So, What R/C Did You Run Today?

[81exige]

"ran" the truggy for 5 minutes and noticed either the center or rear diff is making a highly concerning crunching sound, and the rear wheels struggle to move if i hold the fronts still, so either of those two are toast

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

Finally got this one back together too. First break in tank

 

[desmobob]

Nice! I can almost smell it.

I used to really love burning nitro (mostly in aircraft).

I need to dig out my old CEN Matrix R2 1/8 nitro buggy and see if I can get it going. I have three different tuned pipes for it and used to really enjoy ripping it around. It had a big 5.0cc/.30 ci engine and it would eat drive cups, dogbones, twist shafts, blow off the shock caps, and break its various low-grade parts regularly. The early CEN products weren't the best quality, as far as I could tell. The price was the only really good thing about it.

The one-way bearing eventually got sketchy and when I yank on the pull starter, it might turn the engine over one in ten or fifteen pulls. I've tried flushing it out, re-lubing it, etc., but I think it's had the course. I don't know if I can find one for that old CEN oddball engine.

 

[desmobob]

I got out my Rival MT10, a couple of 3S packs, and my Zeppin VoiceLap timer set-up and did some laps on the back yard course. That inexpensive VoiceLap unit works really well. A portable speaker is needed if you want to have the "voice" part, otherwise it records and reads out on its screen.

I have an old bluetooth speaker that can also run on a wire connection to the VoiceLap's audio jack. The transducer is mounted inside the body of the MT10 and can detect the infrared beam easily through the wheel well... it has actually been 100% reliable; never a missed lap! I also have a transducer in my Losi Baja Rey 2.0 and have one to be installed in my Rlaarlo SBK as soon as I make up a custom servo extension for it (the transducers are powered from the vehicle's receiver via a servo extension).

I have the unit placed on the shady side of a dead birch tree with an old archery target to shield it from my vehicles (and shield my vehicles from the tree).

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

 

[desmobob]

I had fun yesterday with my Rival MT10 V2 and Rlaarlo SBK10 Carbon. I have a buddy who's a genuine second-generation gearhead... he has a motorcycle, side-by-side, boat, antique Willys jeep, and even a 1953 Tucker SnowCat. When I've showed him my various RC rigs, he doesn't seem too interested at all. I get those weird vibes like you get from someone who thinks RC surface vehicles are not for normal adults.

I talked him into going to a large unpaved parking lot with me and trying those two models. He had a smile on his face the whole time and was impressed with the speed and handling. Hopefully, he has a different, more positive view of RC surface stuff now.

 

[desmobob]

After two days of rain, it finally stopped drizzling this morning. I kept looking outside to see if the grass was dry. By about 4:30 it looked OK so I grabbed the VoiceLap gear and the Rlaarlo SBK10 (with freshly topped off center diff) and headed outside.

After about three laps around the backyard course, I saw what a bonehead move that was. The SBK10 was covered in wet grass and dirt. I kept running it. By the second battery, the buggy looked like a high-speed clump of lawn clippings screaming around the yard. Wet grass was wrapped thick around the drive shafts. To make matters worse, I somehow managed to run into the VoiceLap set-up and tore up the earphone cord I was using to connect it to a portable speaker.

The buggy was an absolute mess so, in another bonehead move, I grabbed my little high-speed blower to try to help clean it up. Wet debris flew everywhere and now I was almost as covered as the buggy.

I'm guessing my cleaning/maintenance-to-running ratio will be about 2:1. I'm thinking this is one of those screw-ups that I won't be repeating. I hope so, anyway.

 

[desmobob]

I'm guessing my cleaning/maintenance-to-running ratio will be about 2:1.

...more like 4:1 or worse. The grass made it way worse than mud/dirt. It was wound up around everything and wouldn't just rinse or blow off. I spent a lot of time with some large tweezers removing the fibrous stuff from everywhere. Ugh!

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

 

[ahr43]

Red River run? Any chance along the TX/LA border? Chase boat even. And a top-notch boat handler too. Your son will be telling his kids about this when he has them. How cool is that? Definitely qualifies this as an open water RC boat run. Looks like it handled 'real water' well. Did you try jumping your wake? Great vid. Thanks for posting it up. Cheers from on old flat bottom river runner - AC

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

Red River run? Any chance along the TX/LA border? Chase boat even. And a top-notch boat handler too. Your son will be telling his kids about this when he has them. How cool is that? Definitely qualifies this as an open water RC boat run. Looks like it handled 'real water' well. Did you try jumping your wake? Great vid. Thanks for posting it up. Cheers from on old flat bottom river runner - AC

No we are down in pool one in avoyelles parish. I was surprised at how it handled, it was pretty windy.

we woulda brought the Spartan too but it wouldn’t turn on for some reason. We just ran it a few days ago and it was fine, today it wouldn’t power up just flashed

 

[pnwrc]

Traxxas Slash 2wd!

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

Just went and tried the Spartan again and it powered right up

Might just have to run across the road and discharge some batteries

 

[Suburban_Hooligan]

I'm trying to fart around with the RC10GT but the starter box battery doesn't seem to want to charge.

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

The first run with the new electronics. So long self righting

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

Truck n boat still hooked up, tomorrow’s plan is to pack both boats, and some trucks. The Raptor r should be a blast on the sand bars

 

[Suburban_Hooligan]

more nitro drama. the AA battery receiver pack has the bed. battery's are good. but no power to receiver. so i dug the good 5 cell nimh pack out of the RS4 2. and of course it's dead. so its on the charger.
it's almost 5 o'clock and i still haven't fired the engine yet.

 

[Suburban_Hooligan]

alright nitro's been burned.
got the tune halfway decent. lowered the idle. the idle creep is controllable with the brake now.
I'm thinking my nitro has gone bad (even though it's been stored in a bedroom closet it's about a year and a half old). idk whatever, it idles, it revs semi smooth (there is a slight hesitation if i hold the brake to long) but overall seems ok and seems to hold a steady 190 degrees.
although i did dump a shocking amount of oil out of the pipe after only 1 tank, so... yeah that fuel has to be not great anymore. ...i mean I'm still going to run it cause I'm not wasting a half a quart cause I'm cheap. going to have to retune a bit when i get new fuel. great.

 

[Muscle_Car_Lover]

Ran my TRX4M, SCX30, and Mini XRT. Blasted a tire

 

[PaPeRo]

Ran my little MJX 1:14 scale rally car on 3S in the dirt with aftermarket fat walled tires today and it rips. Very fast but handles extremely well with AWD and gyro. On pavement it easily goes over 45MPH on 3S! Has CVDs on all 4 corners stock. The lighting system is very realistic too with working turn signals and brake plus reverse.