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03-17-2018, 05:22 PM
| #1 |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
|  Greatscott's TRX4
Here is my TRX4. I got it a couple of months after it was released with the defender body. Like a lot of us, I found the platform very capable but found the body holding it back. I have shortened up the WB to 12.3".  TRX4 Proline Dodge by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 Proline Dodge by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 with Dodge Body by Scott O, on FlickrThis Dodge body is ok, but is not a good fit for this chassis. If I took the time to move the electronics the body would sit about 1/2" lower. My goal is to get a Traxxas Bronco body. To get the bumpers to looks better I flipped the frame mounts, which greatly improved approach and departure angles. The tires are RC4WD Iroks on premium Chinesium aluminum rims. I am running this with my DX5R, which required getting a Traxxas T-lock to control the locking diffs with one channel. The T-lock works differently than the stock radio, so my options for my diffs are both locked, front unlocked, or back unlocked, but I cannot unlock both at once, I have found this diff set up a lot more useful. The T-lock was waterproofed with comformal coating (along with the BEC), and installed it the bottom of the battery tray.  TRX4 mods by Scott O, on FlickrI changed the WB before anyone really had links and such premade.  TRX4 & HR Shafts by Scott O, on FlickrAlong with the HR shafts (front has to be cut down), I am also running brass portal covers that I need to paint to make them C2 legal.  TRX4 by Scott O, on FlickrAside from the actual fit of the body, I would have liked it a lot better if it came with functional light buckets. I used Axial buckets front and back wired up with Common Sense LEDs. The winch anchor is held in with a Traxxas body post on one side, and magnets on the other.  TRX4 Proline Dodge by Scott O, on FlickrI also added magnets in the front to hold the body clips.  TRX4 Proline Dodge by Scott O, on Flickr
Last edited by Greatscott; 03-26-2018 at 07:17 PM. |
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03-17-2018, 09:48 PM
| #2 |
| I wanna be Dave  Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Ramona, CA
Posts: 2,178
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
Greatscott, Question for you on the "I am running this with my DX5R, which required getting a Traxxas T-lock to control the locking diffs with one channel. The T-lock works differently than the stock radio, so my options for my diffs are both locked, front unlocked, or back unlocked, but I cannot unlock both at once, I have found this diff set up a lot more useful." Q: New to in-depth electronics with more than 3CH and the T-Lock but If you were running a 6CH radio would the option to unlock both F/R be feasible? |
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03-17-2018, 09:55 PM
| #3 | |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4 Quote:
My DX5R setup: Ch. 1: Steering Ch. 2: ESC Ch. 3: Winch Ch. 4: Transmission Ch. 5: Diff lock If you do not run a winch, or remove the two speed, you could run the diffs with fewer channels. | |
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03-18-2018, 10:20 AM
| #4 |
| Pebble Pounder Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Canada
Posts: 122
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
Did you have any trouble fitting those chinese wheels over those brass portal covers? And did they work with the stock he? I'm looking at a set of black Chinese aluminum beadlocks and am curious how you made out.
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03-18-2018, 01:52 PM
| #5 |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
Part of me would love to tell you I had issues, but they went together and fit perfectly. If fact, they are just about the easiest set of beadlocks I have assembled. I did find those 24 tiny ring screws to be a bit excessive, but they are only there for looks and to keep the outer ring on. For the money, I couldn't be happier.
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03-18-2018, 03:13 PM
| #6 |
| Pebble Pounder Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Canada
Posts: 122
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
Nice
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03-18-2018, 07:51 PM
| #7 |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
Opinions needed: Leave the roll bar smoked chrome, or remove the chrome and paint it black?  TRX4 Roll bar by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 Roll bar by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 Roll bar by Scott O, on Flickr
Last edited by Greatscott; 03-26-2018 at 07:21 PM. |
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03-24-2018, 10:26 AM
| #8 |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
I decided to take the chrome off, paint the it black, add a light bar, and modify the roll bar slightly. Here is what I ended up with:  TRX4 Roll Bar by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 Roll Bar by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 Roll Bar by Scott O, on Flickr
Last edited by Greatscott; 03-26-2018 at 07:23 PM. |
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03-26-2018, 07:30 PM
| #9 |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
With only about three minutes of actual run time on the truck with the new body and shortened WB I competed in its first comp yesterday and did very well (finished 3rd out of 84). There were lots of side-hilling on the course, with a few steep climbs, neither of which the truck could do with the Defender body. Of course, there are tweaks to be made, but they will be minor.
Last edited by Greatscott; 03-27-2018 at 06:42 AM. |
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05-06-2018, 09:02 PM
| #10 |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
I did a bit of rewiring, and changed out the stock RX case... The stock RX case was a bit narrow for the 6-channel Spektrum RX, so I relocated the RX to the back of the truck. Basically relocating the box required me to pull all wires back and rerun them all, which it turned out a lot neater in the end. I did have a moment of heartbreak when I had everything all buttoned up and working and realized I had ran the BEC directly to the receiver instead of through a splitter so the lights would work. I also noticed a problem, the shift cable for the back diff is just kinking and is not unlocking the diff. I have tried to fix it, but it will not unlock the diff on its own. Looks like I either need to get a new shift cable or just bite the bullet and install spools.  TRX4 by Scott O, on FlickrYou can see the bent cable on this picture...  TRX4 by Scott O, on FlickrWhile I was rewiring stuff I replaced the RC4WD winch controller for this Hobbywing 1625 ESC. I installed one of these in my new Bomber and it works very well. The only issue with it is that it has a double-clutch reverse, which really just keeps me from bringing in winch line by mistake.  TRX4 by Scott O, on Flickr
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05-18-2018, 11:00 PM
| #11 |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
The updates continue... I bit the bullet and bought a Mamba X and 1400-1900KV system, along with the new Castle B-Link. After a little oops, I got the system installed correctly and everything seems to be working perfectly. To run sensored on this system the A, B, & C wires have to be in the corresponding slots in the ESC, if you are not running sensored, it does not matter. I traced out each wire from the motor and put its letter just above the bullet connector, smart, right? Well, somehow I crossed the A and B connectors, the motor does not like that, it makes terrible sounds and gets hot quickly. Luckily, it does not look like I damaged it. Throttle control in high and low gear is very good, and almost do not need the low gear, but it creeps so smoothly in low range. It scoots pretty good in high gear, and if I am at full throttle and let off the trigger suddenly it will flip forwards, on to its roof. I'll get a better sense of how it preforms this weekend and our club's monthly comp. The B-Link is nifty. It takes a bit of getting used to, and it is a bit different than the CastleLink program. It did not want to connect at first because I had bluetooth from my phone already going to my stereo, but as soon as I turned that off it connected right up. It is VERY handy to not have to take the RC into the house and connect it up to the computer. The process is slower though, and you cannot adjust settings on the fly. You have to link with it, make your adjustments, then tell it to upload, then turn off the ESC then back on, it uploads, reinitializes the ESC and you are set. The B-Link is waterproof and made to be installed into the RC, but at $50 each, I can't see buying one for each of my Castle systems (SV2 and newer). Instead, I am planning on running a short extender wire from the RX box, and just plug it in when I need to adjust something. My little 'oops' not withstanding, the install was quick and easy. Along with the stock electronics I also pulled the CC BEC out, the Mamba has an 8-amp BEC, which should be plenty. I am running the BEC at 7.5VDC, man the lights are bright now!!! Yes, the servo, LEDs and RX are all rated for that much voltage.  TRX4 by GreatScott, on FlickrI don't really like the mess of wires around the B-link, but those will get cleaned up when the B-Link gets removed.  TRX4 by GreatScott, on FlickrI think my next upgrade will be an aluminum motor mount. I might go simple like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Traxxas-Defen...X4+motor+mount Or, I might go for something more substantial, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Aluminium-Tra...X4+motor+mount |
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05-19-2018, 05:20 AM
| #12 |
| Rock Stacker Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Northern Ohio
Posts: 75
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
Which lights are you running on the body? I've only found power shift R/C so far. Looks great! I haven't started the power wagon body yet. I don't know whether it will fall on the ascender or the scx10ii. All depends on the path of least resistance
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05-19-2018, 10:33 AM
| #13 | |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4 Quote:
The buckets are from the Axial bucket kit. The head and tail lights are Common Sense RC LEDs (white 5mm in the front and red 5mm in the back), and the light bar is RC4WD. I wire everything up myself. I like Common Sense LEDs becase they have a very wide voltage range. Depending on application, the resistor sometimes gets in the way, which requires unsoldering it and moving it a little further up the wire. Generally not a problem with the 5mm LEDs, but the 3MMs are a pain. My King Hauler took a bunch of 3mm LEDs and each of the resistors had to be moved. https://www.commonsenserc.com/produc...oducts_id=4723 Axial Buckets: https://www.amazon.com/Axial-AX80045.../dp/B003198K72 King Hauler and its many 3mm LEDs...  King Hauler by Scott O, on Flickr
Last edited by Greatscott; 05-19-2018 at 10:38 AM. | |
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05-20-2018, 06:49 PM
| #14 |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
Had it out at our local comp today...  ILNWS COMP by Scott O, on FlickrI am not too pleased with my driving, but the truck and ESC/motor were excellent. The first course I was driving like a new kid for some reason and it took me half the course and about six gates before I pulled my head out of my butt and actually started driving like I know how to. The second course was a lot better, no gates and just a couple of reverses. The Mamba X and 1400-1900kv motor are rock solid, and stayed nice and cool. I was a little annoyed at the drag brake, thought it should have been more solid. But, it wasn't until after I finished the last course that I realized I ran both courses in high gear, and with the it in low gear the truck simply does not move on an incline. |
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05-21-2018, 11:27 AM
| #15 |
| I wanna be Dave  Join Date: May 2006 Location: HONDURAS...ROCK HEAVEN
Posts: 5,076
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
Amazing turnout, your rig looks great, i do agree with nate, i would mod the roll bar so it fits inside the bed.  |
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06-27-2018, 09:24 PM
| #16 |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
Have changed up the body... Overall, this body is ok for the price, but it is one of the thinnest lexan bodies I have ever done. I was going to use liquid mask for the windows and the fenders, but I was afraid I'd easily punch through when I was trimming it. One of the things I wanted from this body was that nice detailed front grill with its light buckets, but still amazed that they did not do anything for the back, other than stickers. So, I improvised some light buckets, don't think it looks terrible. Originally all of the trim was going to be black, but my LHS had two roof racks in stock, and the black one weighed twice as much. So, I went with the brushed silver and made the rest of the trim to match.  TRX4 by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 by Scott O, on FlickrI am also trying out the rock light thing, I have them on a manual switch so I can turn them off when I am running in the day time. I am toying with getting rid of the diff lockers, if I do I'll have a channel freed up on my DX5R, and will use that with a Pico Switch to control the rock lights. Honestly, I am not terribly impressed so for with them, but I am reserving judgement until I run them on rocks in the dark.  TRX4 by Scott O, on FlickrDoing a bit more work, threw on more stickers (think I am done), and some scale accessories. I was at the LHS today to see if they have spools and maybe pickup some scale stuff, didn't get either. The spools I'll explain below, but the scale stuff has gotten REALLY expensive! I looked at two Proline kits that were around $15 each the last time I bought them, they are now both around $30.  TRX4 by Scott O, on FlickrI have started populating the roof rack. I want some scale items up there, but I want to limit the amount of weight I have up there. For now I have attached two Axial ammo boxes and a small RC4WD winch anchor.  TRX4 by Scott O, on FlickrI think I have decided to spool up the diffs. The ability to lock and unlock the diffs is cool in itself, but has not been very useful for me, I do use the dog-snot out of the two-speed transmission. Also, the cable for the back diff got kinked at the servo some how, and is not pushing the locker to the unlocked position, so instead of replacing the cable I'll just lock both diffs up. That will free up a channel for turning on and off the rock lights remotely. As far as my LHS goes, seems as though their saga with Traxxas continues. I can see their gripe with the application to sell Traxxas parts, they have been selling Traxxas for years, why do they have to fill how a ridiculously long application? And, the application is REALLY intrusive, wanting bank statements, credit histories, and personal data, it seems like they are actually trying to push distributors and LHSs to not carry their parts or RCs. But, as much as I feel for their plight, as a customer, I really don't care. I can buy the parts online, although the spools themselves seem to be sold out, even on the Traxxas site, I want to support my LHS, I gave them first crack at my money, if they can't get what I want, then I go elsewhere. Next will be the hardest part of RCing, taking a new body out and getting that first scratch...  |
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07-03-2018, 11:03 PM
| #17 |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
There is a reason why I laugh when someone says they are finally done building or modifying their RC... I swapped out the locking diffs for spools this evening. I am glad I started with the front axles, having to take it off and all of the way apart was a pain. The back axle is REALLY easy!  TRX4 by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 by Scott O, on FlickrLikely the hardest part of this was ripping out the servos, there is one screw under the battery tray that took me a while to find and was a bit of a bear to get out. |
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07-14-2018, 11:20 PM
| #18 |
| I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Idaho
Posts: 3,648
| Re: Greatscott's TRX4
Finally got some night-time driving with the rock lights (I also fed every mosquito in Northern Idaho).  TRX4 At Night by Scott O, on FlickrThe blue is the blue rock light showing through the holes in the sled tracks.  TRX4 At Night by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 At Night by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 At Night by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 At Night by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 At Night by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 At Night by Scott O, on Flickr TRX4 At Night by Scott O, on FlickrHere is some video, the first one is ok, but it was a little too dark to get good video on the second one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJtctU3qLtM&t=2s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUnU23XYhS8 |
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