Brushless EDF Tamiya F103GT
 

Hi everyone, it's nice to have the old forum back again. Anyways here are some pictures of the new fan I bought.

Now that I've seen it next to the car, it's bigger than I thought. It will still work though.

Some chassis trimming:
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00001-2.jpg

Compared to a Great Planes HyperFlow EDF:
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00002-3.jpg

It's big:
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00003-3.jpg

Really big!:
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00004-3.jpg

I ordered a set of 12mm-12mm TLT axle extensions which will make it 3 inches wider in the rear. Also, the power system has changed. I will no longer be using my old Lehner XL 5000 because the rotor adapter is 5mm only. So- I'm getting a Feigao 8xl. I have some 4s 2200mAH LiPo packs from my HV Maxx setup that I'll use in parallel until I can afford new, higher capacity, packs. I have a BK 12020 to use as well.

Dang you took my idea, haha. I was going to do the same on a bolink funny car I have. Looks good though.

holy cow dude!! this is gonna be pretty cool to watch.

Good luck with the project. Never seen anyone attempt something like this before, lol.

but in somthing like this would'nt it be better to have a high kv motor to turn the fan faster for more air?

LOL. My first idea was to use a Bolink dragster! Then I realized it wouldn't be able to turn to save its own life, so I got the Tamiya.

The 8xl is 2000kV. So at we'll say 15V, that would be 30000 RpM. This EDF is 90mm in diameter, and designed through "computational fluid dynamics". That's a fancy way of saying "It's very efficient". It makes 5 pounds of thrust at just 27000 RpM. I suppose I could go with a higher kV and lower voltage, but that would lead to higher losses in the system. With the smaller EDF's a higher kV is required to achieve any usable thrust at all because the blade-swept area is proportionally smaller.

Sweet! I just want to say make sure the fans facing the right direction ;).

how does that car drive. i am looking for a cheap touring car to convert to brushless that will actaually have a chance at beating some higher end vehichles at my club races.

LOL supra. I will.

I haven't ever driven the car actually. I bought the kit, put it together, and immediately began modifying it for its intended purpose. I'm probably gonna get another and put a normal setup in it because it's a really nice kit.

Huh?!!

What's that?

How are you going to fit the body?

It does look interesting indeed.

I have only 1 concern... brakes? Im sure you can rig something up the spur, like a brake disc from a maxx or something, and have the mechanism mounted at the rear ( custom mounted ). Im going to enjoy this build, not something one sees very often, if ever!

What's Nitro, just so I don't seem like a dick, there was supposed to be a winky smiley before the pieriod, lol.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00007-1.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00010-1.jpg

The body will be cut-out in the back, sparingly, to allow airflow. I have some thin polycarbonate sheet to create ductwork inside the body. I'll probably use the windshield as the intake for the part of the fan that's inside the body.

Brakes... Oh yeah! I'm going to try a magnetic brake first. That aluminum cylinder on the right axel in the first set of pictures is the "brake hub". I just need to find some curved magnets that will fit it just right. If this idea doesn't have enough stopping power, I'll just make an external drum brake using that same hub and some ultra-fine grit fabric-backed sandpaper.

And yes, supra, I know you were joking. (insert smiley here)

That is SICK! Just like from the picture ;).

Oh yeah- just in case you missed my thread on the temporary forum, THIS picture was was my entire inspiration for this project!

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...781_image1.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00010-3.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00008-2.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00011-3.jpg

^^^ This is a close-up of the bracket I made to mount the fan. More 1/8" 6061 plate getting in a fight with my bandsaw and my dremel. When will this stuff learn...
You can also see the axle extensions that make it 3" wider in the back.

Hopefully this prevents any roll-overs.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00012-2.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00013-2.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00014-1.jpg

Well the body has been cut out. I think it looks pretty good considering how much I had to remove. It will look a lot better once I finish ducting it in with the polycarbonate sheet.

Dude, that looks pretty wicked. That mount looks really well designed/made- should be a road rocket when its finished.

That is really good looking! You could put some kind of floats on it so you can drive over the water, though steering could be tricky.
Very nice! Good luck!

Brijar!!!

The thought had occurred, but yeah steering would be an issue.

That's what I'm aiming for! Do they have a class for EDF's at the RCC speed competitions?

Just adjust the mount to have a pivot controlled by a servo. Or maybe some fins controlled by a servo...

That could work. Although I'm not a big fan or water-borne RC because I don't like not being able to get to it quicky if something happens. Which if it's out in the middle of a lake and flips over on a wave that would be a problem.

That awesome!! Hope it works out for you. Definitely a very cool project. Keep us updated.

Very cool... I thought about this too... I remember putting wheels on the stryker with 90mm edf... it was pretty quick.. but couldn't turn... Go for 40,000 rpm.... and get 12Lbs of thrust.. that's what you'll need :).. LOL Very cool..

12lbs of thrust, on a car weighing about 4/5lbs... zooooooooooooommmmmmmm!

Lmao, that is the sickest thing ever.

My motor came in! I ended up buying a 9XL instead of the 8XL. I assume you all know what a Feigao XL looks like, but I'll bet you've never seen one mounted in a fan!

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00015-1.jpg

I just need to make a chassis plate to hold all of this stuff, lol. Anyone know a good place to buy 2mm carbon-fiber sheet?

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00018-1.jpg

Surprisingly it all fits nicely under the body. I must say this project is turning out much easier than I thought it would.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...d/DSC00019.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00020-1.jpg

I have to see a vid of this thing trying to take off!!!!

My f103gt was an ex dirt oval car, and we could never get it to track straight, otherwise it was a very light, well built car. It was a good choice for your project. All you need now is a runway. LOL!!

Did you expect a 2WD touring car to track straight on dirt??? But yeah the stock steering links had A LOT of slop in them. Which is why I switched to ball-ends.

LOL. I don't want it to get airborne, it probably wouldn't come down!

I actually bought it used and that is what the guy did with it. I think mine was just worn out, and the offset diff seemed to power the right rear wheel better than the left. You should not have any problems like that. Have you noticed how smooth it rolls, like it has no resistance at all.

Yes, it is VERY smooth, and I haven't even put ceramic bearings in it yet! I've actually noticed that I need to balance my tires!

I almost always balance my tires.

BTW you can find CF at mcmaster.com

I've never had to before, or at least I didn't know I had to. How do you go about it? Straight CA, or some type of weight? They aren't off by much.

Put the cone on the Feigao... it'll look cooler, and go faster.. :)
When will the video be ready?...
I really want to see this...

I use lead tape from golf supply store.

You can also use modeling clay to balance them.

Cool. Thanks guys, I like that tape idea, though I could see the modeling clay flattening out over time and throwing them off balance again.

Yeah aqwut, it would make the system more efficient with a cone at the rear, too. But if you only have one cone, it's much better to put it up front to optimize the intake suction. Turbulence in the exhaust actually helps because it creates a higher pressure behind the vehicle, which in turn creates more efficient thrust.

And please be patient. I can't make a video until I finish the project! LOL

LOL, what does patient mean?.. :D

So the other day I figured out how to mount the controller:

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...d/DSC00025.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...DSC00026-2.jpg

It's a piece of polycarbonate sheet that I cut out to match the contour of the upper chassis with a vertical piece to facilitate mounting. In a rare "duh" moment, I realized I needed to cut a hole for the servo wires to plug into the reciever. :oops:

I bought some 5.5mm plugs to hook-up the fan, too.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4...d/DSC00027.jpg

All I can say is :surprised:. I fired this thing up for the first time yesterday with my LiPo's at "storage-level" or ~3.7V per cell resting voltage. I'm gonna need ear plugs when I test it with fully charged batteries! In yet another "duh" moment (two in the same day is rare indeed), I accidentally blasted everything off of the opposite side of the table I was working on. :tongue: Last night I ordered a 0.08" sheet of 7075-T6 aluminum to make the battery plate.