Fitting a Turnigy 2S LiPo Battery into 1/16 E-Revo

It's not as hard as you think. And it is one of the few LiPo's that does fit in the battery compartment on any Traxxas 1/16 scale model. This includes the Slash, Rally, Grave Digger and E-Revo. 

Great way to get some extra raw power coursing through the veins of you're r/c.

First order them from HobbyKing. I'll save you some time since they have a pile of batteries to choose from. 

Turnigy nano-tech 2200mah 2S 35~70C Lipo Pack, yes buy two of them. Oh you'll need an adapter end to convert to the Traxxas plug.

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Grab you're Dremel, grab a sander grinder end and begin cutting out some grooves for it. Doesn't take much as you can see. 

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You'll need to trim a bit off the chassis and the battery cover. But mostly the battery cover. You want to be sure to give it plenty of room so you're not bending or crushing the wires as well as trim off any sharp edges from your Dremel work. Why? See the 'Cautionary Note'. 

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The Turnigy 2S just fits in the compartment. Could not be snugger. 

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Cautionary Note: With LiPo's you get what you pay for. Not to say Turnigy is a bad brand I've read a number of reviews saying how awesome they are that's why I bought them. But you still want to be careful when charging your LiPos, be sure to do it outdoors or in an open area. Put your LiPos in a fire bag while charging as well. 

Hardcase Versus Softcase?

Second big risk with LiPos is damage. If you puncture a LiPo get rid of it immediately. Don't even chance charging it using it again. Odds are it will ignite and destroy everything around it including your r/c. Having said that a recent article I read in RC Action (?) said you're better off going with a hardcase LiPo. I would say especially if your battery is even partially exposed in the chassis it would be best to go with a hardcase. In the case of the Traxxas 1/16 scale models the battery compartment very well enclosed so risk of puncture is minimal. Especially if you add a solid aluminum plate to the bottom of it like I did. 

Posted May 7, 2012
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Servo Wires… really who cares?

Well once you get into doing some custom wiring on your r/c you may begin to care. After all where are you going to draw your power from? Installing an additional power pack (AA's or 9v) will just add weight to your r/c. As well as it'll start to create a rats nest of wires, which is my personal pet-peevy. Clean wiring is very important people!

So here's the most basic. If you're only drawing power all you need concern yourself with is the black and red wire. The yellow you can discard or in some cases you can actually purchase a servo wire (from Model Land in the plane department) that ONLY draws power. Which makes life much easier. 

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I found this image here: http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~pyc23/bi_Pedal_Robot.htm the article is advanced so just ignore it. 

This is what you want. Fat Lion (RC SailPlanes) has a short simple write up about servos. As well as it shows you the 4 major servo producers which does come in handy when your connecting a Fatuba Y connector to a HiTec servo. 

http://www.fatlion.com/sailplanes/servos.html

Enjoy!

Posted May 2, 2012
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Dash: List of 1/16 Tires & Wheels for E-Revo / Summit / Slash

Got a 1/16 r/c but can't find wheels or tires. We'll here's a list that some french guys put together. Don't know french, who cares! It's got pictures. :D

Yes I know your stock model comes with 2.0 tires. This list is of 2.2's which will work just fine on your mini e-revo / slash or summit. Trust me I've got the JConcepts ones below with a set of Pro-line Dirt Hawgs. They're awesome but rather heavy so that's why I'm looking for a lighter alternative and found this list. 

http://www.revopowaaa.com/t2576-pneu-pneus-jante-jantes-roues-roue-adaptables-e-revo-1-16-p1

Filed under  //   1/16 E-Revo VXL   Dash   merv   mini revo   traxxas  
Posted March 13, 2012
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Dash: Mini-Revo Servo Alternative(s)

I'm always looking for way to make my mini-revo stronger. I replaced my stock servo with a Hi-Tec HS-82MG. Why you ask? Well this one has metal teeth and is overall a stronger servo as far as I could tell. One draw back.... it's NOT water-proof like the stock Traxxas one is. Which sucks. I am always cautious around water and I never submerge Dash. 

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See the specs here: http://www.hitecrcd.com/products/analog/micro-mini/hs-82mg.html

Today, quite by accident, I saw a servo in a case at the LHS. It looked small enough so I looked it up. It is a Hi-Tec HS-5086WP Waterproof Micro Servo. The dimensions are very similar to the one I already have. It's for a boat so clearly it likely can handle quite a bit of water (immersion up to 1m). It even has a higher torque than the 82MG. It might fit with a bit of 'work' but it would definitely be a decent alternative giving you the option to submerge your mini-revo. 

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Specs are here: http://www.hitecrcd.com/products/new-products/hs-5086wp.html

Just a thought. Try it if you like but be sure to check the dimensions so that it fits. 

If I buy this I'l follow it up with a review. 

Posted March 12, 2012
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Dash: ESC is back in action!

I had previously turfed my ESC because I wasn't careful enough while disconnecting my batteries. So I had it fixed by a friend who is much better at soldering than me.

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Turned out very good and likely hold way better than the factory solder job. OK! Done that, next I need to... hmmm not sure. I'll have to check my list of what I have to do next.

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Filed under  //   1/16 E-Revo VXL   Dash   merv   mini revo  
Posted March 12, 2012
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Dash: What Happens When U Strip A Set Screw?

Well, the answer is simple. You need to destroy some stuff in order to work through hardened steel.
As you can see I stripped the set screw on the primary gear mounted to my motor. Tried all sorts of tools and nothing worked. All it did was make the situation worse. What next?

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Well I had to then take a Dremel with a metal cutting blade and try not to destroy the centre shaft of the motor in the process. I was so freaked out I'd compeletely fail I found a backup motor on eBay. As you can see I managed to chew through the hardened steel and only nick the centre shaft. PHEW!

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You had it coming to you ... you GEAR!!

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Only casualty was the transmission cover. But not to worry I have a spare red one I can use.
And the REbUILD of Twenty12 continues... stay tuned, next I get to solder!!

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Filed under  //   1/16 E-Revo VXL   Dash   merv   mini revo   traxxas  
Posted March 9, 2012
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Dash: Dremel is a wonderful thing!

Ok so a couple posts ago I installed the new solid aluminum plate on the bottom of my mini revo. Well as the pictures showed it wasn't so great, the plate was interfering with the servo arm. So I finally got my hands on a Dremel and did a bit of modifying. The results turned out quite well and the plate is still very sturdy. I'm sure it will protect Dash for may bashings to come. 

This is the BEFORE picture. 

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The PLAN

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AFTER when the clouds part and everything is happy!
Isn't that curvy and nice. :D

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Filed under  //   1/16 E-Revo VXL   Dash   mini revo   traxxas  
Posted March 9, 2012
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R/C Shock Color Coding for Traxxas 1/16 E-Revo VXL

Here's a useful bit of information. The following is a list of the colour codes and corresponding rating for shock springs. This applies to any Traxxas 1/16 models which includes the E-Revo VXL, Rally VXL, Slash VXL and Summit VXL. 


Resize

Higher the number = stiffer the spring.

  • 7143 Spring, shock (GTR) - 1.15 rate, double black
  • 7145 Spring, shock (GTR) - 1.76 rate, orange
  • 7146 Spring, shock (GTR) - 1.92 rate, green
  • 7147 Spring, shock (GTR) - 2.06 rate, tan
  • 7148 Spring, shock (GTR) - 2.22 rate, black
  • 7244 Spring, shock (GTR) - 2.77 rate, pink 
  • 7340 Spring, shock (GTR) - 2.89 rate, white w/ double green
  • 7245 Spring, shock (GTR) - 2.92 rate, blue
  • 7246 Spring, shock (GTR) - 3.2 rate, purple
  • 7341 Spring, shock (GTR) - 3.4 rate, white w/ double tan

I'll update this list as I find more. 

Happy jumping!

Posted March 4, 2012
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Timelapse: Atacama Starry Night

Truly admire photographers/cinematographers who can do night time timelapses. These ones from my families home are particularly good. I hope one day to visit this observatory, if that's possible. 

Astronomer's Paradise is the first episode of Atacama Starry Nights timelapse movie series. Cerro Paranal is truly an astronomers paradise with its stunningly dark, steady and transparent sky. Located in the barren Atacama Desert of Chile it is home to some of the world's leading telescopes. Operated by the European Southern Observatory (www.eso.org) the Very Large Telescope (VLT) is located on Paranal, composed of four 8 m telescopes which can combine their light to make a giant telescope by interferometry. Four smaller auxiliary telescopes, each 1.8 m in aperture, are important elements of the VLT interferometer.

Walking on the desert near Paranal between the scattered stones and boulders on the pale red dust feels like being on Mars but under the Earth sky. It is an amazing experience to be under an ideal night sky, a pure natural beauty unspoiled by urban lights. On Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert you look all around the horizon and there is no prominent sign of city lights, neither direct lights or light domes. There are not many locations left on this planet where you can still experience a dark sky like this. I have been to similar dark skies in other continents from the heart of Sahara in Algeria to Himalayas or islands in the Pacific. But what makes Atacama beat others is being dry and clear for so many nights per year. Paranal was selected for cutting edge astronomical observations also because of the sky transparency and steady atmospheric condition which let astronomers peer in to tiny details in the deep cosmos using giant telescopes.

This footage is made during an imaging expedition to Paranal assigned by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). All video rights reserved by Christoph Malin (www.christophmalin.com) and Babak Tafreshi (btafreshi@twanight.org) of The World at Night (TWAN) program (www.twanight.org). The inside observatory video is contributed by Stephane Guisard (www.astrosurf.com/sguisard).

The music theme is by Carbon Based Lifeforms (www.carbonbasedlifeforms.net). Song Arecibo extract from the album [Twentythree], write & produced by Johannes Hedberg and Daniel Segerstad, published by Ultimae (www.ultimae.com). Music remix by Tiny Types.

Filed under  //   Timelapse  
Posted February 21, 2012
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Dash: The Ultimate Skid Plate

Ordered a very large and likely very effective skid plate from Full Force RC (http://www.fullforcerc.com/MERV.htm). I wanted something that would re-enforce as well as protect the bottom from getting chewed up on gravel. at 5mm thick I think this will do nicely. 

Have to set the spacers to hold the plate. Make sure it's level as the spacer are different sizes. 

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Here's a view of the plate with the spacers, screws and the centre drove shaft cover. 

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Victory!

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Spoke to soon. Looks like it's blocking the full movement of my servo. Going to have to trim off some metal to get it working right. Oh well, that will still be fun, need to find my safety glasses. 

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UPDATE: Some modification are in order for this plate as you can see. Check it out here: Dremel is a wonderful thing.

Filed under  //   1/16 E-Revo VXL   Dash   merv   mini revo   traxxas  
Posted February 20, 2012
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