RidgeBack TMC Build

[Evilinside]

BTW, I'm sure I didn't mention this... the Tekin B1r fits perfectly on the stock rear plate!

 

[Evilinside]

Man running this thing in droop sucks, took the springs totally out, sucks...
/sigh


On a side note, the electronics are amazing.


So I'm shifting gears and taking about what is good and bad in this build as it relates to everything else but the chassis and shocks.

Tekin B1r, amazing.
The Tekin B1r is an instantly noticeable improvement over the stock esc. Amazing actually.

BWD beadlocks, amazing.
These things are perfect, work like vice grips.

MiClaw tires, amazing.
The next closest thing would be double sided sticky tape.

BWD wheel wideners, amazing.
These are a must have with MiClaw tires and are made perfectly. Note, if you are using TrailTrekker axles, these will not fit! Looks like a little drilling to open the hole up would work but I have not tested to see if that's all it needs.

Predator 90t, amazing.
Noticeable torque difference instantly.

Custom bent links, horrific nightmare.
I just can't do this... at least not to the preciseness that I feel I want.

HS-65MG servo, amazing.
Awesome but total overkill. Though I have to admit, when I stumbled across the new titanium version I got a bit of a chubby and almost bought it.

DSM receiver, works.
This is what is.

56t aluminum spur gear, works.
I noticed something here. The stupid binding issues that plagues almost all the MrC's with the transmission gears... is not present in the TrailTrekker transmissions! I checked 3 TrailTrekkers and all three were buttery smooth!

Brass pinion, fail.
The damn thing slips right off the end... I must be missing something or the whole "made for the Losi Micro" is a large exaggeration.

 

[stroker613]

links are easy bro..... take 2 equal lengths of threaded rod, hold them between your index finger and thumb and bend them together so they are the same...... take some ball cup ends and drill out the inside a little bit, not the cup end but the threaded end. then screw the rod in til it stops, make sure both sides are the same and voila!!!! perfectly bent links the exact same length!!!

 

[stroker613]

all my stuff is in denver and im in detroit or else i would just make you a video... but it really isnt that hard, im sure somebody has a thread on here about links..... i got my first micro at xmas and learned just about everything off of this forum so just keep tinkering til ya get it!!!

 

[Whop]

I did my links pretty much like stoker said but I put alum tube over all thread before I bent. Is how I got right measurement was make straight link the length bent to be I wanted put aside. Then get another set up just a tad longer 1/8-1/4 longer depend how huch bend you want then I put mine in vise an bent until balls on bent settle in cups of straight link put to side do same with other side as long as the links were same length before bendin the bend should be the same. For the front the rod straight it's the cup I bent I heated cup with lighter then bent this I did both at same time just make sure cups face each other

 

[stroker613]

maybe pm this dude and see what works for him
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showthread.php?t=319212

 

[Evilinside]

Yeah, I'm not really surprised there is no update on that thread, I would not doubt there were issues encountered because it sounds like he was testing everything like I did. I'll pm him and ask though.

 

[spoo76]

56t aluminum spur gear, works.
I noticed something here. The stupid binding issues that plagues almost all the MrC's with the transmission gears... is not present in the TrailTrekker transmissions! I checked 3 TrailTrekkers and all three were buttery smooth!

Brass pinion, fail.
The damn thing slips right off the end... I must be missing something or the whole "made for the Losi Micro" is a large exaggeration.

Hopefully you are right about the trans, I read somewhere else its no better but maybe the "updated" parts have been phased in.

as far as the pinion they arent "made" for the losi micro they are press fit and need a dab of glue.

 

[erikblank]

Whats your wb? Their web site say's 5" and under you'll have to run droop. I'm at 5-1/4" wb right now. With my upper links mounted on the out side of the frame, I'm close, but it doesn't bind on the shocks. Btw I'm using stock shocks.

 

[Evilinside]

Hopefully you are right about the trans, I read somewhere else its no better but maybe the "updated" parts have been phased in.

as far as the pinion they arent "made" for the losi micro they are press fit and need a dab of glue.

Ok cool. Yeah the brass was advertised as made for the micro t motor and had no other information or instructions.

The trailtrekkers I took apart and tested the trans on are less than two months old, all of them.

 

[Evilinside]

Whats your wb? Their web site say's 5" and under you'll have to run droop. I'm at 5-1/4" wb right now. With my upper links mounted on the out side of the frame, I'm close, but it doesn't bind on the shocks. Btw I'm using stock shocks.

My wheelbase was just shy of 5.25"

I tried stock links too off a trailtrekker to see if a shorter length would help. The bind is lame but my biggest complaint the way the complete system has to articulate... It just completely sucks compared to the Blade TMC or Micro Eclipse.

 

[spoo76]

Ok cool. Yeah the brass was advertised as made for the micro t motor and had no other information or instructions.

The trailtrekkers I took apart and tested the trans on are less than two months old, all of them.

its on the website of the original seller but i dont know if the vendors mention the need for glue. a little CA or superglue should work

 

[Midlife Crisis]

Hopefully you are right about the trans, I read somewhere else its no better but maybe the "updated" parts have been phased in.

as far as the pinion they arent "made" for the losi micro they are press fit and need a dab of glue.

The brass pinions didn't work for me either, micro RC, DT, or SCT. I tried the dab of glue method, still always slipped off. Pissed away $8.99 on that idea!

As far as Trekker trans go, mine binds and is getting built with a HR case and a 90T.

 

[spoo76]

are you scuffing up the shaft of the motor to give the CA/superglue something to bite into?

 

[Midlife Crisis]

Negative Ghostrider! Didn't cross me mind. I'm setting up the 90T and tranny tonight, that advice will help me try "one" more time with the brass pinion mod. Thanks.

 

[Evilinside]

The brass pinions didn't work for me either, micro RC, DT, or SCT. I tried the dab of glue method, still always slipped off. Pissed away $8.99 on that idea!

As far as Trekker trans go, mine binds and is getting built with a HR case and a 90T.

I'm curious to know how old your trekker is. Hoping you don't say new, cause it would be awesome to hear Losi found a way to cleaned up the quality control issue...

 

[Midlife Crisis]

BRAND SPANKIN NEW! :lmao: I always get the one that "made it through" and is a turd.

One lipo pack run through it since I got it. I put it away, flew to Montana and moved 2500 miles since then......haven't ran it since. Just throwing parts at it to fix/upgrade it.

 

[Evilinside]

BRAND SPANKIN NEW! :lmao: I always get the one that "made it through" and is a turd.

One lipo pack run through it since I got it. I put it away, flew to Montana and moved 2500 miles since then......haven't ran it since. Just throwing parts at it to fix/upgrade it.

Shit. I really wanted to hear you had an old one...

 

[Evilinside]

So, as I stare at the RidgeBack... I really do like how much crap you can cram into this chassis, it is very rooming.


This lead me to think of how this can be improved... I have some ideas, I cannot do these ideas as I have no way of using or cutting delrin, but I will PM Blade and see if they have any interest in these two ideas.

In the front if the windshield frame also came down in between the nose of the chassis and had some shock mount holes low enough to just clear the inner nose; the sloping angle of the windshield frame would allow for inner (or under) mounting of the upper shocks just like the BTMC. With this design idea, I would probably add width to the piece that goes in between the nose at the top and cut groves into them so it seats down ontop of the nose for added side to side movement stability.

The rear I think I would remove a pair of the white tubes... the four tubes that run parallel in pairs I would remove the two outer most tubes on either side. Then similar to the Blade TMC I would run a piece of delrin from one outer edge of the chassis to the other. Having it cut so that groves slide under the rear nose and installation is from underneath pushing up. Then use shorter screws like how the screws hold the shock mount cross frames on the Blade TMC.

Please forgive my horrific artistic skills and really bad scale proportions....

Ignore the length measurement, as long as it went to the bottom of the nose is all it would need to do so that shock articulation didn't bind on the inside of the nose.

All in all these two ideas for the front and rear would allow even more configurable shock mounting options. New mounting options and mounting options extremely similar to the Blade TMC



EDIT:
In practice I obviously have no idea how they would work, but the theory seems sound...

 

[spoo76]

I have some ideas, I cannot do these ideas as I have no way of using or cutting delrin

Try it in styrene first. should be plenty strong