Natedog's Vaterra ASCENDER

[skinnyj]

Originally Posted by PoorManRC

I really appreciate that! I just don't have ANY money.
It'll happen, I have Faith! I want one too badly. SOMETHING'S gonna give.

Besides, I'm still deep into building my Wraith - which was an incredible GIFT from the Wounded Warrior Foundation!!! I've got to figure out how many on board accessories I can MAKE for it.... and eventually give her a NAME!

I feel your pain, PoorMan...

I have an Ascender roller staring at me but I still need to get a transmitter, ESC, battery and charger. At least the items I need are in the sub-$60 range. I just need to pick at them when funds are available.

[PoorManRC]

Originally Posted by skinnyj

I feel your pain, PoorMan...

I have an Ascender roller staring at me but I still need to get a transmitter, ESC, battery and charger. At least the items I need are in the sub-$60 range. I just need to pick at them when funds are available.

Thanks. It will happen! I know what it's like to be close.... I believe you'll get it.. I'm running a Flysky GT2-B, that may not have any bells and whistles - but it was only $23, and is one of the most reliable Radios iv ever owned!

[Ascender'nMN84]

Originally Posted by skinnyj

I feel your pain, PoorMan...

I have an Ascender roller staring at me but I still need to get a transmitter, ESC, battery and charger. At least the items I need are in the sub-$60 range. I just need to pick at them when funds are available.

If you're looking at brushed ESC's, take a look at the Hobbywing 1080 if you haven't already. ~$42 and fully programmable.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[skinnyj]

Originally Posted by Ascender'nMN84

If you're looking at brushed ESC's, take a look at the Hobbywing 1080 if you haven't already. ~$42 and fully programmable.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

It's on the list, as well as the Flysky GT3C...

Up here, that cold snap we had last month hit me with a $700+ propane bill that I'm still paying for...

[Ryan_of_Science]

Hey Nate and crew, just wanted to thank you very much for the wealth of information in this thread and forum. I'm excited to do my first RC build, a K5 Blazer kit, in a couple months and I've already learned so much about it just from this thread. Plus the pics are amazing, I've enjoyed every page.

So thank you very much!

-Ryan

[Natedog]

Originally Posted by Ascender'nMN84

If you're looking at brushed ESC's, take a look at the Hobbywing 1080 if you haven't already. ~$42 and fully programmable.

I've got a couple and so far one of the best ESCs I've ran especially for the money, waterproof, compact size, programmable.

Originally Posted by Ryan_of_Science

Hey Nate and crew, just wanted to thank you very much for the wealth of information in this thread and forum. I'm excited to do my first RC build, a K5 Blazer kit, in a couple months and I've already learned so much about it just from this thread. Plus the pics are amazing, I've enjoyed every page.

So thank you very much!

-Ryan

You're welcome, glad to help, I love taking pictures, looking forward to your K5 build thread!


I've been doing a lot of staring and tinkering with my K5 and K10, K5 got reworked steering link setup. K10 still in process of complete redux, trimmed off ESC switch mount tab and fit 10lb of stuff into a 5lb box with CCBEC and HH rx bypass wiring and yes the lid will close!



Non-floating battery tray trimmed to fit Protek LIHV 3S 3500mah, solid mounted at rear with home-made aluminum brackets that clamp themselves to inside of frame rails as the screws to the tray are tightened! Front part uses short buttonhead screws with small spacer and locknuts that key into frame rail channels and have a tiny bit of float, not bolted solid for easy fast in and out maintence.

[Ascender'nMN84]

That truly is 10 lbs of electronics in a 5 lb box! Impressive! I just had a 2nd 1080 delivered end of last week that's going in the caged Blazer. My furry "helper" done chewed the positive lead on my current ESC. Bad kitty!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Natedog]

HAha, yes and thanks! Cool, great ESC, maybe a piece of heatshrink in place of insulation or E6000 has worked wonders for me sometimes. My Hakko FX888 soldering iron has chew/bite marks all over the cord near the iron, fortunately it still works, meow.

[M1tch]

Good work there Nate. I got my Tekin FXr, Spektrum rx, and MK1 CC BEC to fit in on my Land Rover Ascender. So much neater.

[durok]

Originally Posted by Natedog

HAha, yes and thanks! Cool, great ESC, maybe a piece of heatshrink in place of insulation or E6000 has worked wonders for me sometimes. My Hakko FX888 soldering iron has chew/bite marks all over the cord near the iron, fortunately it still works, meow.

MEOW???

What is this, SuperTroopers 2? Are you secretly letting us know you are a Canadian Mountie?

[Big Bill]

Hi Nate, I have been using the 1080 in a rally car it works great. I have be wanting to try it in a scaler, it has so many adjustments. I really think it would work well in a trail rig.

[Browneye]

Originally Posted by Big Bill

Hi Nate, I have been using the 1080 in a rally car it works great. I have be wanting to try it in a scaler, it has so many adjustments. I really think it would work well in a trail rig.

Bought my third one!

IMO the best features are the adjustable throttle for forward and reverse, and the drag brake. 100% reverse is worthless on a crawler.
And the built in BEC has been uneventful for up to 200+ oz/inch servos. My last servo was a HV and it really sings at 7volts!

[ScoJac]

Originally Posted by Natedog

Ok magic swaybar numbers for me are 20mm back from factory hole and 5mm down from top of frame rail. Swaybar is in and working. Made 90mm long bar (same length as Wraith rear bar, but mine is 0.072" diameter piano wire with flats ground on both ends. To set spacing between bar arm and frame, I used plastic black nut from Axial shock plastic tree I had leftover. End links are 35mm eye to eye and made with 30mm setscrews and Traxxas shock ends.

Going to mount mine up this weekend, using these measurements (this will be on my F100) are you left with enough room to use RULRs and still have room as to not hit the swaybar with the links or run the swaybar into the esc mount ?

[Natedog]

Cool, mine done this way is on my K10 with WB4 rear links similar to Yeti.stealth's K10. I had DUBL-DZ-RC or something like that aluminum plates in for awhile and they incorporate adjustable RULR mount holes and link clearance was fine. I cut the ESC mounts off the plastic crossmember and moved the ESC, it was going to interfere with bottom of ESC. My esc is now inside my lowered and rearward mounted fuel cell along with RX, CCBEC and HH Rx voltage bypass harness.

Which length rear suspension links are you planning to use?

[ScoJac]

I was going to start off with the standard WB2, then as you and yeti.stealth did with the additional 12mm spacers. I do have a set of those DUBL-DZ-RC brackets. I thought about installing them but I might run the links in the stock location first with just the sway bay. and decide if the RULRs are needed.

I also thought about mounting the swaybar in this mount, but I'll have to measure my brothers SCX10.2 frame to see if I could make this work on mine.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/BM...ionId=64264109

[Natedog]

I'll re-check my setup, iirc it works with stock rear links in the position that you quoted. If you use the DUBLDZ brackets, they mount to outside of frame rails and you'll want some spacers inboard so that the upper link mounts don't bind with excess angularity. I forget what outside frame rail to rail is on SCX, but that Shapeways bracket could probably work somehow with spacers, mounting brackets, or different offset arms. If you're using swaybar, you don't need RULRs and if the RULR link is just right, you don't need swaybar. If you're not careful the RULR link mount position can cause rear pinion angle to go over center which is not good.

[ScoJac]

I just looked at that mount again on Shapeways and it's a no go, that mount is 3.5" wide which is quite a bit wider than the Ascender frame.

I think I will go the swaybar route first. I did see somewhere, somebody ran their swaybar through one of the holes in the rear crossmember (I forgot who and where they posted a pic of it). Almost the way you originally did on your Blazer and I did on the Bronco. I could always just drill the hole 3.5-4mm from the top of the rail to gain a blonde one of extra clearance too.

[ScoJac]

It was skybolt's, thread post #28
Might even drill a hole 10-12mm in front of that screw hole and then there would be no worry of the nut hitting the spring ?

[Natedog]

I just checked manual and wb4 lower links are 90mm plus the rod ends, wb2 and wb3 are 78mm plus ends. My through the frame swaybar location will interfere with shock springs at wb2 and wb3. It’s got about 5mm of clearance, therefore if you drill where the red paint dot is in my picture ( or 1-2mm forward if you want a little clearance) you’ll be golden.

[HumboldtEF]

Originally Posted by ScoJac

It was skybolt's, thread post #28
Might even drill a hole 10-12mm in front of that screw hole and then there would be no worry of the nut hitting the spring ?

I got a tiny bit of clearance from using a skinny nut (not a nylock) and grinding down the bolt to be just long enough, and I spaced out the shock a good deal so the clearance looks even better.




I also cut down the plastic ball ends so there was no flare left just the main ball. Since the sway bar doesn't have much if any twist i think its fine to lose the flare on the ball ends.