Project UBB

[sweetdiesel]

My next project is the Ultimate Brushless Basher. I live in the middle of the redwoods so I want something that can run on rough terrain, be able to do some mild crawling, have good acceleration/speed, and be able to jump. It also needs to be able to tow my two daughters in their Radio Flyer ATW. Of course, there will be compromises, since something that can crawl, usually can't handle a lot of speed or jumping. It won't win any crawling competitions but it should be FUN.

Heres the line-up

G-Made Dragoon chassis
G-made shocks
Twin Mamba Max ESCs
Twin Feigao 380C 6L motors (4900Kv)
Twin Hyperion Litestorm 2S 2500mah packs (25C cont, 40C burst) Will step up to higher capacity packs later for towing.
Castle Creations 10AMP BEC
Hitec 7955TG servos front and rear

I am going to run one ESC/motor/battery set-up on each axle, and attempt to program my Futaba 3PK to enable front DIG with rear lockout and freewheel.

The Feigao (top motor) though listed as a 380 can is the same size as a 540 motor.

 

[RC Addict]

Sounds like the ultimate hybrid!

 

[scoobydoo2u]

Sounds sick!

Can't wait to see pics, be sure to take plenty!

 

[sweetdiesel]

Got her built and bench tested tonight. I decided to try out the G-made servo saver which is built into the steering link. It is basically a spring loaded shock that is very stiff. I can barely compress it while pushing down hard with my hand. Wiring is a mess right now, I'll clean it up after I get all the kinks worked out. Some of the kit screws were also a hair too long. I'll trim those down later.

I was able to get DIG to work with the 3PK. Once I fine tune it, I'll do a write-up on how to program the 3PK to run front dig with dual power systems. It's slightly different from what I first thought it would be in the other DIG thread.

First test is normal 4WD.

Second test is hitting the PS3 button which switches to front DIG rear freewheel.

Third test is front DIG with rear lockout. In this case, I am applying brake/slight reverse to simulate a locked axle. I'll need to do more tinkering to see what is the best ratio of brake/reverse to keep the axle locked.

Last thing on the honey do list is to make a parallel harness so that each ESC gets exactly the same amount of power from the packs.

 

[Lessen]

sweet truck Dom! Can't wait to see it in action. What kind of body are you gonna put on it?

 

[WoodiE]

That is a sick truck man - i want one



-Michael

 

[Lessen]

I find it very interesting that the shock mounting is sooo different at one end vs. the other. It looks like the shallow angled shocks are at the front? In the first 2 pictures the truck is facing left? Very cool truck. Looks like it could take one hell of a beating too :thumbup:

 

[robmob]

Sweet! That bad boy looks tough.

I look forward to your write-up on using the 3PK with DIG.

 

[sweetdiesel]

Thanks guys! Ran out front for a few minutes this morning. The first thing I need to do is lock the diffs. I'll use the silly putty method to lock the spider gears in the diffs. I also need to experiment with the drag brakes on the ESC, since the ESC is setup for no pause between forward and reverse.

I find it very interesting that the shock mounting is sooo different at one end vs. the other. It looks like the shallow angled shocks are at the front? In the first 2 pictures the truck is facing left? Very cool truck. Looks like it could take one hell of a beating too :thumbup:

The kit instructions have the front shocks mounting to the axles, while the rears are mounted to the lower link. While I'm not sure what exactly the effect of this, what I do see is that it does not articulate as freely as some of the crawler clods I have seen. It is very stable at high speed and drives just like a normal MT.

I plan on running the Grave Digger body, inspired by Rolex. I don't have my air compressor set-up yet, so I went the easy route with pre-painted black.

 

[Rolex]

Wow, that's really amazing. According to the video, you have a really serious setup going there. I'm also amazed by the rapid response in your 4 wheel steering.
(The Gravedigger body, without the stock and tired look, is one BIG, beautiful panel truck.) Good choice.

 

[Lessen]

The kit instructions have the front shocks mounting to the axles, while the rears are mounted to the lower link. While I'm not sure what exactly the effect of this, what I do see is that it does not articulate as freely as some of the crawler clods I have seen. It is very stable at high speed and drives just like a normal MT.

So I take it that kit is intended to be more of an all around basher than a comp cawler? It sure seems that way.

The way I see it, the swept back shocks at the front allow for a much more sensitive front suspension, especially for a solid axle. That's why it's so stable at higher speeds.

I REALLY like that kit. Too many things, not enough time (or money)

 

[sweetdiesel]

You hit the nail on the head Josh. Gmade marketed the kit as a racing truck, and appropriately so. It is very stable at top speed. The CG is low enough so that even when I crank the wheel at high speed it will not roll over.

I did manage to flip it on its back when I tried to scale the rock garden in my front yard. Quick lesson learned, when you have the ESCs mounted on top of the chassis it's best to run a body, or at the very least the body mount posts. Luckily the MMs came away with only a scratch on one of the capacitors.

Just finished charging up the batteries and the front ESC used 50 mah more than the rear for a total of 2300mah used for the first test session. LVC is set at 6.3 volts to give some headroom.

I got my silly putty today and will lock the diffs up tonight. More runs tomorrow.

 

[Lessen]

That thing is just sooo cool. I have to constantly remind myself that I have a couple big projects working or who knows how crowded my garage would get.. hehe

 

[sweetdiesel]

You need to finish up that drag car!

Looks like UBB is on hold. I didn't get a chance to lock the diffs last night and the next couple days I'm booked with family engagements.

 

[Lessen]

You need to finish up that drag car!

Hey, I'm workin on it. You're talkin to a self taught engineer you know. Heh..

 

[robmob]

Hey, I'm workin on it. You're talkin to a self taught engineer you know. Heh..

Cough Cough Chris Craft Cough Cough :green-grin:

 

[Lessen]

Cough Cough Chris Craft Cough Cough :green-grin:

oh that is sooo not right. :

 

[savagefan04]

oh that is sooo not right. :

maybe not right....but damn funny.