BowHouse RC Forward Mount Tranmission Cradle

[allanon1965]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

Probably overthinking a bit. Since the motor, tranny and battery are all staying inside the frame rails, the rearrangement is unlikely to have any noticeable impact left-right. And even after the flip, the servo sits on the left side, as does the receiver box and (at least for most people) the ESC. Thanks for the order!

thanks for the reply, cant wait to get the rig and the mount. I am thinking of doing dual lipos again on the sliders..not sure yet... I have 2 2600mah 3s 60c lipos wanting a new home

may have to run it stock first, then with the trans flipped, then with dual batteries, just to see how it performs in each case..

[Helios RC]

Full size battery tray is complete. David will be taking nice pictures and posting them.

[Helios RC]

Servo winch mount is almost done.

This truck is so fun to work on!

[1967Typhoon]

Is it possible to move the receiver box, so that you don't have to modify it? I'm planning on dunking my kit, and was planning on using the stock receiver box. Thanks!

[SCREAMER]

You'd have to move that whole floorboard, it's one piece molded together.

[K.O.M.]

Is the motor wired for reverse rotation? Just double checking since I have a bunch of brushed motors I (still) need to wear out with a bunch of positive timing that would absolutely kill them if I simply changed polarity. These are old ROAR stock motors, so the endbells are locked and I can't simply rotate the can/endbell 180 degrees to change rotation.

[new2rocks]

Originally Posted by 1967Typhoon

Is it possible to move the receiver box, so that you don't have to modify it? I'm planning on dunking my kit, and was planning on using the stock receiver box. Thanks!

You have at least 3 options: (1) waterproof your electronics recognizing that the stock box isn't completely waterproof, in which case a little hole in the box isn't an issue even if you dunk it (2) cut out the stock box completely and install a Traxxas waterproof receiver box (which is closer to waterproof than the stock box), or (3) give us a couple more weeks to release a new motor plate and spur gear cover that eliminates the need to notch out the receiver box when doing the flip.


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[1967Typhoon]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

You have at least 3 options: (1) waterproof your electronics recognizing that the stock box isn't completely waterproof, in which case a little hole in the box isn't an issue even if you dunk it (2) cut out the stock box completely and install a Traxxas waterproof receiver box (which is closer to waterproof than the stock box), or (3) give us a couple more weeks to release a new motor plate and spur gear cover that eliminates the need to notch out the receiver box when doing the flip.


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Well, if the stock box isn't waterproof I guess its getting ripped out.

[SCREAMER]

It's pretty waterproof. I drove my truck through a decent amount of water two weeks ago while crawling around a lake area. Water was over the fenders for several seconds at a time. I opened the lid during post crawl cleanup and maintenance and all was well inside, bone dry and completely clean. All of my electronics on this rig are waterproofed also but I like the box.

[1967Typhoon]

Originally Posted by SCREAMER

It's pretty waterproof. I drove my truck through a decent amount of water two weeks ago while crawling around a lake area. Water was over the fenders for several seconds at a time. I opened the lid during post crawl cleanup and maintenance and all was well inside, bone dry and completely clean. All of my electronics on this rig are waterproofed also but I like the box.

Good to know! I would likely be using an extra layer of plastidip where the wires enter/exit the box. I also like putting silica gel packs inside the box just to capture any extra moisture that makes its way in. I think the silica gel packs is a solid tip that many overlook. It works great as a failsafe for your RX.

[Brandon]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

(2) cut out the stock box completely and install a Traxxas waterproof receiver box (which is closer to waterproof than the stock box)

That box is completely waterproof. We did extensive testing to perfect those seals. Did you test it or just prefer the traxxas box?

[new2rocks]

Originally Posted by Brandon

That box is completely waterproof. We did extensive testing to perfect those seals. Did you test it or just prefer the traxxas box?

The design is good, and certainly much better than the previous stock box. I haven't tried to test mine to failure on this truck, but I have a couple of reasons for suggesting that the box may not be "completely waterproof." The silicone sleeve that seals the wires coming into the box is molded to fit up to 3 wires, and it does that well. If you want more than three wires going into the receiver, however, it's a different story. I had to work a bit to get four wires to fit through the seal on our Yeti, and the silicone sleeve didn't sit around the wires as well is it did with three wires (not surprising, since it's only designed to fit around three). It didn't look like the resulting seal would have survived a dunking without adding grease, liquid electrical tape, or some other substance to it. On the SCX10 II, it's easy to see wanting to use 5 wires into the receiver to take advantage of all of the design features on this truck (steering servo, ESC, winch, lights, and shift servo once the 2-speed conversion is available). Though I haven't tested 5 wires going in, it's fair to presume the receiver box would require modification. And even with the wire pass-through completely sealed off, I've seen moisture inside waterproof receiver boxes (both Axial and Traxxas) that weren't dunked due to condensation inside the box on hot, humid summer days. So without a waterproofed receiver, the receiver can still be at risk from moisture even inside a completely sealed box.

As far as the Traxxas boxes vs. the stock Axial box, I don't have a strong preference either way. The biggest benefits I see to the Traxxas boxes are that it's easier to get a seal around more than 3 wires into the box, and the boxes are easily movable. The downsides are their size (they're a bit bulky) and need to have the seal around the wires re-greased periodically or coated with liquid electrical tape to maintain the seal.

So...that's what was behind my comment. I wasn't trying to criticize the box's design, suggest that there are reasons to get rid of the box, or suggest that the Traxxas box is better. Rather, I was just making the point that, as a practical matter, cutting into the stock receiver box (which isn't movable without cutting) to accomplish other things isn't the end of the world.

[allanon1965]

got my trans cross brace and it looks good! waiting for the rig tomorrow!

[new2rocks]

A couple of quick updates. The battery tray is almost ready for production. We've added a slot for a battery strap, as well as a slot for a stock battery spacer tab if you plan to run a shorter pack and want to use the spacer. Here are a few pictures of the latest prototype with the integrated servo mount:







As you can see, there's plenty of room for a large stick pack (Helios 5200 mAh 3S pack shown). We also have a version that uses the stock servo mount and a shorter version that doesn't extend as far forward.

We have a few couple of small tweaks to make at the chassis rail mounts before releasing them. Then it will be on to the servo winch mount...

I've updated the first post with information about adjusting the driveshaft lengths after doing the tranny flip. The driveshafts can be adjusted to the correct lengths using parts from the kit with no cutting.

Last but not least, for those interested in 3D printing technology, here is a side-by-side picture comparing a high res FDM/FFF prototype of the cradle to an SLS production version:



I edited the lighting settings in that picture to emphasize the surface texture on both parts. As you can see, the surface texture of the SLS production part is much smoother and more consistent than the FDM/FFF prototype that was printed in high res. In normal light, the surface texture on both versions isn't as visible to the naked eye as it shows in the picture, though the difference between the two parts is still noticeable. When you add the cosmetic benefits to the added strength of SLS, it's easy to see why our production parts are made using SLS.

[new2rocks]

While playing around on the bench last night, I came up with 2 more options for the stock receiver box after doing the tranny flip.

Option 1 - add 2mm spacers between the left side plate and chassis rails, and bring the slider in by 2mm to maintain spacing.


From above with body off, it looks like this:


With body on, you can't see any difference:






It will be easy to make a bolt-on spacer rail to go with the reversal kit. Looks like I have another homework assignment for Nick.

Option 2: Make a standalone receiver box bottom using AX31385 ($14.99). Here's the part:


A little bit of cutting:


A little Dremel work, and you end up with this:




The top with gasket and silicon sleeve will fit right on. Then you can cut the box walls off the original side panel and mount the standalone box wherever you like. Problem solved!

[1967Typhoon]

Both solutions look great. The spacers are a great idea, and something just about anybody can do. I think I am going to run my kit stock for a while, and flip the trans over the winter. I will for sure be buying my brace from you guys!

[new2rocks]

So never wanting to leave well enough alone, I put Nick to the task of making a one-piece spacer for the side plate. It didn't take him long:




We will have this up on our Shapeways store within the next couple of days. As our way to say thank you to the early adopters, we will ship out a pair of spacers printed on Nick's printer at no charge to anyone in the US or Canada that has purchased or purchases the cradle before the spacer is available on our Shapeways store. If you're one of the early birds, please send us a copy of your Shapeways order confirmation showing the purchase of the cradle as well as your mailing address. Forward the email to bowhouserc@gmail.com.

Thanks again for everyone's support!

[new2rocks]

Our battery trays are now available in our Shapeways store:
https://www.shapeways.com/designer/b...-ii-collection

We are offering 4 versions:
1. Long tray with servo mount - replaces the stock battery tray AND steering servo mount, fits up to 5200 mAh 3S LiPo pack
2. Short tray with servo mount - short version of #1 provides more clearance for smaller bodies
3. Long battery tray only - replaces stock battery tray and must be used with stock steering servo mount
4. Short battery tray only - short version of #3

Installation is very easy. This bolts right in using the stock hardware in place of the existing stock parts. Here are a few pictures...

Long Battery Tray (without servo mount):




Short version of battery tray:


Wow - that was VERY red! Thanks, Nick!

With stock servo mount attached to long battery tray:




Stock battery tray and servo mount for comparison:


Side-by-side showing production long version of battery tray only to pre-production prototype of 1-piece servo/battery tray version:




After installation:

[Matt.k]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

While playing around on the bench last night, I came up with 2 more options for the stock receiver box after doing the tranny flip.

Option 1 - add 2mm spacers between the left side plate and chassis rails, and bring the slider in by 2mm to maintain spacing.
Attachment 345429

From above with body off, it looks like this:
Attachment 345430

With body on, you can't see any difference:
Attachment 345435

Attachment 345436

Attachment 345437

It will be easy to make a bolt-on spacer rail to go with the reversal kit. Looks like I have another homework assignment for Nick.

Option 2: Make a standalone receiver box bottom using AX31385 ($14.99). Here's the part:
Attachment 345431

A little bit of cutting:
Attachment 345432

A little Dremel work, and you end up with this:
Attachment 345433

Attachment 345434

The top with gasket and silicon sleeve will fit right on. Then you can cut the box walls off the original side panel and mount the standalone box wherever you like. Problem solved!

We also sell a stand alone radio box that you can buy and mount anywhere you like - Axial Racing - Tube Frame Electronics Box

[new2rocks]

Originally Posted by Matt.k

We also sell a stand alone radio box that you can buy and mount anywhere you like - Axial Racing - Tube Frame Electronics Box

That's another good option. We also now have a spacer that allows you to keep the stock receiver box without modification. Here's the part:


It bolts right in between the side plate and chassis rails:


You can reuse the stock screws or replace with screws that are 2mm longer. With the spacer, there's plenty of room between the receiver box and motor plate/tranny:


The spacer will be available on our Shapeways store this week and is available at no charge upon request to anyone that purchased the tranny cradle before release of the spacer.

I've updated the first post in this thread to reflect the latest product information while preserving most of the original post for continuity with some of the comments we received along the way.