Thursday, January 31, 2013

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 .





















Lipo Battery Power Level Tester & Alarm to Indicate Low Power 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.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

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 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 . 



Sunday, January 27, 2013

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


Traxxas part # 1870
Terra-Spiked Tires (2)

These are by Traxxas and are part #1970 
Diameter:
(ID) 2.2" 
(OD) 3.6"
Width: 2"


Also by Traxxas  part # 4790
Inside diameter: 2.2" Outside diameter: 3.5" Width: 2"



Tamiya part # 84281
Width: 1.2" (30mm) Outer Diameter: 3.3" (83.5mm) Inner Diameter: 2.2" (56mm)



Tamiya part # 53059
Requires a two inch rim.
SPECS: 1-1/2"x2"(38mmx50mm)



Tamiya part # 50374
2.2" inner diameter 4.75" outer diameter 1.50" bead width



Part Number: JG1410,JG1411,JG1415
Manufacturer: JG
TIRES-SHORT SPIKES, 2.2



Part Number: JG1404
Manufacturer: JG
TIRES-CHEVRON PIN SPIKES 2.2



Part Number: IMX7629X
Manufacturer: Imex
Tires-2.2" truck knobbies (2)

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

 buy here

Friday, January 25, 2013

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 .






Tuesday, January 22, 2013

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.



Tuesday, January 15, 2013

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












Thursday, January 10, 2013

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.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

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 .




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.








Monday, January 7, 2013

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 .

Sunday, January 6, 2013

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 100050230000063655x
front lower arm front control arm 100060230000073631
rear suspension pin long rear inner suspension pin 10007 0230000083739
front suspension pin arms long front inner suspension pin 10008 0230000093739
pins for rear suspension arms short rear outer suspension pins 10009 0230000103739
gear case left and right transmission case halves10010    
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 10019023000017 
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 0230000214725
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 0230000283637
rear drive axle dogbone 10036 023000029 
transmission cups transmission out put / inner drive 10037023000030 
rear axle holder rear hub 100380230000313652
steering arm front hub 100390230000323636



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 0230000333632
steering group steering bell-crank10041 023000034  
steering connector plate   10042023000035 
steering axles steering pivot 10043 023000036 
front/lower suspension arm strengthening plate tie bar / hinge pin brace 10044 0230000372532
defense board front bumper 10045 023000038 
suspension arm mount front bulkhead 10046 0230000392530
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 0230000441654 
front upper rod group front camber links 100530230000453641
rear upper rod group rear camber links 100540230000463641
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 columnsservo 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 2490000841985





GENS ACE 5000mAh 40C 7.4V Hardcase Lipo Battery Pack ROAR approval 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
Tamiya Female JST-XH 2S Harness for Hard case Lipo