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Put 4 Cree LEDs in the light bar on my Lunchbox. Waiting for it to get dark to see how they perform.

I already put 2 Nichia ones in the headlights, they are super bright but have a wide 70 degree beam so are quite diffuse, the Crees have a lower total light output but have a 15 degree beam so they are much brighter over a focused area and there will be 4 of them. Hopefully the 2 types in combination will give a good result.

I tried to take the easy route at first and install a cheap pre-wired set of lights from China but it turned out they were 2 white and 2 red despite coming in a set of 4 front spotlights .
 
Somehow the lights included with this:

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Looked like this:

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They seem to work pretty well!

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LEDs are one of those subjects that I looked into quickly and it turned out to be a rabbit hole!

It's a bit tricky setting LEDs up precisely using a simple resistor to limit current because the calculations require you to enter the forward voltage/voltage drop but in reality, this can vary significantly between batches. The Cree for example has a voltage range of anywhere between 2.8 and 4.0v while pulling the same current. In other words, when working at 30ma (the max continuous for the units I'm using) some units will drop 2.8v and some might drop 4.0v. If you set up a resistor up for 4v but the LED drops 30ma at 2.8v then it would be overdriven and vice versa. 

The manufacturers tend to do something called "binning" where units with similar voltages and colour temperatures etc get put together. This means my LEDs are probably quite well matched but I still have no idea what voltage they are at 30ma. 

The most sure way is to have a current limiting circuit but it's more complicated and expensive than the simple resistor. 

In the end I just used the max current figure and went with 3.4v as a guess. They seem to work pretty well, putting out plenty of light and not getting hot at all so I think I'm in the right ball park. I might try more voltage at some point though and see what happens. Most decent LEDs can be overdriven to some degree and the only downside is it will reduce the lifespan but for RC use it isn't much of an issue if your LED "only" lasts 500 hours instead of 20,000! 





 

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Bought a partially built 🐝 ! Says it comes with original futaba esc that came with first batches of the hornet rereleases. Anyone else know if that’s accurate ? 

F6FDE226-DD56-4EDA-A943-3F6C5C7F491F.jpeg

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21 minutes ago, rwordenjr said:

Bought a partially built 🐝 ! Says it comes with original futaba esc that came with first batches of the hornet rereleases. Anyone else know if that’s accurate ? 

 

Futaba makes a lot of electronics for Tamiya.

Speaking of electronics, finished this and need to install electronics. Would like to buy hop-ups for it, but I am broke 😄

fJeP1IS.jpg

 

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17 minutes ago, berman said:

Futaba makes a lot of electronics for Tamiya.

Speaking of electronics, finished this and need to install electronics. Would like to buy hop-ups for it, but I am broke 😄

fJeP1IS.jpg

 

Do they just leave the futaba name on it though? The picture esc says Futaba 

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Shocks and motor finally arrived from an order on May 2nd. I admit, the blue motor bell end was the reason for the purchase. 

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On 7/16/2020 at 2:42 AM, Aerobert said:

:lol: That's how I paint my cars.

Me too, all of them. I wouldn't feel like a pro otherwise! :D

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On 7/17/2020 at 5:39 AM, Kitzbuehel74 said:

Sticker time for the Tomahawk :)

 

7F253BEC-DE84-406C-AD4C-5B94EAD6F162.thumb.jpeg.d417a5130033d1031182afd90e7ffb10.jpeg

 

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Great job! I really like it.

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Now that all the hop ups and bling I've ordered for the Manta Ray are starting to finally show up in my mailbox, I find myself enjoying its current setup (which included the infampus coathahanger) to a degree that is surprising.

Because of that, the car is going to be on full duty for a few days before momentarily leaving the battlefield for a tune-up and facelift.

In other words, time to enjoy it now that I don't mind some bumps and scuffs, as I know that once the bling and fancy hop up is on and the sloppiness, which in a way means more flexibility and shock absorption, is gone in favour of a stiffer set up I'll be afraid of hitting the smallest pebble at slow pace.

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Not today but two days ago (hopefully too late to post??)

Had to hit the town for work, so I brough the Hornet with me, still equipped with a hotter 15T motor, to take advantage of the change of scenary.

It was the perfect parking lot urchin !

20200718-135526.jpg

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I got a 3D printer for my birthday gift last weekend, so spent time this week figuring that stuff out.
After a few prints for the kids, I've tried out some RC parts.

courtesy of @osunick I've printed some 934 arms for my TA02SWs.

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Now mid print on one of @Manix92 's fine detail ones
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Fun stuff, next step is to learn to model my own stuff.

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Had the Optima out for a jaunt today.

20200718_135333 (2)

I cannot express just how great this buggy is. It stays glued to the ground and goes exactly where you point it but still does it with a style no modern buggy can match. Great build and great performance to match. If the CAT XLS is an even better performer (which by all accounts, it is) it must be scary good, lol ;). I'm really gaining a love for Kyosho stuff. Can't wait till they bring out a Mid again. 

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This evening I started painting 3x driver figures, that I've been putting off doing. Used some lengths of balsa wood left over from my scale garage build to attach all the pieces to whilst primering them. Took some time fixing everything on, but works a treat!

 

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17 hours ago, rwordenjr said:

Do they just leave the futaba name on it though? The picture esc says Futaba 

Would have to see it. 

Picked up 4 pairs of M grip M chassis tyres from my LHS today (also went and fixed two CC-01s and Kyosho Monster Trackers), came home and fitted the tyres.

Going to need some more, and some spares 😄

u2LXEtp.jpg

 

 

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1 hour ago, Saito2 said:

I'm really gaining a love for Kyosho stuff. Can't wait till they bring out a Mid again.

I'm totally with you on this one, can't wait till they re release the gorgeous Mid (any of them) :wub:

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25 minutes ago, berman said:

Would have to see it. 

Picked up 4 pairs of M grip M chassis tyres from my LHS today (also went and fixed two CC-01s and Kyosho Monster Trackers), came home and fitted the tyres.

Going to need some more, and some spares 😄

u2LXEtp.jpg

 

 

 

97433237-8949-48D6-92EF-1E117AD793B2.png

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I finally got around to installing the reservior shocks that I bought on a whim for the Plasma Edge II. In fact they were the first item I bought after buying the kit all of six months ago. I think they look decent, and they sure feel decent to compress; I'll have to give this puppy a run before I see if there is any performance improvement. For now though, I'm happy with the aesthetic lift.

Out with the old:

IMG-20200719-001047.jpg

And in with the new:

IMG-20200719-010638.jpg

IMG-20200719-010802-Bokeh.jpg

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@Ferruz 

You are making me change my opinion on the manta ray body. If they had done your car as the box art standard it would have a lot more love! 

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2 minutes ago, rwordenjr said:

 

97433237-8949-48D6-92EF-1E117AD793B2.png

Ok, not aware of that esc coming with any Tamiya. Futaba also did a MC330CR which was a lower turn, I bought about 5 of them back when they were available as they were a cheap low turn esc.

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Just now, berman said:

Ok, not aware of that esc coming with any Tamiya. Futaba also did a MC330CR which was a lower turn, I bought about 5 of them back when they were available as they were a cheap low turn esc.

Supposedly came with first batch of the hornet rereleases back in 2004. Not sure if true but cool fact if so.

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28 minutes ago, Hobgoblin said:

@Ferruz 

You are making me change my opinion on the manta ray body. If they had done your car as the box art standard it would have a lot more love! 

Thank you. I think that Tamiya totally aced a lot of their box art (Sand Scorcher, Hornet, Avante, Terra Scorcher to mention some), but that they just absolutely blew it when it comes to the Manta Ray. I find the body itself to be pretty sleek and with a lot of potential when it comes to painting it, as it offers at least a few different color schemes that would all look much better than the dull, calamari-on-the-rocks original look.

Anyway I like the Manta Ray, so I'm glad if my specimen helps to rehabilitate her fame :D

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19 hours ago, berman said:

Futaba makes a lot of electronics for Tamiya.

Speaking of electronics, finished this and need to install electronics. Would like to buy hop-ups for it, but I am broke 😄

fJeP1IS.jpg

 

That was quick 👍🏻

Do these take a standard size servo??


Hows your friend going after his unfortunate heart attack?

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