Protect your lipo's buy a lipo alarm

So you want to play with lipo's I highly recommend buying at least one lipo alarm .

I have found that a lot of cheaper brushless esc's have lower voltage cutoffs than I am uncomfortable with and this could cause damage to your new lipo .

They also allow you to use your lipo's with esc's that do not have a low voltage cutoff such as most brushed models .

They come in many varieties and from many sources .I find my self not recommending many of the high dollar brands due to them being the same as  the low dollar units found on Ebay , hobby king , and others.

So spend a little money and you may save a lot more money .

Valuehobby

HK ALARM

HK ALARM

Lipo Battery Power Level Tester & Alarm to Indicate Low Power A great and neat tool to have. Always keep your lipo charged, and when it is low power or running weak stop using it to recharge. Help prevent damage to your expensive LIPO battery and prolong it's battery life by never letting the voltage drop too low. Great support device for any LIPO pack.Purpose and Features Can be used for 3.7V (1S Pack), 7.4V (2S pack), or 11.1V (3S pack). Red LED will flash when cell is below 3.3V and an Alarm will sound when cell is below 3.0V indicating the Lipo Battery pack should be recharged. With 2.5mm pin spacing, it works with 95% of the lipos on the market.Specification Dimention37mm x 21mm x 10mm Weight0.2 oz (5 g)Caution Never charge lipo battery in a flammable surface ALWAYS monitor your battery when it is being charged. Use only lipoly battery charger to charge a lipoly battery.

Cheap Lipo Sacks

Now it might seem silly but dozens if not hundreds of people have bought lipo bags or sacks that's are over priced. yes I know it feels good to spend a little more when it comes to safety but most of these sacks are being bought by companies and being resold under there brand for extreme amounts of profit . For example:

This sack being sold by Tower Hobbies for $15.99 under the Golden Horizon brand .

Versues this sack sold by Value Hobby for $5.99

Or this one Normally available for $5.75

Li-Po GUARD 25x33cm Safety Battery Charging/Storing Bag Protect your family and home from the hazard of lipo charging. This lipo-safe bag is a fireproof bag, designed to stop and contain the fire caused by incorrectly or poorly functioning lipos, especially during charging. We urge all customers to always practice extreme caution when charging and never leave a charging battery unattended. This pack is the jumbo size. It is 25x33cm/10x13 The Lipo-Safe Guard Bag is made from a fiberglass woven fabric. Similar to fireproof suits worn by some firefighters.

Hobby King even has a sack for $2.73

Now do I think all lipo sacks are the same NO the cheapest ones like from Hobby king tend to use cheaper thread to sew the sack up and to attach the Velcro and in some batched the fiberglass material will splinter more and make your hand itchy. Does this mean I don't recommend them NO buying any lipo sack is better than not having one . I have found the one's from ValueHobby and Nitro RCX to be of better quality and generally a better deal . 

What happened to all the spiked tires in RC ?

Once upon a time almost all offroad RC's used spiked tires and frankly I miss them . Yes I know there are a few large pinned tires out there (mostly for buggies) that kind of look like spikes but there not.  

I like to look back at the glory days when spikes where everywhere and available in all kinds of size's and varieties.

                
 

Sadly the tires shown above have been discontinued . Some can still be found on ebay like the proline dirt paw's . 

There are many more tires I would have loved to share with you but sadly they have been lost  to the age's and No pictures could be found of them .

I really think the only way to preserve availability of spiked tires is to buy whats available and to be sure to speak our minds about what products we want.

So here is partial list of what is still in production.

These bad boys are from hobby king and feature 

 12mm hex pattern

Diameter:125mm
Width: 57mm

buy here

Traxxas part # 1870

Terra-Spiked Tires (2)

buy here

These are by Traxxas and are part #1970 

Diameter:

(ID) 2.2" 

(OD) 3.6"

Width: 2"

buy here

Also by Traxxas  part # 4790

Inside diameter: 2.2" Outside diameter: 3.5" Width: 2"

buy here

Tamiya part # 84281

Width: 1.2" (30mm) Outer Diameter: 3.3" (83.5mm) Inner Diameter: 2.2" (56mm)

buy here

Tamiya part # 53059

Requires a two inch rim.

SPECS: 1-1/2"x2"(38mmx50mm)

buy here

Tamiya part # 50374

2.2" inner diameter 4.75" outer diameter 1.50" bead width

buy here

Part Number: JG1410,JG1411,JG1415
Manufacturer: JG

TIRES-SHORT SPIKES, 2.2

Buy here

Part Number: JG1404
Manufacturer: JG

TIRES-CHEVRON PIN SPIKES 2.2

buy here

Part Number: IMX7629X
Manufacturer: Imex

Tires-2.2" truck knobbies (2)

buy here

They were designed specifically to fit the Tamiya 1.5" 3-piece wheels.

 buy here

ZD Racing R3-2400 Receiver & T3GMN-2400 / T3G-2400 2.4GHZ Remote Control kind of a review

Well I have seen these Radio's and Receivers for sale on Ebay and a few other sites for around $20 USD and I thought I would share my thoughts on them  since I have owned both.


Now these are some of the cheapest (price wise ) controllers you can buy and there only competition I know of is the SkyFly radio systems and to be honest the skyfly's may be a better deal due to the better availability of receivers out there.

I do feel that both of these have a better feel than the SkyFly but that's just my opinion.

Now both of these have pretty much the same features but the T3GMN-2400 has dials to change the steering and throttle end points and one for DR  where as the  T3G-2400 uses rocker switches and 2 buttons  to allow adjustments  and a series of LED's to indicate what adjustments have been made.

Now they both have servo reversing and only require 4 AA's to operate and have a port to charge rechargeable batteries while still in the controller .

The third channel switch really isn't all that convenient to operate but if you need it for accessories its there .

The systems range is very good and has yet to let me down .

The receiver is pretty small so you can put it just about any where.

Would I buy one again Yes I think they are a great value for there price range if you don't feel that you will need additional  receivers .

ZD Racing 1/16th scale brushed on 3S lipo

Well i finally got around to running my ZD Racing 1/16th scale Car on a 3s lipo pack . To be honest I don't recommend doing it the motor gets pretty hot and will probable decrease its life expectancy greatly but I did learn that it does work and that the ESC can handle it.  I also determined that the ESC does have a voltage cut off for 3-cell packs but like the 2s cut off its to low for my taste .

Well here is a video with it running running enjoy.

Well I'm going to use today's post to spotlight Team CRP

Team CRP specializes in Vintage RC car, truck and buggy parts for Tamiya, Kyosho, Associated, Cox, and Futaba.

To be honest most of the products that I have used from CRP were not used on the model they where intended for but who cares if it works it works . Probably the products I have used the most are there wheel adapters and front bumper's and I recommend that you check out there stock you never know what they may have that will make your day easier . 

Here is a list of the top products I have used made by them .

TRUCK BUMPER - RC10T - 3051

This bumper fits just about any stadium truck and most 2wd buggies I mostly use this on vintage applications but with the wide variety of colors this bugger looks good on about anything and its not just a nother boring Rpm replacement bumper that every body has so If you want something different be sure to check these out.

WHEEL ADAPTER - Blackfoot / Monster Beetle - 1634

These adapters are great as replacment's for your tamiya blackfoot  or even for some older Traxxas Car's I normally keep at least 2 pair of these in my stock for adapting Tamiya Clodbuster wheels to some vehicles .

SHOCK SPRING CLAMPS - Falcon - Thunder Dragon - Nissan King Cab - Supershot - Blackfoot - 1574

   

These spring adjusters  fit any shock with a 13 mm outer diameter so they will fit alot of shocks that use clips for adjustment.

8mm SHOCK COLLARS (4 pc) - CRP 9126-4

These spring adjuster clamps fit any shock body with a outer diameter of 8 mm and will fit a lot of different vintage shocks and a couple of modern shocks .

AXLE EXTENDER - CRP 1565

Basically these are barrel nuts they have a 4 mm thread a 5 mm hex and a usable length of 11 mm these are great for conversions where you need a longer axle but don't have one available. 

3mm O-RINGS - 1529

Great to have for emergency shock rebuilds .

SHOCK ADAPTER / SPACER - Frog - 9127

These are got to haves in your junk box you never know when your going to need a spacer for something.

Includes

4 - Top Hat Shock Adapters
4 - Wide Spacers L: 8mm D: 7mm
4 - Narrow Spacers L: 5m D: 7mm

Now make sure to check out there ebay store they do run auctions on there products.

http://www.teamcrp.com/

update 1/10/13

Well looks like I'm going back to bushed power on my Zmt-10 .At least for a little while the esc I was using die with just a little bit of a whimper but hopefully soon I will have a replacement esc to replace it soon .

Since it snowed here I was having a bit of fun playing in that snow but sadly the temperature went back up and now all I have is standing water and mud and it looks like its going to be this way for a while.

My review on the stock brushed ZMT-10 / Turnigy Stadium King

Well I am going to start this out as part 1 of my review Now I'm not going to go into grave detail here because most of what I would right I have already written so If you want more there are links at the top and bottom for my information page for this truck,

I have now put several packs through the truck and can say it has not given much to complain about I still wish It had a better motor in it although it did run 17+ mph (soon to be retest ) and as far as top speed is concerned that isn't terrible but I wish It had a little more punch  and the bulkhead breaking was a let down but a Traxxas bulkhead is only around $5.00.

So far I have had little reason to think that this little truck can't fill the void left by the ECX car's moving up the price scale . Once  the battery was cycled a couple times I was able to get ruffly 10 min's drive time in my gravel driveway and yard. That's not to bad for a 2400 mah battery pack .

After running the truck for a while I finally found my pinion gear puller and swapped the stock brass pinion for a steel one meant for the Traxxas bandit .

But all in all I can say for a RTR truck it's a  good value in my opinion but I'm not to sure I would recommend it for a beginner . The main reason I say this is mostly due to the fact that there are things that should be done to this truck to prolong its life and to reduce maintenance . I have made a list here of some  things I recommend  to do to the truck soon after you buy .

 top-ten-things-you-should-do-after you buy 

Some of these things are very simple but others a beginner may not feel comfortable with .

 Now I have broke my grading  in to 10 sections.

1) Top Speed B- 17mph + that's not to bad. 

2) Pavement Driving C+ rear end likes to spin out a bit till the pins are wore down.

3) Loose Surface Driving A When new the rear tires can actually fling some dirt and gets great traction ,front are definitely above average.

4) Jumping AThe Truck flies smooth with a nose up attitude , to make this truck nose dive takes effort.

5) Durability B- In my opinion with a new bulkhead the truck it's self is just as durable as the competition The body and rim's sadly are not.

6) Ease of Use D The recommended upgrades and modifications really hurt it here.

7) Parts Availability C- The parts that can't be replaced with Traxxas components are hard to get, hobby king has been restocking parts but so far demand has kept them at a negative inventory  .

8 ) Price A- My ZMT-10 model was $120 shipped , The Turnigy version would run me $138 delivered( If there smart they will get this into the U.S. warehouse that should make it lower than $100 delivered)

9) Looks C Most people don't like the body but I don't think it looks to bad

10) Features B yes it's brushed but its also cheap , It does come with a pretty good  2.4GHz radio system that only takes 4AA's and the esc is powerful enough to deal with upgraded brushed motors to at least 15 turn's , Lets not forget it does include a decent battery and it does have a charger So I feel justified to give it this grade.



 According to a grade calculator I found that comes out to . A 3.00 grade average or a B

 You can use the link below or Click the link up top to go to My page dedicated to my time with this truck.

http://junkstuffandthings.blogspot.com/p/zmt-10-information.html

Remember this is part one part 2 will cover my upgrade to brushless.

Well gotten a lot done .

Well been busy past couple days got the ZD to HK to TRX parts interchange chart done finally after more work than I had hoped it would be . Hopefully I will eventually the more complicated task of making one for upgrades but for now people should be able to use this . Also made some new pages to simplify finding stuff  that I have posted for now there is one for everything ZMT-10 and Stadium King one for random products I have tried using and another one just for vehicles I have bought and tried recently so thankfully it's all over for now .

ZD Racing ZMT-10 to hobbyking / turnigy stadium king 2wd truggy to Traxxas part # interchange sheet

All right I finally did a spreadsheet of the part number interchange over and I even included Traxxas part numbers so let the swapping begin .

( This list doesn't include upgrade parts of any sort there are other parts for the Traxxas rustler that will fit but would qualify as a upgrade. Some hardware has been left out of this list such as screws due to there universal nature)

I have added links to some of the part #s to places where they can be bought .( Not responsible for dead links or links to the wrong product ) verify what your ordering before you order.


Most Traxxas components are not a direct fit and may require filing of components , enlargement of mounting holes to allow installation or require related hardware such as screws .

ZD Racing name	common name	ZD Racing part #	hobby king part#	Traxxas equivalent if available
base board	lower chassis	10001	023000004
upper deck	upper chassis plate	10002
front hydraulic rack	front shock tower	10003	023000005
rear hydraulic rack	rear shock tower	10004		3638
rear lower arm	rear control arm	10005	023000006	3655x
front lower arm	front control arm	10006	023000007	3631
rear suspension pin long	rear inner suspension pin	10007	023000008	3739
front suspension pin arms long	front inner suspension pin	10008	023000009	3739
pins for rear suspension arms short	rear outer suspension pins	10009	023000010	3739
gear case left and right	transmission case halves	10010
gear cover	spur gear cover	10011	023000011
motor fixed strengthening plate	motor support	10012
adjustable spring and mount	slipper clutch components	10013	023000012
differential shell	differential case	10014	023000013
big gear shaft	transmission top gear shaft	10015
small gear shaft	idler gear shaft	10016	023000014
30T gear	idler gear	10017	023000015
22T gear	top gear	10018	023000016
83T gear	spur gear	10019	023000017
differential gear set	differential assembly	10020	023000018
Big bevel gear of differential gear 13T	differential side ear	10021	023000019
small bevel gear of differential gear 10T	small bevel gear	10022	023000020
60T gear	differential drive gear	10023
motor gear 25T	25 Tooth pinion gear	10024	023000021	4725
front damper set	front shock set	10025	023000022
rear damper set	rear shock set	10026	023000023
front shock springs		10027	023000024
rear shock springs		10028	023000025
shock absorber piston group	shock rebuild kit	10029
front shock shafts set		10030
rear shock shaft set		10031
receiver cover /switch rack		10032
battery cover/ battery gland ball	battery hold down set	10033	023000026
rear wheel axle	rear stub axle	10034	023000027
front wheel axle	front stub axle	10035	023000028	3637
rear drive axle	dogbone	10036	023000029
transmission cups	transmission out put / inner drive	10037	023000030
rear axle holder	rear hub	10038	023000031	3652
steering arm	front hub	10039	023000032	3636

Most Traxxas components are not a direct fit and may require filing of components , enlargement of mounting holes to allow installation or require related hardware such as screws .

ZD Racing name	common name	ZD Racing part #	hobby king part#	Traxxas equivalent if available
portal holder	caster block	10040	023000033	3632
steering group	steering bell-crank	10041	023000034
steering connector plate		10042	023000035
steering axles	steering pivot	10043	023000036
front/lower suspension arm strengthening plate	tie bar / hinge pin brace	10044	023000037	2532
defense board	front bumper	10045	023000038
suspension arm mount	front bulkhead	10046	023000039	2530
motor protector		10047	023000040
shell pillar	body post	10048	023000041
Row clip	wire clip	10049	023000042
servo rocker	servo arm	10050
front hexagonal wheel seat	front wheel hex	10051	023000043	3654
rear hexagonal wheel seat	rear wheel hex	10052	023000044	1654
front upper rod group	front camber links	10053	023000045	3641
rear upper rod group	rear camber links	10054	023000046	3641
steering rod set	steering links	10055	023000047
servo rod	center link	10056
rim	wheel	10057	023000048
front tire and sponge	front tire and insert	10058	023000049
rear tire and sponge	rear tire and insert	10059	023000050
motor cover		10060	023000051
PVC body		10061	023000052
PVC body		10062
antenna tube		10063		1726
server fixed columns	servo mount	10064	023000053
shock ball seat / shock cap ball seat	shock ends	10065	023000054
servo crank set	servo horn adapters	10066	023000055
asbestos paper friction pad	slipper pads	10067	023000056
differential asbestos paper pads	differential gasket	10068	023000057
shock absorber seal ring	shock seal kit	10069
differential seal ring	differential o-ring	10070	023000058
front / rear shock absorber cylinder block	shock body set front and rear	10071
shock cap	upper shock cap	10072
shock adjustment ring	shock preload adjuster	10073
shock spring lower seat		10074
shock seal cover	lower shock cap	10075
e button 2.5 0.4T	E clip 2.5mm	10076	023000059
front lower arm screw	caster block to hub screw	10077	023000060
screw rod	shoulder screws	10078		3642

Most Traxxas components are not a direct fit and may require filing of components , enlargement of mounting holes to allow installation or require related hardware such as screws .

ZD Racing name	common name	ZD Racing part #	hobby king part#	Traxxas equivalent if available
steering ball screw	ball stud	10079
bulb	hollow balls	10080
steel pin 2*10	axle pin	10101	023000062
pins for front  arm short	front outer control arm pin	10152	023000064
axle of	5 mm axle shim	10153	249000084	1985

GENS ACE 5000mAh 40C 7.4V Hardcase Lipo Battery Pack ROAR approval Capacity: 5000mAh Voltage: 7.4V Size: 138 * 46.5 * 25mm (L * W * H) Weight:  288g Discharge: 40C   Continuous, 80C Burst Charge rate: 5C charging acceptable Application :Gens ace rechargeable 2S car lipo battery with high capacity of 5000mAh & high burst power of 40C for 1/8 & 1/10 RC car model such as Traxxas Slash, Emaxx,Bandit, Rustler version, HPI Strada XB 1/10 RTR Electric Buggy, Kyosho GP 4WD RACING TRUCK etc. Team Associated SC8, etc.  Fast charging by 5C is workable. Roar Legal. Note: NO bullet connectors included. Must use high current 4.0mm bullet connector with this battery.

Tamiya Female JST-XH 2S Harness for Hard case Lipo Tamiya Female JST-XH 2S Harness for Hard case Lipo