BL 1/8th: Need Slipper or Brakes?

[skeeler]

Hello,

I can't help but notice that most people who've converted 1/8th buggies and truggies to brushless motors have taken out the servo-activated brakes, relying instead on motor braking. I'd be grateful to hear everyone's comments on the pros and cons on including/excluding the servo brakes.

Also, most people don't seem to run slipper clutches. I'd love to hear what everyone has to say about this topic as well.

If either of these topics have already been raised, I apologize for brining them up again. Could you please point me to the appropriate threads?

Thanks, in advance, for your help.

[jollyjumper]

if you wait a little while there will be a slipper diff for the 1/8th buggy/truggy platforms.
the brakes, you need a high-end radio to mix the 3rd channel for efficient operation. so it does not move when you apply trotle, only moves when you push the brakes on the radio.
also, electric motor have excelent brakes.

[Sylvester]

You will be better off with motor brakes, it will run the setup a little harder, but shouldnt be a problem, besides, it looks cleaner and is lighter without the extra servo and disc brakes.

[glassdoctor]

After running my nitro truggy last weekend, I'm glad my BL buggy doesn't have those PITA disk brakes to mess with. :D

I had the front rotor seize up and lock the front end... then the rear rotor rounded out the outdrive hole leaving me with only front brakes. Got that fixed, and then I had issues in the main where the brakes were engaging too much at neutral throttle (like drag brakes) but when I dialed that out a little then the idle was too high and that made the truck carry too much speed when I let off the throttle. ARGGG!!!!! @#$@#&^& nitro brakes!! LOL

Really I just needed some track time to get things adjusted, but never had a chance before the mains....

Soooooo.... I love my perfect electric motor brakes.:)

[Sylvester]

I know this is off topic; How do you like the MM GD? Im gonna try mine in my LSP with FP 3700 4s packs and was wondering what you think of it as in heat wise. Im using a lehner 1950 so i shouldnt have cogging issues, also, what is your gearing, i heard the MM doesnt like tall gearing.

[glassdoctor]

I think the MM has been great.

You can't separate gearing by itself... that depends on what the rest of the setup is... I can run a very tall gearing on my stuff because I have a lower kv motor, etc.

I see a slight gltich every once in a while but other than that I think the MM a great little controller... the software kicks butt... it's smooth... it's small.... it's cheap...

If it had a state of the art bec built in (and fix the neu issue) it would be perfect.

BTW, I believe the MMM will have a true swtiching bec so no more need for UBECs... can't wait for that bad boy...

The MM has run setups that thermal my ohter controllers... but to be fair, I never ran the others with a ubec... so maybe that was a big factor in them thermalling and smoking...

I found myself wishing that I had provided for mechanical brakes when I first did my conversion. In the end, I found that the electric is just a different "drive" than nitro. I had to learn how to drive it. If I don't watch myself, I still find myself "goosing" the throttle, as though I'm trying to keep the motor in its power band. Now, I don't miss the mechanical brakes at all.

Just don't expect to do the conversion and then start racing. You do have to set the suspension up a bit differently to accomodate the new power source.

[skeeler]

Guys,

Thanks for your replies, guys.

Glassdoctor,

Speaking of gearing, what pinion and spur are you using?

AAngel,

I know this is an entire topic on its own, but how does one set up one's suspension "to accommodate the new power source?"

[Sylvester]

Originally Posted by skeeler

Guys,

Thanks for your replies, guys.

Glassdoctor,

Speaking of gearing, what pinion and spur are you using?

AAngel,

I know this is an entire topic on its own, but how does one set up one's suspension "to accommodate the new power source?"

skeeler, he means that you wont just have a buggy that runs like a champ out of the blue, it takes time to set up the buggy the way you want it.

skeeler,

Of course, suspension setups are particular to specific buggies and the tracks that they run. For example, for our local track, I used to run soft springs all around with light shock oil (30 wt.). After I completed the conversion, my buggy wound up being a bit heavier than it was in nitro form. In my particular buggy, I wound up going with 5000 in the rear diff, rather than 1000 to try to take advantage of some of that extra weight and traction on the rear end now. Where, in nitro form, it used to slide around, the rear end now hunkers down and bites. I also had to up the spring rate on the rear shocks to the mediums and I went with 40 wt. fluid all the way around. It's no 8ight or XB8, but it handles as well as it did before, if not better, although in a different way. Sorry, but it's hard to articulate the "feeling" of the buggy after the conversion.

The buggy is definitely heavier now and has more traction. To an extent it helps in the turns because the buggy sticks better and handle with more authority, but it's also easier to get into trouble because the buggy is much more responsive in the throttle department. It is, of course, more difficult to stop because there is more moving mass. As I said before, it's different from what it was before. From a handling standpoint, I just can't drive it like I used to; but I in no way regret doing the conversion.

For example, I went out to the track on Saturday night for some practice. I showed up at about the same time that another guy did. He was having engine troubles and messed with it for about an hour and half before he actually was able to hit the track and do some laps. Even then, it still wasn't running right. Guess what I was doing for the 1.5 hours? LOL.

I'm not that great a driver and one thing that the electric conversion did for me was to allow me to really make up some time on the straights. :)

[BP-Revo]

I dont know, I personally like mechanical brakes over BL brakes. My HV nearly locks the wheels up with the slightest tap of the brakes.

I just may be spoiled by the N-Revo's brakes (which I heard are supposed to be some of the best brakes). They are just so llnear and powerful. I love em.

I will be converting a CRT .5 in the future, and I'm hoping to use the discs its equipped with (which also allows adjustable brake bias).

I plan to use a JR Digital Micro Servo, which only weighs like 10g, so weight wise it shouldn't be much, and the brake system itself can't be anymore that 20g either, since its so small.

I will use the servo on the 3rd channel and mix it in with the throttle, and then create two profiles. First profile sets the EPA for brakes on the ESC to 0, so there are none, and activates the mechanical ones. Second one deactivates the servo (by making it either a seperate channel or setting EPA to 0) and activating the ESC brakes.

[BrianG]

BP, can you adjust the brakes on the HV? I don't think I've ever used more than 50% braking on any of my setups, so I can imagine it would lock them up if it was set to 100% by default. My e-revo feels about the same brake-wise after tweaking the stopping power a little (I've had a Nitro Revo in the past. Shhh, don't tell anyone).

[BP-Revo]

Yea, I dialed out the brake some, which helps, but if you dial out too much it reduces lower speed brake performance. I've found a happy medium where I can still apply little enough brake force not to lock the wheels up (and normally I need only tap the brake to slow down enough) yet I can still lock up wheels at any speed.

[MetalMan]

Did you decrease the strength of the motor's brake through the ESC or the transmitter? Other BL systems do it through the ESC, so you still get proper braking using the trigger.

[BrianG]

How do you adjust the brake strength via the motor?