thewanted's Tekno MT48 2.0

[Littlemotor]

I will never understand the water prepping… Y'all do understand these are thousand-dollar+ ELECTRIC RC cars, yeah?

I beat my junk like it owes me money, but I will NEVER run when I need to be “worried” about water getting into where it doesn’t belong.. Hell-I’ve been doing this for literally decades, and I won’t even CLEAN my stuff with water unless it’s getting a full teardown.. Even with compressed air, you will NEVER get it all out.. VERY easy to see this when you DO pull it down weeks or months after using water to clean it, and 125psi to blow it out..

 

[TeknoJ]

It’s wet for more than 6 months of the year in the UK. If I didn’t use it when there’s water around, I’d never use it.

It doesn’t reach the pinion case unfortunately. At least not far enough to get it to stick down properly.

Ah, I forgot you were in the UK man. Still, I wouldn’t worry about water on the switch, I’m pretty sure HW claims it is water proof, or at least really water resistant. Just dont submerge it. If you can get to it easily enough where it is at in the photo then just roll with it.
You may find some 3d printed mount for a different spot. I dont have any of these new gen teknos so I’m not much help. I am just watching from the sidelines wrenching on my .3’s

 

[Littlemotor]

Ah, I forgot you were in the UK man. Still, I wouldn’t worry about water on the switch, I’m pretty sure HW claims it is water proof, or at least really water resistant. Just dont submerge it. If you can get to it easily enough where it is at in the photo then just roll with it.
You may find some 3d printed mount for a different spot. I do t have any of these new gen teknos so I’m not much help. I am just watching from the sidelines wrenching on my .3’s

That’s true.. I reckon if I were in his neck of the woods, my view would have to be more relaxed..

 

[TeknoJ]

I will never understand the water prepping… Y'all do understand these are thousand-dollar+ ELECTRIC RC cars, yeah?

I beat my junk like it owes me money, but I will NEVER run when I need to be “worried” about water getting into where it doesn’t belong.. Hell-I’ve been doing this for literally decades, and I won’t even CLEAN my stuff with water unless it’s getting a full teardown.. Even with compressed air, you will NEVER get it all out.. VERY easy to see this when you DO pull it down weeks or months after using water to clean it, and 125psi to blow it out..

The water is seriously an inconvenience. I can’t stand seeing rusty screw heads, etc. let alone where it gets into beyond what you can see.

 

[Littlemotor]

The water is seriously an inconvenience. I can’t stand seeing rusty screw heads, etc. let alone where it gets into beyond what you can see.

For sure… Rusty bearings, and hingepins are a serious pet peeve of mine.. Sucks too; I had a KILLER routine everytime I ran my stuff 20yrs ago.. Then I did a full teardown, and about puked up my lunch.. Made a change that day, and never looked back.. I WILL say this however-when I AM pulling a full teardown, I do my exact cleaning routine from back in the day, and it feels soooooo GOOD.

 

[WickedFog]

The only thing electronic I have ever had go bad due to running through a puddle was a supposedly waterproof servo.

The receivers are also very susceptible to water damage. But typically, the motor and ESC can run just fine submerged. Blows my mind, but a lot of the underwater UAV's use the same motors drones do, with no worries.

If you want to add extra protection, remove the receiver PCB from it's housing and congormal coat the board. There is brush on and spray on conformal coating. Do multiple coats.

You could do the same to the PCB inside the servo.

 

[thewanted]

The only thing electronic I have ever had go bad due to running through a puddle was a supposedly waterproof servo.

The receivers are also very susceptible to water damage. But typically, the motor and ESC can run just fine submerged. Blows my mind, but a lot of the underwater UAV's use the same motors drones do, with no worries.

If you want to add extra protection, remove the receiver PCB from it's housing and congormal coat the board. There is brush on and spray on conformal coating. Do multiple coats.

You could do the same to the PCB inside the servo.

The receiver is a concern since the receiver box isn’t waterproof. I’ll have to research that coating, thanks.

With regards to water, I do dry the cars overnight in front of a dehumidifier after getting as much water out as I can with a Makita brushless dust blower.

 

[Littlemotor]

Some of my buddies that were nervous about their RX’s would use a latex glove and a ziptie in the box. Cheap, easy, effective.

 

[RustyUs]

I've nearly finished the car, but I've hit a fork in the road.

The Monster Maxx body I chose has a big hump on the bonnet, which conflicts with the stock body posts:

View attachment 243742

I ordered TKR9598 to move the body posts further apart, but it conflicts with the shock stand offs on the shock tower. It screws down okay, but it isn't flush. Is it a big deal? Probably not.

View attachment 243745

Tekno support said I should use offset body posts from TKR5791 with the stock MT48 2.0 body mount which will move them a few mm and should clear the hump.

My dilemma is I've read that the Tekno body posts aren't that strong for bashing, so if I use the janky TKR9598 body mount then I could use the Arrma Big Rock body posts (AR320357) which are staunch AF.

Any thoughts?

EDIT: Come to think of it, maybe I could just cut off the part that's conflicting with the shock stand? Not sure what I could use though.

EDIT #2: I might cry. The Arrma Big Rock body posts don't fit through the holes in the Tekno body mounts Looks like I'll be using TKR5791!

Terrible photo but this is how the Max8 G2S and 4278 G2R motor fit in. My sensor cable is currently being bent at 90 degrees

I really can’t find a better place for the power button that doesn’t result in it sitting flat on the chassis next to the motor, and I’m worried about water ingress.

I would have no problem putting the switch right beside the motor.

Tekno has yet to do a revamping of their receiver box? What? It is annoying.

And check your one turnbuckle.

 

[thewanted]

And check your one turnbuckle.

What am I checking?

EDIT: Oh crap. Is the notch facing the wrong way?! I thought I had been so careful to get it right!

EDIT #2: I checked the manual and the camber links are correct, but the right-hand steering arm is the wrong way round. The notch is on the wrong side. FFS!

 

[TeknoJ]

The silicone conformal coating is great. I highly recommend it. I have a brush on type, it’s almost like a clear nail polish.

 

[Ramp addict]

I live where it rains 10 months out of the year (it rained today) and I use a garden hose to get the mud off of my trucks. I've never had an issue with a Hobbywing switch. I think you're good.

 

[TeknoJ]

I live where it rains 10 months out of the year (it rained today) and I use a garden hose to get the mud off of my trucks. I've never had an issue with a Hobbywing switch. I think you're good.

Thank you for some real world experience to help a guy out

 

[thewanted]

I’ve just taken my MT48 2.0 for its first run.

Are the outdrive cups on the centre diff supposed to get scorching hot? The car was used in a park doing full speed runs, jumping etc.

I’ve never checked the ones on my Arrma Kraton before so I have nothing to compare it to.

I only got ~16 min run time out of a 8000mah 4S pack which seems low, and the cells were at 3.2v when it hit LVC. I’m running a 16T pinion and the upgraded metal spur.

The car seems to roll freely on the ground. I’ll take the diff cover off to check if the spur is rubbing on it.

 

[Littlemotor]

I’ve just taken my MT48 2.0 for its first run.

Are the outdrive cups on the centre diff supposed to get scorching hot? The car was used in a park doing full speed runs, jumping etc.

I’ve never checked the ones on my Arrma Kraton before so I have nothing to compare it to.

I only got ~16 min run time out of a 8000mah 4S pack which seems low, and the cells were at 3.2v when it hit LVC. I’m running a 16T pinion and the upgraded metal spur.

The car seems to roll freely on the ground. I’ll take the diff cover off to check if the spur is rubbing on it.

Nosir.

How hot is “scorching hot”? They’re gonna get warm for sure-they’re metal on metal, but should not get too hot to touch. This is subjective from person to person however; I grab the 230F nitro engine head to check my temps all the time so…

Not sure about your runtime, that’s gonna vary greatly depending on setup. My ET48’s easily click off 20+ minutes with a Tekin 6500 LiHV, and with me hammering on the throttle & brakes pretty hard. You don’t even wanna know what I get out of my 7700 Tekin LiHV’s-so I wouldn’t worry with comparing them to one another. That’s a heavy pig, and I’d bet you’re right on the money. I’m on a 2250kv Tekin T8, RX8 gen3, and heave a heavy trigger finger as I said. People can say batteries are all the same quality from brand to brand because they all come from the same place-but that’s absolutely not true lol.

Keep in mind it’s a brand new KIT build, and tolerances are tighter than your Arrma. There is ALWAYS a break-in period with any top tier kit.

As long as they’re not getting hot enough to melt the diff case, diff stands, or cook the grease out of the bearings-you’re good. You said it rolls freely, so check them with an infrared thermometer/temp gun to be safe.

 

[thewanted]

Nosir.

How hot is “scorching hot”? They’re gonna get warm for sure-they’re metal on metal, but should not get too hot to touch. This is subjective from person to person however; I grab the 230F nitro engine head to check my temps all the time so…

Not sure about your runtime, that’s gonna vary greatly depending on setup. My ET48’s easily click off 20+ minutes with a Tekin 6500 LiHV, and with me hammering on the throttle & brakes pretty hard. You don’t even wanna know what I get out of my 7700 Tekin LiHV’s-so I wouldn’t worry with comparing them to one another. That’s a heavy pig, and I’d bet you’re right on the money. I’m on a 2250kv Tekin T8, RX8 gen3, and heave a heavy trigger finger as I said. People can say batteries are all the same quality from brand to brand because they all come from the same place-but that’s absolutely not true lol.

Keep in mind it’s a brand new KIT build, and tolerances are tighter than your Arrma. There is ALWAYS a break-in period with any top tier kit.

As long as they’re not getting hot enough to melt the diff case, diff stands, or cook the grease out of the bearings-you’re good. You said it rolls freely, so check them with an infrared thermometer/temp gun to be safe.

Thanks! They’re definitely too hot to touch.

The diff casing (the plastic stuff that encases the diff) was just a bit warm. I took the center diff out (what a pain in the ass if you have the center brace installed) and I can’t see any evidence of friction. I held the diff casing upside down in my hand, and spun the diff inside it to test the bearings and they are fine. Maybe the outdrives just get hot?

I have some expensive, high quality Onyx LiPos I could try but they’re 6S so I’d have to limit the throttle and then you don’t know if you’re comparing apples vs apples. I’ll be honest though, my Onyx 6S LiPos get the same runtime as my CNHL 6S LiPo in my Kraton. My new 4S packs for the MT48 are CNHL.

Definitely disappointed with 16min from 8000mah though :/ I get about the same runtime in my Kraton with 6S 6200mah packs and that hits LVC at about 3.5v.

Something just doesn’t feel right.

 

[RCFinger]

I’ve just taken my MT48 2.0 for its first run.

Are the outdrive cups on the centre diff supposed to get scorching hot? The car was used in a park doing full speed runs, jumping etc.

I’ve never checked the ones on my Arrma Kraton before so I have nothing to compare it to.

I only got ~16 min run time out of a 8000mah 4S pack which seems low, and the cells were at 3.2v when it hit LVC. I’m running a 16T pinion and the upgraded metal spur.

The car seems to roll freely on the ground. I’ll take the diff cover off to check if the spur is rubbing on it.

I take it your running on grass? If so, that will impact runtime somewhat and heat things up. Having said that 16 minutes doesn't sound too bad if you were doing up and down full pins?
I've done this with my ET48 2.0 + Backflip LP's and the Allracing 7075 centre diff case and was also a bit concerned how warm it got. In fact everything got a bit "warm". A single 40mm Rocket fan on the motor helped cool everything, a lot.

 

[thewanted]

I take it your running on grass? If so, that will impact runtime somewhat and heat things up. Having said that 16 minutes doesn't sound too bad if you were doing up and down full pins?
I've done this with my ET48 2.0 + Backflip LP's and the Allracing 7075 centre diff case and was also a bit concerned how warm it got. In fact everything got a bit "warm". A single 40mm Rocket fan on the motor helped cool everything, a lot.

Yeah I was being a bit of a clown doing high speed runs, with a bit of jumping in between. Not really sure what else there is to do in a park! Grass is such a boring surface to run on.

I’ve ordered an IR temperature gun so I’ll be able to check it properly tomorrow.

 

[Littlemotor]

Thanks! They’re definitely too hot to touch.

The diff casing (the plastic stuff that encases the diff) was just a bit warm. I took the center diff out (what a pain in the ass if you have the center brace installed) and I can’t see any evidence of friction. I held the diff casing upside down in my hand, and spun the diff inside it to test the bearings and they are fine. Maybe the outdrives just get hot?

I have some expensive, high quality Onyx LiPos I could try but they’re 6S so I’d have to limit the throttle and then you don’t know if you’re comparing apples vs apples. I’ll be honest though, my Onyx 6S LiPos get the same runtime as my CNHL 6S LiPo in my Kraton. My new 4S packs for the MT48 are CNHL.

Definitely disappointed with 16min from 8000mah though :/ I get about the same runtime in my Kraton with 6S 6200mah packs and that hits LVC at about 3.5v.

Something just doesn’t feel right.

You completely missed my point about “scorching hot” being subjective between different people. You need a temperature when trying to describe “hot” from halfway around the planet. like I said, “too hot to touch” to me is gonna be a good bit different as I grab 230F regularly!.

As for friction-that doesn’t mean WEAR (which you were looking for). The motor turns at tens of thousands of RPM. Those outdrives turn the center driveshafts under tremendous load. Believe me-anytime there is metal on metal; there is FRICTION. What we are trying to determine is if it’s a satisfactory/typical AMOUNT of said friction.

As I said-they absolutely get warm (to ME they are “warm”, and again-this is where a proper temp gun is useful). You really should have one on hand running DC motors in heavy vehicles with LiPo batteries regardless.

Also-have you setup your ESC? I’m talking as far as you being “let down” by your runtime (on a vehicle that is being broken in for the first few battery packs mind you).. Those things come ready to drive a VAST assortment of different vehicles. Just because it runs, doesn’t mean it’s RIGHT. RTR stuff is setup for THAT vehicle. This is a KIT, and aftermarket electronics. This requires proper setup to get it efficient. The difference could be nothing, could be huuuuge.

 

[thewanted]

You completely missed my point about “scorching hot” being subjective between different people. You need a temperature when trying to describe “hot” from halfway around the planet. like I said, “too hot to touch” to me is gonna be a good bit different as I grab 230F regularly!.

As for friction-that doesn’t mean WEAR (which you were looking for). The motor turns at tens of thousands of RPM. Those outdrives turn the center driveshafts under tremendous load. Believe me-anytime there is metal on metal; there is FRICTION. What we are trying to determine is if it’s a satisfactory/typical AMOUNT of said friction.

As I said-they absolutely get warm (to ME they are “warm”, and again-this is where a proper temp gun is useful). You really should have one on hand running DC motors in heavy vehicles with LiPo batteries regardless.

Also-have you setup your ESC? I’m talking as far as you being “let down” by your runtime (on a vehicle that is being broken in for the first few battery packs mind you).. Those things come ready to drive a VAST assortment of different vehicles. Just because it runs, doesn’t mean it’s RIGHT. RTR stuff is setup for THAT vehicle. This is a KIT, and aftermarket electronics. This requires proper setup to get it efficient. The difference could be nothing, could be huuuuge.

Thanks and I agree it’s subjective, but I did say that I’ve ordered an IR temperature gun.

I’ve looked at the ESC settings but quite honestly I didn’t really see anything worth changing. I initially set the punch to level 3 but it was a bit sluggish off the line, so it got bumped to level 6. I had to change the motor rotation, and most other things like LiPo cell count, voltage cut off etc. is set to auto. I think LVC is set to “Auto (Medium)” or something like that, which caused LVC to kick in at 3.2v which feels a bit low. 3.4v would be more comfortable.

There aren’t really very many settings to change, but maybe timing is something to look at.