Terranaut 8x8 delivered today. Fun!

[desmobob]

I went through the Terranaut's shocks tonight. They all contained a small amount of oil, but none were filled correctly. I topped them all off with 30wt. I then ran the truck and was shocked to find that i couldn't crawl it over any of the obstacles I usually arrange on the living room floor!

Closer examination showed that in the process of removing/replacing my shocks, I inadvertently separated the front-most drive shaft and had no power to the front axle. I fixed that and all was well. To be honest, I noticed no difference in performance or crawling capability but the vehicle seemed to maybe look a little more realistic with the wheels and axles reacting more smoothly...

 

[desmobob]

I'm very tempted by Furitek's new Mini Komodo 2-in-1 brushless out runner/ESC combination that includes a motor mount for what they advertise as a drop-in upgrade for the Terranaut.

Thoughts from you more experienced folks?

 

[WickedFog]

I'm very tempted by Furitek's new Mini Komodo 2-in-1 brushless out runner/ESC combination that includes a motor mount for what they advertise as a drop-in upgrade for the Terranaut.

Thoughts from you more experienced folks?

Buy it!

 

[desmobob]

I'm very tempted by Furitek's new Mini Komodo 2-in-1 brushless out runner/ESC combination that includes a motor mount for what they advertise as a drop-in upgrade for the Terranaut.

Thoughts from you more experienced folks?

Buy it!

That's obviously the normal recommendation for the purchase of any new R/C stuff.

I was curious about anyone's experience with this particular product or that line of Mini Komodo motors or 2-in-1 motor/ESC combos in general.

 

[WickedFog]

That's obviously the normal recommendation for the purchase of any new R/C stuff.

I was curious about anyone's experience with this particular product or that line of Mini Komodo motors or 2-in-1 motor/ESC combos in general.

It's Furitek. There isn't a single person here that I know of that would tell you not to get it. It's the best there is for small scale electronics.

 

[desmobob]

Thank you, you dirty enabler you!

The combo includes the Mini Komodo 1806 2500kv motor, which is also the one included in their kit for the Juice Up, SCX24, and other models smaller than the Terranaut. I was concerned whether it's strong enough (on a 2s battery) for the larger, heavier 8x8 or not.

 

[Lukedavis]

Thank you, you dirty enabler you!

The combo includes the Mini Komodo 1806 2500kv motor, which is also the one included in their kit for the Juice Up, SCX24, and other models smaller than the Terranaut. I was concerned whether it's strong enough (on a 2s battery) for the larger, heavier 8x8 or not.

I have a feeling if they list it as comparable with the 8x8, it probably is. I would just stay away from the furitek upgrade kit for the groms (Arms, driveshafts, ect.) as my buddy got that kit and destroyed the driveshafts on stock brushless power, and the steering linkage had God awful tolerances. Other than that, furitek is the best!

 

[TeknoJ]

I'm very tempted by Furitek's new Mini Komodo 2-in-1 brushless out runner/ESC combination that includes a motor mount for what they advertise as a drop-in upgrade for the Terranaut.

Thoughts from you more experienced folks?

Although Furitek is a little overpriced IMO, you won't beat that 2 in 1. If they have the mount so it just drops right in, yeah, I say go for it.
It should be plenty of power.

 

[desmobob]

I certainly trust the judgement of you much more experienced surface RCers and appreciate you sharing your opinions.

Power is still my nagging concern... the motor in the Furitek conversion is the same one used in their new Unity brushless conversions for other, 4-wheeled 1/18 crawlers. Those trucks tend to be about 450 grams in weight and the motor is providing power through a 4-wheel gear train/drive.

The Terranaut weighs more than two and a half times that at 1180 grams and the motor must drive an 8-wheel gear train/drive system. To me, that seems like a huge difference in demands for the tiny outrunner.

I might play it safe and wait for some reviews to come in. On the other hand, I might not be able to make myself wait. And then, if the motor turns out unsuitable for the Terranaut, I could pick up another brushed crawler the motor would be an appropriate upgrade for!

 

[TeknoJ]

I certainly trust the judgement of you much more experienced surface RCers and appreciate you sharing your opinions.

Power is still my nagging concern... the motor in the Furitek conversion is the same one used in their new Unity brushless conversions for other, 4-wheeled 1/18 crawlers. Those trucks tend to be about 450 grams in weight and the motor is providing power through a 4-wheel gear train/drive.

The Terranaut weighs more than two and a half times that at 1180 grams and the motor must drive an 8-wheel gear train/drive system. To me, that seems like a huge difference in demands for the tiny outrunner.

I might play it safe and wait for some reviews to come in. On the other hand, I might not be able to make myself wait. And then, if the motor turns out unsuitable for the Terranaut, I could pick up another brushed crawler the motor would be an appropriate upgrade for!

Your other option is getting the mount and figuring out what motors will fit on the mount. You probably wouldn’t have a 2 in 1 at that point.
Waiting for reviews is a good plan but, you might be waiting awhile.

 

[WickedFog]

I certainly trust the judgement of you much more experienced surface RCers and appreciate you sharing your opinions.

Power is still my nagging concern... the motor in the Furitek conversion is the same one used in their new Unity brushless conversions for other, 4-wheeled 1/18 crawlers. Those trucks tend to be about 450 grams in weight and the motor is providing power through a 4-wheel gear train/drive.

The Terranaut weighs more than two and a half times that at 1180 grams and the motor must drive an 8-wheel gear train/drive system. To me, that seems like a huge difference in demands for the tiny outrunner.

I might play it safe and wait for some reviews to come in. On the other hand, I might not be able to make myself wait. And then, if the motor turns out unsuitable for the Terranaut, I could pick up another brushed crawler the motor would be an appropriate upgrade for!

Furitek's outrunner motors are strong enough to rip drivetrains apart if the wheels get in a bind. Outrunners are all like that due to the larger diameter's and bigger magnets. Some of Furitek's SCX24 outrunner motors are 3456kv, and are still absolute overkill as far as torque, even for an SCX24 with full metal upgrades.

That Terranaut motor is 2500kv. It will handle an even bigger load. I'm willing to bet it could still tear up drivetrain on that Terranaut if put in a position to do so. And just wait til you see how smooth that beast will crawl with FOC technology. It will likely be hard to see it moving at the slightest trigger pull.

 

[desmobob]

Thanks again dirty enabler -- I mean WickedFog. I'll likely order it after Christmas. Or sooner.

 

[WickedFog]

Thanks again dirty enabler -- I mean WickedFog. I'll likely order it after Christmas. Or sooner.

You'll be happy with it.

 

[desmobob]

It seems I blew the Terranaut brushless upgrade budget on a Vanquish H10 Optic kit and completion goodies, so brushless will have to wait.

One thing I had considered was to convert it over from bushings to bearings. Considering the number of them (56!), I thought the decrease in friction might be a bit of a cheap power upgrade.

Well, i just did a bushing-to-bearings swap on my T-Hunter V3. After completing that tedious task, I found that I somehow managed to reassemble the transmission incorrectly, ending up with a wild amount of front axle overdrive. By the time I corrected that and got everything back together, the thought of doing a bearing swap-in on the Terranaut made me laugh out loud... not a chance. No way.

 

[CertifiedMike]

It seems I blew the Terranaut brushless upgrade budget on a Vanquish H10 Optic kit and completion goodies, so brushless will have to wait.

One thing I had considered was to convert it over from bushings to bearings. Considering the number of them (56!), I thought the decrease in friction might be a bit of a cheap power upgrade.

Well, i just did a bushing-to-bearings swap on my T-Hunter V3. After completing that tedious task, I found that I somehow managed to reassemble to transmission incorrectly, ending up with a wild amount of front axle overdrive. By the time I corrected that and got everything back together, the thought of doing a bearing swap-in on the Terranaut made me laugh out loud... not a chance. No way.

You're prob right. The bearings would be a massive upgrade in durability as well as speed and efficiency. 56 points of potential friction ans slop is a lot! A lot of work to replace too!

 

[desmobob]

A lot of work to replace too!

A whole lot! I have a feeling I'll eventually give in to the temptation. I'm blessed with the "can't leave well enough alone" gene and often suffer from "if it's not broken, I'll fix it until it is."