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OldSchoolRC1

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Posts posted by OldSchoolRC1


  1. My daughter has a desk that switches between standing and sitting, and it's variable height. She moves it depending on what she is doing. It's pretty slick, thinking of one for myself, also for back issues. Might be a good option for you to look into so your not locked into a fixed, uncomfortable position.  

    • Like 2

  2. Most winch controllers operate off the 6v from the receiver, or the more powerful ones tap into the battery leads. You can certainly run a separate battery, but there's no need to. 

    My RC4WD and generic winch controllers run off the 6v from the receiver.  They have their own controllers which is handy. 

    My larger servo winches use old ESC's that I have laying around so they tie into the battery power leads. They operate off a channel on my radio though I turned down the endpoints a bit so they only get about 6v or so. 

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  3. Ouch! Glad to hear your daughter is ok! 

    Loss of TX is no joke. I was racing my old 1/8 Duratrax Axis nitro buggy many, many years ago at the track, and coming down the front stretch and full throttle I bumped my radio on the drivers stand and apparently my battery door wasn't latched properly. All the AA's fell out, and all of a sudden i have a 9lb 40+ mph missile at screaming at full RPM and running out of control. Jumped the track, sailed out of the parking lot, across the field, across a busy 4 lane highway and ended up in a pond on the other side of the road.  Somehow it never hit anything (and made it across the highway in 1 piece, Frogger would be proud) but I was absolutely terrified of taking someone (or something) out. You can believe I made sure nothing like that ever happened again. 

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  4. This is such a cool little project.  Mechanical issues aside, it certainly looks the part no matter what body is on it. 

    Associated just released the Element Enduro 12 and it's apparently a newer version of the CR12. On the crawler forums, the CR12 is known for it's gearbox issues even with brushed crawler setups. Apparently, Associated was listening so they redesigned the gearbox and skid completely to a more conventional setup. Should just drop in since it's the same chassis, and looks to my eye like it uses the same gears so it looks like all you'd need is the plastic transmission parts for the upgrade (PN 41124). Might be helpful. 

    New Transmission 

    Parts

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  5. Very nice!  I had planned to swap over to the Kong body this year as well. My Dyna is due for a refresh. 

    The stock wheels have a ton of offset, not surprised that they catch on the center tire.  The portals push everything out and add a ton of scrub radius - combined with the offset on the wheels, they are going to touch. I run 1.9's just for that reason and they clear fine.

    I didn't like the rear steer at first, the steering bellcrank had some odd geometry compared to the front. The ball end with the servo drag link attached is way to close to the pivot point and the servo has very little leverage so I found my steering tended to flop a bit out back. plus I could only use about 25% of the servo's total throw - really not getting much torque that way. So in a big brain moment, I stretched out the bellcrank with a small piece of aluminum that moves the ball end for the servo link mount out away from that pivot point as much as possible. Ended up pretty easy to do. I lost a bit of steering throw, but it's much more solid at the wheels - the servo has better leverage and now can use almost full rotation. Made all the difference in the world. 

    Maybe that might help?

     

    As far as the motor, I use a Holmes Crawlmaster 5 pole 20t 550 (on just 2S to save wear and tear.) Low speed resolution is fantastic, and it goes just above walking pace. Very happy with the combo. 

    • Like 1

  6. 23 hours ago, Misterp180 said:

    @OldSchoolRC1 thanks for the great post pal.

    Now were you rallying with the low ride kit?? I have been considering if this would help keep the chassis a little lower and improve the handling a little??

    Worrying to hear that you had to back it down to a silver can as I am going to struggle to keep up with the big boys and their faster motors! 
    Sounds like I will have some suspension tuning to do!

    Thanks for the inspiration dude 🙌🏻

    Yes, nothing official, but running on tarmac and loose gravel. I was indeed running with the low ride specs which is basically shorter springs and some spacers in the shocks. I don't remember exactly how the shocks are set up spacer-wise, but I set the ride height to about the same as my XV01. Definitely helped with stability. 

    I never ran the hotter motor with the current suspension, it might be better now. I was initially running HPI WR8 rally tires which were super grippy. Switching over the much harder Tamiya tires helped the traction roll a lot.  I'm sure the proper setup is there somewhere, I just stopped messing with it.  You've got me inspired though, maybe I'll paint it up and get back to it. It was a fun drive. 

    I'd say go for it, and be sure to post up a thread! 

    • Thanks 1

  7. I wish you luck! I tried to rally my CC01 years ago and it was a challenge - a fun challenge, but a challenge nonetheless. I ran a 3300kv motor in a low ride kit and with the stock out of the box settings it basically traction rolled at any speed above 1/2 throttle on any surface except loose gravel. The steering is very touchy at speed also, even with an HR steering kit. Some expo tuning on the radio helped a lot.

    That solid rear axle and front heavy nose makes for some .... interesting handling. I got it settled somewhat with stiff front springs, some thick silicone in the front diff and a very, very soft rear axle setup.  I had the torque splitter in, but didn't like the rear braking only, so I took it back out. It hunkers down now in the back under acceleration and has more of a push at speed ilo digging in and rolling.  It's a pretty cool setup once sorted out. 

    Agree on the "diff spacer" - it you plan to put any power through that rear axle and the cast gears, it's cheap and easy insurance. 

    I sadly wrecked the low ride body on the first battery pack (ouch) but the chassis lives on with a newer Toyota body and some touring car wheels. It now has a silver can with a 20t pinion and it's pretty zippy, but not nearly as fast. Handles pretty decent now for what it is. Forgive the dust, it's been a while since I touched it. I got the body mounted, but awaiting some paint. 

    20230501-112422-SM.jpg

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  8. Sure, locked diffs in this case are for offroad performance, specifically trail and crawling. With the stock differential when the weight comes off a tire or it's up in the air it will just spin and "diff out" - basically stopping your momentum. When are locked, both tires spin all the time.  This truck is somewhere inbetween - it has some diff action, but it is super stiff with the silicone crammed in there. Should do fine out on the trail, I don't really see it as a hardcore crawler. 

    Grease is a personal preference... Some people feel better cramming it in there (not sure why), some prefer it light. Some of the crawler guys will fill their axles/transmissions completely with grease for protection when running in water. Personally, cramming a lot of grease in the gearbox adds weight and just makes a mess. That's just my opinion. 

    Here's my general rule of thumb:

    -I brush on a light coat of lightweight grease on my buggies, bashers, and any plastic crawler gears. I usually use a tub of Penzoil lightweight I've had for decades. It's super slick, whatever it is. I think above on the Squash,  I used the kit grease for some reason, it came with Tamiya's good grease, so I used it. I just put a light bead down the middle of the gears and let it run in. 

    - A spray on teflon coating type lube for on road cars (too much grease adds drag, this is nice, light, and slick)

    - Red and Tacky for steel gears in my crawlers, nitros, and basically anywhere I have metal gears in a driveline. It adds some drag initially, but loosens up after a run - it resists "fling off" much better than lighter grease. 

    Has served me well for 30+ years. :) 

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  9. Been messing with the Squash a bit here and there. I went ahead and moved over the portals from my TL01 (Seen sitting low and sad in the back) and it made all the difference. Plenty of height under the chassis now and the lower gearing is much needed. 
    20231210-130245-SM.jpg

    Once I got the chassis where I wanted I started working on the body. I don't quite like it with scale tires... it just looks a bit off - especially in the front. I'm sure it's not nearly as noticeable when it's set up with the body at stock height and monster tires but lowered down I just don't like it.  It's a shame, I really like this body but I decided to go a different route. 
    20231210-130802-SM.jpg

    I thought about a Clod body, it fits the wheelbase perfectly. I tried a few others CC02 bodies as well and they do indeed fit the chassis pretty well. 
    20231210-130518-SM.jpg

    I liked this one the best. With the portals, the front wheels have a lot of scrub so it needs a lot of clearance up front. This FJ body was already trimmed up a bit and it had the best clearance for the front. Plus, i just liked the look. :)
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    I used some old TL01 rear body posts and they matched up perfectly with the holes already in the body. I do need to reinforce the rear a bit, it's quite wobbly. 
    20231210-134601-SM.jpg

    and as far as that Squashvan body, It will get a new home for sure - in fact, I think this is where it belongs. :) I will update here when I get it mounted. 
    20231210-134739-SM.jpg

    • Like 15

  10. 3 packs, holy cow. That's a long hike! 

    Totally agree with all the suggestions above, good stuff! I have 2 overlanding trucks that are set up for long runs - a TRX4 and a weird hybrid SCX10. The TRX4 is fun, it keeps me busy working the diffs and 2 speed, and with a sound unit (down low, it gets old quick if it's too loud) it's a total blast. And very capable. The SCX10 is a 4.19 truck for a little more scale challenge and hauls a little camp trailer around behind it - the trailer definitely keeps things interesting.  I try and drive them with no "hand of God" too so winches, ropes, and sand ladders are on each, along with winch anchors strapped somewhere.  Both are set up for full size batteries. 

    A few thoughts:

    - I keep batteries in my bag. The truck may go for hours, but I don't. :) I run full size 4000-5000 packs on both trucks and they run forever. I need a break before they do, and since I'm stopped anyway, a quick battery change is no problem. Magnets or velcro or even screws for the body mounts for sure - I've lost I don't know how many body pins in the woods. Now I just keep spares in my bag. 

    - Brushless all day. I like the feel of a brushed motor more, but for efficiency brushless is better, no question. I try to run the lowest KV I can get away with to buy more runtime. I think I have an 1800kv in the SCX and it's plenty for trail running. 

    - weight really matters. My TRX4 is pretty heavy and it eats up the battery noticeably faster than my SCX10, even with the trailer. 

    - Keep a plastic bag handy or some sort of cover for the radio in case you get caught in the rain. Truck may be waterproof, but the radio isn't!

    - make a "truck handle" - I keep one in my bag and I use it a lot more than I thought I would, especially with a few breakdowns this year. I took an old wire coat hanger, threaded it through an old wood handle I had laying around and then bent a few U's in it - it hooks under the axle and gives me a nice comfy handle to carry the truck. Not sure that I'm explaining that correctly, I should get a pic of this contraption. :) but it does come in handy. 

     

     

     

     

    • Like 4

  11. So after seeing how well the TL01 did on the trails and rocks, I was thinking of building up some other chassis that could take advantage of the portals, preferably one without a rear motor. I was keeping an eye out for an old Wild Dagger (and still am actually if anyone has one lurking about) and then this popped up. Cool body, center motor, 4WS and everything will bolt right up. No brainer.

    Come in a huge box...almost clod sized. Mine did come with a HW 1060 ESC, I hear some kits did not. 
    20231207-142508-SM.jpg

    The stars of the show. The body is cool, though it certainly is a bit odd. Interesting the wheel wells were already trimmed out. That's a first for me on a Tamiya kit. That huge chassis is a work of molding art - huge and complicated, but fits together perfectly. 
    20231208-080225-SM.jpg

    Thick and chunky gears. No worries about durability, I've had some Tamiya gears in runners for over 20+ years now. 
    20231208-080853-SM.jpg

    I didn't have any diff lockers handy, so I crammed the diffs with silicone earplugs. Still has some diff action, but it is super stiff. They are the splined output gears and I've found they are not nearly as strong as the D shaped ones. Going with a diff that gives a bit still works well on the trails and takes some of the driveline stresses off. Good enough for now, I'm sure I have some fully locked ones floating around here somewhere if needed.
    20231208-082213-SM.jpg

    Lots of 5x11 bearings later, we're looking at this stack of gears. Who doesn't love a giant pile of gears? Not quite as impressive as the Dynahead, but still pretty cool. And a quick note about Tamiya - they just do things their own way, and don't give a flying jalapeno. I mean really, who creates a chassis like this for a 4x4 RC?  And calls it a Squashvan? 
    20231208-084812-SM.jpg

    Gearbox closed up, everything fit together perfectly. I used a silver marker and did some detail work on the chassis. I think it looks pretty cool overall.  My Dyna and WR01 are looking on at their their odd sibling. 
    20231208-090845-SM.jpg

    Went with a Reedy 5 pole and a 17t pinion to start. I'm sure I'll need some gear reduction somewhere eventually, I'll test drive it first once I figure out wheels and tires and see where it's at. I ran it at 3v. for a few minutes to bed in the gears and everything is nice and smooth as expected. 
    20231208-092331-SM.jpg

    Interesting they give you separate dogbones and axles for the front (left) ... I would guess these are the HD versions? Interestingly, there is another set of HD dogbones in the box for 4WS - but no HD axles. 
    20231208-141204-SM.jpg

    Once the chassis was together, the rest was simple TL01 stuff and I put it together in a few minutes. It's a very simple kit overall.  I really like the bumpers, pretty sure one of those is going to end up on my Dynahead. The Comical series arms is nice, they add a little bit of width and a few extra shock mount holes. I tossed the stock friction shock garbage and installed some 70mm MST shocks from my CMX kit. Springs are a bit light, but they fit great. I threw on some 1.9 tires just to see how the stance was. 
    20231208-200518-SM.jpg
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    ..and cut out the body and dropped it on there. Cool, but man, that chassis hangs down there. I figured it would but it seems really low.  The shocks are way drooped though, I need to find some heavier springs and do some tweaking
    20231208-200610-SM.jpg
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    Plenty of suspension from the MST shocks, and far more than I was getting from my TL01. 
    20231208-200655-SM.jpg

    I'd really like to get another set of portals ilo pillaging previous builds, but there is nothing in stock here other than the housings. Kind of a shame, and still think Tamiya should have put them out separate as an option part since there's so many kits that they can mount up to. 

    So I'll steal them from the TL01 for a bit - I think they'll make quite a difference in the stance and be better used here.  I do need a few odds and ends like servos, but my budget needs to recover first... :) 

    • Like 21

  12. Finally finished this one. Went back to the hot rod body and got everything buttoned up. Every now and again a build comes along that makes me question everything I know about crawling. :) This is one.  

    To recap, I'm using a Tamiya mini motor/2S on a 3:1 reduction, comical series arms and dogbones for a but extra width, locked diffs and portals on all 4 corners, slightly longer Tamiya CVA's, pitbull tires, and SSD wheels with brass rings up front to balance out the rear motor.  
    20231127-113439-SM.jpg

    It's been built forever and changed bodies 3 times, but this is the first time out. The gearing worked out spot on for crawling and trail duty. The mini motors make RPM but not torque, so they have to be geared down a bit but they make nice smooth power once you find the gearing sweet spot. 
    20231127-113958-SM.jpg

    I only have a little over an inch of travel at each wheel so there's not a lot of flex. The CG is ridiculously low, and it turned out to be super predictable. It teetered a few times, but was always able to drive out of it no problem. 
    20231127-114117-SM.jpg

    Sitting at the bottom of the hard line on my test rock..
    20231127-114406-SM.jpg

    Where it proceeded to walk right up it. I was absolutely stunned...only 2 trucks this year have made it up this line, even some of my best trucks won't do it. I actually turned around and drove back down which I have never been able to do - I always get a nosedive off that top lip. The CG here is so low, this build just sticks to the rock. It looses grip way before it wants to flip, so it was super stable. Floored. 
    20231127-114354-SM.jpg

    Straight up, sidehill, no problem. Might lift a tire here and there, but the stability was unreal. 
    20231127-115043-SM.jpg
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    "Flex shot"... lol. Such as it is. Springs are a bit on the hard side, it won't completely compress under it's own weight. 
    20231127-115310-SM.jpg

    Down on test rock #2 - down and up, drama free. 
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    The open body lets the tires grab pretty easily and I made some decent gaps. 
    20231127-115926-SM.jpg

    Creek crossing?? Well...stream crossing. Wasn't going any deeper, the non waterprrof receiver is just taped to the bottom of the chassis under the ESC. 
    20231127-120930-SM.jpg

    Was working my way up some pretty rough terrain and one of the ball links came loose. A quick field repair and I was back on it for about 30 seconds and LVC kicked off.  
    20231127-121341-SM.jpg

    Very successful first run, and shocked at how well this thing can elevator itself up and down some pretty serious terrain. Got a few changes in mind, but off to a promising start! 

    • Like 5

  13. On 5/30/2023 at 10:57 PM, Smokescreen38 said:

    People always point out that this is NOT a crawler and that’s mostly true but where the ground clearance and articulation are lacking, the approach angle and traction are excellent.  This is definitely going to be a fun one for some moderate trail driving.  

     

    Congrats! Welcome to the Dyna club!

    Not sure I agree with that ... It can crawl as well as anything I own with the right setup. 

    20231001-103755-SM.jpg

     

    • Like 1
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