Trail Trekker into something else.

[Brake Weight]

My McRC chassis came in today. I'm getting as excited about this project as when I built my Wroncho Brodozer f2fiddy.

I'll be fabbing some new links when I get time.

I'll need to clock the front axle to reduce DS angles and I might shorten it slightly. The servo horn is right in the hood line of the bug body. If I'm going to go ahead with the rear steer then the rear axle needs to come forward as well.

I can raise the body some, but then it'd expose the chassis. I like it all the way down covering up stuff but I think it'll be more of an issue.

It'll need to sit about this high for good axle movement.

 

[Brake Weight]

Made a set of links for it. With the McRC chassis the links needed to be almost exactly the same length. This made it a lot easier to fab up. I made the front links the same length as the bent Trekker links. The rear links are about 3mm shorter than the front. I wanted the body post holes to line up more cosmetically than if both sides were evenly spaced.

 

[Brake Weight]

Getting even closer. The paint is drying and my tape held the silver but bleed some black undercoat on the rear window. The turn signals and brake lights are curtesy of my wife's fingernail polish drawer.

It doesn't wheel as good as the longer Trekker chassis did. It's prone to rollovers on direct front or rear approaches but will flip over easily with this body.

 

[Brake Weight]

I couldn't get the headlights taped off like I wanted them so I left them be. But I'm cooking on something...

 

[spoo76]

Wow haven't checked this thread in a while. Looks killer!

 

[Brake Weight]

I've gotten my rear steer cobbled together. I'm using a dx3e and an sr3520. I'll have to tidy up the wiring a lot and I need to do some modifications to the rear linkage I made. But it works and is solid so far for the last 20 minutes.

I used the longer Trekker straight link to tie the two knuckles together because it's the right length. The I used the shorter bent link, heated it some to make a 1/2 twist, and then snipped off one end. Made a hole in it and and now it's the right length. I've already ordered the proper Losi parts bag to correct all this so that the front and rear will be interchangeable.

 

[Brake Weight]

I forgot to mention that I'm using the little Chinese ESC now. It has a power switch and then there's another micro switch on the board itself. I have no clue what that one does, but it'll make the motor sing a different tune when switching on the power. I'll assUme that it's something to do with the brake.

 

[spoo76]

Which Chinese ESC? The more common one is the XYS, but all of mine only have the power switch.

 

[Brake Weight]

This one: http://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/231563776312

20A Brushed Brush Speed Controller ESC +Brake Reverse for RC Car Truck Boat Tank

It's the same as the ones I saw straight from China, but it was already stateside. I ordered the same thing from China for $6.50 vs. $10.90 and it's probably another 2-3 weeks out.

 

[spoo76]

Looks like that's for a side by side dual motor setup like for a tank or boat. The board size being square also looks like the 10amp controller. My guess is that's a dual 10amp controller. The typical 20amp xys is more rectangular and the only switch is for power.

 

[spoo76]

http://m.ebay.com/itm/331612150199?_mwBanner=1

 

[spoo76]

They are also on Amazon and plenty of websites. FWIW Bangood has the same exact ESC unbranded and listed as a 30amp, though it looks exactly the same with the same components

 

[Brake Weight]

It was listed as a 20amp and I'm taking the second one to use it in a Losi Mini T. I stuck my spare Axial ESC in it to get it back running but it's really too big.

 

[spoo76]

It wouldn't be the first time an ESC or something electronic was rated that way. 10amps for each motor since its a side by side dual motor setup = 20 amp combined. The smaller square board looks just like the 10amp board, only with twice as many FETs for the extra motor. Its just odd it has only one set of motor wires. Either way,they are pretty cheap so it would be cool for a tank project or maybe even just try to wire up only one side of the esc and try to run it as a single motor ESC

 

[Brake Weight]

What difference will the amp rating have on performance? Aside from being larger in size and handling a bigger motor. So, you're saying the one I have was originally intended for dual motor use but was wired for single use.

What is the extra switch for?

 

[spoo76]

I don't see the 10amp rating making a difference with a micro Crawler in typical uses. The ESC you have is a bit confusing. It says its an ESC for boats and tanks,but only shows one set of motor wires. Then it says its a 20amp,but it looks just like the 10amp and not like the 20 amp. I was however mistaken about having twice as many FETs. My 10amp has the same number. The ESC in the pic is the same size as my 10amp which is smaller than the 20amp,but the one in the picture has a switch and a few of the components in different spots. I'm really curious now. Seeing that it only has outputs for a single motor makes it seem like you'd be fine. Again I don't see 10amp being an issue. I'm just curious about the switch now. When you flip the board switch what happens? The "brake" I believe is just a delay from forward to reverse. Does that change? uploading pix of both the 20amp and 10amp

 

[Brake Weight]

You got it on the switch. I didn't notice it until you mentioned it. I've swapped TX/Rx and wrote it off on that.

If you back up and immediately go forward it wouldn't. You'd have to double trigger it to go. Flip the switch and it'll go as soon as you throttle forward. No pause between reverse and forward.

 

[spoo76]

That's pretty cool they finally did that. I have a few of the larger rectangular 20a some with and without brake. I wonder if they have changed the board design or just added a switch somewhere. If it's just a switch it might be easy to add or remove the reverse brake on some of the older style. Any chance you could take a picture of each side so o can see the traces on the board?

 

[Brake Weight]

It'll be a little while. I'll have you some by morning, though.

 

[Brake Weight]

This is the best I can do without cutting the clear heatshrink off.