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Tamiya 57409 - Lunch Box Mini (SW-01)

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So I'm going to confess that I took a bit of a wrong turn in buying electrics for the kit and it's becoming a bit of a challenge to just get this thing to run!

Perhaps this is why the UK stock has been available at a massive discount recently? It just isn't an easy car to get running unless you buy a "deal" on day one.

For what it's worth:

- Hobbywing 1625 won't run off 4-cell NiMH (5 cell minimum). Also comes with a "Mini Tamiya" plug. Oh, and airsoft use these plugs with REVERSE polarity (don't ask).

- Currently no UK stock (that I can see) of a dedicated LiPo.

- Very limited range of brushed speedos available from reputable manufacturers, so hard to know whether a different ESC would actually work on 4-cell or not!

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For your information: I run a EZrun A1 18A esc with a 12t 2030 motor (maybe a bit much, and not a drop in fit, but not hard to make it work) and a turnigy nanotech 1700mAh 2 cell lifepo battery. The battery is a receiver pack but works well with the esc. I always change out the plugs on my batteries to 4mm gold because I had tamiya plugs melting.

I got the motor esc from tamico and the battery from hobbyking. The battery will also fit the dancing rider. They should both be available in UK.

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Mine just runs the TLB-02 with a sport tuned motor and the battery pack I listed earlier

It’s undriveable at this speed / power 

JJ

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Ran into the same issue on mine with the 1625. Found a Lipo and a charger but got to wait for delivery. Hopefully this checks off the last of the boxes.

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Quick question, do I need to remove the grub screws holding the rear upper arm when I install the steering links?  Thanks.

 

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Just thought I'd share an update on where I've ended up with the electrics for this after my earlier headaches...

Ended up going for a 7.4v 850mAh Turnigy NanoTech LiPo pack. Less than a tenner posted from a UK eBay seller. Paired with a Hobbywing 1625 and Futaba servo and receiver.

Now I was a bit concerned that the pack would be too small but we've been out with it twice this week, and today it must have been going for over an hour before running out of puff.

Speed-wise, this set up is not as fast as I feared it would be. Wheelies with ease and is about twice walking pace flat out. Makes for a fun truck on loose paths or smooth grass. Can't cope with any big rocks but it's fun to watch it bounce around as it tries.

It's a strange little truck but a lot of fun. Handles suprisingly well (the counter-rolling suspension geometry might help here). Making the wheel alignment a bit more sensible also helped (kit settings had huge toe angles).

Biggest negative for me so far has been the driveshafts which loosened off on the first run. I've used some medium CA to bind the metal to the plastic and it has held up so far, a thicker epoxy might be even better. I've also lost one of the safety clips on the bottom of the steering hubs, but the hub hasn't fallen out yet.

The other parts of the car that I consider to be a fragile design haven't broken yet! So what do I know...

IMG_3024s.JPG

IMG_3025s.JPG

IMG_3026s.JPG

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24 minutes ago, sosidge said:

I was a bit concerned that the pack would be too small but we've been out with it twice this week, and today it must have been going for over an hour before running out of puff.

Thank you for that!  I've seen the pack.  I also thought it was too small.  But an hour is plenty.  

 

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On 5/27/2020 at 10:38 PM, Leiywen said:

Quick question, do I need to remove the grub screws holding the rear upper arm when I install the steering links?  Thanks.

 

Yup, you wind them right down to allow the rear to pivot. They are only there to straighten the rear wheels whilst it's only front wheel steering. It's worth decreasing the kits large toe settings to. I found the best setting was when I could reverse without any wobble weirdly?! Fun steering whilst doing wheelies. 

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On 5/31/2020 at 8:45 AM, Grotty Otty said:

Yup, you wind them right down to allow the rear to pivot. They are only there to straighten the rear wheels whilst it's only front wheel steering. It's worth decreasing the kits large toe settings to. I found the best setting was when I could reverse without any wobble weirdly?! Fun steering whilst doing wheelies. 

I’ve fitted the upper arm connectors but I’m still not able to steer whilst popping a wheelie! I suspect it’s because I need to reduce the toe settings as mentioned above but - as a newbie - I’m not really sure what this means! I’ve got the tie rods set up as detailed in the hop up instructions - 4mm gap front and 2.2mm rear. Should I try narrowing or widening the gap? The tie rods are a pain to remove  so don’t want to mess with them too much :) 

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1 hour ago, Wooster said:

I’ve fitted the upper arm connectors but I’m still not able to steer whilst popping a wheelie! I suspect it’s because I need to reduce the toe settings as mentioned above but - as a newbie - I’m not really sure what this means! I’ve got the tie rods set up as detailed in the hop up instructions - 4mm gap front and 2.2mm rear. Should I try narrowing or widening the gap? The tie rods are a pain to remove  so don’t want to mess with them too much :) 

I found you need a little toe in on the rear for the wheelie steering to work but not as much as the instructions for the link kit suggest.

Adjust the rods so the rear wheels point in a little at the front and your wheelies will be steerable. 

Too much toe in makes it steer the wrong way if I remember correctly.

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I've just bought one of these little beasts, I'm looking forward to running it. It looks like a great fun little car!

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2 hours ago, Wooster said:

Should I try narrowing or widening the gap?

Which ever way pushes the wheels a touch more parallel, haven't mine to hand at the moment. 

43 minutes ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

I found you need a little toe in on the rear for the wheelie steering to work but not as much as the instructions for the link kit suggest.

Pretty much this. 

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On 5/30/2020 at 7:57 PM, sosidge said:

 

Biggest negative for me so far has been the driveshafts which loosened off on the first run. I've used some medium CA to bind the metal to the plastic and it has held up so far, a thicker epoxy might be even better. 

 

 

The hop up cross pin part tells you to glue the driveshaft, so they released a hop up part that doesn't solve the problem, you have to glue it. Lol

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1 hour ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

The hop up cross pin part tells you to glue the driveshaft, so they released a hop up part that doesn't solve the problem, you have to glue it. Lol

I've ordered the new carbon fiber reinforced parts. I hope they will solve this problem...

Also another problem is that the upper arms are way too soft. They bend under the weight of the battery and the ground clearence drops to half on the back. I get the point that they function as some kind of shock absorbers as well but I don't really like them. I hope that the FRP parts will also solve this problem.

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What are people's thoughts on the upper arm connectors?

I've had them in the car today, and I'm a bit disappointed. You don't get much steering control over wheelies, and in return, the truck becomes more unstable if it does pop an unexpected wheely. Tried lots of toe adjustments, but not really happy with any of them.

Think I might take the connectors off. Truck was a bit easier to enjoy without them.

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5 hours ago, sosidge said:

What are people's thoughts on the upper arm connectors?

I've had them in the car today, and I'm a bit disappointed. You don't get much steering control over wheelies, and in return, the truck becomes more unstable if it does pop an unexpected wheely. Tried lots of toe adjustments, but not really happy with any of them.

Think I might take the connectors off. Truck was a bit easier to enjoy without them.

I know you said you tried loads of settings but looking at your pics, try it again with a little more toe in on the rear.

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12 hours ago, sosidge said:

What are people's thoughts on the upper arm connectors?

I've had them in the car today, and I'm a bit disappointed. You don't get much steering control over wheelies, and in return, the truck becomes more unstable if it does pop an unexpected wheely. Tried lots of toe adjustments, but not really happy with any of them.

Think I might take the connectors off. Truck was a bit easier to enjoy without them.

I think that it makes the car more toyish... behaves like a cheap toy car. It runs great without the connectors. I've got two SW01s, one of my favorite chassis and I've ordered all the available Tamiya hopups for them except the upper connnectors. I dont feel the need for them. 

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7 hours ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

I know you said you tried loads of settings but looking at your pics, try it again with a little more toe in on the rear.

Pics are from before I fitted the connectors. I've run with the settings from the instruction sheet and many adjustments either way. Less toe and it won't wheely-steer, more toe and the wheely-steer is better but you get other issues where it won't run happily on four wheels!

7 minutes ago, TDanny said:

I think that it makes the car more toyish... behaves like a cheap toy car. It runs great without the connectors. I've got two SW01s, one of my favorite chassis and I've ordered all the available Tamiya hopups for them except the upper connnectors. I dont feel the need for them. 

Thanks, more or less my impression. 

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my mini lunchbox runs way better with the upper connectors.. before I could not make a normal turn without it ending on its side..wheelie steering is still not great, but I'd rather go fast arround a corner that slow wheelie  turning

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On 4/26/2020 at 10:26 AM, Johan said:

For your information: I run a EZrun A1 18A esc with a 12t 2030 motor (maybe a bit much, and not a drop in fit, but not hard to make it work) 

I have this motor in a quick drive thunder dragon and it's nuts!!! For such a tiny can, it has enormous power.

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So if you follow the setup measurements with the connectors you end up with toe-in on the rear and toe-out on the front. This seems a little counter active to me. I've got mine set with a little toe-in on the rear, but it shimmies at full speed. I'd this likely due to the amount of toe-out recommended on the front? 4.4 mm setting if i remember correctly.

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