Jato Roller came in planning on putting a remote start on it

[Gee]

Got the itch to get the Jato running so I went ahead with the stuff I had on hand to try out the remote start. Well by stuff on hand I mean the esc I had. I already picked up a smaller 2s lipo to use from another RCM member and also found that traxxas has a smaller ez-start setup that can be mounted on the RC instead of using the ez-start wand. It's about 1/3 of the size of the wands board that was used in the article I referenced. There a picture of it included. I am still going to pick up a smaller esc to use for this. I started out to use a Duratrax Sprint ESC but couldn't get it to arm with my DX3R so I ended up using a XL-5 esc. Needed to remove it from it case and the heat sinks to get it to fit into the center compartment. It really isn't the ideal setup with the on/off switch located on the esc itself. I have to leave the lid off the compartment to turn the Jato on/off. I'm searching for a small brushed esc that has a LVC included in it an a external on/off switch. I would splice it into the on/off switch already on the Jato. The smaller the foot print the better. I want to be able to get it and the ez-start board both stuffed into the center compartment if it is small enough. In the setup in the pictures I didn't cut the original connectors and shorten the wires to clean up the setup. I wanted to test it out first and if I don't use the XL-5 It might be easier to get a couple $$ for it with all the original connectors on it.

This turned out to be a lot easier then I thought it was going to be. I'll be picking up a smaller Lipo for this also. There are rx lipos out now that are 1/2 the wieght of a 5cell Nihm hump pack. With a lighter lipo and the wieght of the ez-start and esc. It might be the same wieght as a 5cell rx pack all together. Well close, I would have to weigh everything together to find out. The Lipo I got just barely fit into the trunk and added enought weight I had to adjust the rear suspension. I cut the lid for the trunk so the wires could come out but then realized I cut the lid in the wrong place so now I got a nice hole in the back part of the trunk to show the yellow lipo wrapping. LOL Here's a diagram I put together for the connections.



Quick run down of what I did.

Fit the lipo into the trunk. Cut the wire access (twice).

Removed the XL-5 from it case and it heat sinks. Sprayed it down with a couple of coats of Clearex. Then wrapped it in a plastic bag and put it into the center compartment. Connected it into the 3rd channel of my receiver.

Had an adapter to connect the dean plug from the lipo to a tamiya connectoro that is on the xl-5 battery connector.

I removed the ez-start from the plastic casing it was in. I need to spray it down aslo with Clearex still. I taped the engage button on it down so it was always on. The button will be removed and the contacts will be bridged when I redo the wiring or find a new esc to use.

I had an adapter that connected into the bullet connectors on the XL-5 for the motor to a tamiya connector. I plugged that into the battery connection on the ez-start board.

For this test all I did was remove the on-board ez-start wire harness from the roll bar and connect it to the ez-start boards wire harness connector. I zip tied the board to the roll bar. I will clean this up and shorted the wires from the ez-start board and make them direct connections to the ez-start motor, ground, and glow plug. Hopefully all coming from the center compartment.

Really that was all there was to it. Set my 3rd channel to 2p and now when I press my aux on my transmitter it engages the motor and to disengage it I press the aux again. I added a temporary bright red LED into the bullet connectors with a resistor at a place where I can see it through the body. At first it was difficult to hear the ez-start motor engaged while the engine was running. The LED would be on if it was engaged. It's easier to hear it engaged now. The lipo through the XL-5 powers the electronic for the Jato. No LVC setup at this point. I could use a CC BEC for it but I haven't been running it enought to worry about a LVC on it. I could fix it in a couple ways before spring with an esc with the lvc included, a BEC with a low battery indicator, or just the cheap old inline 2s LVC.

Here's some shots of the snakes nest I got going on which I thought I would make a few of you squirm in your seats by seeing it in this kind of disarray. LOL Not to mention any names but I know there are a few members that would go crazy until they had those wires snipped, zipped, braided, and tucked away nice and tidy like. If this was their project just picture them laying in bed, eyes wide open, with beads of sweat rolling off their foreheads, thinking about those wires. ROFL




















For those of you that have run nitros you know they always die when they are the farthest away from you. Well it still dies at that point, but I don't have to run after it anymore. Just hit the aux button feather the throttle and then hit the aux again to disengage it. It has been a real nice addition. Probably as close to getting a nitro to run like a brushless as you can. The tuned pipe on it give it more lower end and is really not that loud. I can't hear if it is running when it more then a block and a half away. No, I'm not that old. I have excellent selective hearing. It's tuned in for this cold weather and starts easy. Only time I get close enough to the smell is when I add fuel to it. For me it the best of both worlds my RCM brothers.