Ofna Starter Box Assistance

[Monkey Wrench]

You know, the sad part is, I actually had one of those boxes (the XTM one that was grey) for a long time. I used it to bump over an ofna engine, until the motors finally wore out. Wanna know what I did for a replacement...?

Before reading on; swallow all drinks now, or else they will end up on the monitor/keyboard/dog/cat.

One day, while driving around (on my way to pick my 17 year old niece up at highschool), I spotted a Powerwheels Barbie Jeep with a "FREE" sign on it. Now, you're prolly thinkin "why would you want a powerwheels jeep... much less a barbie one?". Simple; they're powered by TWO 550 motors. Ya just have to hack the snot out of 'em to get the motors out.

Anyways, after knocking on the door to ask if it was indeed free (and getting a "yes it is, thanks for asking" reply), I proceeded to load it into the trunk of my car. Hanging half out. Bungee corded in. With the words "BARBIE POWERWHEELS" clearly visible.

But the fun doesn't stop there..... This is on the way to my neices' school. So, I proceed to pick her up, with the jeep hanging out of the trunk. That poor kid has never been so embarrassed. We even got to wave at her boyfriend (even though she was hiding under her books).

Granted, new motors are $20 or so each, but for the embarrassment value, you can't beat free.

Really? I've got one of these damn Barbie jeeps sitting in my garage! Now I got something to do tomorrow!

 

[ImBroken]

This should give you an idea... Motors wired in SERIES...

 

[Monkey Wrench]

Thanks Imbroken! Exactly what I was looking for!


Heartbreak, still can't believe the solution was sitting in my garage collecting dust! You the man!

 

[Got Nitro?]

Ouch MW you sure figured out how to start a fire,and for the barbie jeep,I'm keeping that in mind incase my starterbox engines go wit's up on me,lol MW take the jeep for a ride first,ya gotta make sure it actually has the power to turn the engine over. by the way,pic's are highlly needed.

 

[Monkey Wrench]

You want a pic of me in the Barbie Jeep, GN? I'm scared to think what you might do with it!

 

[Got Nitro?]

You want a pic of me in the Barbie Jeep, GN? I'm scared to think what you might do with it!

I dunno what I'm going to do,you'll just have to find out.

 

[HeartBreak]

Admit it Heartbreak, you only pulled over because it was a Barbie Powerwheel. I bet it's sitting in your living room right now fully restored to working condition.

Okay, ya busted me; since my oldsmobile died (bent valve in the quad 4) it's been my primary transportation .

Seriously; the only way I remembered the powerwheels having a pair of 550's is from working in a hobby shop. A guy came in with the camo'd version of the jeep, wanting to fit some Emaxx motors to it. Ending up selling him the Wildmaxx motors that were out at the time, and regearing it for some massive torque.

He even had the motors loose, but I'd say, if ya don't have any future interest, use a cutting tool and Barbie-be-damned. Just be careful once you get down to the end. And as for the drive gears... The powerwheels uses a standard pinion/spur/reduction setup, instead of a belt pully. If you're technically inclined, you can easy swap 'em out with a smidgen of heat (remove the plastic belt pully 'oversert' first).

 

[rocknbil]

This should give you an idea... Motors wired in SERIES...

Why do you need an ESC in a starter box?



Yeah that 'll do it, just like his pic, use good wire, solder, lotsa shrinkwrap tubing.

 

[kx250ryder]

Just look for any box (OFNA #10250 or #10253 for example) that have heavy duty 12 volt motors. Most boxes come with either 1 or 2 550 series or 750 series motors. While these two smaller types of motors are ok for small block engines, they will struggle with big block engines especially when it is brand new. Boxes with the heavy duty 12 volt motors will not struggle like the ones with the smaller series engines.

To get an idea the difference (if you haven't seen one) between the different sizes of motors used in different boxes, check this out, you can see how massive the 12 volt heavy duty units are:

Here is a 550 motor (3.07 inches X 1.46 inches)
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXXF54&P=ML

Here is a 750 motor (3.66 inches X 1.66 inches)
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXETZ2&P=7

Here is a 12 volt motor (6.75 inches X 2.75 inches)
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJC35&P=ML

 

[GRGanjei]

This seems to be the definnitive place for wisdom & knowledge about the Ofna starter boxes! I just got one from Ebay with dual motors. It is working great! I had some questions.
1. Will I hurt anything running it with a 7 cell nimh (8.4-10.5 volts) or a 2S Lipo? I know the Lipo is not ideal. I believe these were designed for 12 volts. If I supply lower voltage, will the motors bogg down, draw more amps & burn up?
2. Where can I find replacement belts?
3. If the rubber wheel that spins wears out, is it possible to replace that? Thanks everyone!

 

[Coyotedog1]

Folks, I have an Ofna model 10257 starter box with included power panel that I recently got from eBay: http://www.ofna.com/start-box.html. I also have a 12V, 7.5Ah AGM sealed battery. Today I took it out to start my Hyper 7 with Hyper .21 8-port mill. The battery had a full charge and I changed the starter wheel itself last night, but today, it would barely turn the mill over, even with the plug loosened to the point of falling out.

Eventually, I got a mushroom-like cloud of smoke out of it, and the following pictures illustrate what happened:

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I freely admit I am "not one with the force" when it comes to electrial motors and the like, but I do know that smoke and melted insulation are not good! The motors both still work (though they need a good cleaning) and I have no manual or wiring diagram to reference (but have a request into Ofna now). It seems that there is an impedence of energy throughout the circuit and I am unsure how to wire two motors in series so they spin the same way.

I'm asking if anyone has a box similar to this or the electrical knowledge necessary to repair and clean this mess up? While having the panel is a nice touch, I do not necessarily need it, so if it is suggested that I ace the panel to improve performance, I'm open to it.

Thanks in advance!

Man that’s too bad that’s once you let the smoke out though it’s usually too late