CRT.5 - My first conversion
 

Greetings all... I am happy to have found this home of nitro to brushless conversions. I have recently returned to RC after a little layoff (work, family, other hobbies, etc.) Anyway, I am back. I used to run electric 1/10 scale back in the day and have a NOVAK SS5800 still almost brand new (10 runs). I have picked up the CRT.5 and am anticipating Mike's conversion.... waiting is not fun. I want to run the NOVAK for a while until I decide what to get next.... (more power in the future). For batts, I have a couple options in my existing stuff. 3300 6 cell racing packs (still good). (2) 2S lipo 1320 Thunderpower cells (12C cont., 17 max) from my planes, (2) 3S lipo 1320 Thunderpower cells (12C cont., 17 max) again from my planes. I have the Great Planes PolyCharge4 charger, max charge rate 3 amps (nice for my planes, should have bought the ICE).

Now... my first of a series of questions to the mass knowledge base:
Batteries... should I stick with the 3300 cells for now, can I use the 2S cell lipo 1320 Thunderpower cells wired in parallel (with an adapter) with the NOVAK SS5800? Another option I found a sale on Polyquest cells 2S 3600mah cells (12C) for $28.95 each or Polyquest cells 2S 4000mah cells (10C) for $29.95 each. I am leaning toward Maxamps.com for my good packs but the Polyquest deal seems really good.... I am confident with the seller. Qtys are limited so I want to order the Polyquests if you think I should at that price.... I could always parallel them later to power my next project (Jammin buggy, currently nitro (Booooooo! :020: ).

Fundage is not great at the moment.... wife is watching me pretty close. I can swing the polyquest batts because "They were on sale.... ", afterall what is good for the goose is good for me! :005:

What do you all think???? Am I nuts with my plans to run what I have (Novak) and what should I do for batts?

I will be posting pictures as soon as I have something interesting to post... a nude CRT.5 is pretty boring... don't want to waste the bandwidth.

Thanks!
Jon (nice user name, :002: very original)

I dont think running a novak would be crazy. you already own it and they do have enough power to be fun. I actually am planning on running a novak 7.5 with an lrp comp when mike finishes the conversions. The only problem I see is that you probably have a SS or SS+ esc since you have the 5800 motor. Neither one of these esc's have a lipo cutoff.

as for batteries, I would try to get something that would handle more amps. I think the maxamps 2s 5000 would be a good fit but will run you about $90.

Why not run the novak and at least see how it runs. You might be surprised. I remeber my old novak system used to rip pretty good. As far as the lipos you have.... I dont think thats gonna do it. Even parallel you are gonna toast those things. They are only good for 34 amps. You would be surprised how many amps one of those novak systems can pull. I ran a GTR 6.5 in a XXXt-4G+ for a while and that thing would spike to 75 amps on 2s. and that was with a WAY lighter buggy than the CRT.5.

IMO stick with the 6 cell packs you have now untill you can do it right. Stick $10 a week into the finger holles of your bowling ball untill you have the cash and then get some decent lipos. Take the $40 you were going to spend on those other lipos and start the saving with that.

Another option might be to sell that Novak on Ebay. Looks like they are getting anywhere from $120 - $155 depending on condition. Take that with the money you were going to spend on the dicount lipos and buy a MM 5700 (almost enough) and run it on the 6 cell packs you have. Then save up for your lipos.

And BTW.... Welcome to the forums.

I was thinking about the lipo cutoff issue.... will pick up the cutoff that Novak makes (notice the orange theme). That way I'll be safe no matter what.

Still trying to wrap my brain around the cells...
Polyquest cells 2S 4000mah cells (10C) for $29.95 each... if I buy 2 and parallel them, that is 80 amps continuous, 96 amps burst. And... only $60 bucks. The Maxamps 5000mah pack is obviously better with regards to specs (100 amps cont, 250 burst) but is $90, and I'll need another charger. Maybe I'll just save the pennies or skim some fundage from my wife (she's an accountant so it is really hard to embezzle money from her).

I waited for the Novak brushless for sooo long... remember all the hype, 2 years of marketing ads in the mags prior to actually having a product on the shelves? All the RCX demos, nothing for me. Then the happy day when I got my little package from UPS, I felt like a kid again. Loved the power, could not use it all on the track. It should be a good fit for the CRT.5 I hope. Afterall, I already have it.

Thanks for the welcome...
Jon

One thing to think aqbout is weight. A single 5Ah 2s or 3s pack will probably weigh less than paralleling cells and you get a solid 100A. And the 5Ah cells fit perfectly standing on their side on the CRT.5. With tall gearing and hard running, I was getting ~25-30 minutes of runtime.

As far as the BL system is concerned, anything on the smaller side should work well. A larger motor will weight more, but you'll have more torque for higher speeds.

The Novak will do fine... although the orginal SS is a big fat speedo for a little truck :)

Mike's conversion will be ready very soon I think ;)

And the gears too right? :dft012:

I think so :005:

Okay... you can't do this to me.... help a guy out. 1-2 weeks? more? Any insight when we can buy one of these babies?

And yeah... the SS spedo is a big mamba jamba.

Alright... the 5Ah 2s it is then. More money flowing out the pockets. Like old times again. I like the new Checkpoint charger (ICE juiced up, 10 amps) I'll buy them after Mike's conversion. For now, I'll rock the 6 cell 3300s (maybe break them up and do 7).

I plan on racing this thing here in Scottsdale AZ, SRS home of the Cactus Classic. So no huge motors needed, contollable acceleration is the key. I'll probably run out to the new Nitro Pit (huge 1/8th scale track) and throw it down when I run the Jammin.

Later,
Jon
Please tell me to have my credit card handy soon for Mike's conversion (with plastic 32p spur?)

I'm hoping it's done soon as well. I asked Mike about it on an e-mail to him recently, but he avoided the question. :D

All I know is that when it's done, it'll be done right and we'll have yet another awesome piece of hardware manufactured by the monster.

I got basically the same thing. he did say the mounts would be available shortly but didn't say anything about the spur issue.

The spur is also being worked on as we speak.

brian, do you know if it is going to be a mod1 spur or 32p? thanks

I think it will be 32p, but not quite sure. I believe Mike is working on a bolt-on Mod1 solution, but I think someone else is closer to a 32p solution. You might want to wait before you pick up a ton of pinions.

I know, there's a lot of "I thinks" there, but all I can say is that the solution is almost there...

no problem. I already have 32p pinions left over from my emaxx. so I will just hold off on picking up any 1/8 mod 1 pinions then.

now if they just get the 8ight mounts done I will be all set

Brian,

Hypothetically... would I find out about another solution (32p) here or elsewhere? I am looking for the gear option as I can hack up a temporary motor mount if needed. I really hope for Mike's drop in solution including motor mount is nearly done.

Just picked up some needed supplies from my 2nd favorite store... Home Depot. The extruded aluminum angle is nice. Also got an interesting battery padding idea, gotta protect them exposed 6 cell packs. Will see if it works out.

Later - out to the BBQ to make dinner!
Jon

Well, you can use whatever would work, but the trouble is getting it to fit without modding the chassis for extra diff length. As far as the mount is concerned, I used an L piece of aluminum and it seems to work fine. I too am waiting for the gear.

It's just one of those counting chickens before the hatch things... and when you rely on someone else you must view it that way.

Check back tomorrow is all I can say... should be a matter of days not weeks :)

I think you know something that no one else does... mind spilling the beans?? :005: Pleeeeeeeease???

DAYS.... DAYS.... whew. I can wait days....

Are we there yet? :005:

how about now? Can you tell I have a 5 year old?

Late!
Jon

I have two boys... going on 5 and 7... so yeah I hear ya, lol....

I found a prop adapter that will accept 1/8" to 5mm for the ability to use the larger bore pinions. Now the hardend pinions are off Mike's site. I think the last time I looked, there were only a couple sizes left. Probably all gone now.

I hope to be able to run the 32 pitch, 1/8" bore pinions soon on my CRT.5. :032:

For now, my battery mount idea did not turn out too good. Going to redo it with the mounting on the flip side. This will allow me to attach the mount to the two inboard motor mount holes. This should work okay... and allow the battery to sit flush to the chassis. A piece of lexan to cover the flywheel hole and we're ready to roll.

I guess I'll paint the lid while I wait on Mike for the spur solution. Too bad there is not a COTS solution. I am racing this weekend and may have to stick with the 1/8 scale Jammin buggy (nitro). Sure was hoping to have a solution to run this ECRT.5 thing on Saturday. Patience is not easy for me.... I want what I want, and I want it now.

Later,
Jon

Take advatage of the battery mount and use it as a chassis brace also you have to drill a couple of extra holes in the chassis but it's well worth it. My CRT.5 with the motor mount and battery mount bolted to the chassis has almost no flex in the chassis it's stiffer then my all carbon TC3 nitro chassis. :)

What's the big deal with adding a couple of holes to the chassis you can still return it to nitro it's not going to hurt anything and you can get the chassis on ebay for around 20 bucks.:032:

Actually, if you are a little creative, you don't need to drill any new chassis holes. It just depends on how accurate your dremel-machining skills are. :)

I did drill one extra hole for the battery tray on my conversion up in front. I used the inner stock motor mount hole for the rear support. And yes, it does stiffen the chassis to the point where there is no flex at all.

I also used the stock motor mount holes in the rear. for the front i just drilled one new hole right next to the one for the front brace.

Got the new battery holder done last night... much better. Just have some final touches to add and the easy part is done.

Now we wait on the 32p spur.... waiting.... waiting.... waiting....

Jon

jon, u got mikes mount rite?

i need to know, does his mount replace one of the diff mount things and the center digg bering sit in his motor mount, or does it go behind it like everyones conversion?

It replaces it.

slow pede, it does a? SWEET! that means even more room! YAY!

thx!

Yeah, it's a nice piece of art. Pretty light too.

Where did you find the adapter I have a bunch of 5mm mod1 pinions for my Neu in my CRT I would like to be able to run them in my CRT.5 also?

You can get 5mm hardened mod1 pinions in 9t-14t at tower also.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXMGZ0&P=0

Well I found an adapter I just bought a Neu 1506 5500kv motor with a 5mm shaft for my CRT.5.:)

I thought the century pinions were not hardened...

Here is the link to the prop adapter
http://www.maxxprod.com/mpi/mpi-291....op.%20Adapters
I was thinking the ACC391 would work out nicely.
However, I like your adapter better. Let's see the picture when you ge that bad boy mounted.

Later
Jon

okay.... any updates on the new spur option? My car looks so lonely waiting for a plastic spur. Any news at all???? Are we going to be looking at days or weeks?

Jon

I'm thinking for now, I'll buy the prop adapter and century non-hardened pinions and use the stock spur. Now the magic question... what pinion range should I try to start? I have to buy them, so I want to start out at least close. I'll be using the 3300 matched 6 cell packs and the Novak SS5800 for now. Thoughts?
Jon

I'm running a 13/46 right now in the CRT.5 with good temps on everything with the MM5700 and 3s lipo. The century pinions say there hardened on towers site?

I would go ahead and do the conversion and when the plastic spur comes out you can swap it out why wait it could be a week or a month away. :)

Quick update....

Got the car running Friday night. Pretty ghetto with my Century pinion (14 tooth). Ran 1 pack through, pretty high temps So I think I am over geared, but this is the only pinion I could find locally. Anyway, I took it to the track Saturday night to get a feel for the car. Loved it. Another guy was running his nitro version and this was just as fast down the straight. Easily took him in the technical spots. Anyway, the pinion lasted two packs till it got all chewed up. Now, it is dead on the table. Really like the car, lots of potential.

Issue 1: pinon gear is garbage. Still waiting on the plastic gear option. Went to Hobby Town to look at what options I can come up with. Nothing promising, so I went home.

Issue 2: I think I toasted my Novak Super Spot 5800 motor. The rotor shaft moves in and out about 1/8". No good. Thinking I blew a bearing, I took it apart and find nothing too unusual. After playing with it for a while, I figure the bearing in the endbell somehow moved outward the 1/8" causing the play. I removed the bearing and reset it in the endbell, but I think I really screwed something up now. Can't get it together again correctly... totally hosed. If I can' fix it, I will send back to Novak for help. Since it is the original Novak brushless system (discontinued) I figure I will see if I can get a replacement for soemthing else. They have a program where an out of warrenty product can be replaced with an upgrade to anything else. I am too tired to try and figure it out tonight (I also am a bit foggy from the Tylonel Cold and Flu meds I have ben popping like candy). If I replace this with soemthing else, what do you all recommend for a new Novak system? I want controllable speeds for racing, not nuts high speed runs. However, I would like about 150% of what the 5800 did for me. Thinking the GTB/Velociti 5.5R....

or...

I may just grab a Mamba Max System (4600 or 5700 ) and go two or three cell 5000 mah lipo.

Thoughts???

Issue three : Back to issue 1... I was thinking about replacing the center diff completely... maybe going to a gearbox from a 1/10 scale buggy. I have lots of those from the olden days, and could ghetto somehing together. Now I could run 48 pitch gears with all the options in the world available. Slipper clutch and a ball diff.... hmmmmm. Or... somhow replace the stock diff with the ball diff from the buggy gearbox and somehow use that.

Another thought.... "fix" a stock clutch bell and make it fit my motor. The hardened bell will be nasty I think to cut without a lathe. Maybe I can cut it with my sawsall. - off to the garage to make some noise.

Too many options for so late at night.

Later,
Jon

Clutchbell cutting update:

Success.... I managed to ruin two blades (Jigsaw and sawsall). Made a nice little "scratch" in the endbell though. I figure ten more blades and I may make it halfway through. :035: :007:

Time for another approach. Going to bed.

Jon

A dremel with a abrasive cut off wheel will cut the hardened CB like butter.

Was the 14t century pinion black? I dont think the 14t is hardened the 9-13t pinions are I think? there the black color pinions.

With the MM the 5700 is great on 2s for the dirt and if you want some sick speeds drop in a 3s for some on road fun. If your looking for longer runtimes and mostly drive on dirt then the 4600 might be a better choice.

If your going lipo get a pack rated at 100amps constant the 4000mah Maxamps pack I have rated at 80amps constant gets a little warm with the 5700 motor.:)

Good call on the dremel.... worked like a charm.

Indeed the century pinion was black... the 9-13 are different colors?

I still am leaning toward replacing the Novak with another Novak.... gotta send it in anyway, so I'll see what my options are.

I'll need 20 minutes plus runtime for racing against the nitro boys. Leaning toward that nice Max amps 5000....

Jon

The picks of the Century pinions on Towers web site show the 14t in natural steel color and the 9-13t pinions are black? They say there hardened but if it only lasted 2 packs maybe they are not hardened? Could you post a pic of the pinion? I'm curious to see if it was flex that killed it or just soft metal.:032: