Stock electronics on 3s?

[Natedog]

Higher efficiency at higher voltage.
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[colbynobo]

I optimistically hoped to see some good results when running mine on 3S. I ran it yesterday when it was 75 degrees and sunny with the stock 11 pinion. Today it was cloudy and 60 degrees and I used a 10 tooth pinion. My motor temperatures stayed the same both days, @110 degrees. However, my ESC temperatures run just under 150 degrees with 35 minutes of technical driving and mid 120s with 2nd gear, open diff blasts on the dirt road. 3S may work well for other guys, but it seems like it's asking for trouble to me. 2S is where I'll be.

[Natedog]

I've been crawling and bashing for hours anywhere from 80-110F and yes it get's hot at times, but I peeled the sticker off motor (while it was hot comes off easier) because it's like wrapping a little blanket around the motor. Helps some, but motor still gets hot. ESC gets hot too, but not to bad considering the ambient outside temps. If it burns up, call Traxxas.

Edit: Clip on heatsink with or without fan will help too.

[Slashrcgeo]

Originally Posted by CODYBOY

I've been running mine on 3s with no problems.
Ernie

I believe people who are running 3S and constantly binding the rig is whats causing the ESC to go out. They rate it at 3S but that's flat land and speed running it. I would run 2S for crawling and not have to worry about it burning up. TRX with 2S is a perfect balance of torque and speed. IMO.

[Mountainsofbeer]

Originally Posted by Slashrcgeo

I believe people who are running 3S and constantly binding the rig is whats causing the ESC to go out. They rate it at 3S but that's flat land and speed running it. I would run 2S for crawling and not have to worry about it burning up. TRX with 2S is a perfect balance of torque and speed. IMO.

I was able to get my temps to spike up while spending about 15minutes or so trying to climb over an obstacle in the woods, it seems to be the ESC and the front servo that are getting the hottest. Still it wasn't crazy hot 130sF on the esc. But I stopped crawling after 20minutes and clearing the obstacle, if I were to try another hard obstacle maybe that would have sent the temps higher I dunno.

I did an uphill crawl half a mile in low gear on trail, climbing over rocks and stuff but nothing hard and nothing I couldn't get over in one or two tries and my temps were very reasonable on 3s. Its the technical stuff you need to watch you are totally right dude. I still havn't seen temps high enough yet that should fry the esc. I'm assuming it can go all the way to 200F+ before having an issue? although 160-170 would be the limit for me, even that's fairly hot imo.

I think its just that I'm not trying rocks/obstacles that are as hard as the more experienced guys here are going to and I'm not driving long enough to see the temps get hot enough because if his went up to 160 on a relatively cool day then .. yea.

[alexleblanc]

I just got my TRX 4 yesterday from a local hobby shop in Hyannis while on our week vacation, plenty of time to put it through its paces at the campground. I'm going to try both 2s and 3s through it and will see on my end how warm it gets.

[Mountainsofbeer]

Originally Posted by alexleblanc

I just got my TRX 4 yesterday from a local hobby shop in Hyannis while on our week vacation, plenty of time to put it through its paces at the campground. I'm going to try both 2s and 3s through it and will see on my end how warm it gets.

Nice your going to love it man!

I did another run on 3s yesterday, got the ESC to peak in the 140s but still nothing to worry about. I'm getting these higher temps during technical crawling and slow slow driving and creeping over obstacles.

When I did a normal "trail drive", even uphill, on 3s the temps were very reasonable.

Overall try and just enjoy the new RC and not stress about temps; maybe just check at the end or drive or during a break in the middle. Don't crawl around slowly over stuff in high gear the whole time and you'll be alright.

The run times on both 2 and 3s are crazy long its great I don't think I've hit lipo cutoff yet but I've gotten close!

[HOLLYWOOD33]

Do you guys think the rig will benefit from either a 35T Axial motor or lower pinion gear???

Maybe both perhaps if I want to do more technical crawling?

[HumboldtEF]

Originally Posted by HOLLYWOOD33

Do you guys think the rig will benefit from either a 35T Axial motor or lower pinion gear???

Maybe both perhaps if I want to do more technical crawling?

The motor is probably the only way to get significantly slower, you can only gear down a little bit with actual gears, you can only drop down 2 teeth. I'm at 9t with stock motor and I feel like it could go even lower.

If you have a 9t laying around try that out first.

If you decide to go for a motor keep in mind this uses a 550 sized motor, it seems to me that most Axial motors are 540 but I could be wrong.

[CoolRunning]

I wouldn't try running a 540 can in this fairly heavy rig. You'd be asking for the magic smoke to be let out.

Isn't it slow enough in the low ratio as is?

I guess that is one bonus of the Axial range, you can easily gear them WAY down and that's without even reaching for a 2 speed. You could have crazy low gearing on the Axials with a 2 speed.

[Scrap]

I've driven much heavier scalers with 540 motors and have had no problems.

I wouldn't put the axial 35t in this because the kV value is about the same as the titan 21t but it has way less torque.

I have only about 6 hours driving on my TRX4 but in my opinion the power delivery is very smooth and makes it easy to crawl. Crawling with open diffs and having to keep in mind the placing of all four wheels is so much fun.

I run this on 3S LiPO batteries and I think there is a bit of a lack in wheelspeed in first gear. Second on the other hand is a bit high for crawling but is fun bashing. Might change the ESC to a BRXL and try this on 4S.

[HOLLYWOOD33]

Thanks for the input everyone. I have yet to play with my TRX as I'm out of town right now. I will give it a go with the stock electronics and a 3S battery this upcoming weekend.

Has there been issues switching out the servo and adding a BEC? I have a Savox 1230sg and a Castle 2.0 BEC in my Bomber. I was thinking of switching that over to the TRX from the start.

Thoughts?

[Natedog]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

... you can only gear down a little bit with actual gears, you can only drop down 2 teeth. I'm at 9t with stock motor and I feel like it could go even lower.

If you have a 9t laying around try that out first.

If you decide to go for a motor keep in mind this uses a 550 sized motor, it seems to me that most Axial motors are 540 but I could be wrong.

I'm liking the stock gearing on 3s, good low speed and great high speed in second! Might trry a 10T but so far love it even in large granite slab terrain. Yes, stay with 550 motors if you change.

Originally Posted by Scrap

...I have only about 6 hours driving on my TRX4 but in my opinion the power delivery is very smooth and makes it easy to crawl. Crawling with open diffs and having to keep in mind the placing of all four wheels is so much fun.

I run this on 3S LiPO batteries and I think there is a bit of a lack in wheelspeed in first gear............... Might change the ESC to a BRXL and try this on 4S.

Agreed. Oooooh BRXL and 4S, do eeet!

Originally Posted by HOLLYWOOD33

... I will give it a go with the stock electronics and a 3S battery this upcoming weekend.

Has there been issues switching out the servo and adding a BEC? I have a Savox 1230sg and a Castle 2.0 BEC in my Bomber. I was thinking of switching that over to the TRX from the start.

YOu'll love 3S! Add bec with HH bypass and proper servo, have fun and repeat as needed.

[CoolRunning]

The Titan 21T 550 is a 27-28T 540 can equiv rather than 35T. A 540 35T would be slower and run far hotter with the standard gearing.

[tooltimenova]

I added a Castle BEC and set it for 6.0vdc and am running a better servo for steering (Ebay metal gear, waterproof and 277oz./in for under $17!) and have had no problems so far with the other electronics. I think at 6.0vdc everything should be safe.

[Oger1983]

Not hating on the rig. When it runs it runs great. Nice setup. However, on another note, I have only out about 3 hours on the rug so far. Already lost the servo, the ESC was blistering hot, and it does not function in 70/30 More. Receiver fails to operate in this mode and goes crazy.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[gfmucci]

Originally Posted by Oger1983

... and it does not function in 70/30 More. Receiver fails to operate in this mode and goes crazy.

Did you check page 15 of the manual (see copied section, below). It basically says you need to reprogram the speed controller to properly use the 70/30 setting.

Here is the manual excerpt:

RADIO SYSTEM BASIC ADJUSTMENTS

Throttle Neutral Adjustment

The throttle neutral adjustment is located on the
transmitter face and controls the forward/reverse
travel of the throttle trigger. Change the adjustment
by pressing the button and sliding it to the desired
position. There are two settings available:

50/50: Allows equal travel for both acceleration and reverse.

70/30: Allows more throttle travel (70%) and less reverse travel (30%).

Note: We strongly recommend to leave this control in its factory
location until you become familiar with all the adjustments and
capabilities of your model.

To change the throttle neutral adjust position,
turn the transmitter off before adjusting the neutral position. You will
need to reprogram your electronic speed control to recognize the
70/30 setting. The default 50/50 setting is recommended. Turn to XL-5 HV
Setup Programming on page 18 for instructions.

[Oger1983]

Originally Posted by gfmucci

Did you check page 15 of the manual (see copied section, below). It basically says you need to reprogram the speed controller to properly use the 70/30 setting.

Here is the manual excerpt:

RADIO SYSTEM BASIC ADJUSTMENTS

Throttle Neutral Adjustment

The throttle neutral adjustment is located on the
transmitter face and controls the forward/reverse
travel of the throttle trigger. Change the adjustment
by pressing the button and sliding it to the desired
position. There are two settings available:

50/50: Allows equal travel for both acceleration and reverse.

70/30: Allows more throttle travel (70%) and less reverse travel (30%).

Note: We strongly recommend to leave this control in its factory
location until you become familiar with all the adjustments and
capabilities of your model.

To change the throttle neutral adjust position,
turn the transmitter off before adjusting the neutral position. You will
need to reprogram your electronic speed control to recognize the
70/30 setting. The default 50/50 setting is recommended. Turn to XL-5 HV
Setup Programming on page 18 for instructions.

The manual mine came with did not mention anything if the such, thank you for the information. I figured it would need programming as it is stuck in trail mode and the drag brake does not function atm. Trail/race mode is it's current factory setting. The servo is toast as it failed the check. ESC was way over temp. It should have never reached temps near 180. It functions normally now that it is cooled. Well as far as I can check anyways since the functionality of the servo is nonexistent. However traxxas has an amazing customer service team and is more than willing to help atm. Replacing the servo and if the ESC over heats again they are offering to replace the entire rig.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[Mountainsofbeer]

Originally Posted by Oger1983

The manual mine came with did not mention anything if the such, thank you for the information. I figured it would need programming as it is stuck in trail mode and the drag brake does not function atm. Trail/race mode is it's current factory setting. The servo is toast as it failed the check. ESC was way over temp. It should have never reached temps near 180. It functions normally now that it is cooled. Well as far as I can check anyways since the functionality of the servo is nonexistent. However traxxas has an amazing customer service team and is more than willing to help atm. Replacing the servo and if the ESC over heats again they are offering to replace the entire rig.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Once you get it back in shape do this to get out of trail mode:
word 4 word from manual. And yes it does say default for Sport mode and then again in Trail mode even though we all know its actual default mode is Trail mode.

1. Connect fully charged batteries to the model and turn on your transmitter

2. With the model off, press and hold the EZ-Set button until the LED turns solid green, then solid red, and then begins blinking red. It will blink once, then twice, then three times, then repeat. (Another error in the manual since it clearly blinks up to five times as stated below)

One blink= Sport Mode is the default setting. It allows full forward and reverse throttle

Two blinks= Race Mode removes reverse throttle in case your track does not allow it

Three blinks= Training Mode will slow the model down by 50% for young blah blah blah my 6yr. old nephew did just fine in the default mode don't use this mode haha

Four blinks= Trail Mode is similar to Sport mode but added drag brake when the throttle is at neutral. This is the defaut (actual spelling error in manual) setting for the TRX-4 and provides a good balance of smooth driving and additional drag brake for descending hills

Five blinks= Crawl Mode allows 100% brake (hill hold) with immediate reverse when the throttle is at neutral. This setting is best suited for technical courses where very precise movements are required.

3. Release the EZ-Set button after the number of blinks for the mode you with to select. Note: If you missed the mode you wanted keep the EZ-Set buttom pressed down and the blink cycle will repeat.

4. The LED will blink and then turn solid green (Low-Voltage Detection ACTIVE) or red (Low Voltage Detection DISABLED)
The model is now ready to drive in the mode you have selected

[Oger1983]

Originally Posted by Mountainsofbeer

Once you get it back in shape do this to get out of trail mode:
word 4 word from manual. And yes it does say default for Sport mode and then again in Trail mode even though we all know its actual default mode is Trail mode.

1. Connect fully charged batteries to the model and turn on your transmitter

2. With the model off, press and hold the EZ-Set button until the LED turns solid green, then solid red, and then begins blinking red. It will blink once, then twice, then three times, then repeat. (Another error in the manual since it clearly blinks up to five times as stated below)

One blink= Sport Mode is the default setting. It allows full forward and reverse throttle

Two blinks= Race Mode removes reverse throttle in case your track does not allow it

Three blinks= Training Mode will slow the model down by 50% for young blah blah blah my 6yr. old nephew did just fine in the default mode don't use this mode haha

Four blinks= Trail Mode is similar to Sport mode but added drag brake when the throttle is at neutral. This is the defaut (actual spelling error in manual) setting for the TRX-4 and provides a good balance of smooth driving and additional drag brake for descending hills

Five blinks= Crawl Mode allows 100% brake (hill hold) with immediate reverse when the throttle is at neutral. This setting is best suited for technical courses where very precise movements are required.

3. Release the EZ-Set button after the number of blinks for the mode you with to select. Note: If you missed the mode you wanted keep the EZ-Set buttom pressed down and the blink cycle will repeat.

4. The LED will blink and then turn solid green (Low-Voltage Detection ACTIVE) or red (Low Voltage Detection DISABLED)
The model is now ready to drive in the mode you have selected

Thank you, this is amazing info. Hopefully the servo will be here this week. The gf will love the fact it will have drag brake. Haha I should put it in kid mode for here lol

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