Racing by post - Round 45 takes us to Anderstorp!

[El Gecko 1344]

7 hours ago, Carmine A said:

@El Gecko I just added Lap Trax.... I can't get it to WORK. 😲😖  Help! 

How do you START the counter?? I've managed to do everything but.

Just tap on the digits (05:00:00) to start the countdown! Once the countdown finishes, everything on the screen will turn green instead of yellow, and your race has begun. Then once the 5 minutes runs out, the screen will go back to yellow again, displaying your total laps for the run. A single tap will clear the previous laps, and another tap will start the countdown for the next race.

[TurnipJF 9192]

Today dawned a bit brighter, so even though the tarmac wasn't fully dry, I took my TT-02S and M-05 out to get some laps in, just in case this is the best opportunity I get this round. The going was a bit slippery and quite a lot of fun, not great for competitive driving, but certainly enjoyable. Here are some pics of today's runners wearing their runner shells:

 

 

[Carmine A 2046]

@TurnipJF Looking GOOD Mate!! 👌  If at all possible, I want to try to get some "Jelly Mold" Race Body for my TT-02S SM RRRR GT4.... 

I'm rather proud of the Mustang Body, and would be gutted if I were to SMASH it. 😭😭😭

[Carmine A 2046]

5 hours ago, El Gecko said:

Just tap on the digits (05:00:00) to start the countdown! Once the countdown finishes, everything on the screen will turn green instead of yellow, and your race has begun. Then once the 5 minutes runs out, the screen will go back to yellow again, displaying your total laps for the run. A single tap will clear the previous laps, and another tap will start the countdown for the next race.

THANK YOU!! 😊  Next issue... WHICH mode do I select? I'm guessing either Motion or Manual... 

Sorry! I used to get a grip on technogeek stuff a lot better when I was younger! 😖  I feel like I'm going around in circles with this, and when I think I've got it sorted, I wave my hand back and forth across the camera... and NOTHING.

[mud4fun 1696]

2 hours ago, Carmine A said:

THANK YOU!! 😊  Next issue... WHICH mode do I select? I'm guessing either Motion or Manual... 

Sorry! I used to get a grip on technogeek stuff a lot better when I was younger! 😖  I feel like I'm going around in circles with this, and when I think I've got it sorted, I wave my hand back and forth across the camera... and NOTHING.

You need motion, we used manual but you need somebody to click the digits each time which is prone to problems, arguments and missed laps. That app is OK but no good for running more than one car and reliably tracking them hence reason we got the LapMonitor.

 

[El Gecko 1344]

3 hours ago, Carmine A said:

THANK YOU!! 😊  Next issue... WHICH mode do I select? I'm guessing either Motion or Manual... 

Sorry! I used to get a grip on technogeek stuff a lot better when I was younger! 😖  I feel like I'm going around in circles with this, and when I think I've got it sorted, I wave my hand back and forth across the camera... and NOTHING.

No worries! I had to play around with it a bit before I understood it too. I think it's kind of a weird app, interface-wise, and I can only get Motion to work when I set up Manual first. I don't know if it's the same on your phone, but when I open the app, I select Manual mode to start with. Then it brings me to the racer selection screen, and I select the racer called Manual#1 (green, MA1) and click ok.

Now you should be in the normal race screen. Tap and hold down on the lap section to increase max laps, and tap and hold down on the clock icon to increase the race time (tap on the digits once they're flashing), then tap the clock again to save.

Then once all that is set up, I tap the timer icon in the lower left that opens the menu, and select Motion as the mode. Then it will ask you to set the exposure lock (I'm assuming this is where it gathers up the data on the background), set the motion detection sensitivity (I use medium-high sensitivity), select the Motion #1 racer, and then your race is ready to run. THEN you can tap on the digits to start the countdown.

It supposedly beeps as the car crosses the line, with different sounds for the start/finish, but the audio subsystem on my Pixel is broken so I can't verify. There is also a green bar on the screen that will fill completely when it has successfully counted a lap (the lap total increases as well, but that's harder to read at a distance).

[EvilSpike 294]

On 11/9/2020 at 10:21 PM, Re-Bugged said:

Virtual wooden spoon to me then for a lucky last!!

Not so fast young man, I've just got my Lunchbox built. That wooden spoon may well be mine sir!

[maniacal laughter...]

 

Also, the only way I keep count is to video each run and then count them afterwards. Even then I need to watch the video twice. :/

 

[Carmine A 2046]

5 hours ago, EvilSpike said:

 

 

Also, the only way I keep count is to video each run and then count them afterwards. Even then I need to watch the video twice. :/

 

 

 

Actually not a bad idea!!💡 My problem has been getting counting people coordinated. This would eliminate that!! 

I'm still holding out for this COOL App to actually work....

[Re-Bugged 10155]

So.....Wooden Spoon Dual at dawn it is then @EvilSpike .....

[jupitertwo 1484]

Had a first go at the Round 5 track in the back garden with the XV01.

Conditions are a little slippy

Ran a bit wide on the previous marker, up on to the paving and slid nicely into the hedge.

[mud4fun 1696]

27 minutes ago, jupitertwo said:

Ran a bit wide on the previous marker, up on to the paving and slid nicely into the hedge.

LOL, sounds like me on the last round 

[mud4fun 1696]

On 11/9/2020 at 3:19 PM, El Gecko said:

You're right about that, congrats on last place! Blackfoots bringing up the rear of the leaderboard but scoring the highest on fun

 

Actually to be fair to the poor old Blackfoots, my king Blackfoot was actually beating my Avante2001 on Round 2 (no I'm not joking) until its steering snapped and it ploughed head on into a concrete curb at 25mph so DNF'd it's best attempt.... admittedly it was a 'bit' modified* but even so...

Sadly it is still in bits waiting for replacement parts, the crash smashed just about every plastic part on the front half of the chassis.... I was hoping to have it running again for round 5 but still can't find parts 

@Re-Bugged will be happy to hear that I'm thinking of putting a polycarbonate Kamtec baja beetle shell on it to reduce CoG 

*14T mtroniks motor, 8.4v NiCD, race spec ESC, kyosho alloy shocks, lowered and running low profile tarmac tyres. 

 

[El Gecko 1344]

2 hours ago, mud4fun said:

Actually to be fair to the poor old Blackfoots, my king Blackfoot was actually beating my Avante2001 on Round 2 (no I'm not joking) until its steering snapped and it ploughed head on into a concrete curb at 25mph so DNF'd it's best attempt.... admittedly it was a 'bit' modified* but even so...

Sadly it is still in bits waiting for replacement parts, the crash smashed just about every plastic part on the front half of the chassis.... I was hoping to have it running again for round 5 but still can't find parts 

@Re-Bugged will be happy to hear that I'm thinking of putting a polycarbonate Kamtec baja beetle shell on it to reduce CoG 

*14T mtroniks motor, 8.4v NiCD, race spec ESC, kyosho alloy shocks, lowered and running low profile tarmac tyres. 

 

Funny you mention that, I went to the local hobby shop the other day and actually bought something RC-related for the very first time! My Blackfoot is now rolling on a pair of JConcepts Dirt Webs (hopefully getting a matching pair soon), a 3000mAh NiMH, and ...drumroll...

MY FIRST ESC EVER!!!!

Well, second ever if you count my cousin's old Traxxas XL-1 that melted down when I tried to use it. I don't count that one, and I've been using MSCs exclusively my whole RC life, so this is essentially my first.

Putting the bad memories of the XL-1 aside, I impulse-bought the shop's last Traxxas XL-5, and I'm so glad I did. The tires and battery helped a lot, but the ESC made the biggest difference. I had it out for a test bash yesterday, and I had the biggest smile on my face the whole time. I've never had brakes on an RC before and I can't wait to try it on the actual course this weekend!

Now that I have a working NiMH charger, I'm also attempting to rehabilitate another battery, this time an old Traxxas 5000mAh NiMH that I bought for a portable stereo project years ago. It started life as a 9.6V 8-cell hump pack, but I've cracked it open and cut the two top cells off to turn it into a 6-cell stick. It was beyond dead, so I had to trickle charge it a bit on the old NiCd beast before my smart charger would even recognize it. More testing today, hopefully I can bring it back!

[mud4fun 1696]

1 hour ago, El Gecko said:

MY FIRST ESC EVER!!!!

Congratulations El Gecko, I have not used an MSC in 20 years but I can remember the difference when I got my first ESC. 

I have been spoilt because my first was actually a Novak which I still have and it still works fine. That was followed by a string of Novak's culminating in all my cars running Novak Rooster or Super Rooster ESC's in 2005.

They have now largely been replaced with cheap Hobbywing 1060's, in part to allow use of LiPo but also for their tiny size and light weight. They are no match for a Novak for braking or throttle control but they do fine and are a third of the weight of a Rooster!

There is no way I could go back to an MSC after having ESC's!!! 

 

[Carmine A 2046]

1 hour ago, El Gecko said:

and ...drumroll...

MY FIRST ESC EVER!!!!

WELCOME TO 1987!!! 😜 

Seriously, you'll never look back. If you hunt Evilbay and Amazon, you'll find several decent ESCs for $15 or LESS 😊

[mud4fun 1696]

Oddly enough though, I never used brakes at all for round 4, lifting off the throttle was enough to slow down and get the Thundershot to turn in. The engine braking is pretty impressive on the Dyna Run Super Touring motors especially with the small pinion I chose to run for round 4, effectively means you don't need brakes* 

 

*Except for when you crash

[Carmine A 2046]

@mud4fun not surprising with your Motor choices. You may already know, the lower Turns are in a Motor (and stronger Magnets), the harder it will Coast Brake. 

And the ESC Brake will also be stronger. 😉

[El Gecko 1344]

I'm still new to this but the brakes on the Traxxas ESC seem weaker than I expected (the motor is still the 27T Point Blank, with a light recondition to go with the rest of the updates to the car). The ESC has a "Crawl" profile with a "Hill Drag Brake" at neutral that works a heck of a lot better than the standard style brakes, although I've only tested it in the basement so far. Not sure how much braking power you get from a typical ESC or why the "Hill Drag Brake" would provide more stopping power than the other settings?

And by the looks of things, I believe I've successfully revived the 5000mAh NiMH. It's got a ton of punch so hopefully the runtime is still decent too

  

1 hour ago, Carmine A said:

WELCOME TO 1987!!! 😜 

Seriously, you'll never look back. If you hunt Evilbay and Amazon, you'll find several decent ESCs for $15 or LESS 😊

I know, sad isn't it? Although now I'm having more RC fun than ever before

What are the reputable ESC brands these days? I see a lot of "Quicrun 1060" types on Amazon with different brand names--any I should stay away from, or are they equally questionable?

[ExmouthAdam 37]

This looks like great fun, is it too late to join in?!

I've just built my first Tamiya (Midnight Pumpkin) so not going to be fast, but something a bit more purposeful than random bashing will be very welcome at the moment!

[ryback 61]

Another latecomer here...looks fun. I have space for 4 x 5 just out the front of my house, so will def give those size tracks a go. The larger layouts will require a drive. Tarmac, although it’s on a bit of an angle. Just done my first runs, night time Le Mans style! Used the RC Timing app for iOS (Laptrax looked like Android only?)

[TurnipJF 9192]

47 minutes ago, ExmouthAdam said:

This looks like great fun, is it too late to join in?!

I've just built my first Tamiya (Midnight Pumpkin) so not going to be fast, but something a bit more purposeful than random bashing will be very welcome at the moment!

Never too late to join - as soon as one round ends, another begins. Welcome to the madness! 

[TurnipJF 9192]

2 minutes ago, ryback said:

Another latecomer here...looks fun. I have space for 4 x 5 just out the front of my house, so will def give those size tracks a go. The larger layouts will require a drive. Tarmac, although it’s on a bit of an angle. Just done my first runs, night time Le Mans style! Used the RC Timing app for iOS (Laptrax looked like Android only?)

That loos like fun! I'll have to give night racing a go, when I have fitted one of my faster cars with lights. At the moment it is only my CC-01 and G6-01 that have functioning lights, and I don't see either of them winning any races!

[mud4fun 1696]

3 hours ago, El Gecko said:

I'm still new to this but the brakes on the Traxxas ESC seem weaker than I expected (the motor is still the 27T Point Blank, with a light recondition to go with the rest of the updates to the car). The ESC has a "Crawl" profile with a "Hill Drag Brake" at neutral that works a heck of a lot better than the standard style brakes, although I've only tested it in the basement so far. Not sure how much braking power you get from a typical ESC or why the "Hill Drag Brake" would provide more stopping power than the other settings?

And by the looks of things, I believe I've successfully revived the 5000mAh NiMH. It's got a ton of punch so hopefully the runtime is still decent too

  

I know, sad isn't it? Although now I'm having more RC fun than ever before

What are the reputable ESC brands these days? I see a lot of "Quicrun 1060" types on Amazon with different brand names--any I should stay away from, or are they equally questionable?

In my thundershot with a 19T motor and 14T pinion the Novak braking would nearly stand the car on its nose whereas the Hobbywing 1060 slowed gradually and was no comparison, far inferior to the Novak Rooster. However in the same buggy fitted with a 13T motor and 14T pinion even the Hobbywing 1060 brakes instantly and sharply. This is mainly because the magnet is so strong on the Dyna run super touring that you can't turn it by hand, even trying to push the car along the ground is difficult and requires some force! So basically the ESC doesn't have to do much. Just lifting off the throttle with the 13T motor and relying on engine braking results in better braking than the 1060 achieved on the 19T even under full braking!

The higher turn motors have weaker magnets so show up the poor braking of the cheap ESC's when compared to the expensive ones. Having said all that I have now got used to driving with them, adjusted my driving style and quite happy with the 1060's. 

I bought all my Hobbywing quicrun 1060's from modelsport, eight of them now this year (4 with deans connectors and 4 with tamiya), every one works fine, none have the issue reported of cutting out (other than correctly when the battery is low or motor overheats etc).

 

[mud4fun 1696]

56 minutes ago, ryback said:

Another latecomer here...looks fun. I have space for 4 x 5 just out the front of my house, so will def give those size tracks a go. The larger layouts will require a drive. Tarmac, although it’s on a bit of an angle. Just done my first runs, night time Le Mans style! Used the RC Timing app for iOS (Laptrax looked like Android only?)

 

That looks ace with the lights in the dark. We might try that on a future round, we have lights on a couple of our cars including my king Blackfoot.

[El Gecko 1344]

39 minutes ago, mud4fun said:

In my thundershot with a 19T motor and 14T pinion the Novak braking would nearly stand the car on its nose whereas the Hobbywing 1060 slowed gradually and was no comparison, far inferior to the Novak Rooster. However in the same buggy fitted with a 13T motor and 14T pinion even the Hobbywing 1060 brakes instantly and sharply. This is mainly because the magnet is so strong on the Dyna run super touring that you can't turn it by hand, even trying to push the car along the ground is difficult and requires some force! So basically the ESC doesn't have to do much. Just lifting off the throttle with the 13T motor and relying on engine braking results in better braking than the 1060 achieved on the 19T even under full braking!

The higher turn motors have weaker magnets so show up the poor braking of the cheap ESC's when compared to the expensive ones. Having said all that I have now got used to driving with them, adjusted my driving style and quite happy with the 1060's. 

I bought all my Hobbywing quicrun 1060's from modelsport, eight of them now this year (4 with deans connectors and 4 with tamiya), every one works fine, none have the issue reported of cutting out (other than correctly when the battery is low or motor overheats etc).

 

Thanks for the info about the Hobbywing, I think I finally found the correct one!

As for braking, I have determined, after some high speed testing, that Hill Drag Brake is ONLY for LOW speed driving! Simply returning the sticks to neutral at speed caused an unrecoverable pirouette. Switched back to Trail mode and it's perfect. The brakes do actually work at speed, but I found some Traxxas forums saying the brakes are particularly weak on the XL-5. But I'm still happy, it drives nice and I love driving it and I think I'm gonna keep it this way :)

  

1 hour ago, TurnipJF said:

Never too late to join - as soon as one round ends, another begins. Welcome to the madness! 

That's true, I joined in Round 4!