"New to crawling; what to buy?" Guide

[StomperCrawler]

re: "New to crawling; what to buy?" Guide

Yes, that's what the link points to. I thought you meant a specific set. I was confused.

It's somewhat specific in that the search includes sizes and I think even the word "Turnigy", although I may add "Wiha" as well. I don't like pointing links to a specific ebay seller or page because a) I could be the seller, which would be against RCC policy, and b) the page will eventually sell out and become useless to n00bs looking to buy a set of socket drivers.

 

[StomperCrawler]

re: "New to crawling; what to buy?" Guide

LOL You guys are cracking me up! I've messaged John at Promoddler and hope to hear back from him soon about amp ratings.

So I heard back from John. He says that his 470oz servo amp draw "at 8.4V is about 3.5A", so that means using the WP1080 ESC's 3A BEC to power it would be ill-advised. Furthermore, he states that BEC voltage is "dirty", so his servos should be run directly from a 2s lipo; see his reasoning here:

https://www.promodeler.com/blog/The-case-against-synthetic-voltage

 

[Ninomaniac]

re: "New to crawling; what to buy?" Guide

My servo has a stall current of 4A and the 1080 handles it no problem.

 

[StomperCrawler]

My servo has a stall current of 4A and the 1080 handles it no problem.

That's good to hear, Nino. I'm glad your WP1080 hasn't taken a dump. "thumbsup"

It's possible the WP1080 can handle a momentary burst of 4A and yet still be rated at 3A.

Some things to consider when thinking about amp-draw are:

1. How much does your rig weigh? Higher weight = more amps drawn.
2. Are you using weighted 2.2" wheels/tires? Same principle as above.
3. How long is your servo arm? The longer it is, the harder the servo has to work due to leverage.

 

[StomperCrawler]

2 more things I'll be adding to the basic tools list:

Helping hands with magnifying glass $6 on eBay.

Servo/lights tester $4 on eBay.

 

[StomperCrawler]

Amain Hobby is currently selling the Scx10 OG RTR Deadbolt (green) for $250 shipped ($50 off): https://ebay.com/itm/122609036956

 

[durok]

Deadbolt at Tower at $229.99 on sale... (it's a war!)

 

[StomperCrawler]

Deadbolt at Tower at $229.99 on sale... (it's a war!)

Nice find! With EasyPay that's $76 per month! I wonder if the price will stay down low, or if it's just a Black Friday special? Here's a link if anyone needs it: https://goo.gl/GrdasB
Update: you also get a $20 gift certificate for spending $200:
https://www.towerhobbies.com/tow_ecash.html

 

[durok]

Yep, Black Friday - thru Nov 25

 

[Mongol Pete]

What's up guys,

In terms of a budget crawler, is there anything as good as or comparable to the Redcat Gen 7 Sport that comes as a kit, and that also could be had for $200 or less? The only thing I know of is the ECX Barrage BTD kit, which will be my first crawler. I am now leaning towards the Gen 7 Sport as a run along for my son, but I'd much prefer to build something with him.

Thanks again,
-MP

 

[StomperCrawler]

Re: "New to crawling; what to buy?" Guide

What's up guys,

In terms of a budget crawler, is there anything as good as or comparable to the Redcat Gen 7 Sport that comes as a kit, and that also could be had for $200 or less? The only thing I know of is the ECX Barrage BTD kit, which will be my first crawler. I am now leaning towards the Gen 7 Sport as a run along for my son, but I'd much prefer to build something with him.

Thanks again,
-MP

Not that I'm aware of. However, one thing you could do is tear the Gen7 down into labeled ziplock bags and rebuild it using the manual:

http://www.redcatracing.com/manuals/EVERESTGEN7MANUAL.pdf

There's also the Tamiya CC01, which less capable and possibly more scale, but keep in mind that with a kit you still need to buy all of the electronics separately, which adds significantly to the overall cost.

https://www.google.com.pk/search?q=Tamiya+Cc01+unimog

 

[durok]

Sometimes you can find the MST CFX on sale for very close to that price... Check the model-specific threads for all the Tamiya bodies that fit.


EDIT : The MST CMX is showing up for around $180-$200, usually with an ESC and motor, but no body or TX/RX or servo.

 

[StomperCrawler]

Sometimes you can find the MST CFX on sale for very close to that price... Check the model-specific threads for all the Tamiya bodies that fit.

I like the look of the CFX and its front-mounted motor, but like AsiaTees said "The front motor is scale, but sits quite high" (https://www.asiatees.com/article?id=2793). I found them on ebay for $228 shipped sans body/electronics.

 

[durok]

I like the look of the CFX and its front-mounted motor, but like AsiaTees said "The front motor is scale, but sits quite high" (https://www.asiatees.com/article?id=2793). I found them on ebay for $228 shipped sans body/electronics.

It's funny, but often times I like the idea of having to work within certain limitations...

1:1 offroad vehicles - especially short-wheelbase narrow-track 4x4's like Jeeps, FJ40s, SWB Land Rovers, Suzukis, Unimogs etc - also tend to have a high COG. It requires picking your lines more carefully. Witness Consumer Report magazine damning many of them as inherently unsafe! :lmao:

So - I'm not always adverse to having a higher COG, especially on a cheaper vehicle that also by its very nature should be driven slower. They're usually so light it's easy to add just a little weight down low if absolutely necessary.

 

[Jim85IROC]

So I heard back from John. He says that his 470oz servo amp draw "at 8.4V is about 3.5A", so that means using the WP1080 ESC's 3A BEC to power it would be ill-advised. Furthermore, he states that BEC voltage is "dirty", so his servos should be run directly from a 2s lipo; see his reasoning here:

https://www.promodeler.com/blog/The-case-against-synthetic-voltage

Unless you abuse the hell out of your servo, it's extremely unlikely that you'll reach that maximum current draw, and even if you do, it'll almost certainly be when the servo is bound up and not going anywhere anyway.
I run my 470 directly from my Mamba X esc and it works great.

 

[StomperCrawler]

Unless you abuse the hell out of your servo, it's extremely unlikely that you'll reach that maximum current draw, and even if you do, it'll almost certainly be when the servo is bound up and not going anywhere anyway.
I run my 470 directly from my Mamba X esc and it works great.

I wouldn't imagine you would experience any issues with the Mamba X's 8amp BEC. Castle's separate 10amp BEC for $20 seems like a good solution for those with lesser ESC's.

 

[StomperCrawler]

It's funny, but often times I like the idea of having to work within certain limitations...

1:1 offroad vehicles - especially short-wheelbase narrow-track 4x4's like Jeeps, FJ40s, SWB Land Rovers, Suzukis, Unimogs etc - also tend to have a high COG. It requires picking your lines more carefully. Witness Consumer Report magazine damning many of them as inherently unsafe! :lmao:

So - I'm not always adverse to having a higher COG, especially on a cheaper vehicle that also by its very nature should be driven slower. They're usually so light it's easy to add just a little weight down low if absolutely necessary.

Good point! I guess I'm just spoiled with my Scx10 ii and everything down low. I suppose that most of us are just looking for an edge.