iwaver pcb in a zz mt, the cheats method!

[betty.k]

the biggest mental obstacle in making my zz monster truck propo was installing a servo for the steering. then i thought why bother? the pcb runs a motor so i removed the servo motor and connected the mt steering motor. without the servo pot the motor would run in one direction constantly so i used a resistor in it’s place.

the servo pot on an iwaver is 5k ohm so i aimed for a value somewhere in the middle. i found a 3.3k ohm. after centering all the trimpots i wound up with perfect steering in both directions.

if you observe a disassembled servo that’s hooked up you’ll notice the motor has about 2 or 3 steps in it’s speed. so when i turn a little, the motor gently turns the steering and turning hard makes the motor spin at full speed. this coupled with the return spring provides about 2 fuzzy steps of steering each way. i tend to turn at full lock in the rough anyway so it’s fine with me.

the throttle control is fantastic! even with the orange motor/gear combo i can lift the front from a standstill or crawl along like a snail with everything in between. i installed 3 x 200mah nimh to power it along:8ball:

[biohazard]

do you have any pictures of this mod yet?

[betty.k]

sorry none yet. but i don’t think they’re needed, it’s just too easy!

step 1: tricell (or quadcell) or lipo your mt
step 2: remove the stock pcb
step 3: solder the motor wires to the motor terminals on the iwaver pcb
step 4: solder the power wires to the iwaver pcb
step 5: solder the steering motor (on the monster) wires to the same place that the servo motor was attached on the iw pcb
step 6: remove the servo pot (variable resistor) from the iw pcb and replace it with a fixed value resistor with a value somewhere in the middle of 0ohm – 5kohm
step 7: center the steering trim on your tx and fiddle with the steering trim on the pcb until it is centered and not twitching much
step 8: go back to the steering trim and adjust it until the steering stops twitching.

and that’s it! you will still hear occasional twitching and when you pick it up the steering moves a tiny bit as a result of this twitch but on the ground it makes no difference.

all i wanted was propo throttle, i expected the steering to be all or nothing like a bit but i’m amazed at how well the whole thing turned out. seriously do it, and you’ll see what i mean:smiley2:

i will get pics when i get hold of the camera:8ball:

[TallduDe]

damn man i want pics!!!!!!!!!

im interested in this mod i got a spare iwaver board doing nothing LOL

[betty.k]

awwright! here’s ya pics! here’s the insides

the pcb sits a little high due to the tri cell

but not so high that the body won’t fit:8ball:

[TallduDe]

okay now a vid!!!!! :p

[betty.k]

yeesh! there’s just no satisfying you is there!:D:8ball:

[betty.k]

the stock steering motor is pretty weak so i used a bit motor (red zz 2.1) in it’s place and the steering is finally strong enough. i tell ya, so much fun for so little work!:8ball:

[TallduDe]

what batt’s are you using man?

[betty.k]

it’s a tri cell using 200mah nimh:8ball:

[TallduDe]

ahhhh okay den sounds cool den.

interested in doing this job for me LOL

[biohazard]

betty
what do you use to charge those bad boy 200 batteries

[betty.k]

i use my nicad/nimh charger for everything. does 1 – 10 cells up to 4 amps:8ball:

[chino]

betty. the resistor thing u did to the iw pcb (for none propo steering) is it posible to do this to an xmod pcb? if so can u show me how.

i wannah put an xmod pcb ina $20 street bike ive been messing with.

and heres a thread i posted i while on it
http://p221.ezboard.com/fxmodrcfrm17.showMessage?topicID=1597.topic

Edited by – chino on 07 February 2005 00:53:30

[betty.k]

well i’m no techo but this is what i would try first:

the variable resistor (servo pot) is the same value in the i waver and the xmod, 5kohm.

as i’m thinking this up it seems kinda dodgy but here goes.
find a 2.5kohm fixed resistor (or the nearest value) and connect 1 end to the wire that went to the middle terminal on the pot (common). then solder the other 2 servo wires (the outer 2) to the other end of the resistor.

like i said, i’m not too sure how to go about it, i dunno about the technical stuff. i just got lucky with a hunch on the iwaver:D
you should wait until someone who knows what they’re on about confirms this, the chance of frying something is too great!:8ball:

[chino]

hey its better than nuthing so. ill try it, i got so many xmod pcbs

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