I agree with mike, the e-maxx tranny would be your best bet for this functionality. Because of the difference in gear ratio between 1st and 2nd gear, the one-way is required. If you lock your 1st gear on the shaft, I don't think you or your tranny will be happy when it shifts into second ;)

Or if you feel creative, get a center diff!

I like that Idea the best so far. :)

Well despite all of the other advice I went ahead with my most recent idea of turning my MGT tranny into a single-speed locked transmission. :)
The way I did it I can switch back to normal if it doesn't work out. I did not change any stock part at all.

Here's what the screw looks like in the second gear to lock it:

<img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/1joeyoung/Brushless%20MGT/Single_speed.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

And here's all the parts from the transmission I don't need after the FOC and my idea were implemented. The first gear spur isn't even used now, as it's locked into second.

<img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/1joeyoung/Brushless%20MGT/Extra_tranny_parts.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

Here's a link to a short video of the tranny in action outside of the vehicle.

http://www.rcpics.net/view_single.php?medid=63505

Once I put the electronics back in I'll see how it works and holds up.

I just noticed this post, Daf. I have a couple extra OFNA Ultra MBX center diffs around. You might just have something there...I'll see how that might shape up.

Back out to the garage! :)

Sorry, missed this part. coolhandcountry has a good point. Depending on the design of the gear, brakes and reverse may not be favorable. They will probably work but not be as efficient.

Great idea Dafni, a center diff would be the best single speed option IMO.

Yes, it's a great idea. Many people think of this.

Sometimes, when I'm lucky, a whole happy day passes were I don't think of a center diff for my Revo. This is really naggin at me!

LOL

Don't know if anyone's seen this thread but I am working on duplicating this on my revo. I will be using a mugen mbx5 differential. This might work in the 2-speed MGT or the EMAXX tranny.

Here's the link:
Revo Center Diff

Interesting link!

Starscream, did your first version work well?

V1 was a single speed center diff which was geared too high for my motor. This version would work well on a larger slower motor.
V2 used the two speed tranny along with the center diff which worked well but added too much material and was too heavy IMO. V2 was a big step forward but I believe V3 will be much more effecient with less material and weight.
V3 will be very similar to the linked thread but I will be using steel drive cups and dogbones and keep the tranny backwards for rear brakes.
I'll update my own thread when V3 is finished.

Cheers

After another trip to the garage and some tinkering, I think the center diff will be the way to go. I'll need to figure out dog bones to finalize it. That should be the only thing I need to order once I figure out which to order.

Here's what it would look like from the top - the red spots are where I would have to cut out the chassis to accomodate the spur (about .5cm on each side).
<img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/1joeyoung/Brushless%20MGT/Center_Diff_top.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

Here's a view facing to the front of the MGT:
<img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/1joeyoung/Brushless%20MGT/Center_Diff_front.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

And one facing to the rear:
<img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/1joeyoung/Brushless%20MGT/Center_Diff_rear.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

I'll need to make an aluminum mount to hold the diff braces, then another to hold the motor.

The only dog bones I have laying around are the OFNA ones in 83mm and 92mm. With the 92mm one set up in the rear, I would need a 117mm dog bone for the front. Essentially, I have 210mm-ish to work with for two dog bones.
I found OFNA part 36110 that's 88.45mm and HPI part 86058 that's 123mm. I think the two of them would work together and since they're both sets of two I'd have a couple extras.

While I figure out the further details of the center diff I'll still use my modified MGT tranny and see how that works out :)

WOW man Much credit to you guys i have been on here just an aww of all your creations I would like to know if anyone has a BL truck for sale but again i love watching you guys work on your stuff utterly amazing :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Hey batfish what about two 105 shafts. They ue titanium. Just a thought. May help may not.

Nice project, now do it as cheap as possible so I can laugh at Patrick in his computer face!

If you need custom length driveshafts try www.RCalloys.com
He makes some very nice driveshafts.

Thank you,
Promod

Mike's putting together an order for me and I'm getting the plans worked out to mount the center diff.
Unfortunately for me, I sprained my shoulder last night so I've got a busted wing for a week or so. No serious work for now.

Or you could ask Mike;)


Joe, I hope it's not too painfull. Get well soon!!

That sucks man. Get well soon. I think you should shoot for under $500 including li-po's and a charger. (I know you already have a charger and li-po's) This way I can prove to extremely ignorant Patrick that he can convert his MGT for under $500.

I'm not sure who Patrick is, but I can already show how to make this for under $500, provided you can get a roller for $200ish. If you've already got the MGT, you can even do batteries and charger for under $500 (nimh - or a little more for lipo).
I'm using a $195 controller, $80 motor, and a $25 steering servo. If you've already got the servo, you're under $500. You may need to spend a couple hours and $10 at Home Depot to buy an aluminum elbow bar to make your motor mount, but no additional drilling needs to be done (to the chassis) for that.
If you don't convert your tranny like I did you'll need the brake servo. You can lock your tranny in forward and drop the reverse servo regardless (unless you want reverse).

Keep in mind, my conversion is for racing - not for top speed. Chances are that my MGT will not reach more than 30MPH once completed. That's fine with me since I can't get up to that speed on my track anyway :)
For a top speed truck you'll need to spend a bit more on batteries and use a different motor than I use.


Once I get this completed, I'll see about doing a full write-up to making a brushless MGT out of a stock MGT.

And thank you folks for the well-wishes :)

I sad to hear your incedent there. Hope to see get back to normal asap. How that center conversion coming so far?

Mike should have the parts I need sent to me late this week or early next week. Provided I can work safely with my right arm I'll have some information within a week :)

This is all sounding really good, iv been looking at a BL monster for a while & i have an MGT sat here waiting to be converted !!

I like the centre diff idea, i'm pretty sure i could rig that up via my mate at machine shop, my only worry is how do you overcome the steel spur/pinion problem ?

Please be sure to keep us up to date, can't wait to see it finished....

Cheers :)

If you use the OFNA diff from the "ultra" series (Ultra LX, Ultra MBX), you can use the nylon spur that's made for them. Mike carries it here in his shop.

I found on another forum someone running a Dominator slipper setup on a BL emaxx... thinking this could be another good option as delrin & plastic spurs are available, smaller to mount aswell....

Have you totally given up on running the stock MGT tranny though now ?

I also considered the Dominator setup for my 1/8th buggy but settled on the Ultra center diff due to price. The lowest I found the Dominator slipper going for on ebay was about $70 while I got my Ultra center diff for $25.

As far as the stock MGT tranny, I'll need to actually make a motor mount if I use it now since I found out that braking and reverse put too much of a strain on my zip-tie mount :)
At this point I'm going to see how the center diff works before making yet another mount for the stock tranny.
I did run the MGT with my modified stock tranny and it performed great for the 5 or so minutes I ran it. I suspect it will be just fine once it's finalized with a proper mount.
I'm more excited about the center diff because I'm investigating different ways to mount it that will give me much more room on the chassis than the stock tranny allows.

I have a Dominator center diff that I ran in my Ofna 9.5 for a while, never did get it to slip even at the loosest setting, blew out a couple spurs though. If you want it though, I'd be willing to sell for $40 shipped. :)

$70 for the Dominator slipper is a bit much.

I have mine on ebay starting at $29.99 (buy it now $39.99)
Item# 5994544564

Its in great condition with the plastic 65t spur gear

I don't need it anymore since I'm installing a mbx5 diff in my Revo tranny.

Batfish, what was the problem with stock MGT tranny once FOC installed ? IF you had a solid motor mount did it work fine once adjusted to change gears ? or was it the offset tranny/motor weight that made you decide to go diff' instead ?

As a quick addition too, did someone say the plastic spur is available for the Ofna 9.5 centre diff ? or just the Ofna Ultra LX ?

There is no actual problem with the stock MGT tranny with the FOC. Nor does there seem to be a problem since I did my single-speed conversion in the stock tranny.
The biggest reason for the center diff is indeed weight and placement considerations, not to mention that I have 2 extra OFNA Ultra diffs hanging around so it was easy to investigate.

An important part to me so far with the MGT is that nothing I have done would stop me from going back to stock configurations. I actually have all the parts and capability to make it a nitro vehicle again. I plan on making sure that even after I get the center diff working I can still switch back to the stock MGT tranny if things don't work out.


In regards to your 9.5 plastic spur question, the only center diff I have personally witnessed that can use a plastic spur is the OFNA Ultra series diff.
Also, you should consider that you're just 4 new holes in your chassis (and possibly a new set of dogbones) away from using any other diff you want. It's also possible that some of the holes would line up, requiring less drilling.

There is no plastic spur for the 9.5.

OK, so it's this diff then ? :- http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-OFNA-ULTRA...QQcmdZViewItem ..

Cheers :)

Hi guys... new here. New to brushless too. Long time nitro guy. I am getting ready to convert my MGT as well so I hope your arm heals up quickly!!! :-) Is the 9L or 10L a better motor for something as heavy as the MGT? I am also trying to use the stock tranny with stock brakes, but have a ultra center diff here just in case. What is the Lehner equivalent to the feigao 9L and 10L?

Another quick question. Hate to ask dumb questions, but I have never seen a vid of a brushless powered MT doing back flips? Is there a reason for that or have I just not seen the right vids? I didn't know if you could over rev the motors wth the tires spinning freely or something.

Anyways, hope to see how this project goes and I'll be posting updates on mine as well. Thanks for helping out a noob to electrics.

eric@maxxbashers.com

You can over rev the motors in the air if your setup is pushing the motor's rpm limit. But, if you get the correct setup, it shouldn't be a problem. The lehner equivalents to the 9L at 10L would be the Basic XL2800/2400 respectively.

I would suggest going with the 10L or a fiegao 7XL for the benefit of more torque and a 5mm shaft that should hold up better in a bigger truck.

Welcome to the forums, MaxxBasher!

Once I'm done with the second phase of the MGT conversion, I'll see about getting some video done and posting it here. Don't expect backflips from me, though :)
I will get some basic running and maybe some track video, too.

As far as the motor, Re~Mix has it right; you should focus on the 10L or 7XL from Feigao, then make sure you're getting a speed controller to match your cell count and needs. I wouldn't rule out the Lehner motors, but you'll get more bang for your buck with the Feigaos, especially just starting out.

That said, I'll be using the 8L with 3s lipo once the truck is together. This will probably progress to the 10L and 4s lipo at some point. My controller is the MGM 12012.
The 8L is not the "ideal" motor for this application, but it suits my purpose of putting together an MT that will run the 15-minute nitro mains. This will allow me to run lower cell counts, but run them parallel. It is less efficient than using the 10L or 7XL, but also less expensive.

I expect to do most of the work on the truck later this week, provided Mike was able to find appropriate dogbones for me to use. He's shipping me the other various parts today (I believe).

I'll be sure to keep updated here.

7xl gets my vote. I have done a backflip or so with my e-maxx, but haven't caught it on video. Perhaps I will give it a whirl(no pun intened) this weekend!
Welcome to the forums!

Thanks guys. Well I have sold off $220 worth of nitro stuff with some more going, hyper 7 pro roller and a RB C5 w/pullstart. I am thinking about keeping the hyper and making it BL as well.

I stripped the Monster GT down and am getting it ready to go. Do you think the RC Solutions cage and the all the FT upgrades will make it to heavy for the 7xl?

I am still debating using the stock tranny versus the ofna ultra center diff.

Mike as soon as the 9920's get in I'm ordering one. I can't wait to get this project along a little further.

I got the parts from Mike today and it looks like I have enough to get the MGT going with the center diff. I'm hoping to have it together between tomorrow night and Sunday.

I'll be sure to update here.

What center shafts did you get there batfish?

Although I don't think Mike knows exactly where they originally came from (he had them laying around the shop for/from various projects :) ), one is a UE dogbone at 113mm (I think) and the other is an OFNA dogbone at 88mm. I'll definitely be using the 113mm and will either use the 92mm I already had or the 88mm, depending on which fits better once I have the diff mounted. Then I'll send back what I don't use and compensate him for what I keep :)