great project ! i love

Thanks man... Trying to get some work done on it this week... new body, center diff repairs and esc mods. I am hoping to get some action shots this weekend before I break it again :lol:

Too much power huh? :whistle:

:lol: Not yet!!! but I'm getting there.

:lol: ok !

Ok, got some time to make updates/changes on the build... The first problem I tackled was the ESC... The Quark 125B has a little issue with its thermal tape that
transfers heat from the FETs to a heat spreader and then on to the casing which 'should' help to keep things cool... Over time this tape will release itself from the
casing and therefore reducing the cooling effect... I found a couples threads with solutions for this problem. The mod/fix required me removing the circuit from the
casing, taking the old heat spreader off the FETs and replacing it with a thicker piece of aluminum and adhering it with some thermal epoxy. While the case was open,
I soldered two 35 volt, 1200uf capacitor the board in parallel (another popular mod for the 125Bs)


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0006.jpg

Above: old spreader and the new 'slab'

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0090.jpg

Above and below: new caps installed

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0091.jpg



http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0105.jpg

Above: four 3.5mm gold plugs for the BEC and LVC to get power

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0094.jpg

Above: got my new heatsink from Mike and mounted two 40X10mm 5v fans on it

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0003.jpg

Above: new mount for heatsink and esc

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0014.jpg

Above: heatsink mount on the upper deck


More to come...

It continues...

I decided to rebuild the CD and make some improvements... I made the decision to discontinue the carbon fiber motor mount, not because it flexed, but because the resin
started to melt when the motor got a little hot... it was also very difficult to tighten the screws that held motor as the carbon would compress so much, they would get
loose again... as a result, I lost two pinions :whip:... I also swapped out the metal spur for a nylon one. The CD now feels a lot more solid with the changes.



http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0010.jpg



http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0092.jpg



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http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0025.jpg



A few photos of the rebuild....


http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0017.jpg



http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0024.jpg



http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sw...0/DSC_0028.jpg


I did a small test after getting everything together and it seems to be working... The batts were not fully charged, so I'm not yet sure how well the fix worked.

That looks great, very nicely done. Is there much flex in the motor mount at all? I wouldnt imagine so seeing as its screwed to the diff braces at the top & bottom..

Hey Niel... thanks man... the previous setup had some flex actually which came from the CD mount and not the motor mount... I use new posts for the rebuild and it's quite rigid now.
I'll need to have good test run to see how everything holds up.

Outstanding job and E-maxx ! :yipi:
If there is motor flex again it won't be difficult for you to make an alu clamp mount screwed in the chassis and which goes around the motor ?

And be nice to the Gorillamaxx straps, mine held out 30'... But I'm a basher :whistle:

Thanks man... hmmm... yah, I'll have to work on a clamp/cradle solution for the motor pretty soon... for now, I'll stay away from situation that might put the mount under unnecessary stress (like big jumps :lol:).

I am curious as to where you got the inspiration for this center diff setup.... As I have a very similar setup (minus the awesome carbon fiber work) in my Maxx. And I'm not trying to thread hijack here, just wondering if you got your idea for the center diff setup from my Maxx.

Anyway, here are some pictures and a vid from my build thread that I posted here on RCM and Traxxas a few months ago (not nearly as nice as yours, but the same setup basically) -

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...s/DSCN2565.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...s/DSCN2584.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...s/DSCN2582.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...s/DSCN2583.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...s/DSC00004.jpg

And a quick video of my setup -
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...h_MOV00005.jpg

Also, I noticed you were looking for some aluminum center diff mounts.... I use the Integy ones. I know most people here don't like hate Integy, but I have had no strength issues with their aluminum center diff mounts. These are meant for an OFNA Ultra LX One buggy, which has the same center diff as what you and I are using, so they do work just fine without any modifications.

Here is a link to where you can buy them -

http://www.integy.com/st_prod.html?p...34&p_catid=133
(Integy also has grey anodized ones if you don't like the silver)

Alien- You've got a hell of a truck there. I love it. Need video!

Krawlin'- which member here did you get your idea from?

From "jordan...", he has a similar setup on his G-Maxx, but uses Xray stuff instead. Alien probably got the idea from him too, I don't think alot of people saw my thread, I am just asking him out of curiosity.

This is "jordan..."'s setup, which I got my idea from -
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...x/DSC00076.jpg

I actually saw one of those just last week on ebay, but I resisted the temptation... I want to switch to a ofna spider diff which won't work with lx one mounts, so I got a jammin CD mount instead.


Hey man, thanks... I'll try for some action stills and vids this weekend.

Yep:yes:... Jordan's cd mount was the inspiration for mine.

It was ssspconcepts that first got Mike to make a maxx cd mount and then I got mine. Damn these traxxas trucks. It's like we're compelled to make them worthy. I don't have a single traxxas part on my e-maxx anymore. So now it's good!

Yeah... i still love the maxx despite all the other option out there.... i think it's just the appeal of having so many options to customize the truck and make it 'your own' (even when inspired by other vehicles)... I wanted one of Mike's CDs, but it doesn't seem to be coming out for now, so I built my own.

Success!!!! :yipi: Did a test today and ESC did not disappoint... the truck pulled hard and didn't miss a beat... very little cogging (very very very little) on start ups...
the temps stayed pretty low too, 120s to 130 (are these temps really low?) on the ESC and 150s on the motor... the run was done with a 13t pinion and I am loving the acceleration. The heat spreader mod was well worth the effort.


Alien

Glad to hear about your success Alien but like paralyzed said, we need video:tongue:

That thing looks awesome and I wanna see it in action. How much does it weigh fully loaded? And what lipo's are you using (can't remember if you said)?

It weighs a ton!!! no... just kidding:lol:... it's around 11Lbs with the 16 Nihms I'm testing on (the carbon fiber helped to get the weight down a lot)... 10lbs (or less)
with my friend's polyquest (2s and 3s 6000mha)... vids will be made this weekend (I hope), and some photos... been wanting to do some comparison shots with
a friend's G4 chassis (sick little truck).

Almost sounds a bit undegeared (hot motor, cooler esc), glad it performs well though. :yes:

Hi Neil, you got a point there... I have 14 and 15 tooth pinions too.... I'll Throw them on and see what kind of results I get... Are those motor temps really too high though?:neutral:

Nah, 180 is the max, so if it tops out at about 150 or so & stays there you're fine really. Same goes for the esc too pretty much- ideal temp is about 110-130, though it'll happily operate at higher temps upto about 180+, though obviously thats far from than optimum.

Great!:yipi: thanks Neil

Some updates:

Took the the truck out on Saturday to see how things would hold together... hmmmm... how should I put this... well... to keep it simple... this thing has got some serious POWER!!!!!! :lol:...
Powered with 5s and 13/51 gearing... acceleration and traction was good even on the some slippery rocky surfaces (even through potholes)...rolling wheelies became a little annoying :lol:.
The fun end though when i melted the nylon spur gear.:whip:... photos Below.

So needless to say, I had to swap out the damaged spur for the metal one again... I also geared up a little with a 14t pinion... drove out to a vacant parking and bashed the hell of it
with my friend's G4 maxx... the truck pulled well, even passing the G4 maxx (powered with cc 2200 on 5s) on straights... Did some comparison shots of both chassis (below)... also managed
to get some vids done too (not the best quality)... Oh, I also compared weight... the truck turned out to be 'much' lighter than the G4 chassis... hmmm... who knew...

Now fun aside... temps... the motor got up 243° f after 15 or 20 mins of full throttle... Is this attributed to the CD unloading (which it did a lot)... or is it just a case of the truck being under geared?
The ESC did pretty well and stayed within the 130-140° f range.



http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sx...0/DSC_0002.jpg



http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sx...0/DSC_0004.jpg



http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sx...0/DSC_0005.jpg



http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sx...0/DSC_0007.jpg



http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sx...0/DSC_0008.jpg



http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sx...0/DSC_0022.jpg


A few short vids... sorry about the quality... I'll get better ones soon. the runs were done on badlands... hmm... lots of ballooning! I also realised they're not the best choice on asphalt...
the walls of the tyre won't stand up to hard cornering...


[YOUTUBE]2S2Gz6n3118[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]pzwr2IS1BDY[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]FoHVPNZZjQU[/YOUTUBE]

AWESOME. That zipped around good even with the badlands. Thanks for the update.

WOW Longer, lighter, prettier, better than the G4! WOW those are some hot temps on that motor! I don't see the Hacker lasting many more visits over 180. It'll soon see a short demise. Time to step up to a CC/Neu me thinks. 1518 1800KV gets my vote! Diffiently going to need a motor support. With the rolling wheels and such I don't see how you you say the BAD temps were due to CD unloading. I imagine the directness of the CD is rough on a motor though. Have you thought of getting a slipperential?

When weighing did you account for the G4 having all 8 shocks?

Badlands suck a hard cornering on any surface. I'm in search of a substitute. I really like Flo's tires at the moment.

I love your truck! Will we see Lipo after Christmas?

Zack

Edit: P.S. @ the spur: Too much power?

Ditto on all that- looks beautiful and handles well compared to my Gmaxx!
The motor is probably on its way out already by the sounds of it- ccneu 1518 would be a beaut on 16-18 nimhs or 5-6s lipo (5s to let the esc breath maybe...)- order it now while oits still pn sale- ~$157 dollars + shipping is a bargain, wont see that kind of deal very often.

Cool... yep, it did go across the lot pretty quickly.



Hey Zack, I see your point... I was really hoping changing the motor again wouldn't be the fix (my friend here is going to annoy me with 'I told you SOs')... The 1518 does sound attractive, but if I get it, I would have to put off my lipos buys for now... I'll think about it today...

thanks man.

And yes... I guess there was a little too much power for that spur :lol:


Yeah... it sounds that way :cry:... I'm on the site now contemplating the buy... $157 does sound like a good deal... thanks for the advice man.

Alien

Hey guys... did anyone receive their cc 1518s yet... and if they did, what are their first impressions? I am still undecided about the purchase.

Alien

Hi guys... the Hacker is dead!!!! :whip:... I took the truck with me to the mountains for a little fun, but it was short lived... I noticed fluctuations with the power during WOT runs...
I first thought the esc had stated experiencing thermals again, so I stopped to check the temps and found that the motor had reached 390° :surprised:... the esc was floating around 130°
(relatively cool to the touch)... after an hour or so of 'cooling', I opened motor and saw that some of the varnish coating from the copper had melted and fused on to the magnet.

Needless to say, I was disappointed... but that too was short lived when I received confirmation that my CC 1520 was shipped :yipi:... got it today in hand in
fact and all I can say is, IT'S HUGE :lol:... I love the build quality on this thing... a very clean and tight design. I'll update with photos later.

Pics of the new CC 1520 (1600 kv):



http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sz...0/DSC_1615.jpg

feigao 8xl, hacker C50 10xl (dead) and the CC 1520

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sz...0/DSC_1613.jpg



http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sz...0/DSC_1612.jpg



http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sz...0/DSC_1611.jpg



http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4vPm5E8J5HA/Sz...0/DSC_1609.jpg



Looking at the current design of the CD, I am not sure it will hold this new motor well... So, it's now redesigned to facilitate this beast.

Yeah, does look like the rear of the motor is drooping a bit- its a long old thing for sure :yes:

Still have a strange desire to impregnate that truck though, just so beautiful to look at...

:lol: That is strange... The droop was actually cause by the screws not being tighten enough... I had the motor on there to see how much space was left to mount the ESC...
I think the best option now is to mount it horizontally.

The motor or, for Neil, the truck? :whistle:

:lol::lol::lol:... Ahm... I was referring to the ESC actually... I'm not so sure about Neil...

HAHA! I'm super glad to see you went with the 1520! Looking great Alien! I can't remember what lipos you said you were going to get? Voltage, cap, all that?

Hey Zack...I'm happy with the motor choice too... it's a good thing I decided to take advantage of Castle sale... I'm still thinking of running a pair of 5s (between 30C and 40C preferably) lipos in parallel...

Here are the candidates:

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...F3000-5-40.jpg

ZIPPY Flightmax 3000mAh 5S1P 40C

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...F4000-5-40.jpg

ZIPPY Flightmax 4000mAh 5S1P 40C

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...R4900-5-20.jpg

Rhino 4900mAh 5S1P 20C Lipoly Pack

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...R3700-5-20.jpg

Rhino 3700mAh 5S1P 20C Lipoly Pack

I wanted to add Turnigy to the list, but I haven't seen any with the C rating/cell count i'm looking for.

Alien

I was thinking you were going to use Hyperions. Have you not had any problems with the turnbuckles or the rodends especially in the rear? The proline arms are cool to have but truetracks are incredible! I seriously broke 10-15 rear rodends and bent the turnbuckles up especially in the front. The way the truetracks work make it more durable and kinda more 1/8th scale. I can also strongly reccomend the traxxas tubes(along with 3.3 suspension of course). I use the platitum revo knuckles because they were only a few dollars more and you get bigger bearings. The rodends are beefier on the 3.3 but I was still bustin them so I modded some of THESE. They have to be cut a tad as they are too long and the hole must be made a mm or two bigger. After ~8 months I've only cracked one and replaced it before it stopped a bash session.