Too Much Current From A Battery Killed my Brushless Motor? I DON'T THINK SO!!

[MailManX]

Originally Posted by Dad,Canyoufix?

Agree, as long as your voltage is correct and your esc isn't shorting or underrated, you should be able to run any C rating you like, you probably wont use all of what your paying for should you buy a high c rating battery, but with the right esc motor combo I'm sure you could.

The only way I can work out that the C rating can ruin a ESC or motor is if the esc is cheap or shorted and just drawing as much power as it possibly can when at max throttle. These ESC's would be an example of an underrated esc.

I would check any manuals or documentation on the vehicle and see if they do in fact state that any lipo run in the vehicle must be below X-C dischare rating. Seems silly to me an Electronic Speed Controller needs the battery to control how much power it draws...

Happy Crawling/Bashing,

Voltage is definitely correct with the new batteries. The stock ESC is way underpowered, though. It's rated at 80a, which is probably exaggerated. It's a weak link in the system. But honestly, I think it's the stock batteries that kill the system. I got excellent, cool runs with the new batteries. All three times that the stock electronics died was with the stock batteries. Each of those times, the wires and connectos of the stock batteries got really, REALLY hot. It was a poorly designed system. I want to win the warranty argument just on prinicipal because I don't like being lied to. However, even if I do win and get new electronics, the first thing I'm going to do is put an aftermarket 150a ESC in along with a motor with proven history. It shouldn't give me any trouble after that.

[redsawacs]

Contact Us

Here is the contact info for Hobby people...I would contact them directly and give them the scoop. If its under warranty, and they will not honor that warranty, they could be facing a lawsuit....alll for 250$. I think they would be willing to refund you the entire amount and have you return the RC at some point, or simply correct the current issue for you.

Good luck, you're doing everything right....except the initial purchase - LOL!

[Dad,Canyoufix?]

Originally Posted by MailManX

Voltage is definitely correct with the new batteries. The stock ESC is way underpowered, though. It's rated at 80a, which is probably exaggerated. It's a weak link in the system. But honestly, I think it's the stock batteries that kill the system. I got excellent, cool runs with the new batteries. All three times that the stock electronics died was with the stock batteries. Each of those times, the wires and connectos of the stock batteries got really, REALLY hot. It was a poorly designed system. I want to win the warranty argument just on prinicipal because I don't like being lied to. However, even if I do win and get new electronics, the first thing I'm going to do is put an aftermarket 150a ESC in along with a motor with proven history. It shouldn't give me any trouble after that.

If the manuals and documentation from the manufacturer don't list any specs on the replacement batteries suggested or anything about using batteries other than stock voiding your warranty, then I would assume its their fault for not putting that information in their product warranty and instructions manual.

Found the manual here,

DHK Maximus RTR 1/8 4WD BL Monster Truck (4S) - Electric Monster Trucks - RC Cars - Cars/Boats

Says nothing about discharge rating and even that your esc can handle 6s voltage. Time for them to nut up and give the goods imo.

Happy Crawling/Bashing,

[SwampDawg]

if the wires got so hot as to unsolder or melt from the deans connectors, id say it was a resistance issue at the soldered joints?

[Warmntoasty]

Cheers MailManX. Yeah, NZ is a great place to live. Having said that, the US holds a big attraction for me. Got family in New Orleans so would love to visit one day.

I took my Maximus out for a run last night (all of 8 min with stock lipos!) and got it wet. It still ran but after I got it home and re-charged the batteries I went to re-configure the ESC and whatdyaknow?...dead...nothing, not even any arcing when the second battery is connected. I immediately thought I'd killed the ESC and was encouraged to read other people drying them out and getting them working again. So 11 at night I'm on the lounge floor with my wife's hairdryer and my Maximus in pieces, trying to dry it out. There wasn't any noticeable moisture in the ESC but it was dirty so it had gotten wet at some point.

Anyway, nothing...still dead as a dodo and then I remembered that the last time I'd disconnected one of the battery connectors (Deans type), it was kinda stuck, enough for me to think that maybe it had melted the plastic slightly inside. After some more troubleshooting, it turned out to be a bad connection on the male side. A little odd I thought so soon after purchase. I also noticed some spotting on the terminal and unsure if this is normal or not.

I certainly haven't noticed the terminals being hot to the touch and the stock (2S 3200mah 20C) batteries are always cool so perhaps it's just a bad connector. Will a play around tonight and replace the connector if I need to. Will also keep an eye on the temps of the various components.

[MailManX]

Wow - so many posts today while I was at work.

Redsawacs: I was going to go around Hobby People and contact DHK directly. That turned out to be a bust. Their only listed corporate contact is a phone number in China, or a guy named Jack with a Yahoo email address. How professional is that? So then I saw a link that said "US Contact". I clicked on that and got... ta-dah!... The Hobby People sales website! Therefore, your idea of contacting Hobby People directly is a good one.

Something also tells me that there is no "DHK Regional Rep" that was called, which is why the manager would not give me a name and number. Obviously I can't swear to that, but I've lost trust in the man. I think maybe I'll go there tomorrow after work and ask him to call the rep for me and we can both talk to him. In the mean time, I'm leaving the car with him because I don't really want it back. I'm going to start angling towards a refund. It will probably cost them less in the long run.

Dad,Canyoufix (great handle, by the way): I have the manual and read the same thing. There's no way in hell that measly 80a ESC can handle 6s. But I can sure use that against them. If it can, indeed, handle 6s, then surely it can handle a meager 4S with a decent amount of amps.

Swampdawg: The resistance issue was one of the first things I thought of. But the solder joints at the Deans plugs on the stock batteries looked good. They were small, clean and shiny - no indication of a cold joint.

Warmntoasty: Cheers back to you! I hope none of your family in New Orleans has ever been negatively impacted by an hurricanes. It's sure a good thing that you are handy, I think that car is going to take some babying. There were some conflicting reports before I bought it as to whether it came waterproof from the factory. We now know it doesn't. I sure hope you get it sorted out easily.

To all of you - thanks for the ideas and support. I haven't heard back from SPC yet, but it's only been a day. It could be that they don't want to be involved since it's not their problem.

I'll fill out the contact form this evening for Hobby People tech support and see what happens.

Thanks!
Michael

[MailManX]

This evening, I used the Hobby People online submittal form to write the following letter. I am putting the text of it here so that it is available for future searches by people needing knowledge of DHK products or support by Hobby People (HobbyPeople.Net):

------------------------------

Dear Sirs,

I have a warranty issue that I feel is not being resolved properly by the Lawndale, CA Hobby People store (Manager: Ron). I purchased a new DHK Maximus a couple of months ago and the electronics keep failing (Motor and ESC). To the store's credit, they did replace those items three times in the first 6 weeks, but I'm rather frustrated that it keeps happening. The stock batteries that came with the truck seem to be the culprit. They get hot and the connectors get hot.

I finally bought some better batteries. They were of the correct voltage, two batteries of 2S each for a total of 4S. They have a 6900mAh capacity and a 70C discharge rate. They are not cut-rate batteries. They are SPC batteries. The manager can verify that because they are in the store with him at this time, along with the truck which has now failed for a 4th time.

The truck ran great on the new batteries that I bought. But the next time I used the stock batteries, the motor quit working again. This time, the Deans connectors on one of the stock batteries got so hot that it came unsoldered when I tried to unplug it.

When I returned the truck to the store this time, I took BOTH sets of batteries with me. The purpose of that was to show Ron that the good batteries work and the stock batteries fail. I was stunned when Ron said, "Those new batteries are too powerful for the truck." When I asked him for clarification, he said that 70C is too much discharge for the truck. I respectfully disagreed and tried to explain basic electrical theory to him. He says he understand it and that it’s still a batter problem. Ron said he'd keep the truck, inspect it and get back to me. He's always played fair with me before, so I agreed.

On Monday, April 21, Ron told me that he'd spoken with three different DHK regional reps and all said the same thing - the batteries are too powerful for the truck. Seriously!? How could NONE of them understand that a battery does not PUSH amps. It just makes them available so the ESC and motor can use what they need. That is basic electrical theory. Here’s an example: My house has a 200amp feed from the street, but I only use what I need. If it pushed all 200amps at me, my house would burn down. But since it just supplies what I ask for at any given time, it explains why my utility bill changes from month to month. Therefore, I'm either dealing with several people at DHK who are ignorant of electrical properties, or I am being lied to. I hate to think either of those things is true, but it's hard not to under the circumstances.

I asked Ron for the name and number of a DHK Rep so I could speak with him personally. Ron would not give it to me. That’s not very ethical. I should have the right to speak directly to the person who is supposedly denying my warranty claim. Sadly, that just raises my suspicion further. After further discussion with Ron, he told me the best he could do is sell me a new motor at cost, roughly $56. I turned him down. I told him I could prove the electrical theory in writing, which I can certainly do. But I've now lost faith in his ability to resolve this fairly. I do hope that he is upstanding enough to tell you that I have never raised my voice, never used any bad words, and never made threats of any kind. I treat people the way I wish to be treated. I just want this resolved amicably and fairly.

For the record, I have not modified the truck and it’s never been near water. The failures are not of my doing.

On a final note, the Maximus manual states on page 11, "Never use fewer than 2 and more than 6 Lipo cells in the vehicle's main battery pack. The ESC handles up to 6S Lipo input (25.2 Volts Max)."

Since it is in writing that the Maximus is designed to handle 25.2 volts, yet I am being told that it got fried by only 14.8 volts because there were too many amps, there is a serious issue, either with the truck, or someone’s honesty. Either way, I do not want the truck back. I want to pick up my new batteries along with a refund for the purchase amount which I do have the receipt for.

Please contact me at your earliest convenience, or have Ron contact me to tell me when I can go the Lawndale store to pick up my batteries and my refund. Not only will a refund be cheaper to DHK and Hobby People in the long run, it will also go a long way with me and the numerous hobby forums that I communicate with to show the good will of customer satisfaction.

Very Sincerely,
Michael

[Dad,Canyoufix?]

You should have it now! Feel bad you had to go through this, but the bright side is when someone researches a maximus, this will pop up and possibly save someone else who may not be as resourceful or knowledgeable on the subject of warranties on items of this nature/hobby. Glad to read that the posts helped out, now go grab your batteries and a wraith kit and get to it ! Please let us know the outsome of your letter and any phone calls you make, I for one am very interested in what they have to say and how they handle the issue.

Happy Crawling/Bashing,

[The Violator]

Lets play Devil's advocate.

Just because it was out of the box stock does not mean it was set up properly. Could be binding in the drives system. Could be over geared for your weatheror just over geared for your use ( extended runs in sand, mud, or very high loads). Hell I could see if they came after you for the new batteries not for the c rating but the MAH. Extended use without a proper cooling off time could lead to issues.


Maybe the electronics are shit, maybe there are other issues. It might be worth a more in depth look at the total package vs just replacing the burnt part over and over without seeing if there are other issues.

[MailManX]

Originally Posted by The Violator

Lets play Devil's advocate.

Just because it was out of the box stock does not mean it was set up properly. Could be binding in the drives system. Could be over geared for your weatheror just over geared for your use ( extended runs in sand, mud, or very high loads). Hell I could see if they came after you for the new batteries not for the c rating but the MAH. Extended use without a proper cooling off time could lead to issues.


Maybe the electronics are shit, maybe there are other issues. It might be worth a more in depth look at the total package vs just replacing the burnt part over and over without seeing if there are other issues.

I appreciate the opposite point of view just to keep me grounded. I know it's far from a slam dunk. All I can do is try. The answer is always no when you don't ask.

I did check the drivetrain for binding. It is nice and free. The truck was actually pretty well put together. Everything was tight, the shocks and diffs work properly and don't leak. When it was running good, the motor was the right temp. I have six rigs, so I have a Duratrax Flashpoint and monitor them regularly. It averaged 115 on easy runs and maxed out around 150 on hard runs.

If Hobby People deny the claim, I'll really only be out about $170 because that's about how much I'll spend to put a Hobbywing 150a ESC and probably a Leopard motor in it. It's a budget truck, so it will get a budget system. Considering what I've pumped into this hobby recently, $170 just kind of skims the surface.

Whatever happens, I'll let y'all know. People say that on forums all the time, but I'm one who follows through. I know how much I hate it when I start following a story on a forum, then it just dies out. Therefore, I make it a point to finish a story for everyone else's sake.

As of today, there is no news back from SPC or Hobby People. I'll just wait them out for a while.

[The Violator]

Originally Posted by MailManX

I appreciate the opposite point of view just to keep me grounded. I know it's far from a slam dunk. All I can do is try. The answer is always no when you don't ask.

I did check the drivetrain for binding. It is nice and free. The truck was actually pretty well put together. Everything was tight, the shocks and diffs work properly and don't leak. When it was running good, the motor was the right temp. I have six rigs, so I have a Duratrax Flashpoint and monitor them regularly. It averaged 115 on easy runs and maxed out around 150 on hard runs.

If Hobby People deny the claim, I'll really only be out about $170 because that's about how much I'll spend to put a Hobbywing 150a ESC and probably a Leopard motor in it. It's a budget truck, so it will get a budget system. Considering what I've pumped into this hobby recently, $170 just kind of skims the surface.

Whatever happens, I'll let y'all know. People say that on forums all the time, but I'm one who follows through. I know how much I hate it when I start following a story on a forum, then it just dies out. Therefore, I make it a point to finish a story for everyone else's sake.

As of today, there is no news back from SPC or Hobby People. I'll just wait them out for a while.

Castle has the best warranty in the business, IMO. Plus if it is out of warranty they will replace it for a good price. It might cost a little more to get in the door, but seems to hold up in the long run.

[ToyotaKing88]

Check out the is video around the 2 minute mark he talks about the battery c rating and how it only makes that amperage available and doesn't force it to the ESC. http://youtu.be/NsEiLAjV3II

Sent from my Phoneamathingy

[MailManX]

Originally Posted by ToyotaKing88

Check out the is video around the 2 minute mark he talks about the battery c rating and how it only makes that amperage available and doesn't force it to the ESC. Choosing a Lipo Charger - YouTube

Sent from my Phoneamathingy

Good stuff. I trust Squirrel to know what he's talking about. This topic seems to be common knowledge, but I still can't actually find it in writing from a professional source.

I also still have not heard back from Hobby People. It will probably not be till next week at this point.

[Dad,Canyoufix?]

Originally Posted by MailManX

Good stuff. I trust Squirrel to know what he's talking about. This topic seems to be common knowledge, but I still can't actually find it in writing from a professional source.

I also still have not heard back from Hobby People. It will probably not be till next week at this point.

Now I know that HOW STUFF WORKS may not be a Professional source, but I like the analogy they used. Will post anything from other sources I can find.

HowStuffWorks "What are amps, watts, volts and ohms?"

With this analogy I see it like this,

Battery= Water Tank
Wiring and Lipo Cell construction= Hose
Potential Output by both of the above= C-Rating
Esc=Nozzle
Motor=Garden

Tank(Battery) has plenty of Water Pressure(Voltage) , Hose(wiring and cell construction) is prepared to relay a regulated Flow(current) to the Nozzle(Esc) to supply the Garden(Motor).
Your Nozzle(ESC) is cheap and the internals that control the Flow(current) don't produce enough resistance to protect the Garden(Motor) from the Water Tanks(Battery's) full potential output(C-Rating) and blows away your garden(motor) with too much water flow(current). Now I know the above isn't a perfect analogy as it doesn't represent the heat the current produces while traveling through the esc most likely causing it to fail as well, but it was entertaining for me to think about and type.

[Warmntoasty]

Originally Posted by MailManX

Voltage is definitely correct with the new batteries. The stock ESC is way underpowered, though. It's rated at 80a, which is probably exaggerated. It's a weak link in the system. But honestly, I think it's the stock batteries that kill the system. I got excellent, cool runs with the new batteries. All three times that the stock electronics died was with the stock batteries. Each of those times, the wires and connectos of the stock batteries got really, REALLY hot. It was a poorly designed system. I want to win the warranty argument just on prinicipal because I don't like being lied to. However, even if I do win and get new electronics, the first thing I'm going to do is put an aftermarket 150a ESC in along with a motor with proven history. It shouldn't give me any trouble after that.

Hi MailManX

I have some interesting developments. I got the Deans replaced on the battery that was making a bad connection and within 20 secs of taking it out, one of the solders gave out and parted company from the connector. I took it back to the LHS (my soldering attempt resulted in the same thing happening and I assumed it was me) and they soldered it again for free. Took the truck out again and more issues. Turned out that the other connector had also started to melt and both the wires leading to the battery and the connector were VERY hot. In addition, the heat shrink on the battery's red wire has melted and exposed some of the wire underneath.

I'm taking it back to the shop today but they may try and swap over the stock batteries. It looks like the battery connectors and not the same plastic as the truck connectors so maybe that's another weak link? Would that then create additional resistance enough to partially melt the batter wire?

I think my ESC and motor are still could but we'll see how we go today. Worse case scenario is probably similar to yours. Upgrade the ESC/motor and purchase good quality lipos.

One question though, will an aftermarket motor mount OK in the DHK? Are they all much the same? The one you've mentioned getting is what I'm interested in...

[Warmntoasty]

Hi MailManX

I posted (with quote) yesterday and clicked OK when a prompt appeared that the response required moderating. Still nothing so will try again!

Remember how one of my connectors wasn't connecting? I purchased a Deans for the battery and soldered it on but it melted off within 10 secs of taking it for a run. Went to a LHS and they soldered it but within 20 sec their soldering melted one of the wires free too! Took it back and they re-soldered it free of charge but on the next run (2 min in), the truck started jerking around, stuttering and eventually stopped. Pulled the shell off and low and behold, the OTHER connector was REALLY hot and wouldn't pull apart easily. When I did get it apart, it was obvious that the terminal inside of the connector on the battery side (the battery connector is made of a different plastic to the connector on the truck side) had moved due to the molten plastic beneath it. Couldn't even charge the battery up the connector was so damaged. Some of the wire near the connector had also become exposed, presumably through melting.

So, took the whole thing back to the LHS I bought it from and he immediately soldered on a new battery connector. I said I wasn't comfortable with that as there must be another underlying issue. He said he will run some tests and get back to me over the next couple of days so will keep you posted.

I wonder if I will end up in the same position as you in terms of worst case scenario and just end up purchasing a new ESC, motor and lipos.

One question though, does a new motor, such as the leopard you mentioned, just slide into the mount and heat sink. Do I leave the stock fan alone? Does an aftermarket ESC come with a fan?

[MailManX]

OK y'all, I promised a follow-up. So here goes...

UPDATE: The Hobby People Corporate Office must have directed Ron, the Lawndale, CA Hobby Store manager, to repair the DHK Maximus again. I can’t say for sure because they never responded to me directly. Rather, I received a phone call from Ron saying that my Maximus was repaired and I could come pick it up. Although I was really hoping for a refund, I never expected it. I think that Hobby People would have been wise to give me a refund because I’d have thrown them some Kudo’s online. Unfortunately, things went South and my review will not reflect well on them. Even so, I won’t trash them. It’s not my way and they don’t totally deserve it. Those of you who have followed this thread know that this is the fifth time that the motor and ESC have been replaced under warranty in two months of ownership.

I love to write. However, I understand that not everyone has time to read a lot. Therefore, I’ll cut to the chase right now and say that this did NOT end well. At first, it seemed like it might. That was false hope. The Maximus quit running less than 30-seconds into the first test run. The electrical power just stopped. I don’t know why yet. If you choose to skip the rest of the reading, at least scroll to the bottom for pictures and a link to a video on Youtube.

Here are the details…

When I picked up the Maximus on Monday afternoon, Ron went over the work he had performed on it. In addition to replacing the motor, he installed a new pinion with one less tooth and turned the punch control down to about 10-percent. During our conversation, Ron stressed more than once that the radio trim settings may not be to my liking and noted that he never got a chance to properly test drive the Maximus. I found that odd since he never talked like that the previous four times the Maximus has been in for repair.

I took the Maximus back to my hotel (I’m on long-term temporary duty in this area) and gave the truck a visual inspection. That looked good, so I gave it a brief indoor test. Something wasn’t right with that. The truck was painfully S-L-O-W in forward. However, it could pull a reverse wheelie. Luckily, that’s easy to diagnose and fix. I swapped two wires on the motor and reversed the “throttle servo” setting on the radio. That fixed it. It was an interesting coincidence considering all the warnings Ron gave me about the trim settings. At least no harm, no foul.

After switching the motor wires, I decided to re-calibrate the ESC as well as check all the program settings. Without a controller card, I had to do it manually. This ESC has the strangest manual programming method I’ve ever worked with. It has to be accomplished via the radio transmitter. With the radio on and the ESC off, you squeeze the radio trigger to full throttle, then turn on the ESC. After several seconds and various beep codes, the ESC enters programming mode. As you go through the programming “questions”, you answer “yes” by squeezing the trigger to FORWARD and “no” by pushing the trigger to REVERSE. Every one of the nine possible ESC program settings was either incorrect or less than optimum. What really surprised me was that “motor type” was set for BRUSHED! More coincidence? Ron specifically told me that he re-programmed the ESC to change the punch control. How could he not notice the other issues? Did he cause them? I’ll never know for sure, but it’s an odd coincidence for sure. Thankfully, I’m not a novice with RC’s. I simply corrected the programming and moved on. Once again, no harm, no foul.

Still in the hotel room, I did another indoor run test. This time it was fairly normal except for the same horrible “cogging” that this truck has always exhibited. This is something I’ve failed to mention in my previous posts. It’s worth noting that EVERY combination of motor and ESC this truck has ever had fails to deliver smooth power. It’s almost impossible to gradually roll on the power without the truck stuttering, bucking and lurching while making nasty noises. Of the seven RC’s that I currently own, the DHK Maximus is the only one that does this. All the rest give me smooth power delivery. I can’t say why this is, but I can only guess it’s because of low quality electronics in the DHK.

In case you were wondering, I'm not the only one who's had this problem. Here is a link to other people posting about failed electronics on the DHK Maximus:
DHK Zombie 8e 11.1v Bashing – Hobbies And Interests

With the visual inspection and in-room testing complete, I took the Maximus out for a test drive. This would be performed on a large, empty parking lot with fresh asphalt. I had my temperature gun with me so I could monitor motor, ESC and battery temps. Unfortunately, the test never got that far. On the very first test run (using the stock batteries), the Maximus went about 200 feet when the power failed and I could not apply brakes. The truck rolled past me and coasted to a stop. When I first walked up to it, the ESC and motor fans were still running. However, all electrical power shut down just as I reached the truck. I looked it over carefully and could not see anything wrong. I disconnected the batteries and checked their charge. All the cells were at 4.09v, so the ESC should not be hitting LVC.

I decided to try my SPC-Racing batteries to see if I could get the truck to power up with those. That is when I discovered that one of the two Deans connectors on the ESC was damaged. I know it’s not something I did because the OEM batteries were already installed and connected when I picked the Maximus up from Hobby People. Yet another coincidence?

I have video of the truck failing. I also took some excellent close-up photos of the failed connector. The pictures show that the “spring clip” on the positive side of the Deans connector got pushed down and bent over so that it touched the negative side and shorted out. In all my dealings with Deans connectors, I’ve never seen that happen. The short apparently occurred while the truck was under power during the first outdoor test drive.

This is the good connector. Nice and clean:


Here are two pics of the toasted connector:




Here is a video of the test run where the power failed. In the video I said that it appeared that some solder had bridged a connection. That was before I was able to study it more closely.

DHK (Hobby People) Maximus Monster Truck RC - Poor Quality Electronics - YouTube

I’m done dealing with Hobby People. I can’t fault them for their customer service. After all, they did replace the motor and ESC five times. However, that has never gained me anything, so it’s not worth pursuing any further. I’ll do my own work on the Maximus from now on.

I have a solution that “may” work. I own a Thunder Tiger MT4-G3 that still has the OEM motor and ESC. Those work quite well, but I’d like something better in that rig. Therefore, I want to move those electronics to the DHK Maximus and put upgraded electronics in the MT4-G3. However, the motor and ESC from the MT4-G3 are both significantly larger than the ones on the Maximus. The motor can size on the Maximus is 3660. The motor can size on the MT4-G3 is 4074.

Here is a picture of the Maximus chassis next to an MT4-G3 chassis:


Although the Maximus is a 1/8th scale monster truck, the chassis layout is a bit cramped. The ESC is wedged into a fairly tight location, so this may not work. I might have to move the location of the steering servo. Also, the Maximus has a non-standard motor mount. Instead of the motor being screwed to a bulkhead, it is pressure clamped in place with a clamping heat sink that is attached to the chassis. I’ll just have to experiment and see what works.

Very cramped location for ESC:


Funky clamping heat sink motor mount:



Wow! When I was taking it apart for pictures, I realized that the only way to get proper pinion to spur mesh is via the 4 screws coming through the belly of the chassis and into the clamping heat sink. That must be a PITA to adjust! Also, as you can see by the pictures below, to make the clamp work, I’d have to stretch it out and get longer screws. Maybe using the ripper motor isn’t such a good idea.

Here is the underside of the chassis where 4 screws common to the clamping heat sink motor mount can be used for a rather unwieldy gear mesh adjustment method:


Here is a comparison of the motor sizes between the Maximus 3660 and the MT4-G3 4074:


I may decide not to the use the Ripper motor on the Maximus because it would be a pain to make the unique mounting method work on the larger motor:


Under normal circumstances, I’d sell the extra DHK electronics on ebay. However, I don’t wish those gremlins on anyone else. I try to treat people the way I want to be treated. Therefore, I’m more inclined to test my 5-lb mini-sledge on those electronics so nobody else can ever use them. I might even get a small bit of satisfaction from it.

Is the DHK brand any good? Maybe. I actually like the chassis and suspension on the Maximus. It looks great and it’s really tough. I do not like all of the Philips head screws, especially the ones that are self-tapping into plastic. However, that’s a cheap and easy fix. I think that if the Maximus had good electronics, it would be a very serviceable and fun truck. Only time will tell. Being the curious “glutton for punishment” type that I am, I intend the keep the DHK Maximus and experiment on it so I can share the knowledge I gain with others.

The biggest downfall I find with DHK is a complete lack of aftermarket parts support. You can’t even find chop shop parts for it. The only place to get replacement parts is from an authorized DHK dealer of which there are precious few. The parts are expensive, too. When I picked up the Maximus from Hobby People the last time, I bought two spare front axles. Those two little dog bones cost me $20.70 after tax.

One of these days, I’ll start a new forum topic for all DHK owners to share ideas with each other. I am hoping to discover parts from other 1/8th scale rigs that will fit the Maximus with minimal effort. I think that will be a fun and rewarding task. If not, I’ll share that info too. There just isn’t enough info on the net at this time for the Maximus and other DHK products. I would like to help fill that void.

Cheers to all of you! Sorry for the long post. I enjoy writing and hope that what I learn might be useful to others.

[WHITE-TRASH]

So after all that you own a thunder tiger mt-4 which is probably the best basher ever made and yet you bought some off brand turd. I don't get it, I'd have spent the money on more batteries for the mt-4 instead of on that piece of shit that can't keep running.

[MailManX]

Originally Posted by WHITE-TRASH

So after all that you own a thunder tiger mt-4 which is probably the best basher ever made and yet you bought some off brand turd. I don't get it, I'd have spent the money on more batteries for the mt-4 instead of on that piece of shit that can't keep running.

I already owned several decent rigs before the DHK. I really can't say why I bought it other than I was curious. There is just so little info about it. I knew going in that it was a cheap Chinese in-house brand at Hobby People. I wanted to see how good or bad something like that can be. Well, now I know! I'll make the best of my decision and try to help others online not make the same mistake without being fully informed.

For a good laugh, check out this "professional" review from the February 2013 edition of RC Driver Magazine. This quote is just too much: "The DHK Maximus includes some serious hardware strapped to the chassis. On one side, the 80A brushless ESC (with reverse) is snuggled up front next to the metal-geared steering servo..." Since when is an 80A ESC considered "serious hardware"? Oh, and that metal gear servo has a whopping 9kg (125 in-oz) of torque. Woo hoo!

Review: DHK Maximus | CompetitionX

[Warmntoasty]

Oh man, this doesn't sound good for me! My truck always cogged a little too and it was doing it really badly before it died (see above post).

The LHS called me yesterday and said he thinks the ESC is gone or it's binding but they can't fix it until mid May when his technician returns from China. I don't recall any issues with binding but I do recall the brakes not working correctly towards the end there. I think its the ESC. The only question is, did I do it running it through that puddle or was it destined to fry like yours. Either way, I think they will look after me (this time).

Keep us or me posted if you can on what you upgrade it with. I'd like a waterproof 150 amp esc preferably but they look hard to find. And I can see now that a comparable motor will just slide into the heat sink....

Cheers