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markbt73

Anybody Seen The Leopard Brushless System Yet?

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the motor looks like and ezrun, just anno'd orange. the esc looks like a newer version of the ezrun, kinda like a xerun just unsensored.

that being said, i'm sure you'll like it. can't go wrong with an ezrun or one of thier many clones.

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Looks good might have to get one myself as im looking to take the next step into brushless, plus the logo on the Esc fan looks like the logo from my favourite 80's cartoon :o

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It does kinda look like the Thundercats logo, doesn't it?

Just ordered the 3300kV combo, so in 3-7 days I'll do a review...

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It looks interesting, you're definitely trading advanced programmability of the eZRun for the lower cost. The ESC looks like it has a larger footprint as well. Let us know how it runs and get some temp readings if you can.

Personally I prefer pairing an eZRUN ESC and program box with the green TACON "380" motors. The 35A eZRun ESCs run fine with them, you don't need the 60A ESCs which are actually designed for the full size motors like the 5.5T and 8.5T.

http://www.hobbypartz.com/96m10-car-2848-3000.html

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It's here...

DSCF0317.JPG

First impressions: Everything looks reasonably high-quality; the fit and finish is good and the solder joints for the power wires are nice and shiny. It comes with a Deans-type connector installed, which is a nice touch.

Programming options are limited; here's what's available on the card:

Reverse power: Off, 30%, 60%, 100%

Startup power: Standard, low, medium, high (I'll have to see what these equate to in terms of real-world performance)

Drag brake (a nice feature): Off, low, medium, high

Battery type: NiMH, 2S LiFe, NiCd, 2S LiPo, 3S LiFe, 3S LiPo

Motor and battery wires are kinda short; I'll have to be careful where I install the ESC to make sure everything reaches.

Time to install it and see what it can do... more later after my camera battery charges back up.

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I was interested in this setup for a boomerang possibly. I saw the following reply by customer support on the product page: "Customer Support Specialist yes is true they wont work with any other brand beside exceed 2.4GHz TX + RX Systems". So, what does that mean exactly? Could I use this with a regular radio system or do I need a 2.4Ghz? or does it mean that the listed brand is the only brand of 2.4Ghz that they'll work with?

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I was interested in this setup for a boomerang possibly. I saw the following reply by customer support on the product page: "Customer Support Specialist yes is true they wont work with any other brand beside exceed 2.4GHz TX + RX Systems". So, what does that mean exactly? Could I use this with a regular radio system or do I need a 2.4Ghz? or does it mean that the listed brand is the only brand of 2.4Ghz that they'll work with?

You don't have to use their brand of radio. I'm using it with a Great Planes Tactic 2.4ghz. I had to flip the reversing switch on channel 2 to make the auto-setup work properly (as mentioned in the instructions), but it works just fine now. The ESC has a universal plug on it with the standard Futaba/Hitec wire order, so I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work with standard AM or FM radios. I would guess they're just trying to sell you a radio too.

Using a 2.4 radio isn't a bad idea, though; a glitch or a runaway with this kind of power could really ruin your day.

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OK, preliminary review:

Setup of this system is essentially plug-and-play; the ESC automatically sets up neutral and endpoint settings when you turn it on. Listen for a series of videogame beeps, then a pause, then a different set of beeps, and it's good to go. You do have to be a little creative in finding a spot for the ESC, because the wires for the motor and battery aren't very long. It's also a good idea to wrap electrical tape around the motor connectors after you plug them in, so they don't come unplugged while you're running. (This happened to me twice during my initial test run.)

This is my first brushless system, and I had no idea what to expect in terms of power. I'm quite pleased. It's about on a par with a hot modified brushed motor, but the power curve is different; it runs more like a nitro engine, actually. Instead of running out of steam at higher speeds like a brushed motor does, it keeps pulling strong until the RPMs top out. I did notice a little stutter at low speeds (what I assume is the phenomenon known as "cogging") but only for a second or two; once it got rolling, the throttle response was very smooth and responsive. Right now I have the startup power in the "standard" setting, which starts it out nice and easy and then ramps up after a second or so. This is good for saving gears, I suppose, but the lag is a little annoying. I think I'll try switching it to "high," just to see if it's more responsive. I also need to bump up the reverse power, because right now, it barely moves in reverse.

This ESC uses the "double-click" setup for reverse, like the Tamiya ESCs: First push backwards is all brake until you let off, and then the second push is reverse. I really like this setup better than a delay or a 50:50 setup. You can also turn reverse off. The brakes are weaker than I had hoped, but they do stop the car in a reasonable distance. There are settings for drag brake too, but I haven't played with them yet.

Programming is easy: plug the ESC into the card, turn it on, select the setings you want (via red LEDs), push "Enter," and it beeps. Turn it off, plug it back into the receiver, and you're all set. It includes voltage cutoff settings for NiCd, NiMH, and 2 and 3 cell LiPo and LiFe packs. I'm running it with a cheapo 1500 mAh NiCd pack becasue that's all I have right now, and still getting 10-12 minutes on a pack. You can tell right away when the voltage cutoff kicks in, because the ESC applies full brake. If the car screeches to a halt when you hit the throttle, your battery is done.

The cooling fan on the ESC is a little noisy, but it is effective. The ESC stayed nice and cool during back-to-back runs (25 minutes run time total), and the motor was just warm, but not hot. The batteries, however, were too hot to hold comfortably; you can get away with cheap NiCds, but it puts quite a strain on them. I need to get a better battery pack or two, at least 3000 mAh NiMH. Also, don't try to run with an adapter from the ESC's Deans-style plug to a Tamiya plug; the Tamiya plugs can't handle the juice and you'll trigger the voltage cutoff early. Use a pack with a Deans plug on it.

Right now, I have the system installed in my Lunchbox. I tried a Stadium Thunder, but the old worn-out diff gears weren't up to the task and the splines stripped out. It's overkill for the Lunchbox, but at least I know the gearbox can handle the power. When I have some more money, I want to find a used RC10 or something that can really handle high speeds and try it in that.

A couple photos:

DSCF0320.JPG

DSCF0321.JPG

And a video:

http://www.vimeo.com/14509203

Overall, I really like this system, and I'll probably get another one eventually. I wouldn't recommend it for a big heavy vehicle, or for crawlers or scale trail trucks, but for fast off-roaders it's terrific, and I can only imagine what it's like in a touring car in a wide-open parking lot. For the price, you can't beat it; at $60, it's cheaper than a good brushed ESC. If you haven't tried brushless yet, do so.

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Nice review. I think it would be worth replacing the diff in your stadium thunder to see what it's like. I'm thinking of getting one to run my Dyna Blaster...

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Hey guys,

I also got one of these leopard systems (3300). My plan is to put it in my boomerang, but just for a test, I put it in my vintage rc10 when it arrived. It's a very nice system! Quality actually seems better than my castle mamba micro pro that I got for my tamtechs. The programming card is AWESOME compared to the stupid time consuming programming method for the castle system.

Anyway, the car performed very well, even better than with the AE 3300 system from my B4.1. The motor and esc were getting really hot though b/c of the gear ratio I was running. I called it a day after one battery pack and will hopefully try it out some more later today (if it doesn't rain) with a ratio that will be much easier on the system. Initial outlook is awesome though :P I need to mention that there was a little cogging depending on what start power I had it set to. No problem at all though once I got above about 20% throttle.

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Hey guys,

I also got one of these leopard systems (3300). My plan is to put it in my boomerang, but just for a test, I put it in my vintage rc10 when it arrived. It's a very nice system! Quality actually seems better than my castle mamba micro pro that I got for my tamtechs. The programming card is AWESOME compared to the stupid time consuming programming method for the castle system.

Anyway, the car performed very well, even better than with the AE 3300 system from my B4.1. The motor and esc were getting really hot though b/c of the gear ratio I was running. I called it a day after one battery pack and will hopefully try it out some more later today (if it doesn't rain) with a ratio that will be much easier on the system. Initial outlook is awesome though :) I need to mention that there was a little cogging depending on what start power I had it set to. No problem at all though once I got above about 20% throttle.

It's definintely sensitive to overgearing. I tried it in my Fire Dragon with the stock gearing and after 3 or 4 minutes (and 10 or 12 cartwheels) it kept bumping up against the thermal cutoff.

So now I'm going to the other end of the gearing spectrum, and trying it in an Axial AX10. :) I'll report my findings...

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Looks like a great system, just a shame Hobbypartz want as much to ship it to the UK as they do for the system itself. :)

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Hey Guys,

Just reporting back... put this thing in the boomerang and I was getting about 30 minutes of hard bashing on a 3800mah nimh pack. The best part: I could still touch the motor without getting burnt! The worst part...the right rear lower shock mount somehow stripped out :lol: No big deal though, I took care of it with super glue. This was with the stock 15T pinion, too. Definitely not as much cogging as with my RC10 (I attribute this more to weight issues not gearing).

One factor that helped a lot...it was only about 65F degrees out each day I tested. For anyone who is on the fence; just go ahead and get one of these systems before they are sold out or before summer is over! (well, depending what country you're in the summer thing may not apply!)

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I've actually installed mine in my Axial AX10. It does great! Top speed is about 15mph (which doesn't sound fast, but for a straight-axle truck with locked diffs is plenty), it does wheelies on command, and it can still crawl pretty well. It cogs a tiny bit at the very lowest speeds, but it's barely noticeable. I get about 15 minutes of run time off a 1500 NiCd, too, and after a run the battery is toasty, but the motor and ESC are barely above ambient. (I know, I need to stop using stone-age batteries someday, but they're cheap and durable.)

The only problem I can see is that I'm going to go through a lot of body shells... it likes to roll over. Oh well, at least I'll get to try out some different styles.

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Just as a FYI I've been reading that the magnets in these motors tend to delaminate at 160 degrees F. <_<

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Just as a FYI I've been reading that the magnets in these motors tend to delaminate at 160 degrees F. ;)

I don't really see the problem of a disintegrating motor... It makes things exciting, you never know what will happen next... And if something bad happens, it could become pretty spectacular ;)

Anyway, where did you get this information? :) If it is true, it's still not a problem when you don't live in a desert, and if it then still does get hot, you might need to make sure there's a (better) airflow over the motor (hole in the shell close to the motor, or a tube that directs 'cold' air to the motor).

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Anyway, where did you get this information? ;) If it is true, it's still not a problem when you don't live in a desert, and if it then still does get hot, you might need to make sure there's a (better) airflow over the motor (hole in the shell close to the motor, or a tube that directs 'cold' air to the motor).

Could've been an isolated incident but it's enough to warrant being cautious.

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This ESC uses the "double-click" setup for reverse, like the Tamiya ESCs: First push backwards is all brake until you let off, and then the second push is reverse. I really like this setup better than a delay or a 50:50 setup. You can also turn reverse off. The brakes are weaker than I had hoped, but they do stop the car in a reasonable distance. There are settings for drag brake too, but I haven't played with them yet.

Now that's the bit I like, the "double tap" control i.e. (at least on my Tamiya TEU101BK and TEU302BK) where you reverse by first moving the stick from throttle to reverse (brake) segment, then you have to put the stick back to neutral, then you pull back the second time to get the car to actually move backwards (also the Futaba MC330CR ESC does this).

I'd like to buy one of these Leopard 60A ESC's.

Does anyone know whether the Hobbywing 35A and 60A ESC's (sensorless) do the "double tap" style of reverse by default, and if not, can you program them to do so?

BTW if the Leopard motor in your picture has the known issue of debonding the magnets from the centre shaft at high temperatures, then can you use the Leopard 60A ESC successfully with the Hobbywing 13T motor? Anyone tried doing this yet?

Cheers,

Alistair G.

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Does anyone know whether the Hobbywing 35A and 60A ESC's (sensorless) do the "double tap" style of reverse by default, and if not, can you program them to do so?

Cheers,

Alistair G.

The EZ-RUN 35a does have double tap reverse,I think the 60a does as well but not 100% sure

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The EZ-RUN 35a does have double tap reverse

Thanks. Great to hear, I'll be ordering one soon.

Cheers,

ARG

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The EZ-RUN 35a does have double tap reverse,I think the 60a does as well but not 100% sure

it does indeed.

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