Wraith based Rock Bouncer

[mewalsh100]

Originally Posted by Crawler Cads

I have a Castle 1410-3800 in my Bomber with 64/10 pinion spur, stock diffs.
Runs like a dream on 3s, good low down and I never get to top speed (due to skill more than environment!).
Had a really good forest blast the other day and didn't get hot at all which was a really pleasant surprise
Have you tried a wider pinion spur ratio to see if you can keep that motor in? Might save you some $$

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

I sure have. 56T Spur in metal gear seems to be about the max. And on, the 4100kv PullerPro, 11t is the lowest available pinion.



Like I said, it's no big deal because I can use that motor in the Baja Rey.

[mewalsh100]

Well, I've decided to go with something a bit different. Just ordered up a Holmes Hobbies 1800kv Revolver. I really like what I'm hearing about these motors in terms of their torque and throttle resolution. About as close as you can get to brushed in that regard while still going brushless. I'll post up my impressions after I get it installed and do some shakedowns.

[mewalsh100]

Look what I got in the mail today. Got it mounted, but I need a new pinion before I can get everything buttoned up and go out for a shakedown run.

[mewalsh100]

I was digging through my tool box and parts last night. I was positive I had an extra 10or 11 tooth pinion somewhere. Sure enough, I found a new in the bag 10T that I had completely forgotten about. I got that installed on the motor and the rest of the rig buttoned up at about 11:00pm last night.

Turned on the LED’s and took her out for a quick rip.

First impressions: the start up is so darn smooth! The Holmes Revolver really does feel alot like a brushed set up. Gobs of torque with a very smooth curve too. It was only a quick, 5 minute run around the front yard and my little side trail, but this thing already has me considering Revolvers for my other rigs.

The only change I think i’m going to make is to move up to an 11, or possibly even a 12 tooth pinion for some extra legs. With the 43/13 ring and pinions in both pumpkins, I think i’ll still be well within range.

Oh yeah, and it sounds like a freak’n SPACESHIP too!

[mewalsh100]

Chased a lot of little Gremlins on this sucker today, but man is it sorted now! I kept doing my little "rock racer" loop in the side yard and slowly tweaking things. So happy with it now. In summary:

1. I had some side to side slop with the Incision lockers in the pumpkins. It was allowing one or the other axles to disengage from the locker and free spin. No Bueno. I ended up cutting down some high density plastic tubing to run on either side of the locker/bevel gear in the pumpkin to keep it centered, and thereby keep the tabs on the axles fully engaged in the locker. Looks like problem solved there!

2. Now that I've gone to a more reasonable, lower speed power plant, I decided to throw the Yeti Aluminum trailing arms back on. However, the Traxxas Ultra shock ends were too wide to fit within the trailing arm shock mounting points. I played around with some end combos from other shocks, but most of the spring cups didn't sit quite right and I was just not liking it. Again, No Bueno. So, I dug the Internal Spring units back out and really dicked with them in terms of the Spring selection (3 different to chose from), and the oil weight (ended up going 35W), and finally mounting position. After several laps on the little course and some different mounting points, I finally got them right where I want them. I have to say they feel pretty amazing right now. Really surprised I got them there because lord knows I played with them quite a bit prior and just couldn't get them sorted. Apparently the blind squirrel does find a nut on occasion!

3. I would have liked to play around with Castle Link for a bit just to play with some curves for the Revolver. (My Lap Top is down and apparently the Castle Link software is not compatible with a Surface Tablet) That said, it does feel sweet right outta the bag. I am thoroughly impressed with this Holmes Hobbies 1800kv Revolver! If you've been on the fence about trying one of these motors, jump off now! Especially if you like the feel of a brushed set up, but prefer brushless. In the immortal words of Van Halen (Hagar) I WANT THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!

4. Lastly, the 10T pinion works well, and motor temps were a complete non issue. So, I will be picking up an 11T and 12T pinion in an effort to get a little bit more on the top end.

It's kinda funny how this rig has evolved. What started out as a crazy Rock Bouncer with stupid parts busting power and speed, is now more of a rock racer / rock crawler package. I've had a lot of fun working on it though and I'm pretty pleased with its current configuration. I'm going to keep tweaking it and testing it, and will continue to post updates. Next up is a new hi torque servo since this got a parts bin special when the project started. I think I'm also going to throw a set of Hyrax tires on her! The Show Downs were great for Rock Bouncer trim and slinging mud and loam, but they wallow a bit on the rocks and in cornering.

[mewalsh100]

I got the ProLine Hyrax tires spooned on today. Did a quick loop on the side trail and some crawling on the back rocks. I'm really liking them straight away. My run ended prematurely when the rod end for my drag link stripped out. Ordered up an Incision stainless drag link and tie rod kit to replace the old STRC stuff.

I also ordered up a new, "off-shore" Hi Torque servo to replace the parts bin unit I've been running. After reading the "what's the new cheap servo hotness" thread, I decided to give the DS Servo model DS3225 waterproof hi-torque unit a try. I'll be interested to see how well this servo works, and more importantly, how it holds up. I figure for $17 shipped, it's definitely worth a shot.

I cut and pasted the specs below from @Durok's post over in that thread.

Electrical Specification
Operating voltage range: 4.8 - 6.8V
Operating speed ( 5.0V ): 0.15 sec/60 degree
Operating speed ( 6.8V ): 0.13 sec/60 degree
Stall torque ( 5.0V ): 21kg/cm
Stall torque ( 6.8V ): 25kg/cm

Control Specification:
Control System: PWM(Pulse width modification)
Pulse width range: 500~2500 μsec
Neutral position: 1500μsec
Running degree: 180° (when 500~2500 μsec)
Dead band width: 3 μsec
Operating frequency: 50-330Hz
Rotating direction: Counterclockwise (when 500~2500 μsec)

Mechanical Specification:
Gear ratio: 275
Bearing: Double bearing
Connector wire: 17.7inches(450mm)
Motor: 3-pole(s)
Waterproof performance: IP66

Package:
1 x DS3225MG Digital Servo
1 x 25T Adjustable metal servo arm

[Steve g]

Let us know how it fits. That servo seems a bit bigger than most.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[mewalsh100]

Will do Steve g. I scoped out the side by side comparison pics that @Durok took. Fingers crossed she'll slip right in.

[Mendoza]

“I’d rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it”

I like that ... it’s exactly how I feel about horsepower in 1:1 vehicles as well as my power tools.

And man, that is a unique beast of a rig you have produced. Awesome.

[mewalsh100]

Thanks Memdoza!

[mewalsh100]

Got this sucker totally sorted now. Just waiting on the new, Hi-Torque servo and she'll be good to go!

[mewalsh100]

Just following up on the DS3225 servo guys. It slipped right in place for me. Honestly, it appeared to be very nearly the same foot print as the Savox unit that I was using.

[mewalsh100]

The DS3225 is fitting and functioning great. It's got a good bit more torque over the Savox unit I had been running. Since the servo has a red, anodized case, and there are other red ano bits on the rig, I decided to go a bit matchy/matchy and scored some Red bead lock rings for the wheels.

3rd pic just says...…..'Merica!

[mewalsh100]

I was having the best freak'n time with this RIG today! Just wow. I can't even believe how well this thing works now. I hate to say it, because I have a lot more money in to my Wraith, but this thing definitely out crawls it. It was just getting up and through stupid stuff today! The Hyrax's feel awesome, the shocks are working great. The only problem I had was some glitching with the new servo. I'm not running a BEC in this rig because I figured the Mamba-X had more than enough to handle a hi-torque servo. Now, I'm not so sure. It's weird too because it wasn't a traditional brown out type of deal. It was more not centering or going back to all the way left or all the way right. So now, I've got to figure out if it is a BEC issue, or did I just get a bad, low cost Chinese servo? I think I've got an extra BEC somewhere, so I'll try that first. I'll post back up here what the results were either way. It won't be until later this week as I've got to head outta town for work. Hope everybody got out for a good crawl and had a good weekend!

[mewalsh100]

Welp - I had a bit before dinner so I decided to do a quick test. I threw the DS3225 in the Barronco. It was the easiest swap, has a BEC, and it runs a HiTec HS-7954SH with similar specs. I'm sorry to report that it's the DS3225 servo. I guess you get what you pay for at $17 shipped from China.

I'll chalk this one up as testing the waters, but I think I'm done hunting for and attempting to use bargain servos. Who knows, maybe I got the 1 out of 10,50, 100 that was bad. I think she'll get a HiTec at this point and I'll be done with it. Or, I may spring for a real nice servo for the Wraith, and swap the HS-7954SH it's running in to this rig. Gonna think on it since I've got time this week.

[mewalsh100]

Originally Posted by Stray

This is a sweet build. I totally relate to the "evolution of the build"

Do you think your finished?

Thanks Bud! It seems a RIG definitely tends to lead you where it wants to be in terms of build. Plus, I'm one of those guys who just loves the build and tinkering process.

Am I finished? I doubt it. I'm thoroughly happy with the current state of the RIG and its performance, but there always seems to be something. I think about my other "TRUE" Wraith based platform. That damn RIG has seen more configurations than I can even remember. Some memorable, others not so much. It's a process, but it's one that I love.

[mewalsh100]

Got the WB Rock Bouncer out on Christmas today for a muddy little rip on the backyard trails. Got this whole new section cut and some rock features across the creek at the back of the trail. I've been posting pics of this trail as I build it over in the 1.9 Barrage thread since I initially started knocking them in for Dirty Steve and the custom Barronco build. I have a lot more to do yet in terms of rocks and features, but it's starting to take shape.

Merry Christmas everyone! Have a safe and Happy Holiday!

[XtrmTJ]

Outstanding build ! Looks great ! Inspired me to start a similar one.

[mewalsh100]

Originally Posted by XtrmTJ

Outstanding build ! Looks great ! Inspired me to start a similar one.

Thamks XtrmTJ Have you started a build thread? I'd like to check it out.

[XtrmTJ]

I'm accumulating parts right now, as soon as I start I'll post up.