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Old 05-07-2008, 07:09 PM   #21
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Got the tires mounted up today.

I did some custom foams...unfortunately, I didn't take pics of the finished insert. I thought the Losi foams were a bit stiff, and the Axial foams were too soft. So, I combined the two. My foams are 3 piece: A Losi foam is sandwiched between Axials. I cut each of them in a 6 pointed star shape, and alternated the points when I glued them together. I'm very happy with the results! In addition, I drilled a single 1/8" hole in each of the rims. Here is a pic of one of the Losi foams:




And here is the finished product:

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Old 05-07-2008, 07:53 PM   #22
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I like the foams, they look like Shurikens and are a new take on the star cut with some firmness.
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Old 05-11-2008, 06:10 PM   #23
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Houston, we have a roller!

Once I got back into the swing of putting an r/c together, the rest of this build probably took 2 hours, maybe a bit longer. I spent more time polishing the links and beadlocks than I did putting the rest of the kit together. If I were sticking with the stock chassis, I would be pretty happy with this. However, I'm still waiting on the chassis I ordered. Figured I'd go ahead with the stock setup for now, so I have a basis for setup when the other chassis arrives. Height is just a hair over 2 1/2".




I need to put some kind of a spacer here, between the shock and green chassis brace. Right now, things are a bit short, and it's pulling the sides of the chassis together. I'm sure a piece of fuel tubing would work, possibly another spacer, but since this is just a mockup until the new chassis arrives, I'm not really going to worry about it.




Here's a mockup of how I want to mount the battery and steering servo. Bender did his AX10 like this, and I want to do mine similar. I'll need to trim down one of the old servo mount posts on the left so the battery can lay flat, then screw down one of the stock velcro straps. I also need to fabricate a custom servo mounting bracket this week, which will probably involve some trial and error.


Last edited by Browncoat; 06-12-2008 at 12:05 PM.
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Old 05-12-2008, 02:26 PM   #24
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Today I worked on the servo mounts. For the rear (since I'm not using rear steering), I just modified the mount by trimming it up. Thanks to Bender for posting this mod in his build thread. I think it cleans up the rear axle:




For the front, I'm going to try my hand at mounting the steering servo off to the left, instead of the stock center position...that way I can sit my LiPo batteries on the right side of the front axles. This piece was a bit tricky, and I think I may have made it too small. I used the Axial battery tray, and just cut it to size and modified it to this point. The bend was put in it using a brake at work. I need to get another set of links so I can make a drag link and see if I can mount up the servo.

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Old 05-13-2008, 08:49 PM   #25
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I'm amazed.

Tonight I addressed the chassis issue. Since I wasn't using the stock setup, my chassis was bending in slightly as noted before. All I did was add another spacer from the Losi shock kit, which straightened everything up nicely. That one small adjustment totally changed the way my AX10 functioned. Things must've been bound up pretty good, because now the whole suspension flexes much easier, and it seems all the stars are now aligned so to speak.

The downside of course is now I have tons of articulation that I need to figure out how to limit.
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Old 05-13-2008, 10:21 PM   #26
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I would recomend putting a washer between the screw head and the ball end on that upper link "Y" that ball will pull right out of the housing

looking good
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Old 05-16-2008, 12:11 PM   #27
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There hasn't been much to report this week, but I have been working on a top secret project. Let's just say that if it looks as good in production as it does in a 3D layout...I may be going into the vendor section of this site with a new product!

I hope to pick up some more heavy duty Traxxas plugs to get things wired up, and also order some Axial links this weekend. I should be able to get the front steering servo locked down by the end of next week, and my build will be complete. Once I get a final body post location, I can start painting up the lid for this thing.

More pics coming! And stay tuned for my top secret project!
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Old 05-28-2008, 05:05 PM   #28
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What a busy day!

First, I got out the soldering iron and took care of the wiring chores. The Rooster Crawler is hard wired to the motor, and I clipped off the Tamiya adapter and switched it for the more efficient Traxxas heavy duty plug. This should make a nice connection for the MaxAmps LiPo pack. The lead wires for the battery charger also got a new plug.

The big news is, I got my side-mount servo plate installed. This began life as an ordinary piece of flat 1/8" aluminum. I decided to go extra beefy on the servo plate for durability. I also felt a little more weight was needed on this side of the axle to balance against the battery pack that will reside on the other end. The mounting bracket was pretty much custom bent and cut using a bandsaw, hand files, and a drill. After all was said and done, I bead blasted it and painted it black. The last pic is a bit misleading. Due to the angle I took the photo from, it looks like the servo horn is rubbing, but it isn't.

It's a very clean install, and looks stock. These pics are crap, I'll have to take the axle out into the sun for some decent lighting so you can see more detail. Since I upgraded to heavy duty bent links, I have the stockers left over...one of which will become the drag link to complete this servo mod. Later this week, I'll grind off that stray post on the other side of the axle to mount the battery pack.








Last edited by Browncoat; 05-28-2008 at 05:25 PM.
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Old 05-28-2008, 05:41 PM   #29
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i did the same set up bender did
Comp Ax-10
If you have any issues let me know. Mine works great i Also dont have the servo mount post next to the battery anymore.

Last edited by Shoei1; 05-28-2008 at 05:43 PM.
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Old 05-29-2008, 04:17 AM   #30
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2 more days to complete Looking good man
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Old 05-29-2008, 08:43 PM   #31
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The new chassis is done, and my AX10 is back to rolling status.

With the soldering chores done, there isn't much left to finish my build. The CKRC heavy duty links didn't fit well with the Losi shocks. I tried to inboard them inside the chassis, and it bound everything up pretty good. I'll need to invest in some spacers and reconfigure things for them to fit.

I'll probably make some custom aluminum mounting plates for the ESC and Rx, once I finalize their location. The steering servo rubs against the tire when turning right, so I need to figure out how to space the wheels out a bit as well. I may just toss a washer or two in there...it's not rubbing very much.

Last edited by Browncoat; 05-30-2008 at 01:26 PM.
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Old 05-30-2008, 01:38 PM   #32
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Here's some info on the chassis...

First, a little background on how it came about: I ordered a chassis from a vendor here to start the build. There were issues and delays with the chassis, and when I finally did receive it, frankly, I wasn't impressed at all. So I decided to design my own. With access to 3D CAD and a laser to cut out my chassis, I could do just about anything I wanted. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel, just come up with something that offered more options than stock.

I have dubbed my chassis THE CYBORG because, well, it sounds cool. The stock AX10 mounting positions are all there, all in the same locations. The overall size is the same, but I have added more mounting options for upper/lower links, shocks, and body posts. I've also given more motor/tranny options by opening up the inner portion of the chassis in case I decide to narrow the skid plate some day. Ultimately, I wanted to be able to tweak ride height, squat/anti-squat, and other things on the fly. When I used to race, we always had to "dial in" our trucks to the track. I don't see why it should be any different for crawling. In the pics, everything is mounted in the stock locations:

The chassis is 1/8" aluminum, which is slightly beefier than stock. I think the stock AX10 chassis might be .090, but I'm not sure. The laser leaves behind some unsightly flash and burn marks, so I bead blasted the chassis and lightly sanded it with ScotchBrite. It's got an industrial look to it, which I like:






Last edited by Browncoat; 05-30-2008 at 01:40 PM.
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Old 05-30-2008, 02:52 PM   #33
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really nice

I like those mounts, Im in need of some new mounts, the custom ones I built dont support the saddle packs very well and sometimes turn into steering stops

watching closely to ur build
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Old 05-30-2008, 02:56 PM   #34
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That's a sweet looking chassis.... I also like what you did with the servo and battery mount.. I may try to duplicate that when I make the switch to Lipo...
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Old 05-30-2008, 03:15 PM   #35
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wow... that chassis leaves me speechless... It just looks way too dang cool...

I have had a heck of a time finding a chassis that is different that I still like... I wish I had access to a CAD CNC machine...

good job on the crawler! not only does it look good, but it seems like it would perform pretty good...

overall nice job!
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Old 05-30-2008, 10:07 PM   #36
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Paint's dry!

This is a really crappy pic. The batteries in my camera were going dead, so the flash wasn't the greatest. The body looks black but is actually charcoal pearl. There are some black ghost flames near the orange graphic, but you can't see them here. Tomorrow I'll take a pic of the body in the sun, and it will show up better.

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Old 05-31-2008, 09:47 PM   #37
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After running my crawler on a course for the first time today, I have a new to-do list. Overall, I was happy with the way it performed, especially considering that it was my first time. The guys from TSC really helped me get things up and running.

1. I MUST install the bent lower links. I can't count all the times I got hung up today, that could've easily been avoided with bent links.

2. Chassis must be narrowed. See above.

3. Must address torque twist. I guess I didn't really think it would be that bad...but it is. Granted, the course featured an extremely nasty incline that made it very obvious, but it still needs to be minimized.

4. Weight distribution. I can't even describe how much better the truck performed with a heavier front end. It was night and day. Granted, I wasn't planning on running today, so most of my components were just zip tied in place. Once the battery is on the front axle and things are shifted around a bit, it will be better. I may have to fab up some solid delrin 2.2 wheels this week too.

6. The Cyborg chassis performed well, but it can be better. I adjusted ride height 1/4" just by moving the shocks out further, which couldn't have been done with a stock chassis. The Cyborg II chassis will improve on the original.

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Old 05-31-2008, 10:19 PM   #38
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You kicked Toms ass Just a few more tweaks and you got it You did good first time out. Cant wait to test the chassis myself
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Old 06-01-2008, 09:52 AM   #39
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Planned revisions to the chassis:

1) Add another row of shock positioning mounts. Moving the shocks out 1 hole will increase ride height 1/8". By adding another row of holes, I should have 1 1/4" overall adjustment available.

2) Add more squat/anti-squat adjustment...in the right place. Removed unnecessary holes that didn't really offer anything.

3) Add one more hole for upper links. I have the room, so why not.

I think after these changes are made, I will be happy with it. Even as is, it's a good chassis. But since I have the means, I'll make it even better. Here's a PhotoShop mock-up of how it should turn out:


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Old 06-01-2008, 06:54 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Browncoat View Post
1. I MUST install the bent lower links. I can't count all the times I got hung up today, that could've easily been avoided with bent links.
Done.

The only way I could get these to fit right was to mount the shocks upside down. I went to ACE hardware and picked up some screws and the rest of this install are leftover parts from the Losi shock kit and the Axial stock shocks. They say that necessity is the mother of invention...I guess this proves them right!


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