Getting back in the saddle er on the track...

[scifan]

So, I haven't really ran my 10T in a really long time... Basically, it's been sitting in a box for nearly 10 years waiting until my son was old enough to race with and not destroy it.

Recently I had a "water event" in my garage which took out alot of my RC gear and I'm re-purchasing/upgrading radios, motors, and other parts that were water damaged - though it didn't actually get my truck - you wouldn't know it by looking at it - I'm guessing it's due to the moisture that was in the air...

After seriously looking at my truck, I think I need to invest some time cleaning it up and getting it back into shape... and well, I'm thinking about upgrading parts. The bottom pan isn't in great shape - I played pretty hard with it at times back in the day.

I'm looking for some suggestions on what size brushless motor to switch to as I want to move away from the Tekin Rooster I had installed and Trinity SpeedGem Jade... I'm also wondering about changing my steering servo as it's the original unit and I think it's lost some of it's ability - or perhaps it's just steering hookup/geometry. I've seen some interesting concepts on here, but am uncertain what I should aim for (what's something someone with less than excellent skills able to reasonably put together) I saw something about either having a short servo upright, or adding mounts and flipping it reverse of what I've had it configured for...

Previously I'd installed Lundsford Titanium turnbuckles - well except for the one connecting to the servo... I'm guessing I really should tear it down and clean it up... I have a mix of colors for the Nylon pieces (some are white, some are blue, and some are black...) I know I changed the CVD's at one point, but can't remember the brand that it currently has on it.

I know the original colors were blue. I know this truck was the version that included bearings instead of alot of bushings... but I don't remember what kit # it was... (I acquired it after it'd been put together)...

Thoughts?

[scifan]

Would a 60 amp brushless system be appropriate for this size rig? (and not totally tear things up?)

What turn motor should I look at? I'm guessing my current "stock" size pinion's will probably work as long as I can find a 3.2mm shafted motor...

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Welcome, scifan!

I've built a few 10Ts, and my current one runs like a raped ape on 2S, so I can definitely help you with your selection

Would a 60 amp brushless system be appropriate for this size rig? (and not totally tear things up?)

Depends on which one, but even with the better ones, you won't be able to push it real hard. The 10T with battery weighs right about 4 pounds, so a bit heavier than modern buggies. If you go with a 60A, you'll wanna keep the timing close to zero, gear it moderately and keep tabs on temperature. My suggestion would be to go at least 80 or 90 amp if you want a performer, and pay attention to the burst capability.

Very reasonably priced ($65) is the Hobbywing SC8WP, which is a waterproof 120A cont/760A burst speedo. I have this ESC in my Prolite 4x4 and a 1/8 buggy converted to 1/10 short course truck. A little overkill for 1/10 scale, but it's honestly pretty dang compact for a 4S capable ESC, and weighs only 4 ounces. Why would I recommend this for a 1/10 2WD? Because they are efficient, smooth, durable and will barely warm up pushing a 4 lb truck on 2S, even geared tall and advanced like crazy. Be aware that it is a sensorless design, as are most of the more economical ESCs. It's smooth as sensorless goes, but still not as smooth as sensored.

Motor-wise, I'd say pretty much any 540 can (true 540; make sure it's not 540-size with a 380 core) will be satisfactory, though you'll probably want to go with something in the 10-13 turn (3,000-4,000 KV) range.

Stepping up a notch will be the sensored systems, and once again, my preference is Hobbywing. The Xerun series are really nice ESCs and motors, and the older versions are quite affordable, with ESCs from about $70 and ESC/motor combos in the $130-$150 range for 1/10 scale.

Higher end, I would go with either Tekin RS/RSX or the Hobbywing Xerun V3.1, which are comparable in price (ESCs at $130-$200).

Castle systems are OK, lots of people like them. But they're definitely sport products, and barely comparable to the Hobbywing EZrun sport line, IMO. NOBODY who is serious is using CC.

LRP........yeah, high dollar, and highly fragile, IME. They do perform, but are unforgiving.

Novak brushless I have almost no experience with, so can't say.

Turnigy makes great batteries, but I would shy away from their motors and you couldn't give me one of their ESCs. Yes, I have owned/used them-this is experience speaking, not snobbery.

In short, yes, I'm a big Hobbywing fan, and there's a good reason. They are the only brand of which I have not cooked an ESC, which is why my kits have all slowly received HW components as the other ones I'd tried fail. I'm currently running 3 HW motors and 5 HW ESCs, with another on the way (Xerun V2.1 90A) to replace a Dynamite sensored ESC in my composite buggy. The HW SC10 ESC in my 10T with the HW 10 turn motor, geared 20/87, pushes that little truck to a top speed of 34 MPH on 2S LiPo, with enough torque power to flip it over backwards on demand-even when it's rolling at 10-15 MPH. I've also run that system constantly (literally stopping only long enough to swap a battery pack) for over 2 hours without a problem, and I don't drive my kits gently.

Whatever you go with, just pay attention to the specs; how many turns for off-road, how much timing advance it can take, etc. Just because it is labeled as 1/10 scale doesn't mean it can handle what you may have in mind.

[scifan]

Thank you... I'll get one of the hobbywing ESC's ordered...

What do you think of Tacon motors? Though I notice their 540 sized motors seem to have a 3.175mm instead of 3.2mm shaft... I'd guess I'd need to hunt down pinions if I were to swap?

[Sixtysixdeuce]

What do you think of Tacon motors?

I have no experience with them, the reviews do seem to be mixed. They are made by Exceed, I believe, and the other exceed products I have played with were pretty mediocre.

Honestly, I would probably go with either this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-TEAM-ASSOCIATED-RC10-SC10-RS-REEDY-3300kV-BRUSHLESS-540-MOTOR-/360875222214?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5405d6e4c6

Or, if you really wanna lay the power down, this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Associated-SCX10-4X4-Reedy-550-SL-3500kV-4-Pole-Brushless-Motor-ASC924-/161130633179?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item25842257db

The 550SL is a 550 series motor, but not much bigger than a regular 540. It is, however, a 4 pole motor, which makes it a torque monster. They are standard equipment in the SC104x4 and Prolite 4x4. Just be aware if you go that route that they use a 5mm shaft; finding 5mm bore 48 pitch pinions is definitely more of an online proposition.

Both of these Reedy motor listings are take-out motors (removed from new RTR kits), which is why the prices are so good.

Otherwise, in a sensorless, I'd probably give the Leopards a look, or just go Hobbywing there, too. (The links are just examples of each, not specifically recommending these two)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leopard-Motor-Brushless-Inrunner-3430Kv-4-Pole-for-1-10-RC-Cars-and-Trucks-/310872878740?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item486177ae94

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hobbywing-EZRun-3656-4P-SCT-Motor-3400Kv-1-10-2WD-4WD-SCT-buggy-truggy-monster-/331089622888?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d167ab768

Just remember about the 540 versus 380-cored 540 size issue. A 380 cored 540 will almost always have very deep fins on the housing, as the rotor & stator are much smaller. They work OK in a ~3 lb buggy, but I've heard a lot of horror stories with guys trying to run them in 4-5 lb trucks; they get amazing performance.........right up until the magnets debond from the rotor due to high temps. They just have to work too hard pushing a heavier vehicle.

380 cored 540 size motor, note the deep fins:



Also, I forgot to answer your servo query. I'm a big fan of Savox, but lately there has been an excellent budget option on the bay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kyosho-Inferno-GT2-Nitro-SYNCRO-KS-200-HIGH-TORQUE-SERVO-Metal-Gears-linkage-/371013170431?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item56621bb4ff

Sometimes you can find them for even less (I recently ordered 3 for $22 shipped). They're a tad slow compared to high dollar stuff, but at 200 in-oz of torque, in a 1/10 scale you can make the ratio really high by using a long servo arm to compensate. Only downside there is amplification of play at the servo horn, but I haven't found it problematic in actual use. They're smooth and very powerful servos, I'm running 8 or 9 of them in various kits. Steel gears, too.

[scifan]

Gotta say this forum needs a thanks button...

thank you!

[scifan]

Bought a Reedy 3300 and an SC8WP...

Need to still acquire a servo... but I'm getting there.

Any suggestions for revised battery mounts for a S3 pack?

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Any suggestions for revised battery mounts for a S3 pack?

Unless it's a short pack, you'll have to move the battery cup forward, and snip out the top of the cup on the bulk head.

The way I did it on my buggy was to simply use longer screws on the forward cup to accommodate the thicker 3S pack, and on the rear, I inverted a cup and ran screws up from the bottom:



But that was dual-purpose, as with my narrow hand-cut 4mm carbon fiber chassis, I needed somewhere to mount an ESC.

On my 10T, I still nipped out the rear bulkhead, but no need for inverted cups. Just running two standard cups, with the rear cut out so the battery can lay through it, butting up against the bulkhead. I was missing the rear strap when I took the picture:

[Sixtysixdeuce]

As an afterthought, you might wanna get used to it on 2S before you go balls-out. That Reedy 3,300 is a pretty torquey little motor, and the SC8 will hold back nothing; whatever watts the motor wants, it'll get! With moderate gearing (something like a 20T or 22T pinion), that truck will probably either make the slipper squeal or flip itself over backwards on 2S.......even without turning up the punch or motor timing in the ESC.

That buggy pictured above? Yeah, it's got a 3430KV 4-pole motor with an AE SC1200BL ESC (a little more motor than the 2-pole Reedy, but not as potent of an ESC). With a regular old 5,000 mAh 40-80C 2S and geared 24/81, it you hammer it off the line, it looks a bit like this:

[youtube]fT8H2mxN7C0[/youtube]

[RC104ever]

read this thread:

http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=24904

A lot of what you are asking about is contained in here and most will pertain to your 10T.

For servos, its really personal taste and budget. I like the Savox low profile ones myself, they are not crazy expensive and work really well.

[scifan]

Thanks for the replies guys!

I'll have to sort of specific's for battery connections - I bought a couple of small Zipply flight 2S 2200 20C packs for a pair of 1/16 Mini Rally extreme - and those are running XT60 connectors... I could just run that as my stock... or get adapters.

The motor and ESC won't arrive until sometime next week... I'm trying to decide if I'm going to stick with my ancient Futaba controller, or just use a receiver and use one of the newer non crystal 2.4ghz radio's I bought for the mini's...

[scifan]

One question...

If you had a Castle Creations SCT combo w/ motor to play with that dropped into your hands... would you still choose the HW controller and Reedy 3300KV or the CC SCT w/ 1410?

[Sixtysixdeuce]

If you had a Castle Creations SCT combo w/ motor to play with that dropped into your hands... would you still choose the HW controller and Reedy 3300KV or the CC SCT w/ 1410?

If it were me, I'd run the HW ESC and the Castle motor. The SC8WP is a smoother & more powerful ESC, but unless I'm mistaken, that 1410 motor is a 4 pole, which will make more torque than the Reedy 3300. The CC motor will also hold up to 3S better, and can even take 4S if you watch temps. I know from experience that the Reedy motors, while good motors, do not like being pushed to the limits with voltage.

Having said that, if you run such a potent ESC as the HW SC8 in conjunction with a low turn 4 pole motor like the CC 1400 series on 3S & 4S, you're definitely gonna break stuff. A lot. I ran a little 3,300 kv 380-cored Atomik Venom (quite a nasty little motor, actually) with an AE SC1200BL ESC on 3S in one of my vintage RC10 buggies, and it lunched more than one diff gear, quite a few axles, wheel bearings & spur gears were a constant issue, etc. Now I run a Leopard 3430KV 4 pole on 2S with punch turned way down, and the buggy definitely appreciates it.

Also, you might just try both. If the little Reedy gives satisfactory performance, it won't be as hungry as the Castle, meaning longer run times.

[scifan]

Sounds like I have interesting options... I don't want to break stuff to quickly. I'll try the setup you initially suggested...

Sent from my C6503 using Tapatalk