happy new year

happy new year t everyone .

Got a new charger

Well I needed a new charger and after looking high and low I found something both cheap and full of features. The GT Power X-Charger C6 is a 50 watt charger capable of charging at up to 6.0 amps discharging at up to 1 amp and can balance discharge at up to 300 mah per cell. 

FOR FULL SPEC'S LOOK HERE  valuehobby

                                                

Now to be honest the manual is plenty thick and does a good job of covering what you need to know to operate the charger and explaining its features. It does have the common china translation problems with a word or 2 but most people should not have a problem understanding what its telling you . This charger does require a external power supply but they can be found pretty easy .Value hobby even sells this bundled with a power supply for those that do not wish to source there own . 

To me the menu is easy to use and should not confuse new owners especially if they read the manual. 

The only thing I wish was different was that value hobby had included a cable with a TRX adapter for people with Traxxas systems to speed up there setup time .

 To me this was the best $21 bucks I could have spent.

I would also like to say Value hobbies shipping charge of  $3.99 was a pleasant surprise as was the 3 day delivery .

More video's of the zmt-10 / turnigy stadium king in action

Well I posted some more video's of the turnigy stadium king / zmt-10 in action but im not really ready to post my final review yet .

I still have not gotten a replacment lipo charger yet and Im also waiting for my mild brushless system to be delivered mot to come. 

MRP Ripper

Improving your steering system on a Turnigy stadium king or ZD Racing zmt-10

Removing slop from the steering system

Most of the play in the steering can be attributed to 2 bushings being to long . They can be seen here in the picture below

You will need a shim with a inner diameter of 4.5mm or a material you can make a 4.5mm hole in to act as a shim. I actually used some lexan spaces I had handy . Slip one over the bushing .

Then re-install in bellcrank and test for play if bell crank moves freely and play has been reduced to a satisfactory level repeat for other side . On one side I used a shim on the bottom of the bushing and on the top.

The next thing that causes play is the link that runs to the servo .

I recommend just replacing it with a adjustable link with ball end's ( I installed the aluminum servo arm just because it wasn't doing anything just sitting in my parts box)

Now the only remaining play is in the stock servo which isn't very much at all.

keeping your servo saver tight

remove bell crank system add a washer or shim with a 7mm inner diameter at the bottom of the bell-crank shaft (mine was made from copper)

Then install a o-ring on the bottom of the threaded portion below the adjusting nut .

reassemble and the adjusting nut should not be able to self adjust .

shim your Transmission and differential .

What you will need a assortment of 3 mm shims and 5 mm shims in various thicknesses 

All this is trial and error and takes time to complete but you will be rewarded with a transmission that will last much longer than if you had not done this  If you have a brushless model or plan to upgrade to a brushless system I consider the differential shimming manditory.

1. Remove your transmission from the car an remove one side cover.(If you still have bushing's install bearings now). 
2. Then remove the differential and idler gears from the case.
3. Place one shim on the input shaft.
4. temporarily reinstall the side cover with a few screws tightened snugly try to slide the input in and out  to test for play  if it doesn't move rotate to test for binding.
5. If rotation is stiff dissemble and try a thinner shim . If shaft slides in in out freely add a additional shim . experiment with different thicknesses till shaft rotates freely but doesn't move in and out of the case..
6. Re install idler gear with one shim re install side cover as before but with a few more screws and test for binding . If binding is present try a thinner shim . If no binding is present try a thicker shim or install a second shim .    

Now lets look at the differential gears mine had lots of play .

1. Well after you remove the 4 screws on the side you will be greeted with this .
2. remove the center bevel gears and proceed to remove the e clips from the out-drives.
3. Pull the out drives from the case halves and add a 5 mm shim to one as seen in picture number 2 
4. Add and remove shims as necessary there should be just a light bit of resistance to rotation and installation of the e-clip should not be difficult .
5. With slop removed from the out-drives the only thing left is the play between the gears themselves .
6. Start by installing one 3mm shim behind each gear as in picture number 3 , both shims must be of the same thickness.
7.  Reassemble with just a pair of screw to test for play . If binding is felt remove shims and try a thinner  shim or no shim at all . 

I should also point out I added a o-ring over my out-drive as can be seen in picture number 2 to help protect the bearing  It fits perfectly in the gap between the out drive and the case .

Here is a video that may help you understand what I'm going for a little better.

damage

Pic's of all the damage I have done to this truck This includes 2 packs or 17 minutes of ruff jumping and harsh landings + running in to a telephone pole and then   3 battery packs or ruffly 30 minutes of running it in to a fence post. 

Oh yeah the body Is pretty much junk now to .

Top ten things you should do after buying a Zmt-10 or 2wd Turnigy stadium king .

For the most part most of this applies to all ready to run or RTR Cars. 

1. Break in your motor by using the water break in method.
2. Replace the brass pinion with a steel or aluminum pinion . (brass wears very fast )
3. Experiment with different pinion gear tooth counts .
4. Remove the play in the steering system .( look at my other post)
5. Drill holes in rims to allow air to escape .
6. Replace bushings with bearings
7. Shim transmission gears and shafts to remove play.
8. Shim differential ( look at other post)
9. Replace broken parts with Traxxas or  aftermarket parts for the Traxxas rustler.  
10. When ready upgrade to more powerful brushed motor or a mild brushless system.

One of my new favorite web pages I have found . It maps hobby kings product stock and can help you decide if a product is going to sell out or if you can wait a little while longer before you place a order . I personally want to thank the creator.  http://www.hobbyking-watch.com/

Cheap speed 3 ZMT_10 project

 Well I bought The ZMT-10 mostly to continue my cheap speed post and to show how fast you can make a R.C. on a budget. so we already have a baseline of out of the box performance . At 17 MPH after installing bearing's. After a couple more packs the bearing', motor and drive gears should be broke in more and reduce the drivtrain's friction and allow additional top speed and I will take a new baseline test to see if there is a measurable change .  then expect to to see the power levels to start raising

Broke it

Well I broke my ZD Racing Zmt-10 / Turnigy Stadium King  the other day . Truth be told I was trying to break it . Here is the video's that go along with my first breakage.

Made some video's of the ZD Racing ZMT-10 / Turnigy Stadium King 2wd truck

Well I made some video's about my ZD Racing ZMT-10 / Turnigy Stadium King 2wd truck so check them out . Check back for more Info .

Closer look

First drive 

Better driving video

Why are there extra steering and camber links

Gps speed run

Parts swapping Zmt-10 / Turnigy Stadium King and the Traxxas Rustler.

Well the bad news is most of the parts for the Traxxas rustler are not a direct bolt .

The one plastic part you can take off of a rustler and bolt on with out any modifications is the rear shock tower . yep that's it .

The problem for true interchange ability is that ZD Racing used smaller hinge pin's then Traxxas  at most joints .

The reality is if you have a 1/8th inch drill bit and a small file you can run Traxxas suspension part's just make sure you get the matching Traxxas pin's .

The Traxxas  front shock tower is not wide enough for the ZD top plate to pass through it.

The front bumper will interchange if the front inner lower control arm pins are retained differently than stock.

Now the transmission  guts are very different and Traxxas components will not fit .

The Traxxas  transmission would bolt on for the most part but some adaptation will be required to use ether one of the shock tower's .

I did try to bolt a Traxxas slipper clutch on the input shaft and the shaft is to short for proper fitment.

The front and rear hub's will  swap easily with a bit of work.

The front and rear should be able to use after market camber links for the rustler .

The rear drive-shafts and axles will not interchange but the front axles will swap.

Swapping the top plate would take some work and the same goes for the bell crank system but maybe possible.

Rims will swap of course a will wheel hex's.

The stock spur and pinion are 48 pitch .

If I have not mentioned it here it probable wont fit at all.

I have abandoned making a part# list because almost everything listed here will swap but will require some light modification .

well Its here My brushed zmt-10 / turnigy stadium king truck

Well I placed my order and got my truck in  ordered it on Saturday and got it Tuesday I am very happy with the seller .
 http://www.ebay.com/sch/donnajay68/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

Now first thing's first . These are my Initial thoughts. from staring at it and driving it a little

The bad .  

1. 3 of the 4 shocks had leaked out almost all their oil before I received it .
2. The included battery was almost useless .
3. The stock motor not really practical for the application it's a 540 motor but it has a fan installed in a manner that makes the winding's  shorter lowering the torque the motor will produce when compared to a normal 540 motor used in R.C.  
4. Since they picked the wrong motor there claim of 30mph is unlikly even with a different battery .
5. One of my front tire's has a serious defect
6. bushings .
7. spur gear and pinion cover is a chore to remove

The annoying

1. Why does every body use brass pinions 
2. The tires are really out of balance 
3. screws are soft and you must use the right screw driver or risk damaging them 
4. steering has more slop then I would like for a new truck
5. thread lock on the pinion set screw
6. ESC looks cobbled together and unfinished

The good 

1. ESC is rated at 300 amp's (it's what the manual say's) if that's true you can upgrade to a good brushed motor
2. big bore shocks
3. The plastic motor mount has a aluminum brace
4. tire compound is pretty good for a rtr the stiff foams hold them back though
5. The slipper clutch design will allow other brands spur gears to be used
6. front has aluminum hinge pin brace
7. battery compartment is easily expandable but will onlyfit a 6 cell NIMH stick pack or 7 cell hump pack
8. uses standard 12mm hex's 

More to follow check back soon.

well Its all most ready

Phase 3 of my Radio Propulse / Megatech Megapro is almost done .

I have installed the brushless system out of my ZD Racing 1/16 scale car and am preparing it for its maden voyage. 

This motor is pretty powerful and may damge the the drivetrain but I think it will be worth it . I should point out this is not a speed run attempt the car should top out at around 30-35 mph on a 2S  pack by my calculation.

The motor is a 3900 kv   2435 motor . Now I know that kv rating is a little low compared to the norm for 1/18 scale RC car's but I have installed the tires from the ZD racing MT truck an these will require a little grunt to get moving .

Strangely I actually like this look , makes me think mud drags .

The cheapest lipo's I have ever bought and what I think of them

Well I bought this 1/16th scale brushless car from ZD Racing and I needed some lipo's that would fit .

Being the cheap'o I am I searched the net high and low and came across some batteries on Ebay that fit the bill . They were being sold out of Brooklyn, New York and they where holding lot's of auction's on batteries . The name on the batteries was YKS and I couldn't find any opinions or anything about these batteries .I eventually decided they where cheap enough to for me to take a risk on buying them . So far I have bought 6 of these batteries and out of the 6 I have had to contact the seller and get a replacement on 2 of these batteries . Now for the price of these batteries I am not complaining one bit I bought these dirt cheap and if the inconvenience of getting a dud is unexceptionable don't buy these as with anything cheap there is a risk . But in my opinion the seller I bought these from was top notch . They sent me replacements with no hassle and I got them in around 3-5 business day's just like my initial order.

A link to the Ebay selller I have been Buying from

 Here is my early YouTube video I did.

If you need some thing to compare prices to here is a start.

Why did I buy a ZMT-10 / Turnigy Stadium King

Well a while back I did a review on a forum of the 1/16th scale car's I got off of Ebay .
I personally was quite satisfied with what I have gotten for my money with them .

That is not the reason I bought this truck . I bought it because it is available to the mass's and part's support from hobby king in my opinion is acceptable if your prepared  and stock up on item's. But what drew me In is the lure of a car that will except Traxxas replacement and upgrade part's. If this rumor is true then this car has exceptional value .


Now in the off chance that the rumor's are wrong I don't think this car will be a bad value unless ZD Racing has changed the plastic formula from what they used on the 1/16th scale car's.

Just for fun I have made list  of all the 2wd stadium trucks I could find that are popular for the bashing crowd and would be considered competitors  .

ECX RC Circuit 1/10th Stadium Truck  $99.99
[ECX1100]  http://www.ecxrc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ECX1100

Sadly these guys are on there way out if you want one get it now Down side mostly the plastic transmission  gears and AM 27MHZ radio system

RedCat Twister XTG 1/10 Scale Electric 2WD Stadium Truck $119.99
http://www.redcatracing.com/Twister-XTG-Brushed

2.4GHz radio very adjustable for a budget car 

Duratrax Evader EXT2 EP RTR  $129.99

http://www.duratrax.com/vehicles/electric/dtxd32-evader-ext2/index.html

Up side full bearings , has adjustable turnbuckles, battery, charger and accessories  down side AM 27MHz radio system.

Arrma Vortex 1/10 Electric RTR Stadium Truck w/ATX300 2.4GHz, Battery & Charger (Blue) $169.99
[ARAD03BB]  http://www.arrma-rc.com/radio-controlled-cars/vortex/

Only real advantage's I have come up with is that Arrma installed a 15 turn motor so It should be a little faster out of the box it has a 2.4ghz radio system and steel transmission gears.

ECX RC Circuit 1/10th Stadium Truck RTR w/2.4GHz Radio (Gray)  $169.99
[ECX1100S]  http://www.ecxrc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ECX1100S

They upgraded the drivetrain for improved reliability and thru in a 15 turn motor and a 2.4GHZ radio system and a little faster battery charger

Phoenix XT RTR 2wd Brushless 1/10th Truck $179.99

TTR6571-F071          http://www.ttamerica.com/cars/ttrd76.html#

Up side cheap,2.4GHz radio system ,and it's brushless down side will need a  battery, charger and accessories and part's support is mostly online.

RedCat Twister XTG PRO 1/10 Scale Electric 2WD Stadium Truck $189.99   http://www.redcatracing.com/Twister-XTG-Brushless

has a 2.4GHz radio system Plus a brushless motor system and is  very adjustable for a budget car

Traxxas Rustler XL-5 2WD RTR w/7-Cell Battery & Charger $214.98

3705    http://traxxas.com/products/models/electric/3705rustler

Up side You can find parts everywhere , it comes with a 7cell battery charger and accessories  . down side everyone has one , there expensive and barely a good value when compared to the  when compared to trucks like the The Brushless Evader

Duratrax Evader Brushless 2.4GHz RTR        $229.98

http://www.duratrax.com/vehicles/electric/dtxd37-evader-brushless/index.html

Up side Has a brushless system , has a 2.4ghz system ,parts are almost as common as Traxxas . down side will need a Lipo battery, charger and accessories 

Traxxas Rustler VXL 2.4GHz RTR w/7C Battery & Charger

$344.97

3707                  http://traxxas.com/products/models/electric/3707Lrustlervxl

Up side You can find parts everywhere , it comes with a 7cell battery charger and accessories  . down side everyone has one , there expensive and barely a good value when compared to the  when compared to trucks like the The Brushless Evader