RCCrawler Forums

sammyha · 01-10-2018, 07:12 AM

The more I think about it, a test that gives a baseline measurement could be real useful.

Not in the sense of how meaningful this measurement is versus real world crawling, but in this way...how much did say, adding a given weighted component improve the side hill angle?

Or, does removing top weight make a bigger difference?

How about lowering the battery? Is it worth the money and effort?

I'm not concerned how my TRX 4 compares to a stock one anymore. I'm more interested in the affect of mods I make moving forward...

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

sammyha · 01-11-2018, 04:52 AM

https://youtu.be/8L83mQNGRFk

If you care to follow and study what I'm testing, I'll point a few things out and sum up what these two videos have revealed.

I'm sure there are some who go out and just drive their trucks. Learning by doing. One of the best ways to figure things out. That's certainly OK too...

1: Static holding angle seems to be five more degrees than dynamic holding angle. Pretty useless measurement too.

2: My cut down TRX 4 body is a five degree penalty.

Can someone with a stock body do a static comparison with and without the body and post it?

3: Entering down hill to a side hill crawl feels way more unstable. If you can pick a line across a side hill with the front angled up hill you would be more likely to make the crawl.

4: Front lock only is way more agile on a side side hill crawl. I've mostly used it to make a tighter turn coming over the top.

I think it could be the difference in making a side hill crawl when the rear diff is not locked.

5: Off camera I removed my light system battery pack. It's a four AA battery pack mounted with Velcro under the hood. It's fairly high but forward, right behind the front shock tower. Didn't make a measurable difference. Not one degree.

My guess is lowering a battery pack say, one inch, is not a big deal. They are usually centered and inside the pivot point on any side hill the truck can handle.

So, the biggest improvement for side hill ability seems to be reducing negative biased weight combined with adding positive biased weight. And I would say good tires and foams.

And there's much more to think about. I didn't test with and without the ten ounces of brass weights. Or with different tires or the stock body. Or...

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sammyha · 01-11-2018, 06:20 AM

Here's a thread on how much weight is too much...

How much weight is too much??

MY TRX 4 weighs 10.2 pounds right now. I like how it feels. Too light gets less traction IMO. Always a trade off...

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Demonyo76 · 01-13-2018, 11:25 AM

Love the in-depth work on the TRX4, Thumbs up.

sammyha · 01-14-2018, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonyo76

Love the in-depth work on the TRX4, Thumbs up.

Thanks. Might take this in another direction, take a closer look at the weight, overall weight and where it is.

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RickM · 01-15-2018, 08:10 AM

Ironic timing of seeing this as my son and I are about to do a frame off restoration of a 1991 D110 we imported from Spain and
I have been trying to convince him to the crew cab short bed. My neighbor has one and it is really good looking. HE has the spare mounted in the bed rally truck style.

Seeing this offered great ideas for our TRX-4 but my only issue with doing this is the fact that in the true 110 crew cabs, the rear windows are rounded not square. I wonder if there would be a way to do this on the shell.

sammyha · 01-15-2018, 08:45 AM

You and your son a restoring a 1/1 size D110? And bashing a Trx 4... That's pretty neat.

I looked at the rear windows. They are like a wrap around window, right? You can see them in this photo.

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sammyha · 01-15-2018, 08:55 AM

It could be done using the method of cutting out the desired opening and gluing in a lexan window from the inside. Wouldn't be hard to find a piece of scrap from a lexan body mold that's the right shape. Just need that wrap around radius bend and enough flat material on either side of the radius to fill the window opening.

You would also have to resize the middle window to really get it right. And use the same method to make a bigger window for that opening too.

I considered it, but it was more work than I was willing to take on. For sure a "must do" for a true scale project.

Good observation tho on your part...

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

sickpuppy · 01-15-2018, 09:19 AM

Could this be a solution..?
I'm thinking of using these parts on my next build.

sammyha · 01-15-2018, 09:23 AM

Hmmn, how would you match the paint?

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sickpuppy · 01-15-2018, 09:28 AM

I would do the same as I did on my trx now, paint its outside..
I know that makes it more fragile, but I actually think it looks better that way. But I also like the way the inside paintjob stays shiny a lot longer..

Take a look in my thread on hos my current build has turned out..

sammyha · 01-15-2018, 09:33 AM

Ok, I will check it out. After seeing your pieces I see the TRX 4 corners are too sharp to do what I suggested. I'll settle for stand off scale on this one.

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sammyha · 01-23-2018, 05:00 PM

Taking a look at reducing some more top weight. I'm going to swap out the top two batteries in the photo for the one on the bottom. My truck weighs 10.2 pounds now.

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sammyha · 01-23-2018, 05:05 PM

The top one is a 4.8 AA pack for the lights. I had it mounted with Velcro, under the hood and right behind the front shock tower. It's up front but a little high.

The middle pack is a 4100 mAh pack. It's the pack I was running in the truck. I like big packs

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sammyha · 01-23-2018, 05:16 PM

Are you guys on to the Silicon Graphene lipos yet?

"The ProTek R/C 3S 100C Silicon Graphene HV Shorty LiPo Battery was developed specifically for 1/10 scale rock crawler and rock racer applications. 3S packs that are commonly used in the crawler world are either small, low capacity packs - or large, heavy 4000-5000mAh packs. This 3600mAh battery fills the void and gives scalers a higher capacity option that produces more voltage and longer runtimes than a 2200mAh, yet only weighs approximately 20 grams more! Plus, when charged at LiHV specs this battery produces 13.05V, instead of the standard 12.6V of a fully charged standard LiPo."

Amain Hobbies has them...

I like the slightly higher voltage. Also has an even flatter discharge curve...

"Lab testing has shown that ProTek R/C Silicon Graphene packs have more than double the cycle life when charged at 1C rates, and can be charged at higher amp rates, with less risk of damage to the pack. More importantly, the discharge curve is flatter, meaning the cells maintain higher voltage throughout the discharge cycle. Additionally, when compared to conventional LiPo batteries Silicon Graphene batteries are lighter, providing a higher capacity per gram ratio. With 11.4V nominal voltage, 100C discharge ratings, incredibly high charge rates and increased power."

It's a shorty pack, came with a Dean's connecter.

Perfect...

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

sammyha · 01-23-2018, 05:22 PM

I soldered up this y-harness, and dug this inline 5V regulator out of my model room.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

sammyha · 01-23-2018, 05:27 PM

The pencil is pointing to the 3s lead coming from the esc that my winch is plugged into. The y-harness gives me a power lead for the lights so I can eliminate the 4.8 pack.

The inline regulator reduces the 11.1 volt lead down to 5 volts. My lights are rated for 5 volts.

Brilliant!

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

sammyha · 01-23-2018, 05:40 PM

Here's the new Silicone Graphene shorty pack in the stock Traxxas battery tray.

I only plug in the lead to the lights when I'm going to use them.

Next project is to modify the battery tray. I know there are 3D printed battery trays out there, but I have an idea I want to to try.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

sammyha · 01-23-2018, 05:59 PM

Under 10 pounds...

Pretty good trade off. Removed 3 tenths of a pound of top weight, reduced the overall weight by a half a pound (Remember? It was 10.2 pounds...), and I get a slight voltage increase.

I'll give a report soon on the performance benefits of this battery after I run it...

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

sammyha · 01-23-2018, 06:05 PM

Some more info for you techno geeks...

Price: $59.99

NOTE: While these batteries are technically LiHV cells, they can still be charged with a standard LiPo charger. The overall voltage and capacity will be slightly less than if charged to LiHV specs, but the performance will be better than a standard LiPo thanks to the reduced weight and low internal resistance.

Features:
-Comparable weight to a 2200mAh pack, 100g lighter than EcoPower 4100mAh
-Great choice for scalers and U4 racers
-Great choice for boats and airplanes too
-Improved power to weight ratio and a lower overall CG
-Silicone Graphene can handle more abuse and deliver more current than a standard LiPo battery
-Improved efficiency, lower operating temperatures, and lower internal resistance!
-Increased run time, increased cycle life and increased voltage!
-More capacity gram for gram when compared to standard LiPo cells
-10C max charge rates - 1C charge rate recommended for longest life
-11.4V nominal voltage

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

01-10-2018, 07:12 AM	#141
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... The more I think about it, a test that gives a baseline measurement could be real useful. Not in the sense of how meaningful this measurement is versus real world crawling, but in this way...how much did say, adding a given weighted component improve the side hill angle? Or, does removing top weight make a bigger difference? How about lowering the battery? Is it worth the money and effort? I'm not concerned how my TRX 4 compares to a stock one anymore. I'm more interested in the affect of mods I make moving forward... Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk Last edited by sammyha; 01-10-2018 at 07:14 AM.

01-11-2018, 04:52 AM	#142
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... https://youtu.be/8L83mQNGRFk If you care to follow and study what I'm testing, I'll point a few things out and sum up what these two videos have revealed. I'm sure there are some who go out and just drive their trucks. Learning by doing. One of the best ways to figure things out. That's certainly OK too... 1: Static holding angle seems to be five more degrees than dynamic holding angle. Pretty useless measurement too. 2: My cut down TRX 4 body is a five degree penalty. Can someone with a stock body do a static comparison with and without the body and post it? 3: Entering down hill to a side hill crawl feels way more unstable. If you can pick a line across a side hill with the front angled up hill you would be more likely to make the crawl. 4: Front lock only is way more agile on a side side hill crawl. I've mostly used it to make a tighter turn coming over the top. I think it could be the difference in making a side hill crawl when the rear diff is not locked. 5: Off camera I removed my light system battery pack. It's a four AA battery pack mounted with Velcro under the hood. It's fairly high but forward, right behind the front shock tower. Didn't make a measurable difference. Not one degree. My guess is lowering a battery pack say, one inch, is not a big deal. They are usually centered and inside the pivot point on any side hill the truck can handle. So, the biggest improvement for side hill ability seems to be reducing negative biased weight combined with adding positive biased weight. And I would say good tires and foams. And there's much more to think about. I didn't test with and without the ten ounces of brass weights. Or with different tires or the stock body. Or... Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk Last edited by sammyha; 01-11-2018 at 07:17 AM.

01-11-2018, 06:20 AM	#143
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... Here's a thread on how much weight is too much... How much weight is too much?? MY TRX 4 weighs 10.2 pounds right now. I like how it feels. Too light gets less traction IMO. Always a trade off... Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk Last edited by sammyha; 01-11-2018 at 07:09 AM.

01-13-2018, 11:25 AM	#144
Demonyo76 Newbie Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: U.S.A Posts: 1	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... Love the in-depth work on the TRX4, Thumbs up.

01-15-2018, 08:10 AM	#146
RickM RCC Addict Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Dallas Posts: 1,848	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... Ironic timing of seeing this as my son and I are about to do a frame off restoration of a 1991 D110 we imported from Spain and I have been trying to convince him to the crew cab short bed. My neighbor has one and it is really good looking. HE has the spare mounted in the bed rally truck style. Seeing this offered great ideas for our TRX-4 but my only issue with doing this is the fact that in the true 110 crew cabs, the rear windows are rounded not square. I wonder if there would be a way to do this on the shell.

01-15-2018, 08:45 AM	#147
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... You and your son a restoring a 1/1 size D110? And bashing a Trx 4... That's pretty neat. I looked at the rear windows. They are like a wrap around window, right? You can see them in this photo. Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

01-15-2018, 08:55 AM	#148
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... It could be done using the method of cutting out the desired opening and gluing in a lexan window from the inside. Wouldn't be hard to find a piece of scrap from a lexan body mold that's the right shape. Just need that wrap around radius bend and enough flat material on either side of the radius to fill the window opening. You would also have to resize the middle window to really get it right. And use the same method to make a bigger window for that opening too. I considered it, but it was more work than I was willing to take on. For sure a "must do" for a true scale project. Good observation tho on your part... Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk Last edited by sammyha; 01-15-2018 at 09:00 AM.

01-15-2018, 09:19 AM	#149
sickpuppy Quarry Creeper Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Norway Posts: 465	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... Could this be a solution..? I'm thinking of using these parts on my next build.

01-15-2018, 09:23 AM	#150
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... Hmmn, how would you match the paint? Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

01-15-2018, 09:28 AM	#151
sickpuppy Quarry Creeper Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Norway Posts: 465	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... I would do the same as I did on my trx now, paint its outside.. I know that makes it more fragile, but I actually think it looks better that way. But I also like the way the inside paintjob stays shiny a lot longer.. Take a look in my thread on hos my current build has turned out..

01-15-2018, 09:33 AM	#152
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... Ok, I will check it out. After seeing your pieces I see the TRX 4 corners are too sharp to do what I suggested. I'll settle for stand off scale on this one. Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

01-23-2018, 05:00 PM	#153
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... Taking a look at reducing some more top weight. I'm going to swap out the top two batteries in the photo for the one on the bottom. My truck weighs 10.2 pounds now. Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk Last edited by sammyha; 01-23-2018 at 05:43 PM.

01-23-2018, 05:05 PM	#154
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... The top one is a 4.8 AA pack for the lights. I had it mounted with Velcro, under the hood and right behind the front shock tower. It's up front but a little high. The middle pack is a 4100 mAh pack. It's the pack I was running in the truck. I like big packs Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk Last edited by sammyha; 01-24-2018 at 05:29 AM.

01-23-2018, 05:16 PM	#155
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... Are you guys on to the Silicon Graphene lipos yet? "The ProTek R/C 3S 100C Silicon Graphene HV Shorty LiPo Battery was developed specifically for 1/10 scale rock crawler and rock racer applications. 3S packs that are commonly used in the crawler world are either small, low capacity packs - or large, heavy 4000-5000mAh packs. This 3600mAh battery fills the void and gives scalers a higher capacity option that produces more voltage and longer runtimes than a 2200mAh, yet only weighs approximately 20 grams more! Plus, when charged at LiHV specs this battery produces 13.05V, instead of the standard 12.6V of a fully charged standard LiPo." Amain Hobbies has them... I like the slightly higher voltage. Also has an even flatter discharge curve... "Lab testing has shown that ProTek R/C Silicon Graphene packs have more than double the cycle life when charged at 1C rates, and can be charged at higher amp rates, with less risk of damage to the pack. More importantly, the discharge curve is flatter, meaning the cells maintain higher voltage throughout the discharge cycle. Additionally, when compared to conventional LiPo batteries Silicon Graphene batteries are lighter, providing a higher capacity per gram ratio. With 11.4V nominal voltage, 100C discharge ratings, incredibly high charge rates and increased power." It's a shorty pack, came with a Dean's connecter. Perfect... Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

01-23-2018, 05:22 PM	#156
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... I soldered up this y-harness, and dug this inline 5V regulator out of my model room. Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

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01-23-2018, 05:27 PM	#157
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... The pencil is pointing to the 3s lead coming from the esc that my winch is plugged into. The y-harness gives me a power lead for the lights so I can eliminate the 4.8 pack. The inline regulator reduces the 11.1 volt lead down to 5 volts. My lights are rated for 5 volts. Brilliant! Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk Last edited by sammyha; 01-23-2018 at 05:45 PM.

01-23-2018, 05:40 PM	#158
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... Here's the new Silicone Graphene shorty pack in the stock Traxxas battery tray. I only plug in the lead to the lights when I'm going to use them. Next project is to modify the battery tray. I know there are 3D printed battery trays out there, but I have an idea I want to to try. Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

01-23-2018, 05:59 PM	#159
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... Under 10 pounds... Pretty good trade off. Removed 3 tenths of a pound of top weight, reduced the overall weight by a half a pound (Remember? It was 10.2 pounds...), and I get a slight voltage increase. I'll give a report soon on the performance benefits of this battery after I run it... Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk Last edited by sammyha; 01-24-2018 at 05:34 AM.

01-23-2018, 06:05 PM	#160
sammyha Pebble Pounder Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: US Posts: 185	Re: TRX 4 Body Bashing, The cutting has begun... Some more info for you techno geeks... Price: $59.99 NOTE: While these batteries are technically LiHV cells, they can still be charged with a standard LiPo charger. The overall voltage and capacity will be slightly less than if charged to LiHV specs, but the performance will be better than a standard LiPo thanks to the reduced weight and low internal resistance. Features: -Comparable weight to a 2200mAh pack, 100g lighter than EcoPower 4100mAh -Great choice for scalers and U4 racers -Great choice for boats and airplanes too -Improved power to weight ratio and a lower overall CG -Silicone Graphene can handle more abuse and deliver more current than a standard LiPo battery -Improved efficiency, lower operating temperatures, and lower internal resistance! -Increased run time, increased cycle life and increased voltage! -More capacity gram for gram when compared to standard LiPo cells -10C max charge rates - 1C charge rate recommended for longest life -11.4V nominal voltage Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk Last edited by sammyha; 01-23-2018 at 06:08 PM.

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