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I'm wondering if I would just be better off having a couple of 5000mH packs and a ez-peak charger, rather than running LiPo. This thing screams as it is. Never had an R/C truck with a "brake", but once I got the hang of that, I was able to turn without flipping it. And man, talk about tough! End over end flips, lands on the wheels and just gun the poo poo. Amazing product.
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Nov 17, 2010 09:01
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Jebediah posted:What kind of run times are you getting on lipo's? I'm just going to be on pavement/grass mostly, unless it gets muddy It really depends on how hard you run it. If I'm screwing around and doing a bunch of donuts, then maybe 15-20 minutes? If I'm actually driving it and not being stupid, It's probably a half hour per pack.
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Nov 17, 2010 18:14
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Keep in mind I'm still running a 12T brushed. With a brushless there's no good reason not to run LiPo.
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Nov 17, 2010 19:55
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Jebediah posted:I'm wondering if I would just be better off having a couple of 5000mH packs and a ez-peak charger, rather than running LiPo. This thing screams as it is. Never had an R/C truck with a "brake", but once I got the hang of that, I was able to turn without flipping it. And man, talk about tough! End over end flips, lands on the wheels and just gun the poo poo. Amazing product. I wouldn't recommend it. Run times, peak power, and charging times are all better with LiPos. The prices are similar, so why would you go with heavier and worse batteries? Both me and a buddy of mine bought 1/16 brushless Revos, I got LiPos and he got huge NiMH batteries. He has to run them in series to get the acceleration I get in parallel, and he still gets 15-20 minutes less runtime than I do. On top of that, he spent twice the money I did.
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Nov 18, 2010 19:14
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Once you go lipo you'll never look back, its a big initial investment if all you have is Nimh charging hardware, but the extra performance is oh so worth it.
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Nov 18, 2010 22:08
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LiIon is electrical crack. Low internal resistance, low voltage change due to charge level. Low weight. I love LiPo's.
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Nov 18, 2010 22:22
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Yeah, I'd say LiPo's are worth the expense if only for the ease of maintenance and charging.
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Nov 18, 2010 22:26
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If you're going to get a new charger, I'd suggest making sure to get one that does LiFE as well, that's the new lithium battery type that's slowly gaining ground in RC, apparently it's much safer than LiPo and Li-Ion. I'm finally gettin a large-scale truck  I just need to figure out where hell I'm going to store it, it's not exactly Mini chassis size.
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Nov 18, 2010 23:04
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Phat_Albert posted:Once you go lipo you'll never look back, its a big initial investment if all you have is Nimh charging hardware, but the extra performance is oh so worth it.
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Nov 19, 2010 04:41
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You Am I posted:Most Lipo only chargers are pretty cheap, especially since they don't need the discharge or balancing functions that Nicad and NiMH needed. LiPo most definitely needs balancing unless you only use them for short runs. The Turnigy charger I got was 25 bucks or so, and has programs for all types of batteries used in R/C. It's the same price as a NiMH-only charger, does balancing of LiPo and LiFe cells, discharge/charge cycles and all that jazz. I think it even has a NiCad mode.
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Nov 19, 2010 17:28
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I've got a little Turnigy accucell-6 and it can charge just about anything. Nice charger for the price ($23). http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=7028&aff=102873 In other news we had our first night of indoor flying todayy. Test flew my funny little glider and it has some trim/CG issues that I will need to work out. I tested out a Foamdisc Mayhem and a scratch built Fan fold foam plane both flew really well. Here is a video of the Mayhem. Nothing to fancy aerobatics wise as I need to get used to using the rudder in the gym. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD7kpNKmmJ0
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Nov 20, 2010 06:05
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wallaka posted:LiPo most definitely needs balancing unless you only use them for short runs. Balancing Lipos isn't essential, but good thing to do
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Nov 20, 2010 06:23
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TremorX posted:I just finished my first custom paint job... Simple but awesome Starts to remind me of the Marlboro sponsored cars which I always thought looked great (but never made me smoke).This is a bit weird, but do they ever make those sorts of covers for truggies? I know the truggy wheels will be a lot larger, which might gently caress up the proportions, but I'd love a different lid every once in a while.
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Nov 20, 2010 09:19
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tuna posted:Simple but awesome Thanks! I always liked the older simple racing paint schemes of the 50s & 60s more than the flashy graphics of more modern stuff. I'm actually in the process of getting together a Vintage Trans-Am car, since my LHS runs Vintage heats, so I'll probably do something similar with it.
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Nov 20, 2010 16:13
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tuna posted:This is a bit weird, but do they ever make those sorts of covers for truggies? I know the truggy wheels will be a lot larger, which might gently caress up the proportions, but I'd love a different lid every once in a while. I think the only one for 1/8 buggies/truggies is the Robitronic one:  Which is pretty nasty, but I think it's the only one out there. Kyosho and other companies (Ofna? Hong Nor? Not sure) have rally car bodies (Subaru, etc.) that will fit, but the chassis may be longer and the width narrower to make a more scale-looking car.
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Nov 22, 2010 20:48
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Thanks to this thread I went in my closet and dusted off my old RC10T. Futaba Magnum Jr. Novak Racer EX Trinity Speed Gems 2 Topaz (11 Triple) Duratrax DTXC2050 1500 6 cell pack Surprisingly the pack held a charge (barely) and I was able to blast up and down the street for a couple minutes. With each discharge/charge it seems to get a little better, but I know the battery is junk. I intend to let my friends son fool around with it (He's 9) and I'm wondering if it's worth it to upgrade to the newer batteries or just buy a couple cheap packs. I would like to pickup an ESC with reverse anyway... Can someone recommend an upgrade path to get this thing a little closer to the current technologies?  Click here for the full 1216x2048 image. Legdiian fucked around with this message at 02:37 on Nov 23, 2010 |
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Nov 23, 2010 02:23
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AFAIK your biggest problem with a 10T is going to be the transmission, unless you already have a Stealth gearbox. Aside from that, there's absolutely no reason you couldn't swap out all of the gear for modern electronics. You could start with new batteries (go Lipo, seriously, the chargers are dirt cheap and are still better than anything you ever had back in the day with the 10T) and go from there.
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Nov 23, 2010 02:49
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That's not a 10T, that's a 10T3. T's were aluminum chassis for the first two revs.
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Nov 23, 2010 08:14
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I just bought my first truck! I am totally new to this. After doing a fair deal of research on price, brands and reading lots about RC and heaps of reviews I decided on the Stampede. Plus I just love the monster truck look. The only hiccup I came across was the fact that I needed an adapter to charge the stock Traxxas battery since I ordered it from the US and Aus plugs are different. Easy fix I've only driven it once as I charged the battery for the first whole day but I love it! I only had it on Training Mode as well I would love any tips about tweaking bits and pieces to make sure it's all good to go. I have noticed upon initial inspection that when I steer fully to the right, the servo (blue rectangular box - servo??) has a strange clicking noise. Turning to the left is perfect. Is there something I can do to correct this? skippo fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Nov 27, 2010 |
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Nov 27, 2010 11:48
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Funnily enough, I searched for this thread to ask about the Stampede. It looks like the perfect truck for what I want, just bashing around in the back yard and out at the in-laws farm. Is there anything else I should be considering in the sub-$200 range? Also, does the weatherproofing work as well as advertised? Can I really run this in the snow without damaging it?
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Nov 27, 2010 19:59
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Goldmund posted:Funnily enough, I searched for this thread to ask about the Stampede. It looks like the perfect truck for what I want, just bashing around in the back yard and out at the in-laws farm. Is there anything else I should be considering in the sub-$200 range? Also, does the weatherproofing work as well as advertised? Can I really run this in the snow without damaging it? From what I've read, the electrics are all waterproof, but the rest of it is still pretty susceptible to water damage. In the Manual it says that you can go through puddles etc but not to submerse it. Also mentions that going through lots of mud etc (and probably snow?) will help to overheat it quickly.
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Nov 28, 2010 00:46
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What is a good brand for RC helicopters? I want the best model for under 200, easy to fly (at least with training wheels or something) and decent flying time and range. Being able to hold a small payload like a dog toy or little camera would be cool too.
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Nov 28, 2010 02:06
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Eflite makes nice little sub micros that are under your price range but will probably not be able to carry any sort of payload.
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Nov 28, 2010 02:20
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If you're willing to go a little bigger than the sub micro size helis you should definitely consider one of the Walkera fixed pitch helis like the CB180D. Those will easily fly with keychain cameras mounted on them.
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Nov 28, 2010 02:35
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kuffs posted:That's not a 10T, that's a 10T3. T's were aluminum chassis for the first two revs. I didn't even look at the pic closely  Weren't there a lot of composite chassis kits out for the RC10/10T, though? At any rate if it really is a 10T3 then disregard what I said, I think those all have the Stealth gearbox.
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Nov 28, 2010 18:06
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If you really want an easy to fly helicopter and want to be able to carry anything you might want to up your budget a bit. If you have an Iphone or ipod touch you can get one of these for $300. http://ardrone.parrot.com/parrot-ar-drone/usa/ I saw one for the first time last week and was very impressed with its stabilization system. The guy was flying it with an iphone and was watching its live video feed directly on the screen. The stabilization system means it wont self destruct the first time you lose control of it.
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Nov 29, 2010 02:53
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A couple of questions regarding electronics... First - I'm about ready to pick up an HPI Blitz to enter a spec class race (my first, I mostly just want to see what it's like), and the rules say you can run any RTR kit's motor & ESC, as long as you don't have to modify the part or the chassis in any way to accept it. The 15T 550 motor looks fine, but the Blitz's ESC sucks balls (no reverse lockout, no brakes, no LiPo cutoff). I have a spare ESC for my Losi truck, with a 12T 550 motor. I *could* put both my Losi 12T Motor and ESC in it and still meet spec, but I'm wondering if you can use a 12T ESC with a 15T motor? I'm guessing it SHOULD work, since Losi's new XXX-SCT uses the same old 12T ESC as the strike with a 14T motor, but I'm not sure. What's the general rule-of-thumb regarding ESCs and motors? Second - If you change your radio receiver & transmitter (I'm getting a Spektrum DX3S and plan to slap the receiver that comes with it in the Blitz), do you have to change your servo to match, or will any servo work with any radio? Do you have to set your endpoints or something? I've gotten pretty comfortable adjusting the suspension and gearing to get something that runs consistent and controllable, but I'm a moron when it comes to the actual electronics. I'm trying to learn, though. TremorX fucked around with this message at 06:46 on Nov 29, 2010 |
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Nov 29, 2010 05:28
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What is a good RC car that is mostly Australian Shepard proof? I need something to get my dog to chase, be able to go offroad (or over crap laying on the floor) and not break if it gets pounced by 40-50lbs of terror.
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Nov 29, 2010 06:47
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TremorX posted:I *could* put both my Losi 12T Motor and ESC in it and still meet spec, but I'm wondering if you can use a 12T ESC with a 15T motor? I'm guessing it SHOULD work, since Losi's new XXX-SCT uses the same old 12T ESC as the strike with a 14T motor, but I'm not sure. What's the general rule-of-thumb regarding ESCs and motors? ESCs have lower bounds for turn counts, but not upper - at least in terms of the same motor size. With standard 540 motors, a 12T motor will be harder on the ESC than a 15T motor. I don't know how the 15T being a 550 will affect it, since I've never run one. quote:Second - If you change your radio receiver & transmitter (I'm getting a Spektrum DX3S and plan to slap the receiver that comes with it in the Blitz), do you have to change your servo to match, or will any servo work with any radio? Do you have to set your endpoints or something? Worst case scenario, in the old days, you'd have to re-pin the connector for the right pin order, but I think modern stuff has mostly standardized on Futaba's pinout. Setting endpoints is a good idea no matter what brand servo you use, you don't want to either over-drive the servo's internal limits or the limits of the vehicle it's in. With my Futaba 2.4 setup you do at least need to pay attention to whether the servo is digital or not - try and use digital mode on an old analog servo and it looks and acts like it's having a seizure
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Nov 29, 2010 07:09
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So I went ahead and picked up a Stampede XL-5 kit at the local hobby store over the weekend, and had tremendous amounts of fun jumping curbs and tearing rear end around the neighborhood. I'm already considering picking up the VXL brushless motor/esc kit, but I think I'll hold off on that until I get a lot more time in running it stock. I do have one very likely stupid question. Is there any kind of replacement out there for the standard body clips that are easier to use? Not that the standard clips are particularly hard or anything, but removing six of them to swap a battery out in the cold kinda sucks.
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Nov 29, 2010 20:16
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Goldmund posted:I do have one very likely stupid question. Is there any kind of replacement out there for the standard body clips that are easier to use? Not that the standard clips are particularly hard or anything, but removing six of them to swap a battery out in the cold kinda sucks. I picked up some of these after almost missing a heat due to a dropped pin. They're the poo poo. Otherwise, just put a zip tie around the loop and use that for a pull-tab. TremorX fucked around with this message at 21:14 on Nov 29, 2010 |
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Nov 29, 2010 21:09
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Goldmund posted:So I went ahead and picked up a Stampede XL-5 kit at the local hobby store over the weekend, and had tremendous amounts of fun jumping curbs and tearing rear end around the neighborhood. I'm already considering picking up the VXL brushless motor/esc kit, but I think I'll hold off on that until I get a lot more time in running it stock. It's a hell of a lot of fun isn't it?! I had mine on training mode for the first two runs and thought that was fun. When I put it on 100% and pulled full throttle the thing did a wheelie and I just about poo poo myself. Needless to say I already have lots of new scratches. Have only run it into one thing though.
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Nov 29, 2010 21:57
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helno posted:Aircraft brushless are not that great in cars because they are sensorless. Sensorless brushless motors rely on feedback from the motor to tell the ESC if it is spinning the right way on startup. The brushless motors for cars have an encoder that sends the feedback so they MadScientistWorking fucked around with this message at 22:48 on Nov 29, 2010 |
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Nov 29, 2010 22:42
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IOwnCalculus posted:ESCs have lower bounds for turn counts, but not upper - at least in terms of the same motor size. With standard 540 motors, a 12T motor will be harder on the ESC than a 15T motor. poo poo, I thought the HPI 15T was a 550, but it's a 540. I now have no idea if that will work, and I'm thinking along the lines of "Oh gently caress it, time to go brushless." So.... I'm speccing out a Blitz ESE with a 17.5 setup.. looking at possibly Tekin (unless someone has a better suggestion) RS kit. I'll borrow my son's RTR Blitz for spec racing while I learn more about building and driving an actual race rig.
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Nov 30, 2010 01:47
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MadScientistWorking posted:Really now. The last time I used to try and find sensored motors I was having horrible luck. I always thought that all hobby motors relied upon "senesorless" mechanisms. The primary issue with sensorless is starting the motor. You literally have to jam the motor and hit every single possible combination to start the thing. You essentially just restated what I said. I only fly aircraft so my knowledge of sensored motor motors and ESC's is only from reading about them. Here is a hybrid system that uses the motors internal sensor for startup and then switches to sensorless timing once it is up and running. http://www.greathobbies.com/productinfo/?prod_id=CCRMAXPR57
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Nov 30, 2010 04:12
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I have very little space and a wet/cold winter is here...but I'm still planning on getting the Baja 5SC. I must be a glutton for punishment! What am I getting myself into, the option parts cost soooo much.
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Nov 30, 2010 15:16
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TremorX posted:I picked up some of these after almost missing a heat due to a dropped pin. They're the poo poo. Thanks, picked up a pack of those and they work great. This is definitely one evil rear end hobby, and the fact that there is a Hobby Town less than 2 minutes from my house isn't helping anything. I spent half an hour yesterday looking at 2.4ghz radios, lipos, brushless motors and escs. I'm going to have to start leaving my wallet at home if this keeps up.
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Nov 30, 2010 17:28
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krushgroove posted:I have very little space and a wet/cold winter is here...but I'm still planning on getting the Baja 5SC. I must be a glutton for punishment! What am I getting myself into, the option parts cost soooo much. That thing looks loving AWESOME. I have to avoid looking at it so that I don't start lusting after it. I'm still jonesing like mad to order my Blitz ESE. I specced out what I want I want to start with, and I think it'll be a good foray in to open racing. The only part I haven't really nailed down is the servo; I'm still researching those, but if anyone has any suggestions...
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Nov 30, 2010 19:00
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Wait what? I'm entirely confused about the claim that the magnetic field decreases as the speed goes up. quote:You essentially just restated what I said. I only fly aircraft so my knowledge of sensored motor motors and ESC's is only from reading about them. MadScientistWorking fucked around with this message at 20:18 on Nov 30, 2010 |
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Nov 30, 2010 20:10
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Goldmund posted:Thanks, picked up a pack of those and they work great. Having ran, raced, and repeatedly broken a Stampede since May of this year, I have a good bit of experience with them. Mine started life as an XL-5 cast off from some kid who didnt take care of it, and has since been transformed to an excellent handler and basher. Firstly, they are awesome trucks, and are hilariously fun in most all situations, as both of you have already found out. A couple of things, Stampede related, that I basically learned the hard way: 1) When (not if) you break your first A-arm, replace it with the RPM part. Much more durable. 2) If you're running the XL-5, make sure it has a metal top gear from the VXL in the transmission. If it doesnt, the plastic gear will strip eventually, and you'll have to buy one anyway. If you have the plastic gear, just wait till it craps out and get the metal gear. 3) When it comes time to tear the tranny down and re-grease it (after 10 or so runs, or any run in the water), use the Traxxas transmission grease, or thrust bearing grease. Regular automotive wheel bearing grease doesnt work. Also, pay attention to the bearings when you do the tranny, if they are grinding or sticking even a little, replace them. Replacing them with stock Traxxas bearings is fine. Keep the old tranny bearings because......... 4) You'll eventually need wheel bearings. When the wheel bearings start grinding and sticking, its time to replace them. Decomissioned trans bearings work great. Dont ever put bearings from the wheels into the trans though, obviously. 5) When (not if) you break your first steering block, dont get the RPM replacement part, they flex too much. Pick up a few sets of the stock plastic traxxas ones, you'll wind up needing them. I stay away from the aluminum ones for a few reasons. First is the cost, second if you wreck you can still bend the aluminum ones, but you cant bend them back without significantly weakening them, then you're out that big cost. 6) Resist the temptation to epoxy the diff, or fill it with thick grease to stop wheelspin. Doing so only puts stress on the rest of the driveline, and you'll be going through axles and endshafts like candy. To really get the wheelspin under control, see step 8. 7) The steering servo can only take so much abuse. The stock XL-5 is a plastic geared servo that will probably eventually strip, and the stock servo saver doesnt do it any favors. Replace the servo with the VXL unit, or ideally a Hitec 645MG. Also, put a good servo saver on, like the Kimbrough KM124. Then proceed to never worry about the servo again. Steps 8,9,10,11 are for if you get serious about racing or hard bashing. 8) The stock shocks are pretty good, and even better with different oil and springs on them. Prepare to have the caps pop off them under hard bashing situations though, which also means you lose the oil in them when that happens. Some people go with the heavy-duty aluminum capped traxxas shocks as an upgrade, and some go with the Pro-Line Power Stroke shocks from the Slash (both are a direct fit). If you want bashability and dont care much about handling, go with the heavy duty traxxas units, if you want sharp handling and crazy adjustability, plus bashability, get the Pro-Lines. The PL's are obviously more expensive than the traxxas HD's. I have the PL's and love them, but realize that not everyone needs them. If I was just bashing, I'd probably do the traxxas HD's. 9) The hot ticket for wheels/tires is RPM 2.2" Revolver wheels with Pro-Line Masher tires. The Mashers do great on any surface, and are 100x stickier than the stock tires, but they wear much faster, be prepared to buy new tires every couple of months with the Mashers. Its a trade-off, you get grip like nuts, or you get long wearing life, not both. If you dont find traction to be a problem (sliding is fun), just run the stock tires through their normal lifespan, as the Mashers do require some attention. If you upgrade to these wheels/tires, the steering servo and servo saver is a must. The mashers are bigger and grippier than the stock tires, and put the servo under quite a bit more stress. 10) Do yourself a favor and go lipo if you havent already, the performance is way above the NIMH batteries. 2S 5000MAH is ideal. 11) When you want to go brushless, the Traxxas VXL setup is the best for the Stampede. The ESC and motor are both waterproof, and performance is way beyond the XL-5's brushed motor. The Stampede will seriously start a wheelie from like 25mph if you punch the throttle. Traxxas has a trade-in program where you can give them your XL-5 ESC and motor, and they will give you $50 off the VXL setup. If you do the VXL kit, the beefier shocks and tires are basically a requirement. Beve Stuscemi fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Dec 1, 2010 |
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Nov 30, 2010 23:43
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