Just figured I'd show off some pics of my setup...

[05h3t5ky]

Hey guys...I finally managed to get some pics taken of my Brushless B4, so I figured I'd show my buggy off a bit, since it is brushless and all...Here they are...feedback, questions, and comments are welcome. Hope you guys like it. :D

http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=46506&stc=1
http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=46509&stc=1
http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=46510&stc=1

Two additional body-on shots can be seen at these links:

http://www.rc10b4.com/gallery/data/2/739Head_On.jpg
http://www.rc10b4.com/gallery/data/2/739Right_Angle.jpg

[RC10racer89]

Wow cool! I've heard great things about the B4, and that car looks awsome. I like the orangish yellow and black paint job, those colors look good together. BTW what brushless setup are you running? I have literally no brushless experience, but its always cool to know what setups people are using :D Great Job have fun with it!

[05h3t5ky]

Thanx on the paintjob...that's actually the first body I did for my buggy, and is over 6 months old. :eek: It's still in relaitvely good condition for that age...I just replaced the wing before that shot though; it looked like a POS after being run for so long. :p But I am running a Schulze U-Force 75 controller and a Lehner BASIC 5300 motor geared 25/81 in the buggy. What you've heard about the B4 is correct, the B4 is an excellent car...the tranny is silky-smooth and rolls like a hot knife cuts butter and the gen. 3 chassis is strong (I crashed into a wall once at about 20-30MPH and all that happened was my RPM bumper got warped a tiny bit, a shock popped open, and the batt strap snapped...nothing serious at all). That and it has enough chassis room for all my equipment to still fit under that sleek body w/o hacking holes. :D

[ElectricThunder]

Do you run 25/81 all the time, even when racing? Or is that just your speed run gearing? I wouldn't be surpised if you gear that high racing, lil lehner is a toughy. :eek:

[RC10racer89]

Cool thanks for the Information, my next project looks like its gonna be an electric buggy. Still no idea which one, but I think I've narrowed it down to either the B4 or the XXX BK2.

[05h3t5ky]

ElectricThunder--> Well, I've so far only had one opportunity to "race" persay on a track....it was more of a friendly-competition bash session than an organized race, but w/e. But yea, that time I did run 25/81....I try to run 25/81 where ever possible b/c it gives me nice punch and speed. I haven't developed an actual "Speed run gearing" per say yet....that leaves the opportunity wide open for when I get a hold of a mini fan to keep my batt and controller cooler...right now they're pretty hot with that gearing, but I highly suspect even a tiny fan with a few CFM of airflow would help temps quite a bit under that tight B4 Body (I use velcro to seal the edges too, so it's relatively air-flow-tight in there). So once I get one and plant in in there....I may be able to push the speed envelope a little further still w/o risking the health of my system :D ....Did I mention it's hitting 50 flat now with my current setup? *evil grin*

RC10racer89--> Np man. As for the platform....GO B4!!! I'm now an AE fan since I got this buggy b/c it's awesome...so I had to say that. :p But I guess whichever one you choose *COUGH*B4*COUGH* would work just as well as the other as a brushless speed demon. I just personally prefer the B4's looks over the l0$! buggies...lol.

[ElectricThunder]

Geez, 50 mph B4...::drool:: Gimme a year and I'll get there..:D As for the losi or AE thing, AE! Never had any problems with my T3 and it's probably 2 years old and has been put through hell...:D

[mtrsprt]

The AE and Losi 2wd buggies can't be beat for performance, drivetrain design and efficiency, and durability. My old B4 handled like it was on rails, was lightweight, and the Stealth transmission was incredibly efficient,smooth,and quiet.

[MarNaDaKi]

05h3t5ky

Could you elaborate a bit about those 8 batteries. Are they what they call FAUP something ?

The high amp draw are not killing those batteries or producing too much heat for them to handle ?

What are there capacities and the run time you get from them ?

And last, where do you buy them ?

[05h3t5ky]

MarNaDAki--> Yes, those are FAUP cells. They are the same size pole-to-pole as Sub-C cells, but are 4-5mm smaller in diameter. So far they seem to be handling the amp draws pretty well. Charge after charge they seem to be the same, with no degradation so far, but the pack is relatively new, so only time will tell how they hold up in the long run. The only difference is they lack some of the "punch" that sub-C cells offer, but that's due to the reduced amp carrying capacity (like by 5A...no biggie) and additional voltage drop under load, albeit not much lower at all. Right now they get a little on the hot side, but not dangerously hot...soon I'm gonna be getting a mini fan to blow air over the batt and the controller, so that should help keep the temps down. They are 1950mAh Ni-MH cells, and in my setup with a relatively high gearing I'm getting about 7-9 minutes of runtime out of the pack of 8, with that being a lot of wide-open street driving. They are basically the perfect cell type (in my opinion) for fitting more cells into a small space for a speed pack while not sacrificing TOO much runtime or amp capacity. Only problem I can see is that they are paper-wrapped cells, not shrink-wrapped....so if I ever use this cell again in a future pack (which I probably will), I'll have to try to find some single-cell shrink that'll fit these. I ordered a custom-built pack of them from http://www.robotcombat.com/marketplace_battlepack_build.html. On the "cell type" pulldown choose "1950mAh NiMh" and those are the cells. Hope this answered your questions...let me know if you have any more about my setup. :)

[WheelNut]

I like your set up! I'm just wondering where did you buy the motor and ESC from and how much did you pay? And have you tried it with a regular 6 cell sub C pack?

[05h3t5ky]

WheelNut-->First and foremost: Thanx. :D Second, I got the motor from www.rumrunnerhobbies.com back when they still carried Lehner's stuff. Now I think you can get them at www.finedesignrc.com ; it's the Lehner BASIC 5300 incase you didn't know. :) As for the controller, it's the Schulze U-Force 75...it's basically the top-o-the-line brushless, sensorless controller on the market for 1/10TH and 1/8TH scale cars right now....ultra smooth and can have every parameter custom-set using the PC interface that's sold separately. I bought mine here: http://www.modelflight.com.au/lithium_ion_polymer_esc.htm However, I am not sure if they currently have them in stock....when I ordered in Mid-June, I had to wait about a month/month and a half for mine to get in stock and get to my doorstep, but it was worth the wait.

Oh, and yes, I have run it with a sub-c 6 cell pack numerous times...the pack in those pics is my speed pack. It runs great on 6 cells, except it just gets a little hotter since it's pullin more amps on the lower voltage. :)

[MarNaDaKi]

05h3t5ky

Yes, you answered all my questions, but, I have some more ;)

If you are not sure I will just start a new thread. I am wondering if those cells are reliable enough and punchy enough to become my main, everyday race batteries :confused:

It would be 3 packs of 8 FAUP cells in a T4 equipped with the UF-75 and Twist 37. (I wanted initially the UF-75 with 7.4 Li-Po and Twist 47, which would be equall in power)

[05h3t5ky]

MarNadaki--> No, I am not sure if they would be suited to become everyday race cells...since I do not have a track to race at I sadly can't tell ya for sure. But if I were to guess, I'd say if geared right you should be able to last for the race on a pack of them. But once they begin to dump, man to they DUMP. After the first notice of slowdown, you have maybe a minute max before the car will no longer move. For that reason, and the fact that I could not tell you how they run in a race or if they'd even last a heat, I can't be sure on that...sorry. :( What I can tell you is that for the time they run, they seem quite reliable. :)

On a sad side note, I seem to have become a temporary klutz...while I was out bashing around with my friend the other day I had my 6 cell sub-c pack charged and in my pocket for when my 8 cell of FAUPs dumped. When it did, i changed out the batts and left my FAUP pack on a bench to air-cool. Tonight I go to look for my FAUP pack to measure it to see if a LiPo I'm dreaming of buying would fit in my batt tray...and where did my FAUP pack go? I left it on that bench. :( :o I call my friend who lives right next to the school we were bashing behind and have him check if it's still there. It wasn't. So unless I'm lucky and one of the school's janitors picked it up and held onto it or it turns out I just left it at my friend's house somewhere, I lost my speed pack of FAUPs, and I have no $$$ to buy another. :(

[ElectricThunder]

AW! That really sucks man! This is why I make sure to have many pockets (insulated at that) for my batteries...CARGO PANTS BABY! :D Seriously though...hope you find those things. What's a brushless system without a speed pack!?:D

[05h3t5ky]

Yea....it sucks....and to think that I almost put it in my pocket, but decided at the last minute to let it air cool on the bench for a bit before I did. :(

[NIC]

Sorry to hear about your battery loss. But It might work out well anyway....
GP has come out with a cell that is actually far better then the FAUP cell.
It´s a 4/5 sub-c cell with 2200 mAh capacity wich can give 100 amps without problem (according to my dealer who is in York England and competing iwith them in F5B).
He will ship out cells when he comes back from the World Championships.

Now, 8 of thoose GP2200 soldered inline will take up as much space as 6 normal 3300 sub-c:s. PERFECT fit in a B4 battery tray !
So before you order a new FAUP pack check out the new GP:s first !!!

http://www.gpbatteries.com.hk/html/products/specialty_toys.html

and:

http://www.gpbatteries.com.hk/html/products/award/rc-flight.htm

NIC

[MarNaDaKi]

Thanks NIC, I sure will.

It's one more in the equation. FAUP, 4/5 sub-c GP or LI-PO ?

[05h3t5ky]

NIC--> Thanx for your concern. And also, thank you a bunch for pointing out that new cell...looks like it'll be much better for car use than the FAUP...higher amp rating, shrinkwrapped (!!!), a little more run time, and still small enough to fit 8 in my B4's tray w/o hacking the batt strap, in a better configuration, no less (had to build my FAUP pack side-by-side style...barely made it under the U-Force's wire length limit). :D Now all I need to do is get the $$$ to order a pack of 'em. :rolleyes: Which brings up the question: Do you know of any sites that could build me a pack of them in-line soldered? B/c I can barely solder packs side-by-side, let alone inline. :p

MarNaDaki--> After hearing about this new cell NIC just mentioned and looking at some of it's curves, I think it's safe to say that you can eliminate the FAUP from those three choices. The GP2200 seem much better for car use overall and have the extra bit of runtime and efficiency that should make them the better cell to choose for your application. ;) And for maxximum reliability, I would get them, b/c Li-Po packs, although they have been proven by many people to be useable in RC car brushless setups, are still not as safe or as reliable as NiMH cells and have a relatively high failure rate when compared to NiMH in BL setups (from what I've heard). And reliability is what's needed in a race situation, correct? Also, for the cost of one lipo pack, you could buy about 3 packs worth of these cells, let alone save the $$$ that you would be spending on a new charger for the lipo if your current charger does not allow it.

But all that's just my opinion...I'll leave you to decide which cell would be the true best in your situation and application. :)

[MarNaDaKi]

The FAUP cells are not out of the equation yet. They will stay on my list until I can find those GP 4/5 sub-c 2200 available to the public from some internet resellers.

NIC
Are you sure of what you are saying ? Are not you just mixing up the specs of those two cells ?
http://www.gpbatteries.com.hk/pic/200AFHR_DS.pdf
and
http://www.gpbatteries.com.hk/pic/220SCHR_DS.pdf

Taken on this page
http://www.gpbatteries.com.hk/html/techinfo/racing_car.asp

I really hope you are right and it's just that the cells you are talking about are not on their site yet.

[NIC]

I´m not mixing up any cells. The cells I´m talking about is the 4/5 sub-c 2200mAh wich has the same thickness as a normal sub-c but are just 34mm instead of 43mm for the normal GP3300. They will be ALOT more powerful then the FAUP:s. All according to the tests my airplane dealer has done in his F5B planes. He is in York right now for the WC but will be back after the event and will start shipping out theese cells.

NIC

[MarNaDaKi]

Oh, I see now what you mean, soldered INLINE. Just like a stick pack for car. :p

Should have read your post better. Sorry, my mistake. :cool:

[ElectricThunder]

So did your pack ever show up 05h3t5ky? Or are you gonna have to order a new one? Or possibly those new 4/5 sub c thingies? BTW, anyone else have setups they can post? I can use some cooling ideas...(even though i can't run a body anymore...stupid thing tore). :D

[05h3t5ky]

Na, sadly, it didn't show up anywhere. That's what I get for gaining temporary amnesia like that. :p But yea, I'll end up having to buy another pack, more than likely of those GP220 4/5 SC cells...that is, if I can find someone who could get the cells and solder the pack inline for me when it comes time for me to order it...I wouldn't be able to solder them inline myself with my merely satisfactory soldering skills and the lack of a jig. :o As for the cooling solutions, have you tried a good mini-fan like this one: http://www.buyextras.com/su30dc5vmale.html ? I used to run one like it (and have to get this one soon b/c it's smaller and will fit with the larger U-Force...my old one won't fit anymore) and the temps were kept in check very well with air flowing over the controller's heatsink and through the batt tray. And if that won't work, you can always fashion some sort of freakishly huge ram-scoop.....with BL speeds, it's bound to cool things down a bit. ;) :p

[ElectricThunder]

lol! Nice. I accidentally got a 12v DC fan...:( So running it on a 9 volt battery it does crappy cooling. Thanks for the link to that one, I'll have to get something like that. Somehow I'll have to mount it. Tried double mounted tape, didn't work. So i need to some how create a mounting bracket, or go nuts with zip ties...:D

[05h3t5ky]

Zip ties=universal mounting and securing tool

Especially fluorescent ones. :D :p

[ElectricThunder]

Hehe! I think fluorescent green shall do for now. Now the only part is figuring where to zip tie the fan... can't do it TO the ESC since it's already mounted...and don't wanna pry it up. I wanna avoid drilling holes in the chassis...so that leaves me almost nothing. :eek:

[05h3t5ky]

Hmmmm......well, all I know is the way my B4's body fits it holds the fan in place over the heatsink of the controller and the edge of the batt b/c of the low-profile body and the way the batt strap keeps the fan from flippin around inside the body, so I personally have never had to worry about making a mount......sorry that I don't have any suggestions for ya. =\

[ElectricThunder]

Maybe lots of duct tape will work....:D I can try that. LOL! I wish I could hook up a CO2 cartridge with a valve to shoot spurts of really cold CO2 over the heat sink, that'd work pretty well... :D

[05h3t5ky]

I revoke my previous statement about zipties: DUCT TAPE is the universal mounting tool...zip ties a photo-finish second. =P Yea, I've dreamed of using mini 12gram CO2 cartridges as well, but it just wouldn't be practical, sadly. =(

[Muck]

Don't forget about velcro.

[05h3t5ky]

Too many to choose a true universal tool from!!! *grabs head* :p

[ElectricThunder]

They need to create a duct tape/zip tie/velcro/CA glue hybrid...:D

[05h3t5ky]

If they ever managed that, it would be the ULTIMATE all-around mounting product... :p

[ElectricThunder]

It'd be a MEGA mounter... It could come in neat colors too! :D