RCCrawler Forums

microgoat · 10-16-2005, 09:23 AM

we have someting called "winter" here in Cleveland, where the sun doesn't shine for about six months and it snows all the time, which means building season.

Microgoat 3.x brushless was a decent chassis, but it's getting dated and was really an adaptation of something i designed to be much bigger (Titan-powered 1/8 scale scale rig, then i discovered the joys of outrunners and never looked back) and anyway the wheelbase is illegal.

so it's time to do something smaller and lighter. if i've got a 2-ounce motor, why waste that advantage with a humongous tranny (even if it's bulletproof) and a chassis that's too big fer it's britches, right? i'm thinking of a standup Pede design (i know laydowns are all the rage these days, but see above about the motor) but beyond that, haven't really laid anything out. i'm toying with the idea of using an RPM Maxx skidplate (the little one with the lip) as the main chassis skid and building up from there.

this means the E-Maxx tranny is for sale, or trade for a GOOD Pede tranny. see the FS forum for details.

do the upside-down shocks help that much? now that i think about it, yeah, they would.

i'm gonna keep it small, narrow, and as light as possible. stay tuned. if it would help, i could lay out the axles and put the tranny on a pack of cigarettes or something and take a pic

PS: yes, i DO have too many projects: 1/6 Ranger (nearing completion), Mini-Savage, 1/43 scale (really) Mini Cooper, Project Zero (functional r/c fan car built from leftover junk, goal to spend zero dollars, zero cents), and now this. call the institution.

slugzracing · 10-16-2005, 07:12 PM

I think you have room for one more project....

microgoat · 10-16-2005, 07:27 PM

hahahahaha, i thought you'd like that

bRIBEGuy · 10-16-2005, 07:34 PM

Too many projects? Bah, there is no such thing! I've got 2 crawlers, a scale trials rig and a brushless savage project all rolling.........plus I'm trying to learn how to fly a RC heli!

Spare time is for sissies!

Knytemare · 10-16-2005, 09:04 PM

Bah! One more project never killed anyone ... just move the others to the side.

XSRCdesign · 10-17-2005, 09:29 PM

take a look in my living room, my basement, my bedroom my kitchen table, and then talk to liz... im sure she would tell you the amount of projects you have is just fine...

microgoat · 10-18-2005, 05:01 AM

here's what's left of Microgoat 3.x

microgoat · 10-18-2005, 05:40 AM

and here's the first look at 4.0. yes, those are Duratrax battery charger side plates! we were throwing away a bunch of them at the LHS, and i saved a half dozen or so with the intention of making power supplies (until i found out the transformers were all bad) so i pulled the fans and tossed the rest, but the blue case, with its Mamba-sized cooling slots intrigued me. and steel is nice and stiff.

still needs final trimming. the bottom skid is an RPM Maxx skidplate that i'll probably shorten up.

jeepbub · 10-18-2005, 05:59 AM

Kudos, good thinkin and on the cheap. hope it works out good.

microgoat · 10-18-2005, 08:57 AM

i'm going to try to up the wheelspeed a bit more. Disturbin' Tha Peace sent me his gearing setup for the Pede tranny and it looks identical to mine with the Maxx tranny (after crunching numbers all morning). but his rig HAS to be a lot lighter, with half as many gears and i'm shooting for lighter yet with this one. so i'm going to gear up a tad and see what happens. i found a Traxxas 54 tooth 32 pitch spur, same size as the 84t/48p (can't bring myself to use 48 pitch after seeing what happened to my poor driveshaft) which will improve wheelspeed and still give me an overall ratio of around 30:1. before, with the 12/66 in first gear i was an rch under 38.

WTF, i can always change it.

thaclodking · 10-18-2005, 01:17 PM

Looks like an interesting setup. I can't tell you how many of those chargers got thrown away at the LHS when I worked there. The distributer didn't want to pay to ship them back.

Gimbal · 10-18-2005, 02:10 PM

...I think that just might be the best use of Duratrax parts yet!

microgoat · 10-18-2005, 02:52 PM

the rest of the charger makes a halfway decent shot put.

microgoat · 10-18-2005, 06:01 PM

sorry to use the old cliche of "this is my chassis sitting on a tire isn't it awesome", but, this is my chassis sitting on a tire. isn't it awesome?

this is just a mockup to show how it's going to be laid out. final trimming (i have a feeling there will be a lot less of the back end at the bottom) will happen once the tranny is in place. chassis is the width of a stock TLT, so i got to use the spiffy stainless tubes that came with the kit (i'm surprised i could find them).

the front links are going to be quite a bit shorter than they are now, the rears may remain the same length, and pivot at or near the driveshaft yoke to keep shaft binding to a minimum.

just by looking at it, i'm seeing all kinds of improvement.

microgoat · 10-19-2005, 11:29 AM

there's going to be a little surprise in the suspension department, too. stay tuned.

microgoat · 10-19-2005, 02:49 PM

okay, i'm waiting on some money that steadfastly refuses to come (Tantric money) so here's the surprise, just so i can go on record as being the first to use 'em:

Traxxas GTR shocks (Revo/Jato), the hard-ano'd ones. they're 3.5 inches fully extended, threaded bodies with 3mm pivoting hardware top & bottom, and Jato front springs are nice and soft. should make excellent crawler fodder. best of all, they're smooooooth

with the current trend of less travel and shorter shocks, i figured these were a nice compromise between way-short TC shocks (which require a heavy chassis up top to mount) and a Maxx shock (which gives too much ride height for the current lowrider fashion)

they look really pimp, too. they're calling my name at the LHS. buy meeee!

now if that damn check would just show up, i'd be all set.

chaotic_life · 10-19-2005, 04:01 PM

I was wondering about the revo shocks myself, I thought the would be too stiff considering they are cantilevered on the revo. However, since you mentioned the jato, that makes the whole prospect more feasible. Sweet... Can't wait to hear more!

JohnRobHolmes · 10-19-2005, 09:33 PM

Got a final weight in mind? (three cell lipo geared down ) I bet you could get this puppy super lightweight. (three cell lipo geared down) Your tires and servos will become the heavy parts now. (three cell lipo geared down) What is gonna be your battery pack, since you are going for light weight and power?

DISTURBIN' tha PEACE · 10-19-2005, 10:48 PM

The gearing sounds right & WTF you can always change it.

Also, I've found w/my rig, I need more weight up front. It's just too light up there.
I'll some BB's or lead tire weights. BUT that's the good part of a light rig, you can choose if/where it's needed

microgoat · 10-20-2005, 03:24 AM

with the old rig i found myself crawling in second gear a few times without realizing it. the wheelspeed actually helped and the outrunner seemed happier with the extra load at times.

i'm shooting for four pounds and change AUW, but we'll see how close i can come to that. it seems feasible at this point. the old rig was an rch under six.

i've been running a 3 oz strip of tire weight in each wheel, i may add another in front if warranted. battery is a 900 mAH Hobbyzone pack, but i've got my eye on a matched set of 1200 2/3 A cells.

if this rig is successful, i'll sell a set of plans for it, with a parts list. the first three buyers wil get a set of blue chassis plates. the rest will get plans only. no word yet on pricing (NO BLUE STAR YET SO PLEASE DON'T ASK) but think "lunch money" and you'll be in the right ballpark. who's interested?

10-16-2005, 09:23 AM	#1
microgoat I wanna be Dave Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 8,009	BLT goin' single. Microgoat 4.0 we have someting called "winter" here in Cleveland, where the sun doesn't shine for about six months and it snows all the time, which means building season. Microgoat 3.x brushless was a decent chassis, but it's getting dated and was really an adaptation of something i designed to be much bigger (Titan-powered 1/8 scale scale rig, then i discovered the joys of outrunners and never looked back) and anyway the wheelbase is illegal. so it's time to do something smaller and lighter. if i've got a 2-ounce motor, why waste that advantage with a humongous tranny (even if it's bulletproof) and a chassis that's too big fer it's britches, right? i'm thinking of a standup Pede design (i know laydowns are all the rage these days, but see above about the motor) but beyond that, haven't really laid anything out. i'm toying with the idea of using an RPM Maxx skidplate (the little one with the lip) as the main chassis skid and building up from there. this means the E-Maxx tranny is for sale, or trade for a GOOD Pede tranny. see the FS forum for details. do the upside-down shocks help that much? now that i think about it, yeah, they would. i'm gonna keep it small, narrow, and as light as possible. stay tuned. if it would help, i could lay out the axles and put the tranny on a pack of cigarettes or something and take a pic PS: yes, i DO have too many projects: 1/6 Ranger (nearing completion), Mini-Savage, 1/43 scale (really) Mini Cooper, Project Zero (functional r/c fan car built from leftover junk, goal to spend zero dollars, zero cents), and now this. call the institution. Last edited by microgoat; 10-16-2005 at 05:31 PM.

10-18-2005, 05:01 AM	#7
microgoat I wanna be Dave Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 8,009	'goat bones here's what's left of Microgoat 3.x Attached Images

10-18-2005, 05:40 AM	#8
microgoat I wanna be Dave Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 8,009	and here's the first look at 4.0. yes, those are Duratrax battery charger side plates! we were throwing away a bunch of them at the LHS, and i saved a half dozen or so with the intention of making power supplies (until i found out the transformers were all bad) so i pulled the fans and tossed the rest, but the blue case, with its Mamba-sized cooling slots intrigued me. and steel is nice and stiff. still needs final trimming. the bottom skid is an RPM Maxx skidplate that i'll probably shorten up. Attached Images

10-18-2005, 06:01 PM	#14
microgoat I wanna be Dave Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 8,009	sorry to use the old cliche of "this is my chassis sitting on a tire isn't it awesome", but, this is my chassis sitting on a tire. isn't it awesome? this is just a mockup to show how it's going to be laid out. final trimming (i have a feeling there will be a lot less of the back end at the bottom) will happen once the tranny is in place. chassis is the width of a stock TLT, so i got to use the spiffy stainless tubes that came with the kit (i'm surprised i could find them). the front links are going to be quite a bit shorter than they are now, the rears may remain the same length, and pivot at or near the driveshaft yoke to keep shaft binding to a minimum. just by looking at it, i'm seeing all kinds of improvement. Attached Images

10-19-2005, 02:49 PM	#16
microgoat I wanna be Dave Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 8,009	surprise spoiled okay, i'm waiting on some money that steadfastly refuses to come (Tantric money) so here's the surprise, just so i can go on record as being the first to use 'em: Traxxas GTR shocks (Revo/Jato), the hard-ano'd ones. they're 3.5 inches fully extended, threaded bodies with 3mm pivoting hardware top & bottom, and Jato front springs are nice and soft. should make excellent crawler fodder. best of all, they're smooooooth with the current trend of less travel and shorter shocks, i figured these were a nice compromise between way-short TC shocks (which require a heavy chassis up top to mount) and a Maxx shock (which gives too much ride height for the current lowrider fashion) they look really pimp, too. they're calling my name at the LHS. buy meeee! now if that damn check would just show up, i'd be all set.

10-16-2005, 07:12 PM	#2
slugzracing I wanna be Dave Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hiding from Goodall Posts: 2,518	I think you have room for one more project....

10-16-2005, 07:27 PM	#3
microgoat I wanna be Dave Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 8,009	hahahahaha, i thought you'd like that

10-16-2005, 07:34 PM	#4
bRIBEGuy Rock Crawler Join Date: May 2004 Location: Calgary Posts: 807	Too many projects? Bah, there is no such thing! I've got 2 crawlers, a scale trials rig and a brushless savage project all rolling.........plus I'm trying to learn how to fly a RC heli! Spare time is for sissies!

10-16-2005, 09:04 PM	#5
Knytemare Rock Crawler Join Date: May 2005 Location: Fort Wayne Posts: 728	Bah! One more project never killed anyone ... just move the others to the side.

10-17-2005, 09:29 PM	#6
XSRCdesign I wanna be Dave Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 8,817	take a look in my living room, my basement, my bedroom my kitchen table, and then talk to liz... im sure she would tell you the amount of projects you have is just fine...

10-18-2005, 05:59 AM	#9
jeepbub Newbie Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: cherry point north carolina Posts: 41	Kudos, good thinkin and on the cheap. hope it works out good.

10-18-2005, 08:57 AM	#10
microgoat I wanna be Dave Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 8,009	i'm going to try to up the wheelspeed a bit more. Disturbin' Tha Peace sent me his gearing setup for the Pede tranny and it looks identical to mine with the Maxx tranny (after crunching numbers all morning). but his rig HAS to be a lot lighter, with half as many gears and i'm shooting for lighter yet with this one. so i'm going to gear up a tad and see what happens. i found a Traxxas 54 tooth 32 pitch spur, same size as the 84t/48p (can't bring myself to use 48 pitch after seeing what happened to my poor driveshaft) which will improve wheelspeed and still give me an overall ratio of around 30:1. before, with the 12/66 in first gear i was an rch under 38. WTF, i can always change it.

10-18-2005, 01:17 PM	#11
thaclodking Rock Crawler Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: a place of settlement, activity, or residence. Posts: 842	Looks like an interesting setup. I can't tell you how many of those chargers got thrown away at the LHS when I worked there. The distributer didn't want to pay to ship them back.

10-18-2005, 02:10 PM	#12
Gimbal Rock Crawler Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Where it's wet Posts: 833	...I think that just might be the best use of Duratrax parts yet!

10-18-2005, 02:52 PM	#13
microgoat I wanna be Dave Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 8,009	the rest of the charger makes a halfway decent shot put.

Sponsored Links

10-19-2005, 11:29 AM	#15
microgoat I wanna be Dave Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 8,009	there's going to be a little surprise in the suspension department, too. stay tuned.

10-19-2005, 04:01 PM	#17
chaotic_life Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rochester Posts: 131	I was wondering about the revo shocks myself, I thought the would be too stiff considering they are cantilevered on the revo. However, since you mentioned the jato, that makes the whole prospect more feasible. Sweet... Can't wait to hear more!

10-19-2005, 09:33 PM	#18
JohnRobHolmes owner, Holmes Hobbies LLC Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Volt up! Gear down! Posts: 20,290	Got a final weight in mind? (three cell lipo geared down ) I bet you could get this puppy super lightweight. (three cell lipo geared down) Your tires and servos will become the heavy parts now. (three cell lipo geared down) What is gonna be your battery pack, since you are going for light weight and power?

10-19-2005, 10:48 PM	#19
DISTURBIN' tha PEACE I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: On the G-Train!!!!! Posts: 6,081	The gearing sounds right & WTF you can always change it. Also, I've found w/my rig, I need more weight up front. It's just too light up there. I'll some BB's or lead tire weights. BUT that's the good part of a light rig, you can choose if/where it's needed

10-20-2005, 03:24 AM	#20
microgoat I wanna be Dave Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 8,009	with the old rig i found myself crawling in second gear a few times without realizing it. the wheelspeed actually helped and the outrunner seemed happier with the extra load at times. i'm shooting for four pounds and change AUW, but we'll see how close i can come to that. it seems feasible at this point. the old rig was an rch under six. i've been running a 3 oz strip of tire weight in each wheel, i may add another in front if warranted. battery is a 900 mAH Hobbyzone pack, but i've got my eye on a matched set of 1200 2/3 A cells. if this rig is successful, i'll sell a set of plans for it, with a parts list. the first three buyers wil get a set of blue chassis plates. the rest will get plans only. no word yet on pricing (NO BLUE STAR YET SO PLEASE DON'T ASK) but think "lunch money" and you'll be in the right ballpark. who's interested?

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