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True, but they may aswell make the chassis from spaghetti, its so weak!!

Plastics probably get brittle with age & exposure to oils & UV.
(nobody really knows for sure either, all plastics still too young)

And with RC cars, they’re made as toys so nobody at the factory
really cared how long the plastics lasted back then. Only lately
last 5-10yrs have ppl started ‘collecting’ these things.
Think Dinky toys and slotcars too.

Definitely back in mid 1980s the original Grasshopper was a very
popular car, many kids had them and of course we did stupid things
with them. Anything you can think of, we probably did do it –
fireworks & flammable liquids included. And even with all that
abuse, they held up pretty well… bumper mounts usual 1st casualty.

These days, even just *running* the same damned GH/Hornet seems
to put new stressmarks into the chassis tubs…!! 😯

But any of the latest cars… they all hold up pretty well.
Don’t usually see any breakage apart from impact accidents.
In a modern Tamiya kit, there’s usually 3-4 different types
of plastics used in the various parts so I guess they improved
their technology a lot too since then.

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Dan:- should be able to find new ESCs suitable for stockers for ~A$100 at your LHS?

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Say what? :clown:

Not too long ago, was trying to get the starter
motor to crank over with nothing happening
when… “what’s that smell?”. 🙂

Turned out, had bolted the ‘live’ cable to Gnd
thus solenoid pumping thru full shorted amps. 😯

Smell was combo of (1) bubbling 12V battery and
(2) toasty warm 10mm cables hehehe.

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What size is that, 1/10?

Have got DIY version running, been to track twice
but am waiting for a clear sunny summer day to do
some real filming. All footage to date is spoilt
by the huge long shadows in the corners. blackeye:

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…. damned “N” key is so close to the “B” key… :blush:

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Starter motors draw alot more than 40 A, their peak power is like 800 AMPS.

Nah, with small car 4cyl even with high compression the
starter wouldn’t average more than 40-50A. Peak draw
would be slightly higher at stall but if its up there for any
longer than a split-second there’s onviously something wrong.

Trucks might crank at up to 200A @ 24V… 🙂

But somehow trying to get 800A continuous out of a leadacid
accumulator might start boiling its electrolyte.
(spectacular stuff!)

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ALL rechargeable batteries (Nicad/NiMH) are 1.2V.

The galvanic pairing determines the potential
difference (voltage); immutable basic chemistry. :blush:

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The motor has Neodymium magnets and draws around 40A @ 14.4v, around 550W of power….just imagine this baby in an R/C car..

That would be 40A *peak/instantaneous* right?

Otherwise I’m imagining a starter motor for a big V8… :p

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Sand is murder for ballbearings; not the big gritty stuff that you can see, but the fine powder sand that gets in everywhere.

Last time we went to a beach, we preferred to reinstall bushings where they were exposed. (Rubber-sealed bearings kept out most of the dirt, but still some fine powder got thru.)

Aircompressor is very handy for cleaning the car afterwards… wish I had one! 🙂

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Id love a brushless system, NO MAINTAINENCE, motor maintainence is a pain in the ass, a car that is reliable, never fails is great, but when it constantly fails (the F&*$en GH2), its horrible…

All cars do need maintenance, so its all a matter of how much you
do that prevents trouble later on. You would not believe how many
idiots just think their RC cars will soldier on forever, without
even the most basic of cleaning or checking. Case in point… some
dude just stuck his head into a LHS I happened to be at the other
day and asked “can you break these things?”. (Hell yeah!) 👿

Brushless RC is a dream… lots of power, no deterioration.
However it does get too tempting to just keep on driving
forever and ever – each time the BL’d TBe3 visits the track
and gets run continuously for 2 hrs, it just about needs
a total rebuild & overhaul. (The car, not the motor system.)
And big reminder… these things are NOT waterproof! :dead:

Sane brushed motors shouldn’t need much maintenance anyway.
I think I run stockers about 30-50 times before they get a cut,
and that’s only when I get in the mood to play with the lathe.
They only need a thin skim at most too, even with the pretty
seriously high gearing we run them at on the track.

Broken bits should always be replaced by new ones… have yet
to find any glue that will fix broken bits satisfactorily.
Usually the only failures on the Hornet are the bits that have
been patched up before, otherwise it doesn’t really cause much
headache. Too simple anyway… no belts, no pulleys, no one-way
bearings, no exposed gears… what’s else there to go wrong?

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I’m sure i could make a small comm lathe…. it cant be that hard, right??

Lathe is priced like any other tool.

If precision is not an issue, then sure – anything is possible.
You could even just turn it in a powerdrill’s chuck… or knock
one up out of wood without too much hassles.

But if you’re after a good finish on your cut, then the good models
sold as pit lathes for 540 armatures will give you a smooth shiny
surface on your comm. All the good ones are made out of big slabs
of chunky aluminium for the best stability.

Diamond cutting bit alone is RRP’d at A$240 at the LHS…! 😯

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Really need a new 1/10 car….Tamiya TB Evolution III Surikarn Limited Edition….mmmmmmmm

hmm? They were giving them away on Sunday…

At the Australian TCS race. :smiley2:

The winner of the Mini race took one home as a prize, and
there was another Surikarn as the lucky draw prize.
(nup, I didn’t win it)

The winners of the other 3 classes (stock, GT1, F1) won
all-expenses-paid trips to Japan to race later this yr
at the international TCS against all the other countries.

That e3SL is one eye-candy kit with all those ruby red pieces.

If you’re seriously after one, get in quick. There’s only one
production run of those things and stocks are now running low.
Very few left in shops by now.

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…anyway i was wondering runtimes and how often i would have to replace brushes on like 10, 8, 5 turn motors i will be using ballistic 6cell 3300 batts…

Brush replacement isn’t your main concern… but comm maintenance is.
There is no point just replacing brushes if the comm is burnt-up bad.

The comm (commutator) needs to be trued (cut/shaved/lathed) on a
high-speed comm lathe so that its perfectly round again and have
fresh copper showing. This means you need regular access to a lathe
– either owning one, or know someone who can do it for you.

Usually don’t have to change the brushes every time you comm cut,
but you really must comm cut before you put any new brushes in
otherwise the new brushes will not seat properly. All new brushes
also need to be run in properly before putting motor into any car.

CHOICE of brushes is also important, don’t just buy them in bulk
from the $2 shop. Brush material (compound) makes a big difference.
“Hard” brushes made from high silver content give better current
passing capacity, but chew up the comm faster.

When racing, ppl generally do motor maintenance only when the
performance drops off and the motor gets sluggish. Racing gives
motors a hard life, but generally you can get about 5 runs
out of a 10t before needing work. 8t go slow after 2 runs.

5t aren’t too common yet… but some of the pros have tried 6t.
Just call them “one run disposables”. 👿

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yes the novak brushless system is very sweet..
supposed to be the same as a 10t motor…..

Yup. On a track the Novak SS 5800 system runs like an
approx 10t motor, perhaps even with a bit more torque.

Its the best thing for bashing if you don’t mind the initial
co$t. Zero maintenance, the motor has no holes to let dirt in
and motor & ESC are protected by over-temperature cutoffs.

Novak has also recently announced a High Voltage (14.4V)
version of the BL for the E-Maxx and similar trucks; quote:

Quote:

The HV-Maxx motor is a high-voltage brushless motor that provides longer run times than other 550-size motors used in the Traxxas E-Maxx, and is virtually maintenance-free since it has no brushes, brush springs, or commutator to true or wear out. Using sensor-based technology, the HV-Maxx motor provides awesome starting torque, low-speed driveability, and low cogging for smooth acceleration and smooth coasting. Direct-solder wiring tabs make wire replacement convenient and easy. Locked Rotor and Thermal protection allows pack after pack to be run without fear of damaging the motor, battery, or speed control.

As for *when* it actually ships… who knows? 👿
(ie we waited 2+ yrs for the SS 5800… :dead:)

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If one’s talking about Northland in Vic, that’s in the Preston area.

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futaba MC230CR esc
blind 8.4v 7 cell
Team orion Big block motor and motor plate
Magnum juniour radio with servos
novak xxl receiver
team orion 14t pinion

ok, I’d better veto your shopping list before
you go save up the $$$ for it… :smiley2:

Start with a mRS4 kit first… build it as standard.
Its got full bearings etc so you don’t need much more.
(Don’t forget the paint for the body)

You need radio and ESC… Futaba MJ is good AM choice.
You can also buy MJ in a pack with 1 std servo, the 230CR ESC
and the std RX (receiver) – that’s all you need to get going.
Yes a std servo fits in the mRS4, don’t need micro servos.

Don’t need to buy separate RX, the Futaba one works fine.
Futaba MJ is also a AM radio, can’t use FM RXes with it.
XXXL is not much smaller than the Futaba RX anyway.

Stock kit comes with a battery box that holds 4x AA/AAAs.
That’s enough to get you going at the start.

Big block motor etc etc should come later, when you’ve
gotten used to the car & handling. Ditto 7-cells.
(imho 6-cell is more than enough)

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“non-Micro”

Its all to do with relativity, gentlemen.

As far as we’re concerned here, BCGs being our
mainstay – anything bigger than 1/64th is “non-Micro”. 🙂

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Can’t seem to find any details of an official
Australian importer, but believe one of the shops
in either Adelaide or Sydney deals in Yoks.

Not sure if the Mini has landed in Oz; definitely
they are shipping in Japan for some months now.

Sure look cute, especially with the mini Stratus
but there’s no racing class for a 4WD 165mm car
(we only race M03 FWD Tamiya minis around Oz).
There’s a few other 4WD minis too, eg Express.
You’ll just get lumped in with the larger cars
if you turn up for a race.

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HPI MT should be same size as Ultima ST, maybe
an inch longer in wheelbase at most. Body should
fit fine, might need some extra clearance around
the wheelwells etc.

Why not take your Ultima to the shop to test fit
before you buy?

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Haha, everybody’s opinion is valued here – ergo its a chat/discussion site!! 🙂

HPI mRS4 was the first 4WD 1/18th out… works
well but is a couple of yrs on market now.
Its decently priced too.

Xray M18 definitely looks cute (TC3? EvoIII?)
and will spike the ‘shaft’ debate… but as with
all things Xray, it don’t look cheap.

Losi’s little 1/18 2WD truck is darned cute too,
but ain’t that tempted to scrape up RRP US$250
for that little thing. (Couch racing, anyone?)

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BUY some software boys, otherwise when all your
current dreams about becoming some big shot video
games developer might just vanish with your family
wondering where their next meal comes from… 👿

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haha “School is prison.”

At least in jail they feed ya. :blush:

Out in the real world, gotta fend for yourself and
have big worries where your next meal or RC toy
is gonna be coming from. Huge worries… blackeye:

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Ain’t working? blackeye:

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…In the world where you can buy anything on the net…

The operative is “can”… but doesn’t mean people “do”.
An online operation is not as easy as one thinks.

There’s still a huge market out there for ppl who want to
touch-n-feel their goods before they open their wallets.
It is still rare for online buying of many things… especially
groceries – I’d rather go down to the supermarket personally.

And given Australia’s location & small population, it is unlikely
to have a website for local fulfillment catering to foreign orders.
The shipping distance and the ridiculous amts they charge for
postage makes it all not worthwhile. :dead:

I’m feeling CML ain’t going away too soon… 🙂

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Ahh you just have to be able to concentrate for 30mins going around and around… that’s the hard bit.

I build my cars solid… 👿 ahh, my cars get passed around all my friends like a 2c umm yeah that so not exactly a first.

Seriously, if you want to come up and race just book your ticket and arrange your lodgings. I can arrange all the gear easily, no worries.

Offer is OPEN to all Ausmicro fellas too. Only proviso is that you should know (vaguely?) how to drive RC. 🙂 Any other VIC fellas?

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