The Winter Spider

Well it's actually my Tamiya TLT-1 with a new shell on it.  I used a Losi 1/18th Grappler body, painted it white, and dressed it up with some spider flames and a spider.  Turned out pretty good.  To get it running, I had to relocate some electronics.  So right now it has the following gear on:

• 2 Towardpro MG946R servos for 4WS
• Futaba MC230CR ESC
• Tactic TR654 receiver
• Tamiya stock motor (was not being used)
• Onyx 3000mAh 7.2v NiMH battery
• Tactic TTX650 transmitter

with it all together and setup to drive, I finally took it out for a drive in the front yard.  This little truck moves decent.  Here is the video:

I already have some updates in the works.  A new body has been trimmed, painted, decorated, and mounted.  This time I used a Team Associated SC18 Short Course Truck body.  It actually fits much better than the Grappler, and looks better too.  I painted it white and black, and used an old sticker set from another body.  I'm also working on getting some lights installed on it.  Problem is i have to make some custom light bucket mounts, so it may be a few months before I get them on.  In the meantime, I'll try to take out in the next coming weekends.  I may make one change and switch it over to the Spektrum DX3C gear.  I'll loose the on-demand front and rear steering, but the Tactic is going to the Honcho for some upcoming upgrades (more on that another time).

Happy end of 2013!

R/C Garage continues

Well the R/C garage continues.

E-Maxx:
I was able to successfully get my E-Maxx 90% disassembled.  The only things not taken apart were the front/rear diffs and the transmission.  Everything came apart quite easily.  Here is the E-Maxx in pieces, minus the wheels/tires:

Lots of parts.  During the disassemble process, I came across some bent screws.  So I ordered up replacements along with some shock rebuild kits.  All the parts came in and it was time to reassemble.  Using the manufacturers exploded views, I was able to get it back together.  There were a few screws that I got mixed up, but was able to get them all in their proper places.  During this process I missed a bent screw.  Well I got the screw back in with little effort, but decided this was a good time to buy a RPM upgrade part that came with screws.  I received it but have yet to get it in.  The E-Maxx is all together, mostly cleaned up, and waiting to hit the road and rocks.  Time for some more E-Maxx videos.  This has been a very good, fun, and durable R/C truck.  Many thanks to Traxxas for such a good product.  I have had it since 2004/2005 (can't remember which one), and only 3 bent screws so far.  And I consider myself a moderate basher.  So if you're getting into hobby-grade R/C, Traxxas is a great brand to start with.  Even though their models are already put together, it's always a good idea to do a complete tear down and rebuild every so often.  You will not always see the damage that happens during crashes and tumbles.

SCX10 Dingo:
Well the Dingo is finally out of the garage after doing an upgrade that I planned on for a later time.  I got in the extra parts to make the Dingo a 4-link rear suspension.  But after getting everything back together, there was some binding in the rear drive-train that went away as the rear axle got closer to the frame.  Not good.  After some thinking and looking at the spare parts I have, I was able to remove the binding.  I ended up using longer ball links on the ends of the upper links.  This ended up clocking the rear axle back, thus decreasing the angle of the axle input shaft to the rear drive shaft, which in turn eliminated the binding.  And since the rear was now 4-link, I decided to upgrade the front to 4-link.  Ordered the parts, got them in, and upgraded the front.  With the DIG and links done, time to get the lights in order.  For the body set, I'll keep the G.T Power RC lights (bought from Team Integy R/C).  I did have 2 of the lights going to the front bumper, but decided to remove them.  I also did some rearranging for better power connector access.  I also redid the Great Planes ElectriFly Flylites green light tube on the chassis. I also finally got my R/C Lights light set together and installed on the chassis.  Part of the light rewiring project included power switches for each set of lights.  This way I can turn them on and off as needed.  All lights are installed, routed as cleanly as I can, and working.  The R/C lights set runs off of the receiver, and the other 2 use 4 AA batteries each.  While I was at it, I decided to add some additional details: window wipers and side mirrors.  Now I just need to hit the rocks with it.  Speaking of hitting rocks, there is the Dingo 1st run video:

TLT-1:
The TLT-1 is back together, set up on electronics, and has a new body.  I took it out for a drive today, and it's a good little truck still.  A run video should hopefully be up before the end of this year.

Speaking of the end of this year, Merry Christmas people!

R/C Garage

This month has been an R/C garage month.

Micro-T:
I have the HIGHroller conversion almost complete.  I just need to get the ESC/Receiver mounted and all should be ready.

SCX10 Trail Honcho:
The Honcho has been converted over to 4-link rear setup.  From what I have read on 3-link vs 4-link, this will give better articulation in the rear with no axle steer.  For the crawler that's already my best, this should just make it better.

SCX10 Dingo:
I installed a DIG transmission, but ran into problems with getting the rear back together. It seems that even though the SCX10 is listed as compatible, it appears that you need to have a specific setup. I got a few parts ordered to make it a 4-link rear setup (which I was planning on anyways), and hopefully this will work. If not I'm going to have to figure out how to fit the DIG transmission to the Trail Honcho.

TLT-1 Rockbuster:
I decided to get the TLT-1 up and running, so a rebuild was in order. With the manual in hand, I got the truck apart and back together.  Unfortunately this model is discontinued, so an extra belt and spur gear are not possible.  With that I put in a brushed system instead of going with brushless.  Now I just need to setup the electronics and take it for a run.

EXO Terra Buggy:
After not being satisfied with trying to use my Castle Creations Mamba Max setup in the Dingo and not wanting to put that powers the TLT-1, I decided to put it back on the EXO.  While I had the EXO opened, I changed out the spur gear.  Since I still don't want crazy speed so I changed to a 50/14 gearing.

E-Maxx:
The E-Maxx was making a loud noise after the last run, so I decided it is next up.  I got the gear cover off and one of the pinions slipped.  I got it set back on and used some tired lock on the screw.  While getting it back together the shocks looked dirty.  Time for a shock rebuild. Oh what fun. With the shocks apart , I decided to do the whole truck.  I hope I can get back together ok.

Micro-T Project Part 2

I got everything disassembled. And I dub thee: Micro-T HIGHroller.  Yeah I've got to work on my name calling.

Micro-T Project

Yep. The Micro-T is in the garage again. This time for a major overhaul. I've been looking at the Losi micros and wish I had picked up some of the other models like the Micro Baja and Raminator. But that never happened. One other model caught my attention. After some looking around, most parts are still available (minus the wheels/tires and screw set).

 So now it's time to turn this:

In to something close to the Losi Micro-HIGHroller:

The only other downside to this project is I only have parts explosion document as reference for assembly.  We'll see how this goes.

Return of the Micro-T Monster

Well as monstrous as a Micro-T can get.  I have a new Classic Hauler body painted up black with some spider flames and a Monster Energy logo on the roof.  To get it to fit good, I had to trim the front bumper a little as I have the RPM Micro-T bumper installed.

I decided to go back to the aluminum arms and hubs that I had.  Once those were on, I put on the Micro-DT wheels.  They definitely look the monster part.  Might have to pickup the black chrome versions to go with the black body.  Since this is an off-road truck, I though I would change the shock springs to soft.  And they happen to be white for both front and rear.

While I was changing all of these things around, one of the motor wires broke off from its joint on the motor.  Oh great, this just isn't my week for micro R/C.  Well I still have the stock motor off the Micro Crawler.  They are the same size.  Got it out, put on the medium size pinon from the extra Micro-T parts, and mounted it.  Once all together, I drove it around.  With the stock Micro crawler motor, it still moves pretty quick.   I might actually consider putting on the large pinion for more speed.

Here it is all back together:

Micro Crawler problems.

The other night I decided to try out my Micro Rock Crawler.  I could steer but could not move.  thinking that is might have been an issue with the motor getting stuck, I took out the transmission, and everything looked OK.  Next I thought it was the battery.  So I reprogrammed the ESC for NiMh and tried again.  Still nothing from the motor.  Maybe it was an ESC calibration issue.  I went through the steps, and the ESC was not responding correctly.  So I swapped some connections around: move the Steering servo to the channel I'm using for thorttle.  When I turned on the system, the front steering went full right.  Maybe it's an issue with the receiver.  Turned the truck off, changed profiles, got out the original receiver that came with the radio, connected up the steering servos (one to the channel I use for throttle), gave it power, and this time the front steering servo went full left.  Guess what that means?  Yup, the radio has a problem again.  This time with the Elevator function.

Well I was lucky when I sent it in last time, and Horizon Hobby didn't charge me for service repair on the radio.  I packed up the Spektrum DX6i and both receivers.  I am going to wait to send it in as I know it's going to cost.  Heck I may not even send it in and just save the money towards a new radio altogether.

Well to get this crawler going, I decided to see if my 2nd Tactic TTX650 receiver would fit.  It does, just barely.  So I got the crawler back together.  Then installed the receiver, setup the radio, and linked the receiver to the transmitter.  Next, I got the ESC calibrated and reconfigured it back to LiPo 2S mode.  I turned on the truck, and was driving.  Maybe because it's still brand new, but I really like this Tactic TTX650.  It is fairly easy to setup and use.

So I was driving, the chassis/body kept rolling to one side.  As it turns out, this new brushless motor really puts out some torque twist.  So last night I decided to put the springs back on the shocks.  It gives it a taller ride height, but we'll see how the torque twist is.

Micro R/C

Well the weather is starting to get cold, and that means I won't want to be going out side much.  So I'm bringing out my micro trucks.  That would the be the Losi Micro-T and Micro Rock Crawler.  Well the McRC has just gone through a 4WS project and some test drives, but it's time to really get it going.  For my Micro-T, the only project is to get it on 2.4gHz and brushless.  We'll see what the future holds.

Another Crawler

Well I recently picked up another crawler.  This one is the Axial Racing SCX10 Dingo.  Yes, it's the same chassis as the Trail Honcho.  But what can I say?  I had fun building the my first SCX10, and this one looks good.

While building, I started off with my Castle Creations Mamba Max Pro and NeuCastle 1406 Series 4600KV Brushless combo.  But once I was able to do some test drives, this set did not work so well.  The main reason is that the motor is sensorless.  And as it turns out, sensorless is not that great for low speeds.  So I ended up pulling out the Novak Eiger ESC and Axial 55T stock motor from my Venom Creeper and putting them in  the Dingo.  But don't worry, the Creeper will return! (Hey, that could be a good R/C video.)  After testing, I was much more satisfied with the results.  And while I was at it, I also relocated a light set from one of the Creeper bodies to the Dingo.

For the radio gear, I ended up moving the Futaba from the Honcho to the Dingo.  The Honcho ended up with a Spektrum receiver taken from my now broken Micro RS4 (but that is for another day).  A Cirrus servo controls direction.  The RC4WD winch that was going on to the Honcho is now mounted on the Dingo.  All in all so far, this has been a good and long build.  I hope to get it on some rocks this weekend.

R/C Update

I have decided to utilize this blog for all my R/C stuff.  The Rad Electrons blog will now be everything else.  And now for some R/C stuff.

Traxxas E-Maxx:
I enjoy this big monster truck.  It's fun to drive and very durable.  There hasn't been much upgrading don to it.  The only thing is some RPM Racing skid/wear plates, black ones.  RPM Racing offers several after market parts, and I might eventually get more.  Just wish the made green parts for the E-Maxx, then I could make it like Grave Digger.  I finally decided to get a new 2.4Ghz radio as a sort of birthday present to me.  Horizon Hobby has a good deal on the Spektrum DX3C, including a 2nd receiver for free.  And since this is a 3 channel radio, that made it a good selection.  So I got it in and installed on the E-Maxx.

Heli-Max 1SQ V-Cam Quadcopter:
One day, I was looking around at some r/c helicopters and came across this one.  It's a small quadcopter that also has a video camera, and at a reasonable price.  Unfortunately it's a different brand than my other helicopters, which means that it uses a different 2.4Ghz protocol (the one downside to 2.4Ghz is that most manufacturers use their own protocol and therefore are not compatible with one another).  I don't like the included radios on many of the RTF (ready to fly) aircraft kits as they seem to be a little toy-ish looking and don't offer a lot of adjustments.  Well Heli-Max has some models in a Tx-R (transmitter ready) version that can link up to a Tactic R/C AnyLink module.  What this module does is it connects to most major brand aircraft transmitters and uses their SLT 2.4Ghz protocol.  In easy terms, you connect the module to your favorite radio and you can fly any aircraft with SLT.  I have a great radio already, so I got the quad and AnyLink adapter.  However, when I was ready to do the setup I found that my DX6i had a technical problem and needed to be repaired.  So i sent that in, but couldn't wait the 2+ weeks it would be out and ordered the Tactic TTX650.  I got that in a few days, linked it to the 1SQ, and was up and flying.  Turns out this one is actually easier for me to fly than the Blade mQX even though it is smaller.  I have been having lots of fun flying this little thing, but it turns out that the camera needs plenty of light to give you a good picture.  Here is video of my 3rd flight.

 I did actually have a crash against the yard wall.  The only damage was 2 rotors completely shattered.  Luckily the kit came with some extra blades.  I installed them and was able to continue flying.
This movie is my first with using multiple cameras.  For the editing, I used Pinnacle Studio for iPad.  This app made editing the movie very easy.

Tactic TTX650 4WS setup

Here is my write up to configure the Tactic TTX650 for crawler 4WS.  This is based on my Venom Creeper.

Mode 2 Channel setup:

Channel 1 – Aileron – Rear Steer

Channel 2 – Elevator – ESC (forward/reverse)

Channel 3 – Throttle – Remote Diff Lockers (down=locked/up=unlocked)

Channel 4 – Rudder – Front Steer

Channel 5 – AUX5 – Remote Light Switch > Switch B (2-position switch)

Channel 6 – AUX6 – Remote Dig Unit > Switch E (3-position switch)

Radio setup steps:

1. Turn on radio and select model.
2. Press ENTER to enter menu.
3. Scroll down to PROGRAMMABLE MIXER and press ENTER.
4. Select Mix1 and press ENTER.
5. For input channel (mix left selection), press ENTER.
6. Scroll through to CH4 (rudder), press ENTER.
7. Scroll to output channel (mix right selection), press ENTER.
8. Scroll through to CH1 (aileron), press ENTER.
9. Scroll to RATE L, press ENTER.
10. Change percentage to +100, press ENTER.
11. Scroll to RATE R, press ENTER.
12. Change percentage to +100, press ENTER.
13. Scroll to INH, press ENTER.
14. At prompt to “Chose the Control Switch”, moves desired switch for mix. For me, this is Switch A.
15. Press ESC to exit Switch settings.
16. Press ESC to exit Mix1 settings.
17. Scroll down to PROGRAMMABLE MIXER and press ENTER.
18. Select Mix2 and press ENTER.
19. For input channel (mix left selection), press ENTER.
20. Scroll through to CH4 (rudder), press ENTER.
21. Scroll to output channel (mix right selection), press ENTER.
22. Scroll through to CH1 (aileron), press ENTER.
23. Scroll to RATE L, press ENTER.
24. Change percentage to -100, press ENTER.
25. Scroll to RATE R, press ENTER.
26. Change percentage to -100, press ENTER.
27. Scroll to INH, press ENTER.
28. At prompt to “Chose the Control Switch”, moves desired switch for mix. For me, this is Switch D.
29. Press ESC to exit Switch settings.
30. Press ESC to exit Mix1 settings.
31. Press ESC to exit PROGRAMMABLE MIXER.
32. Press ESC to exit SETTINGS menu.

This setup allows the following steering options:

1. Switch A and D off (set to 0 position) = Independent control of Front and Rear steering.
2. Switch A on only (set to 1 position) = Crab Crawling.
3. Switch D on only (set to 1 position) = Tight steering.

With this setup I have the most control I can get with the steering.  This, for me, is a massive improvement over having the 4WS modes cycle through by repeatedly pressing a button.  I can near instantly access the steering mode I want to use.

An R/C update

Well a lot has happened for me in R/C since my last post.

McRC update:
I finally got my 4WS conversion completed and working, which also included upgrading to a brushless motor and LiPo battery.  This gives the little monster more power, longer run times, and some good maneuvers.  But before I could do a full run, something happened to my DX6i, and the rudder control was full right.  So I had to ship it to the transmitter in for service.  It's been out for 2 weeks, finally got repaired, and is on it's way back today.  Hopefully all is good and I can run my little crawler again.  Until then, here are a couple of "test" videos.

This is a run with original motor, battery, and ESC/Receiver:

This is with brushless motor and ESC, LiPo battery, and new receiver:

Venom Creeper:
With my DX6i out for repair, the Creeper was down.  I really needed to get a 2nd aircraft radio.  There's actually another reason for getting a 2nd radio, but later on that.  So I looked around and found a good deal for a Tactic RC TTX650 that came with 2 free receivers.  Checked the details on it, and it has two 3-position switches.  Perfect for the DIG unit.  Got it ordered and received before the DX6i was received at the service department.  After getting it in, swapped out the receiver and got everything setup.  It's nice to have the DIG unit on a 3-position toggle.

SCX10 Trail Honcho:


For my SCX10, I picked up a scale winch, round light buckets, and new bed siding.  I'm slowly working on getting these upgrades added.  And yes the scale winch is functional.  One thing that is nice, I can connect it to the receiver and control it through the transmitter.  Once these are on, the truck will look better.

While on vacation recently, we went up to St. George and I brought along my Creeper and SCX10.  I got some more crawling video as usual.  but I tried a new shot with the SCX10.  Once I get the videos all edited, I'll get them posted up.

SCX10 Interior

I finally picked up an interior kit for my SCX10 Trail Honcho.  It is made by Dinky RC.  Putting it together was actually easy.  I had to do some trimming to get it to fit, but it works.  And some of the Axial scale interior accessories fit good too, but I had to do some modifications to get the steering wheel to fit.

Of course I have some figures that I wanted to use, and they just happen to be the right size to fit.

Now I just need to take it out for a drive and see if the passengers survive.

McRC Project 4WS part 2

Here is the progress so far:

I received in the final part for my 4WS conversion project: the aluminum servo mounts:

Now I get to have fun converting the rear axle for steering function.  Oh how I love to work on such small parts (too bad my hands disagree, and quite "loudly" at that).

Next item on the project check list was to test the electronics to verify they work.

The first nervous item is the brand new LiPo battery.  I got it setup to charge, and kept watch.  With the battery charging and using an extra receiver battery box, on/off switch, and 4 trusty AA alkaline batteries, I proceeded through the necessary steps to bind the receiver and transmitter.  Once I remembered to remove the bind plug, the Tx and Rx now had a solid relationship.  On to the server.  This was the easiest one by plugging it into the channel I want to use, turn on the gear, and move the stick.  Servo is ready for action.  Now on to the next nervous parts: ESC and motor.  I connected up the fully charged LiPo and followed the steps to setup the ESC for 2S LiPo.  A quick power cycle of the ESC and it was time to set it up for the radio. After following the setup steps, ESC is ready.  I turned off the ESC and connected the motor.  Now for the big moment.  I turned on the ESC, moved the stick for the channel I plugged it into, and...IT'S ALIVE!  All parts worked, and nothing smoked or overheated.

(just a little short video to show the success.)

Since the main electronics are working, it was time to install on the micro monster.  The old receiver/ESC was removed quite easily with a small standard screw driver.  With that out, it took me about an hour to figure out how to get the new receiver and ESC mounted.  This involved test fitting with the original body and actually trimming a now un-needed bit off the electronics mount, but I got them to fit though wire management might be an issue.

(rear servo in place only to help decide were to mount Rx and ESC.)

The current battery has also been removed.  I'm still deciding on where to mount the LiPo.

 

Next up is getting the new brushless motor in.  After that comes the rear axle conversion and rear servo mounting.

Once everything is in and working good, I'll get up a video that compares the old with the new.

McRC Project 4WS part 1

It's Summer time in Vegas.  And for me that means really hot days.  A little too hot to be going out with my R/C's during the Sun up hours.  So I have decided to freshen up my little rock crawler.  I have a new body on it, painted up with my own desert paint scheme.  The body is actually for another Losi Micro truck, the 1/36 Micro Desert Truck.  It actually fits on pretty good.  Better than trying to get a Micro-T body to fit.

Now how can I upgrade this little truck?  There really isn't much room to do anything on this micro monster.  After doing some looking around, I figured out how to setup the truck with 4WS.  I know some people look down on 4WS, but I'm an R/C basher and I enjoy this feature.  Unfortunately I only have 1 other truck with 4WS.

Making this have 4WS is a bit of a challenge, especially with the size.  The stock truck has a 2-in-1 ESC/Receiver unit.  That means there are no extra servo ports to add other functions and features.  So the first step is finding a new receiver and ESC that are small enough to fit.  Since I don't want the extra cost of a new radio (at least not for this project), I looked to Spektrum RC for the receiver.  I already have the DX6i radio.   Looking through their inventory, I was able to find a small receiver that should do the trick: AR6115e 6-Channel DSMX Microlite Receiver: End Pin.  It is actually listed as a Park Flyer model.  A check on the specs found that it should be small enough, it uses standard server connectors, and has an input voltage range of 3.5-9.6v.  The stock truck battery is 4.8v.  Perfect.

The ESC is next up.  So I started with Losi.  I knew they have a 1/36 brushless setup: 1/35-Scale Xcelorin sensorless combo.  A quick specs check, and the BEC output is 5V.  Definitely in the range of the Spektrum micro receiver.  I went with the lower KV rated motor combo.  My understanding is that the lower the KV rating of similar sized motors, the more torque you have.  While the higher the KV rating, the more speed you get.

With the receiver, ESC, and new motor (extra bonus), it was time to look into the actual steering of the rear wheels.  First on the list is getting the parts to make the rear wheels have the ability to turn.  After looking through the exploded parts diagram for the truck, I only needed a few extra parts: hardware set, front spindle and carrier, steering links, and servo mounts.  A lot better than having to buy all the parts for a new front axle.

To actually get the wheels turning, I would need a servo.  I already upgraded the front steering servo to one with more torque for the size.  I guess I could use that stock servo for the rear, but why have a truck with one good servo and one mediocre servo.  So I picked up another Hitec RCD HS-65MG servo.  Hitec RCD has been know for some good servos with high torque and decent life span.

After looking through all that was needed, I found that a better battery would probably be a good idea.  Losi also makes micro-sized LiPo batteries: LiPo Charger & Battery: Micro-T/B/DT.  This little power pack should provide enough power for the brushless motor and 2 servos.  After all this is a slow moving crawler.

With most of the parts received, the next phase of the project can begin.  I'm still waiting for some servo mounts to arrive.  I actually got upgraded mounts.

(Yes, I know the radio is way bigger than the truck)

Looking at the picture of parts reminds me of a movie scene from xXx.  The scene were Xander Cage asks his support guy to stuff a bunch of weapons into his GTO.  This ain't a GTO and I don't have weapons, but it sure feels like I'm stuffing a lot of extras into a little package.

Let the fun being!

A Crawler update

Since my last blog entry, I haven't gotten any pictures prepared from the park day, and I have not even touched the video footage.  I think that the prospect of trying to put a video together on my my iPhone using 2 video sources without any proper multi-camera usage is going to be a very long and difficult project to tackle.

But I do have a little bit of an update.  I was able to recently get a hold of another Pro-Line Racing Rockstar crawler body.

 

I tend to go more for the not-so-ordinary bodies when ever I can (which is why I wish they still made the Helios body).  And it ends up this was the last one in stock at the online shop I ordered from.  This Rockstar body is also discontinued.  Which is sad as this is a nice looking comp style body.  I think Pro-Line Racing just needs to rename it and re-release it.  The only modification I needed to do was to relocate the remote receiver box from where I mounted it originally.  Other than that, I just need to charge everything up and hit the rocks.  I may try to pick up a small light kit to use with this body.  Now I just need to find a nice quiet place to crawl around.