Official RS10 tips and tricks thread.

[Newfie]

If you ever have the pins come loose on the dogbones you can replace the pin with a Roll Pin from any auto parts, Napa, etc. Cut to length, swell just a little and way to go. I did this on my Hurricane XTR, and this one. Never had issue after!

[Noobcrawler8]

What are the proper tools that you would need to work on the rs10?

[StomperCrawler]

Dear Mod(s),

Not that it's not fun to read 10 pages of RC posts ('cuz it is ), but for those of us who don't have unlimited hobby research time , would it be possible to:

1. Lump and move all of the helpful but off-topic posts into a new locked thread titled "Random helpful stuff", and THEN
2. List & link all of the tricks/tips in the first or second post like this:
   1. Cheap pre-loaded shocks here?
      

I say this having read through all 10 pages but not wanting others to be required to do so if they're thinking about taking the plunge into RC crawling or just needing some helpful info.

I'm also thinking (I know, BAD idea ) that if the info is more concise and easy-to-find then there will be less repetition of questions like "my servo broke, what should I do?"

I hope I'm not stepping on any toes here as a n00b , but I do have some forum experience as well as a little RC history.

[Robotron]

I Just scanned this page on how to bind the stock 2.4ghz Radio System..
It wasn't included in the online manual, and I wasn't sure where else to post it. So here it goes,


and a link to the rest of the manual.
Rockslide RS10 Manual

[SoCal/crawler]

Originally Posted by sick86burban

also,on my XT's initial crawl,it seemed as if the tires weren't biting enough. it crawled good,but some thing i think it should have been able to do,it couldn't. what i did was cut each small lug off the tire. it made the tire more flexible and more bite areas. i re installed the tires,and what it wouldn't climb before,it could now. this is a free mod and helps pretty good if you don't have the spare cash for tires.

DUDE did this to my rig and took the foam out and wow it goes just about anywhere my buddys night crawler goes

[Maliboost]

How many turns are those super cub motors that are listed for $10 a piece. I'm currently running stock motors

[blinkme]

18 turn Traxxas Titan motors with steel gears really wakes this thing up runs like crazy now

[KC5H]

Originally Posted by blinkme

18 turn Traxxas Titan motors with steel gears really wakes this thing up runs like crazy now

Whats the shaft size on the 380 Titan???

"""EDIT"""NEVER MIND. I JUST FOUND IT. IT'S 2.3mm, SAME AS STOCK.

[KC5H]

Originally Posted by blinkme

18 turn Traxxas Titan motors with steel gears really wakes this thing up runs like crazy now

Originally Posted by KC5H

Whats the shaft size on the 380 Titan???

"""EDIT"""NEVER MIND. I JUST FOUND IT. IT'S 2.3mm, SAME AS STOCK.

How hot do they get with a little bashing?

[blinkme]

They get a little bit warm to the touch nothing too crazy

[Jakethesnake-rs10]

Traxxas 18 turn titans in a crawler huh? Bet the wheel speeds great but what about torque? Blinkme can you post a video?

[Churb]

Curious about the torque on the traxxas motors as well, if anyone knows.

I did see where the voltage max is 7.2.

[blinkme]

Torque is decent no running videos wasn't running for very long when it got thrown on the back burner for a while
Tapatalk 2

[Maliboost]

So in my axle one of the bearings seized and snapped the plastic that the gear is mounted to in between the bearings. Does anyone make a metal version or replacement part?

[love4god]

Originally Posted by jwo

this mod will take you servo from 90 degree throw to 180 degree throw or more.
okay after i modded my steering for everything it was worth to get the most out of it. it was quite apparent that the servo was now the issue. i had done everything i know to get the most steering out of my rig. shaving the dogbones. shaving the stoppers, gas line in the axle stubs to push the dogbone in the axle further and opted for high clearance knuckles. even modding the steering wheel on my radios. when i got my axles the first thin i noticed was the lack of steering. for the guys that are running rear steer might not notice it as bad. but for us that dont want rear steer im sure you noticed the same thing. well here is your cheap fix.
i preformed this mod to my current servo and it works flawless. ran it for a couple weeks now. there are other systems that will do the same thing. the only difference is that this is 99 cents plus tax. very cheap. if your soldering skills are up to par, you are good to go. ill will do a step by step. not to detailed. if there is a need for more detail i will edit a better one to further aid if anyone would like. on another note. im not on here alot lately, and i am also not very good at checking all the threads i post in. so just shoot me a pm if more detail is needed and i will add to this post. the pics of the servo are from a junked one i have in the bin, but same thing for most servos.there are some exceptions. i have seen some servos that do not have a full gear on them so they are not capable of this mod. with that being said on with it.


on the left was what i had after some modifications. on the right is what i had after all the modifications.

this is about what i was getting for throw before give or take a little bit.

this is what i have for throw now... much better

okay for starters. the yellow lines are you basic travel of a servo. the orange line is what you will get with this mod in both directions. big difference in throw. first you will want to make sure your stoppers let you get the 180 degrees.the red line over the case is where the stoppers are. this one as well as my other one did not need trimming. trim if needed, but do not take off more then you need to prevent damage. the stopper on the gear has the arrow. this is what will make it stop when contacted the stoppers. this protects the pot in the servo from being damaged as well as prevents destroying gears. the pot should be able to handle the extra throw.it also helps to have just the gear that goes on it to test, so you can see how much you have before the stopper hits or the pot maxes out. the pot must be centered after being put back together. you will know it if it isnt. there will be buzzing or if all your gears are off the motor will be turning. if centered it will stop.

these are the resistors i used. 1/8watt. i picked up 1k's as well as 2.2k's.i suppose you could go with 1/4 but space is limited in a servo. i ended up using a total of four 1k resistors to preform this mod. other resistances may work better or worse. these can be had at radio shack for 99 cents a pack.

the resistors are to be soldered to the outer posts of the pot. leaving the center one alone. in my case since i used a total of four. two for each post in series creating a total of 2k per side. this one would be much easier then the one i am running now. the posts were directly soldered to the breadboard, so there was no wires like this one. after the resistors are soldered in. stuff it all back together. assemble the servo. before running the servo. turn your trim pots all the way down. then turn them up to increase the travel til your max is achieved. with my dx3e i can control throw right and left. when they were turned all the way down the servo did not operate in one direction til the trim was turned up.it would be a good thing to test before installing into the truck. i have not tested this on a tx that only has a single steering rate knob or switch. all in all with this mod i got the most out of my steering. well worth the time and the minimal dollar it cost. happy steering!

can u pm me more details and pics on this mod please thanks godbless

[MountainStorm]

Originally Posted by Newfie

If you ever have the pins come loose on the dogbones you can replace the pin with a Roll Pin from any auto parts, Napa, etc. Cut to length, swell just a little and way to go. I did this on my Hurricane XTR, and this one. Never had issue after!

RC = Repair Constantly - YouTube

My Auto Zone and Advance only had packs of pins in a bunch of sizes either too small or too big but the pack includes a few that are just a touch too fat and will work.

I found that I could drill out the unthreaded part of the stub with a bit slightly smaller than 3/32 and use one of the 3/32 roll pins to effect the repair. Pins needed to be cut off and filed down but it worked great.

You guys should open the differential before you run the crawler or else risk chewing up the casing/gears when the threaded pin breaks...and it will break/back out.

On a related note the hexes that hold the wheels ALWAYS COME LOOSE. I check mine after every session. The grub screw will back out and the play will beat up the stub. So put a dab of blue loctite on that before you even bother to run the crawler. Hope that helps.

[MountainStorm]

I thought I would add some more to the knowledge bank now that I have been tinkering on mine and have a client build under my belt and have learned a few things.

Here are some random tips from my endless mod adventure.

Steering Link Protection Mod. You can easily bend the steering tie link up and this will improve your ability to slide up and over rocks that normally hang up on the link. You can also put the servo horn on pointed up instead of down and I found using three 3mm nuts as spacers between the rod ends made the link long enough to get the trim nearly zeroed. This keeps the horn from being rammed all the time but it will put the horn in harms way if you do a lot of flopping off big rocks and land on the nose upside down. Not so much of an issue when running a shell.

Lower COG Mods. The electronics tray can be flipped upside down and the electronics remounted and this drops them about 3/8". The shocks can be mounted in higher holes and slid down the links until the conflict with the motor wires. The lower links can be mounted to their furthest spacing apart. The lower part of the chassis can be cut off and the chassis redrilled to accept the battery tray and this drops the whole package about 3/4". At this point the shock on link set up is going to start fighting the new geometry and it will be obvious that something needs to change. Shock mount position, link profile and all the various conflicts inherent in attaching them to the narrow chunky axle will require mods detailed below. In short just cutting the chassis is not going to improve the RS10.

Suspension Mods. Shock on axle is the solution if a lower COG and predictable suspension action is desired. The shocks can mount right beside the links on the axle, but will require a 1/4" spacer at the axle and a nut on the horn at the chassis to space the spring out the motor wire. Obviously this space the shock into the path of the tire. The easiest best cheapest way to get the wheels out of the shocks when going shock on axle is to bolt on some wideners. You need to grind the hexes flat or replace them to make wideners seat properly against the hex. The RCWD units I put on the client build and my rig also need a fat o ring to fill the gap between the queer RS10 rims and widener flange. Besides gaining clearance and the ability to mod for more steering angle, the stability on a side hill or rock flank improved immensely. Eliminating link slop in the connection made by the shock between axle and chassis is critical in being able to tune the chassis and find out what really works. Bolt on wideners.

Steering Angle Mod. The stop horns are there for two reasons. First is to keep the tire out of the motor wires and shock and second is to keep the dogbone in the drive cup. I have found I can trim back the horn about halfway and that is right about where the dogbones start knocking. Any further requires something like a CVD mod...and there is a great thread on that going right now. I keep my dual rate trimmed back for trailing and turn it up for crawling on the rocks. Even so I know I am pushing the limit. A compressible spacer in the drive cup at the spur gear end will push the dogbone into the drive cup on the knuckle end of the axle, but that fights the steering angle. An easy way to see how this works is take your axle apart and run the dogbone in the knuckle drive cup by hand and see what it does as you steer the knuckle. The limits of this simple universal drive will become apparent.

Link Mod. The stock links are heavy and have weak ends use 3mm studs. If you are going on a modding adventure in search of maximum suspension performance, links are your next challenge. I found the easiest material to make new links from is T6 6061 3/16" aluminum rod. Thread the ends a 10-24 or 10-32 die. Coarse threads tend to hold well in plastic but finer threads have less depth and in hard material are easier to make. Use a round adjustable threading die and plenty of oil and it goes easy. I found the Traxxas Revo 5347 rod ends are the nicest to work with. They will accept 10mm of thread and are a total of 17mm to eye center from their end. These numbers will help you determine what lengths to cut and thread. The front links can be straight or straight with a light bend to get the rod end in plane with the earth at the axle. The rear links would benefit from a complex S curve to the axle, straight at the chassis. bent in such a manner that the links work around the motor and the bends are well back past the tire and put the rod end in plane with the earth. To find out the right length for an S bend use wire and measure it. I found an S in the size and shape I make adds about 10mm to the length in the rear and a gentle angle bend added about 5mm to the front. The upper links can be remade the same way with aluminum and this will lower the COG a bit too. Longer or shorter uppers can be used to clock the axle or unclock it if the lowers are closer together or shorter than stock. Besides cool factor custom links will work better than the stock units and be far more rugged.

Waterproofing Mods. After dinking around WPing servos I came to the conclusion that a factory WPed servo is the way to go. The motors are water proof for the most point. The gear case can be kept relatively dry by packing each axle shaft to the max with Lucas Red n Tacky synthetic grease. If you hate waiting on foam to dry and are running the stock rubber just pull the foams; the tires are plenty stiff to run without them. You can squeeze the water out of the breather holes in the rim if you are too lazy to demount the tires or close off the holes in the first place by wrapping electrical tape around the inside of the rim. If you are running after market rubber and memory foams and don't want to shut the holes all the time an easy solution for temporarily shutting the breather holes in the rim is to use a dab of hot glue over each hole and you can pick that off when you are ready for the rocks again. The ESC and RX are almost WP from the factory. Both have their important parts sealed in a box. On the ESC some of the PCB is exposed. Seal this with clear nail polish or super glue avoiding the reset button. On the receiver the opening for the plugs is the only area that is exposed, the underside of the PCB is sealed in the box. The box cannot be opened. Mask the pins with tape and inject nail polish or super glue in the opening and move the box around to get that to coat everything around the pins but not the pins themselves. You can eliminate the on off switch by soldering or twisting the wires together and putting heat shrink over that. If you run a BEC, Glitch Capacitor or any other part with no switches or pins dip it in Plasitidip. The motor leads are already WP with tight fitting silicon boots. Although this will not be proof against prolonged submersion it will allow you to go mudding and creeking and play in the rain and snow. After any deep dip you should blow everything out with compressed air and take things like wheels and tires and foams and axles apart to see if your efforts paid off.

Traction Mod. Tires. There's no way around it...the stock tires are going to hold you back on the rocks. They also load with mud and will not clean out. Decent for trailing and the occasional obstacle...not so good for a session on the rocks. Everyone has their favorite brand but whatever you opt to upgrade to remember that foams and rim width are a part of the package. For a crawler tire like the HB Rover the only way these will have the right height and overall profile is to cut about 3/8" off the stock RS10 rim. There are plenty of methods and tutorials on rim cutting so I won't go there. My tip is to use Loctite Professional Grade Super Glue to rebond the rim parts. Rough up the mating surfaces with 120 grit, blow off the dust. Make sure no strings of plastic are in the way. Lay down a nice bead of glue on the edge and carefully line up the parts without touching them together...let the glue jump up and start to wet the part above then press it down using one of the bead lock rings to keep the pressure even. You can use your hand. Just hold that for a minute and bam you've got a rim that is completely bonded. Foam is super important. 2 Stage over sized memory foams will bring the tire to life. You can't get anywhere close that level of traction with the stock set up. Although it is a hefty investment compared to the overall price of an RS10 XT tires are probably the best possible upgrade the vehicle needs to wake up its potential.

Shock Mod. The stock shocks are not too bad. Non adjustable and leak out right away. But not terrible damping when they are oiled. The springs can be cut about one loop to add droop or spaced from the top to increase tension. That's about it. The next move is to get different shocks. I found the Axial Wraith shocks to be a good fit and have nice damping and an adjustable collar. They improved the suspension action. But not by a tremendous degree. I put 120mm shocks on my client build, Venom brand, Okay shocks and very cheaply priced. There are too many shocks out there to even know what might be the best for the money. I was lucky enough to be given a set of Sparks Titanium Shaft 100mm shocks and wow. I totally underestimated what super good shocks will do for an RS10. Lengths from 100 to 120mm will work even with the stock set up, but choosing a shock that fits the suspension geometry is the key.

Taking the RS10 to the next level Mod. Eventually it will become apparent that looking for or making holes in the stock chassis plates is a dead end. It's just not the perfect shape or size for a shock on axle set up. I can be made to work, but it's not ideal. Making new chassis plates is not that hard if you have the tools and the experience to use them. The most important part is to draw it all out and get all the mount hole locations established well before developing the profile of the part. The holes should determine the profile not the other way around. If you run a small battery now is the time to narrow the chassis or think about ways to mount the battery to the axle. If you like big batts like me you can re use the electronics and battery trays and just reside your chassis. The whole point of making the chassis is to get what you think is an ideal geometry for the links and shocks. This all starts with knowing your desired wheel base at full bottom out and your desired ride height at full up and knowing that your shocks will be most neutral, call it zeroed, at 45 degrees. Flatter and they have less ability to work...which can be good if you want crazy articulation. More upright and they limit overall travel/articulation but do the most work. Building in adjustability is important. Muiltiple link and shock mounting points will let you tailor those shock angles, axle angles, link angles and travel from real world testing...you can only get so far on paper. Links close together will be the best for getting over high siders. Links further apart will keep the vehicle from doing endos when racing down or up hill. Uppers and their relation to the lowers will determine how much or how little the axle tilts back and forth as the suspension goes up and down. Length of links, their relationship to each other, shock angle and length will determine suspension travel. It's a bunch of stuff to think about all at once and that's why it's probably not the first mod on the list ;)

Hope that gives you guys some useful info and inspires you to get tinkering.

[treefolk]

Ok sorry if this was already answered but does anyone sell aluminum steering hubs. I broke mine and I will use the rears for now but I want to buy some. Thanks

[MountainStorm]

Originally Posted by treefolk

Ok sorry if this was already answered but does anyone sell aluminum steering hubs. I broke mine and I will use the rears for now but I want to buy some. Thanks

If it is the knuckle you want look on eBay for SCX10 aluminum knuckles. The only thing I would also get is a set of Axial Flange Pipes (the little bushings that go in the knuckle where the screws attach it to the c hub). Why? Because the RS10 bushings/flange pipes are too short and the screw head will contact the aluminum knuckle and cause bind and/or walk loose. The bushings from Axial are the right length to work with any after market (STRC, Hot Racing etc) knuckle.

Like these STRC STA80004S Aluminum Steering Knuckles Axial AX10 SCX10 | eBay

And these (part # AXI30450) Axial Flange Pipe 3x4 5x5 5 4 AXI30450 | eBay

Or if $10 is a bit much for 4 cheap ass little pieces of metal you can file the tops of the aluminum after market knuckles down till the RS10 Flange Pipes stick up just a fine red hair and that will work too.

[BarelyCrawlin]

I may have missed this "trick" while reading this thread, but you can gain a bit of wheel turning clearance by moving the lower link rod ends from outside the frame to inside the frame. You may have battery placement issues in the stock "tray", depending upon the battery size. Also be aware that the motor leads may be more susceptible to damage from the tires unless you re-solder the leads at a better angle.