in need of advice...

hey all, i've been searching & reading on this forum for the last month or two trying to figure out what vehicle to build & am now at a loss, i've seen so many nice setups on here that i knew this is the right forum for advice.

i've had nitro monster trucks for awhile now but they are physically a crazy workout for me from my wheelchair, i'm always going to different elevations so not having to tune a vehicle all the time would also be nice, so i'm going electric.

i have bl xxx-t that i use & am very happy, but i'm hooked on having a bl 1/8, also i apologize because i know there are threads about this all over & i've read them, but i just want to make sure i'm getting the right vehicle.

i plan on getting a jammin chassis, if i came across a nice losi chassis i wouldn't be opposed to it, my lhs carries parts for both, but not sure if i should get a buggy or truggy. i have a couple good leads on a rolling cr chassis so i've been leaning towards it, this will be my first build & i don't have a real means to fab a lot of parts so i'll be using the rc monster store a bunch.

it'll be used for bashing on hard pack dirt or low cut grass so ground clearance isn't a huge factor, i live by a bmx track that i use a bunch. my number 1 priority is reliability, i'm looking for run time & speeds around 35, controllable power.

i planned on this setup:
jammin cr or crt
quark
9xl
4s lipo
don't know about gearing, i've read a bunch of stuff about gearing but am at a loss

seems to be the general setup, again i'm looking for reliability so if i need to spend extra on a quark over the mm then that is what i would want to do, but i don't want to go just crazy.

thanks everyone

[lincpimp]

Welcome to the forums!

If ground clearance is not a factor then go with a buggy. Your equipment chioces sound good, but go for 5s lipo and gear the 9xl down. It will run cooler and you will get better run times. If you want to stick with 4s go with an 8xl. This is assuming you are going to use the buggy. The 1/8 buggies are lighter and have less rotating mass than a truggy, so they are easier on the motor. Geared for 35 will also keep the temps down and the runtimes good. Not sure if you have seen briang's speed calculator, but it is a great help in setup choices:

http://scriptasylum.com/rc_speed/_top_speed.html

[suicideneil]

I recognise that X-ray in your avatar- nice to see you over here dude. Given the choice, I think the 8xl & MM would work well in a 1/8 buggy, provided a ubec and fan where used for the esc to keep its temps down- better than running the Quark and having to tear it apart after a little while to do the infamous thermal mod. The MM is also much more programmable, so that sounds like the best option to me.

thanks for the responses,

would i have to do anything special to the mm, or leave it in stock form & make sure i have ubec & fan?

[jnev]

Nothing really except disable the internal BEC in the MM. You do this by cutting or taking out the red wire in the RX plug from the ESC.

[lincpimp]

Aside from disabling the internal bec, I usually add a capacitor to the main power leads. I just solder it to the back side of the board where the wires are soldered. A novak power cap usually does the job:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXKKN3&P=7

If you really want the MM to stay cool and have a super smooth startup, send it to Griffinru to do his stage 1 mod. He adds extra heatsink material inside the MM and mods the caps, among other things. I tested his modded mm back to back with a stock mm and his stayed much cooler and was much smoother too.

i can't believe how much information is on this site, it's crazy.

i have a couple more questions:

for the bec is there an advantage of the ubec vs. the ccbec if i'm running 4s? i see that the ubec has a max input of 40v, but for a 4s it seems, to me, to be just a preference.

battery holder? i thought of just using gorillamaxx velco straps w/ some kind of padding, but see a bunch of guys build actual housings.

is the stock spur gear ok?

lincpimp you wouldn't happen to have a picture of the capacitor installed? i'm much more of a visual type person.

thanks again

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by bdmfkr

for the bec is there an advantage of the ubec vs. the ccbec if i'm running 4s? i see that the ubec has a max input of 40v, but for a 4s it seems, to me, to be just a preference.

battery holder? i thought of just using gorillamaxx velco straps w/ some kind of padding, but see a bunch of guys build actual housings.

For 4s, a regular UBEC is just fine. They are typically rated for 3A, which is more than enough unless you are using some really high torque/speed servos and/or using multiple servos. However, a good 3A UBEC is about as pricey as the CCBEC, so why not go with the higher capacity one? The high voltage capability is good if you decide to go with a HV setup in the future, but otherwise is not really needed.

Straps work good for battery holders, but some of us are quite hard on our vehicles and want something a little more sturdy. Depending on how the straps are set up, the pack could still slide around. Making your own holders lets you size them exactly as you want, keep them from sliding around, and can provide more protection from stray rocks and such. Plus, it's cooler to have something custom.

[ClodMaxx]

i can personally tell you that the gorillamax straps are total crap. they tear if the wind blows too hard.

if you're going the strap route, get heavy duty velcro. i recently found some stretchable velcro staps from horizon hobby and love 'em.

[mkrusedc]

My gorillas tore also. They tear at the hold down washer.

Nasty looking film. Is that you? C5-6 or C6-7 cage?

[aqwut]

Seems like you have all ur questions answered dude.. and welcome.. What about considering a Truggy... that would be nice... but I really love monster trucks.... what about you...? bdmfkr

thanks again everyone, i'll have to come up with something better then just straps for the battery.

Originally Posted by mkrusedc

Nasty looking film. Is that you? C5-6 or C6-7 cage?

good eye, that's my x-ray after my surgery to repair my broken neck, c 5-6, titanium cage, 2 titanium rods, 1 titanium plate & 8 screws, i did a rather good job when i busted it. here's the before & after a little bit bigger.


thanks aqwut, i'll probably do a truggy in the future, one can never have too many toys, but i'm gonna start with a buggy, and monster trucks are sweet but they're heavy.

[mkrusedc]

Originally Posted by bdmfkr

good eye, that's my x-ray after my surgery to repair my broken neck, c 5-6, titanium cage, 2 titanium rods, 1 titanium plate & 8 screws, i did a rather good job when i busted it. here's the before & after a little bit bigger.

I am a sports medicine chiropractor. i have seen a few injured athletes go through that and worse. I am glad you are ok.

The people on this forum are a wealth of knowledge especially with BL setups.