger effect on the servo.

The stopping characteristic of the servo at center can be adjusted with the damp setting. What this setting does is as the servo moves towards the center position. The Ad Board will apply brake to the servo motor in two different ways. A setting of 1 applies the brake to the motor as it approaches the center, while a setting of 2 applies brake when it reaches exactly the center.

The drive frequency is the pulse rate of power sent to the motor. Increasing the drive frequency effectively increases the resolution of your throttle allowing for the transfer of power to be smoother.

A high setting is ideal for modified racing where motors have a lot of power and traction is at a premium. A low setting is better suited for stock racing where power delivery needs to be more instantaneous.

In general, run-time increases with a high drive frequency value and decreases with a low value. High drive frequency makes the throttle smooth and a low value makes the throttle punchy.

Limit is the equivalent to Dual Rate on your radio. It decreases the amount of travel the servo motor has.

This is the board identification setting. It allows you to select the PC port to which you are connecting the Mini-Z setting adaptor. If the specified port number is not correct when turned off, it may not be possible to communicate with the connected Mini-Z AD board.

Written by Cristian Tabush
Edited by John Shanklin