Anyone Have the Mamba Monster yet?

[Demon-TC3]

Hey all,
Ive heard a few people are now the proud owners of the Mamba Monster. theres even some lowlife trying to sell one for $500.00 on eBay. (considering they are only 170 new - who does he think he's kidding?)


Was wondering, has anyone tried one out or have received one?
im going to order one whenever i find a shop with them in stock - at a descent price and ready to send out (castle are out of stock and tower are still not in stock).


Would love to hear how the Monster works.


Take care,
Demon

[ElectricThunder]

RC-monster.com has a few members with the new MMM. Two failures that I know of so far. From what I've read, sounds like a faulty BEC too. Both occurred above 4s operation too. When they did have them up and running though, they said they ran great!

[Demon-TC3]

hmm...bugs allready? wierd, ok i will hold off a few weeks to get mine then i guess...sucks as i just sold my BK9920... lol


take care,
Demon

[ElectricThunder]

I'm not suprised there are some buggies. The people aren't too mad about it though; they kind of half expected it.

Plus, those are the only failures I've read about so far. Out of a batch of 2500, that's something like .0008% failure rate I think (if those are the only two so far). I also think they were both running 6s, so it may be just a 6s issue for the BEC. Castle will take care of 'em though.

[Demon-TC3]

well what i saw today is that about 3 that i saw have gone bad although castle is working with them to sort them out _ (always nice).

Will wait untill the second or third batch is on teh shelves and pick up a system. btw, does anyone know if i also need to buy 6.5mm plugs or is there some included with the box?

Cheers
Demon

[ElectricThunder]

The first run or two don't have connectors on the board, so I think you'd have to buy 'em if that's what you mean? I'm not sure if they come with any more connectors for motor leads though.

Where'd you hear about those 3 going bad? Wonder if it was the BEC...

[Demon-TC3]

ah fair enough. i just bought a bunch of 6mm connectors and dont think there is much point with anything bigger. will see what happens...


take care,
Demon

[ElectricThunder]

Good stuff. I think waiting for the third or fourth batch is a good idea. I did that with my Mamba Max, and have had no issues.

[TheSteve]

Good stuff. I think waiting for the third or fourth batch is a good idea. I did that with my Mamba Max, and have had no issues.

Mamba Max has been 100% solid since released, there have been at least 3 different hardware revs though.

If there are any problems related to the Monster its likely assembly related and not the hardware design.

[rccardude04]

I doubt there's any issue with the BEC...
It's supposed to be the castleBEC straight off the shelf, just hardwired in.
I have one on an airplane and in my brushless Durga, and know of several in helis around the area. Nobody has had one fail.

I've not seen many reliability problems with Castle products.

-Eric

[ElectricThunder]

It doesn't have the off the shelf BEC hardwired in from all the posts I've read from Del Castillo and from other CC reps. It seems to be slightly modified and not nearly as capable as a CC external BEC but is similar (doesn't mean it's identical though). The probability of it being a BEC failure seems likely since the leads on the ESC's Rx plug read around 1.0v instead of the 5.5v for this particlar BEC according to the guy with the dead MMM. That means something didn't go right in there. I think he's sending it back to Castle for the final word, but I do believe he (the user with the supposed failed BEC) talked to a CC employee (or perhaps Patrick himself?) and expalined the symptom. Apparently the failed BEC seems to be the general concensus, and the guy with the crapped up MMM says failed BEC is the reason. Hopefully, he'll hear back from Castle and find out for sure what the cause is.

I HOPE it's just the BEC. That's probably a lot simpler to correct or deal with. Ultimately, I hope it's just a botched assembly though.

TheSteve- I haven't heard about any production issues with the MM, but I try to never buy the first of anything, just in case, ya know? Like you said... it may not necessarily be the hardware design (my mamba max is a freaky tough ESC and takes a lot of abuse), but the production step. We all know Castle wanted these units out ASAP, so maybe the workers got a tad careless.

[Quest]

I got mine yesterday have not had a chance to set it up. In answer to above:
It came with gold bullet connectors
Castle is stating as of yesterday there as been 4 failures most likely of the bec, which is not Castles.

[ElectricThunder]

Thank you Quest for the update. What are you going to be using it in, and on what voltage?

[sixshootertexan]

I seen one go bad this weekend. It fried the receiver and servo. I think the controller itself was still ok. It was on 5s. Heard of another that didn't even make it off the bench.

[ElectricThunder]

Whoa. That sucks. This is starting to sound like more of a serious flaw than just a mis-assembled ESC. Yikes...

[Demon-TC3]

ouch, so....selling my esc a few days ago...bad idea? i think so..


ah well, more shelf time for thr truggy means more flight time for the new chopper!


Take care,
Demon

[ElectricThunder]

I wouldn't say it's a mistake selling your ESC. And like you say....more choppah time! I gotta fix mine. I brokeded it again.:D

[Demon-TC3]

lol nice, what whirly bird u got ET?
i just picked up a real cheap Honeybee King 2 from the 'Bay. got some new servo's on the way (HXT900's) and need to order some new blades for it (and make a new feathering shaft - they are $6.00 a peice and its just a bit of threaded rod....think i will make a titanium one....)


Let me know if there is an update on the MMM.

Take care,
Demon

[ElectricThunder]

I have an Esky Honey Bee Fixed Pitch Mk3 (Mk2 with a lipo included really). I have super skids on the way since the stock skids are just toothpicks, and also an aluminum paddle frame assembly since I keep breaking those. I'm tempted to do a brushless upgrade, but I think I need to learn to fly the damn thing first. I can hover it, but it's SOOOO twitchy in the breeze. I can only fly towards dusk if I don't want to have any nasty mishaps.:rolleyes:

Once I can fly this thing perfectly, I'm looking at getting an Esky Belt CP. Looks like a nice bird, and comes with an outrunner brushless setup too. Plus a belt tail drive is nice too.

[TheSteve]

If you get good with the HBFP then forget the belt CP and get a real machine - trex450se v2 or similar.

[ElectricThunder]

That's an expensive machine...:( VERY nice though. I've looked at a bunch of CP stuff, and the Belt CP seems like a well priced CP heli. The 450 SE V2 would be the final step for me though. I think that has all the aluminum goodies on it too....::drool::

Update on the Monster Max problems btw:

http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/showpost.php?p=172781&postcount=106

[rccardude04]

I fixed a Belt CP for a guy.
Overall, it's a bit of a piece. Everything was sloppy, the plastics were kind of crummy, the servos are a joke, the gyro didn't really calibrate properly, and it was a bit low on power.

However, it did fly pretty well. I didn't get to do much with it other than hover around in the shop, but I was pretty impressed at how smooth it was in the air.

-Eric

[Demon-TC3]

im got my honeybee king this morning, bought off a guy who tried to fly, crashed and gave up.

the feathering shaft needs replacing but other than that (and the brushes that need replacing) seems ok. overall im happy.

if you need some nice servo's untited hobbies sell the HXT900 for under $4.00 a pop and most people preffer them to the Hitec HS55's - (me included) had a few before and they worked flawlessly. and for $3.50 u cant really go wrong.....


Take care,
Demon

[ElectricThunder]

United Hobbies/Hobby City has some good prices on lipos too. The Zippy lipos apparently work well for people in their 1/8 conversions too. I was thinking about a 4300 pack from them since it's only about 40 bucks plus shipping (got a job interview Friday, so I may be able to afford a Neu Energy pack instead though). Thanks for the heads up about the servos too. So far mine are doing good, but it doesn't hurt to know where to get some cheapy servos though.

[killaj]

I waited to grab one of these because I'm not even home to enjoy it yet. As well, I tend to follow ET's line of thinking in that I never purchase an item when it's just released in case there are any issues. Perhaps when Castle releases the motor/esc package things will be sorted out.

[ElectricThunder]

They said on RC-monster that it shouldn't be too difficult of a fix. They're also saying that there has only been 6 known failures out of 1000, chalking it up to "infant mortality" so to speak.

I tend to not buy the first of anything either. 1:1 cars, RCs, computers, etc.

[Demon-TC3]

just seems strange 6 units went out the same way... and i reckon reason that ONLY 6 /1000 have failed is because i bet there is still allot in transit and allot of people yet to set theirs up. i personally im hoping for castle to go "DAAAAMNNNN - That Component doesnt go there" and ask for a recall of a few esc's. that way im assured they have identified the problem rather than just hoped it goes away.


The reason we all want the Monster max is because we know how RELIABLE the mamba max was... the Monster was supposed to be as reliable as the Mamba max and yet handle some seriouse voltage... well, ive got the cash, waiting for a heads up from caslte before i plunge though.

take care,
Demon


P.S - yea i hear Very good things about the Zippy Lipo's. and ET, they also have some nice 3s 1300Mah Zippy packs i think would be ideal for the Helli's - theya re $10.00 a pop, higher discharge rate than stock pack (20c i think compared to 10c of stock) and have more capacity (stock is 1000 on HBK2).

[Quest]

Thank you Quest for the update. What are you going to be using it in, and on what voltage?


I have a fully modded 3906 E-Maxx with a 1515 Neu on 4s (http://monster.traxxas.com/showthread.php?t=385595&highlight=NeuMaxx) and have pre-order the new E-Revo which I will run on 6s. I can't wait!!!!

[Demon-TC3]

Dude - you MUST be crapping money :P lol, congrats on all the stuff, let me know how the Erevo works out.


Take care,
Demon

[Quest]

Dude - you MUST be crapping money :P lol, congrats on all the stuff, let me know how the Erevo works out.


Take care,
Demon

:D Nope just been working a while and I only have one kid;)

[ElectricThunder]

Nice rig Quest. Yes, us kids are expensive. My parents are SOOOO glad I'm in college...NOT!:p

[vashon10]

.... you MUST be crapping money ........


Wouldn't surprise me if there's a pic on the web somewhere of someone doing that or a smiley. LOL

[Demon-TC3]

hehe - lovely :P

[ElectricThunder]

....I tried to find a picture like that and got nothing. I'm very disappointed now...:(:D

[Cotharyus]

I've got my Monster Max in, but haven't got a motor yet for the MGT conversion I'm working on. I know those Neu's are good, but I just can't make myself pay for it. I think I'm waiting for the Mamba motors.

[ElectricThunder]

You can check out the medusa 60mm long motors. They're neu-like for half to a third of the cost. May be worth it to check those out maybe. Mamba Max motors are probably coming out in summer though from what Castle has been posting.

Hopefully you didn't get a dud MMM.

[Quest]

I think you can get TeknoRc Neus now. Which are a little better than the Castle Neu as they are hand wound.

[ElectricThunder]

They're Neu motors that are blue and I think the holes are filled in on the end where the motor leads come out. It also has bigger bearings IIRC along with a flat spot on the shaft. Neu motors are sweet....but cost an arm and a leg...:(

I wonder if the CMS36 motors will get the Neu treatment... That'd be awesome; they'd be like little medusas almost, but probably cheaper.

[Cotharyus]

Picked up a Medusa V2 - thanks for the pointer. If it needs replacing later, it was cheap compared to everything else. I'll be powering the whole works with two 11.1V 8000mah MaxAmps lipo packs. So we'll see what happens.

[ElectricThunder]

60mm version? And also what kv? It should work ok in the MGT if it's a 50mm version, but the 60mm long option is a far better choice for larger vehicles IMO.

[Cotharyus]

Yes, 60mm version with heat sink. 2000kv.

[ElectricThunder]

Ohhh. Nice. I doubt you'll need the heatsink. Maybe on a 50mm motor in a conversion like that, but a 60mm will probably be ok. My 50mm 4800kv in my Rustler barely gets warm at 27/87 (about 8.7:1 FDR), so that must mean something about the design of these motors.

I'm interested to hear how the 60mm performs in your MGT. A tip for you about the motors; the shaft could use a quick sanding seeing as how I got numerous pinions stuck on the 1/8" version (the 5mm may be the same). Don't go crazy or anything; just take some fine grit sandpaper and smooth out the shaft for a few seconds at a time; testin a pinion each time you let the shaft cool.

Another thing to watch out for is the rear endbell. If you forgot to file the motor shaft down, and got rough with putting a pinion on there, then the endbell tends to pop off (feigao syndrome? :D). I haven't had it happen to me while I'm driving around, but I also check the endbell before I take it out each time too. Maybe some CA on the endbell will help keep it in place again.

Other than those two things, no complaints from me.:)

[vashon10]

Is anyone else finding the text doesn't fit on the screen anymore ? Couple weeks ago I didn't have to scroll to the right to read everyone's text. Is it the website or my computer ? I've send two notes to the webmaster and no reply.

[ElectricThunder]

What size screen are you using? I have a 15.4" laptop running at a resolution of 1280x800. I do not have to side scroll.

I did have to side scroll a few weeks ago, and it was due to an ad at the very top of the page that was too damn wide. They seemed to have fixed it somewhat, but if you're running a smaller screen and/or a particularly smaller resolution, then that explains why you must side scroll.

[vashon10]

What size screen are you using? I have a 15.4" laptop running at a resolution of 1280x800. I do not have to side scroll.

I did have to side scroll a few weeks ago, and it was due to an ad at the very top of the page that was too damn wide. They seemed to have fixed it somewhat, but if you're running a smaller screen and/or a particularly smaller resolution, then that explains why you must side scroll.

Thanks for the reply. It's a 19" screen with 1024 x 768 . I don't seem to have this issue on other message boards.

Anyway, don't mean to derail the thread, just thought I'd see if any others were experiencing the same. Carry on. thanks.

[Cotharyus]

Ohhh. Nice. I doubt you'll need the heatsink. Maybe on a 50mm motor in a conversion like that, but a 60mm will probably be ok. My 50mm 4800kv in my Rustler barely gets warm at 27/87 (about 8.7:1 FDR), so that must mean something about the design of these motors.



I gotta stop with the doubt on the heatsink. I'm putting this in a Monster GT. I'm talking about what will almost certainly be 14 pounds of truck by the time I get the motor and batteries in it. I'll be keeping a temp gun just as handy as I would keep it if there was still I nitro engine in the truck :)

[ElectricThunder]

I gotta stop with the doubt on the heatsink. I'm putting this in a Monster GT. I'm talking about what will almost certainly be 14 pounds of truck by the time I get the motor and batteries in it. I'll be keeping a temp gun just as handy as I would keep it if there was still I nitro engine in the truck :)


That's one helluva truck. Some guy was running a 50mm 3300kv medusa in his emaxx on 5s a123s, and he said it was hitting around 130F after a run when it was about 70-75 out. I wouldn't totally discount the itty bitty medusa just yet.:p

4 pole motors are freaks of nature when it comes to load and running cool.:D

Post pics when you're done. I'd love to see a converted MGT. Don't see those often at all.

[Cotharyus]

Hey, good information. No problem about the pics. I've been working on this for a while now. There are pictures up at my website (along with mindless ramblings about stuff I enjoy). http://cotharyus.net and look in the gallery under EMGT - the first picture is of my nitro keeper - the rest of it is pictures of the actual truck I'm working on, which I picked up as a roller for $100 specifically for this project. All I'm waiting on now (baring any unforeseen requirements for things I don't have) is the motor, which I want to have in my hands before I fabricate the motor mount. And yes, I did go to some degree of trouble to lighten things up - but I did about the same thing to my other MGT when I was racing that, so it was done with a practiced, if ill equipped, hand.

[ElectricThunder]

Nice project. The lightened chassis looks pretty good (even if it were done with an ill equipped hand;)).

Should be cool to see how it performs with the medusa.