Cen Matrix TR Arena FRE - Brushless

[jhautz]

Heres a few pictures of my Matrix TR FRE Brushless conversion.

Hickerson Crosspin difs
Hickerson front turnbuckles
Neu 1515/2.5D motor
Mamba Max ESC (will be upgraded to the Monster Max when its released)
Castle Creations BEC
5s 25C 5000 Polyquest Lipo
46T Center Dif Spur Gear
RC-Monster.com Kyosho motor mount
RC-Monster.com Battery Tray
Tekno Revo Reciever Box
CNC front knuckles
CNC front hub carriers
17mm Matrix Buggy Hub conversion (Dace Mugen 17mm +6mm Ordered not installed yet)
Threaded (no e-clip) inner upper and lower front hinge pins
rcbodies.net matrix body (still needs to be painted)
Hyper ST Chassis Guards

Ran this thing nitro for a little while. Love the truggy. Just finished the brushless converion. Cant wait to test it out next weekend.

[satttheman]

very nice conversion very clean work like always... good job

[jhautz]

I had it out for its maiden run today. I took it to the local indoor track. The truggy itself ran fine with no issues, but I am still not sold on the MM and Neu motor combo. I noticed some minor cogging on the MM when unning the Neu 1515/2.5d. It also would sometimes do a very quick hesitiation on acceleration from low speeds (5 mph or so), to the point where it would lock up all 4 wheels for a slpit second before it went. Not reall good IMO. I had a Lehner 1950/7 in my toolbox so I swapped out the Neu for the Lehner and it ran like a dream. No cogging. No glitchly hesitation, just nice and smooth like its supposed to be.

So IMO the MM has made a big improvement with running the Neu motors with the new software, but its still not as good as running a 2 pole stlye motor.

Anyone else seen this kind of minor cogging/hesitation with the MM Neu combo and the new softwware?

[pipeous]

was that kyosho mount a direct fit? and my 2.5d is smooth as silk with my mamba. I can drive with min throttle and crawl along no cogging, power is smooth and consistent.

5s on MM controller
realy good conversion, as other guys said, very clean. I like the platforme of this CEN truggy. And for the cross pin mod in the diff, it's very good, because with stock diff, they don't hold very long with nitro engine.
But i think the new version of the Matrix (buggy and truggy) have the new crosspin diff as stock unit.

But you are sure for 5s on MM controller

[jhautz]

Originally Posted by pipeous

was that kyosho mount a direct fit? and my 2.5d is smooth as silk with my mamba. I can drive with min throttle and crawl along no cogging, power is smooth and consistent.

The kyosho mount holes all line up, but you need to use a kyosho center diff mount in the front also. I just got the stock diff mount from the 777 and used the front upright part. The overall height of the kyosho center diff mount is slightly shorter than the stock CEN center diff mounts. You also need to make some sort of spacer on top of the diff mounts so you can tie the over the top style chassis braces to it. It takes a little custom doing, but its not to bad to make it work.

I'm not saying that the MM Neu is bad... Its just not as good as a MM with a 2 pole motor. Its totally drivable and if you didn't compare it directly you probably wouldn't think that much of it. But with a 2 pole motor it does still run noticeably smoother IMO.

[jhautz]

Originally Posted by david lamontagn

5s on MM controller
realy good conversion, as other guys said, very clean. I like the platforme of this CEN truggy. And for the cross pin mod in the diff, it's very good, because with stock diff, they don't hold very long with nitro engine.
But i think the new version of the Matrix (buggy and truggy) have the new crosspin diff as stock unit.

But you are sure for 5s on MM controller

Yea. I have been running 5s on my MMs for quite a while now. Never had an issue except for early when we were just figuring out that the MM didn't like the Neu. I toasted a MM, but I think that it would have happened even if I wasn't running 5s, it was mostly due to MM/Neu cogging issues IMO. With 2 pole motors the MM has run 5s all day long for me.

Yea, CEN finally smartened up and made the cross-pins stock, but that was after I bought mine and had already done the aftermarket cross pin mod from Gene Hickerson.

Thanks for the props on the conversion.

[supralover72]

Now that is an incredible machine...

Originally Posted by jhautz

Yea. I have been running 5s on my MMs for quite a while now. Never had an issue except for early when we were just figuring out that the MM didn't like the Neu. I toasted a MM, but I think that it would have happened even if I wasn't running 5s, it was mostly due to MM/Neu cogging issues IMO. With 2 pole motors the MM has run 5s all day long for me.

Yea, CEN finally smartened up and made the cross-pins stock, but that was after I bought mine and had already done the aftermarket cross pin mod from Gene Hickerson.

Thanks for the props on the conversion.

But tell me, if you download the new version on the castle web site, is you can run 5s with the Neu motor without any chance to toast it????
Because lot of guys here said that the new version run very well with the Neu motor.

[jhautz]

No you shouldt toast it like with the old software.

Compared to the old software version the new MM software runs a Neu motor very well. But from what I was experiencing today, it still doesnt run a Neu motor as well as a 2pole motor IMO.

I'm sure that many people woulnt have a problem with what I experienced, but it was not as good as with the 2 pole motors.

I was running it with the latest softare version. I doubt there have been many who have run very similar kv motors one 2 pole and one 4 pole in the same buggy back to back like I did today. I proved it to myself.

At least with the new software I dont get stuck and not be able to start without a push using the Neu motors like with the old software, or cog so bad it waould actually jump backward, but I did experience some momentary glitches that were strong enough to lock up all 4 wheels for a split second. Annoying, but not disaterous. The new software MM and Neu combination is acceptable IMO, but far from perfect yet.

[Serum]

Nice ride Jhautz..

These Hickerson cross-pins are 'just' HSS or HSSE tooling metal pins, right?

[Haldir]

Nice truck man, good job on the conversion. How much does it weigh?

[jhautz]

Thanks Guys.

Serum, I'm not sure what the cross pins are made of for sure, they are claimed to be harder than the stock ones "made from the hardest tool steel available". So yea its probably just HSS. None of that mattered to me. At the time I did it, it was the only solution to get regular feeling diffs short of going out and buying a full set of 3 kyosho difs and that option was alot more expensive. CEN hadnt come out with their cross pins yet.

Haldir, It weighed in at exactly 10.05 lbs. RTR with batteries, wheels, body and all. But that was with wheels that are slightly heavier than the LPRs so posibly 9 something now. Not sure. The Matrix TR is not exactly a light truck out of the box. I weighed in nitro form before tearing it down and it was over 10.5lbs with no fuel in it. I'm sure I could find a few places to shave a few ounces, but the way I drive durability is the key for me.

[rschoi_75]

very nice looking truggy jhautz.

[skillx]

Really sharp man..I have to say that I am with you on the MM Neu combo though. Even with SW update I could never get it to be as smooth as a 2 poler or my Bigmax even...Wonder why that is...