Typhon Arrma typhon mega brushless upgrade.

[Jerry-rigged]

Sounds good!

No sin with the BLX100 - the main issue is with LVC, but you will be shutting that down for Nimh, so you should be good there. If you want to run Lipo, just buy a cheap lipo alarm and leave the ESC in NiMh mode.

One thought - with the 3650 3100kv motor, be sure and use a small pinion. 13t is the smallest you can do with the pre-drilled holes, but if that is not small enough (heat issues) you could oval out the 13t holes and drop in a 11t. Pinions smaller than 11t are hard sometimes to find.

 

[Cheapbastard]

Hi.
Just letting you guys know of what i am doing.
First, i found a used BLX 100 for a good price which the seller said it was working. I will eventually get a MAX 10SCT or a SC8 when this lockdown ends and i have access to my soldering iron at work. By this time i will probably move to Lipo too, hopefully the BLX100 will still work. Regardless the seller said it as working with Lipo as he tested it briefly. I will be using NiMh for now regardless. i will also be getting some 5000mah batteries as well.
I am buying a 3650 surpass motor 3100kv from banggood. I will also buy the Hd gears and the Aluminium motor mount.
Thanks for all the suggestions particularly @Cheapbastard and @Jerry-rigged. i know i most likely committed a cardinal sin by getting the BLX100, but it was a good price and i will be using the NIMH battery. i will follow suit and get a Hobbywing esc if this one fails anyway by the time i get to lipos.

The 3650 3100kv motors are good little motors. Not very fast when running on nimh, but should get better battery life than with the stock 12t 550 brushed motor in the Mega. If you got an aluminum adjustable mount I would go up from stock 14t pinion to a 17t or 19t pinion if you are still using the stock 48p Mega spur gear. I am sure with that 3650 3100kv motor you can run 3s lipos with the stock Mega parts and 17t HD inputs. It won't hurt to go ahead get a heatsink and fan though to help keep the motor cooler. I didn't start stripping Mega parts till I went with a larger 3660 motor also trying bigger MT tires in my Senton with Mega diffs and 48p spur.

 

[jimbulsara]

The 3650 3100kv motors are good little motors. Not very fast when running on nimh, but should get better battery life than with the stock 12t 550 brushed motor in the Mega. If you got an aluminum adjustable mount I would go up from stock 14t pinion to a 17t or 19t pinion if you are still using the stock 48p Mega spur gear. I am sure with that 3650 3100kv motor you can run 3s lipos with the stock Mega parts and 17t HD inputs. It won't hurt to go ahead get a heatsink and fan though to help keep the motor cooler. I didn't start stripping Mega parts till I went with a larger 3660 motor also trying bigger MT tires in my Senton with Mega diffs and 48p spur.

Right, i will get the heatsink and fan, and i will look at the pinions. Increasing the pinions increases speed right. What size spur gear and pinion, would you recommend to get a bit more speed but still keep things cool on NiMh (with the things i already purchased)? I will surely get the heatsink and fan (the fan is for the esc no?).
Thanks. I will update once i install all the parts. I assume the 3100kv motor will still be a bit faster than the standard one on the mega right with the standard gear and pinion no?

 

[Cheapbastard]

Right, i will get the heatsink and fan, and i will look at the pinions. Increasing the pinions increases speed right. What size spur gear and pinion, would you recommend to get a bit more speed but still keep things cool on NiMh (with the things i already purchased)? I will surely get the heatsink and fan (the fan is for the esc no?).
Thanks. I will update once i install all the parts. I assume the 3100kv motor will still be a bit faster than the standard one on the mega right with the standard gear and pinion no?

It won't be any faster with stock gearing it could be slower, that's why I say to gear it up some (bigger pinion). Increasing the pinion you will gain some more top speed but will lose some acceleration (torque). 48p pinions are cheap but I would start with a 17t pinion and work your way up from there while trying to keep the motor below 170F. This is where an infrared non-contact thermometer will come in handy you can pick one up relatively cheap https://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-...er-p-12178.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN. The esc has a fan. The heatsink and fan are for the motor https://www.banggood.com/Aluminum-A...869.html?rmmds=search&ID=231&cur_warehouse=CN. Need an extension wire also, just plug it into any open slot on the receiver https://www.banggood.com/30cm-RC-Se...R-p-909165.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN

 

[jimbulsara]

It won't be any faster with stock gearing it could be slower, that's why I say to gear it up some (bigger pinion). Increasing the pinion you will gain some more top speed but will lose some acceleration (torque). 48p pinions are cheap but I would start with a 17t pinion and work your way up from there while trying to keep the motor below 170F. This is where an infrared non-contact thermometer will come in handy you can pick one up relatively cheap https://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-...er-p-12178.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN. The esc has a fan. The heatsink and fan are for the motor https://www.banggood.com/Aluminum-A...869.html?rmmds=search&ID=231&cur_warehouse=CN. Need an extension wire also, just plug it into any open slot on the receiver https://www.banggood.com/30cm-RC-Se...R-p-909165.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN

This just gets more confusing as I read it hahahaha. So the 3100 kv is not more powerful than the stock mega? Or is it that the brushless allows one to up the gears at less thermal cost than it would on a brushed? What is it that it’s gained by brushless upgrade. I know these questions might sound very noobish. I will get that fan and the gears for sure.

 

[jimbulsara]

Sounds good!

No sin with the BLX100 - the main issue is with LVC, but you will be shutting that down for Nimh, so you should be good there. If you want to run Lipo, just buy a cheap lipo alarm and leave the ESC in NiMh mode.

One thought - with the 3650 3100kv motor, be sure and use a small pinion. 13t is the smallest you can do with the pre-drilled holes, but if that is not small enough (heat issues) you could oval out the 13t holes and drop in a 11t. Pinions smaller than 11t are hard sometimes to find.

Is the blx100 guaranteed to fail on lipo mode? If I do the try it in lipo mode and the LVC fails can I just revert it back to nimh?

 

[Cheapbastard]

This just gets more confusing as I read it hahahaha. So the 3100 kv is not more powerful than the stock mega? Or is it that the brushless allows one to up the gears at less thermal cost than it would on a brushed? What is it that it’s gained by brushless upgrade. I know these questions might sound very noobish. I will get that fan and the gears for sure.

It is more powerful but the motor may not spin as fast as the stock motor using the same voltage so the difference in speed may have to be made up by gearing. Kv roughly translates to rpms per volt. A 3100kv motor given one volt will spin at 3100rpms. Increase voltage increase rpms. So a higher kv motor will spin faster given the same voltage but can generate heat faster as well. The more heat you generate the less power efficient it will be. Basically yeah brushless is more power efficient they won't generate the same amount of heat given the same amount of load.

 

[jimbulsara]

It is more powerful but the motor may not spin as fast as the stock motor using the same voltage so the difference in speed may have to be made up by gearing. Kv roughly translates to rpms per volt. A 3100kv motor given one volt will spin at 3100rpms. Increase voltage increase rpms. So a higher kv motor will spin faster given the same voltage but can generate heat faster as well. The more heat you generate the less power efficient it will be. Basically yeah brushless is more power efficient they won't generate the same amount of heat given the same amount of load.

HI,
Further update. I will be moving to Lipos sooner than i thought. My kid and took it to the park (I haven't added the BLX100 or the 3650 engine) and we got about 8-10 Minutes before the car stoped. The blinking red light was on so i assumed thermal shutoff (we were running on grass.). So we came home and i took to our backyard (paved) and it didnt have battery (although the bilnking red light also came on) the car slowed down to a stop. The steering was still working.This was with the stock batteries. Since I will have to get new batteries anyways, might as well jump to lipo. I will get the BLX parts this month. I think i will start with 2s though and just go up to 17p and see how hot it gets. Hopefully this BLX will be ok. If not i will get the Lipo alarm and run it in Nimh.

 

[Jackjax801]

2s and the higher gearing should work out well. That's what I've done with my brushless upgrade. Using 3s is most likely where the breaking of mega parts really kicks in.

 

[bluedeval03]

Hi all,
Complete noob, I know I should have gotten the 3s. But it is hard to explain that to the gestapo (wife). I want to upgrade the mega to a relatively cheap brushless system ( less than 90 pds uk) do you have any suggestions, for a bit more speed. I would like to continue using the nimh batteries if possible. What kind of esc motor can I get for that price bracket? If possible I would like to keep stock gearing just to be easier to do. I am a complete noob so sorry if I am asking too much

You will be better off selling the mega and purchase what you want. Personally I recommend the 6s as they are stout machines and highly reliable on 4s. The nimh packs are going to be punished in a brushless set up due to the amount of current they love to use up. Just my .02 as for the gestapo, sometime it’s easier to ask for forgiveness, or treat them after the fact. lol

 

[Arrmajunk]

Hi all,
Complete noob, I know I should have gotten the 3s. But it is hard to explain that to the gestapo (wife). I want to upgrade the mega to a relatively cheap brushless system ( less than 90 pds uk) do you have any suggestions, for a bit more speed. I would like to continue using the nimh batteries if possible. What kind of esc motor can I get for that price bracket? If possible I would like to keep stock gearing just to be easier to do. I am a complete noob so sorry if I am asking too much

your at funny price bracket imo, you could buy some thing crap and get change like gool rc, surpass hobby, you could look at middle market perhaps a absima brushless combo. Around £70. Personally I’d chuck a few quid in get a Hobbywing max10 combo .

 

[jimbulsara]

your at funny price bracket imo, you could buy some thing crap and get change like gool rc, surpass hobby, you could look at middle market perhaps a absima brushless combo. Around £70. Personally I’d chuck a few quid in get a Hobbywing max10 combo .

I bought an arrma blx 100 for a good price. But if that doesn't work well i will move to an sc8.

 

[Arrmajunk]

I bought an arrma blx 100 for a good price. But if that doesn't work well i will move to an sc8.

The motor is quite torquey you can run high gearing for speed . But the main gripe is the ESC LVC , it cuts out too early and is not changeable

 

[jimbulsara]

I done exactly this, bought a typhon mega and thought its not fast enough and started to modify it... Personally the most I'd go on the mega would be a 17t pinion and a 2s lipo which gives nigh 30/32 mph, i did this then I wanted more so I fitted a hobbywing max10sct esc and 4000kv motor combo and ran it with a 2s pack wow it was much quicker, so I ran a 3s pack it was ballistic till it melted the slipper clutch, bearing, spur housing!!
Honesty on the mega stock drive train, a 48dp 17t pinion and a 2s lipo pack is its limit, if you plan to go new esc and Brushless combo on 2s/3s you'll need the following
3s blx slipper assembly
3s blx diffs
3s 13t hd diff out drives
3s high speed shaft support and bearing
Brushless motor and esc combo

HI,
Do you happen to have the part numbers for the stuff you bought, the BLX and 3s parts. Just seen your post and it looks quite cool. I am still a bit confused. I bought the blx 100 esc and a 3100kv motor. But i am looking to upgrade the more essential blx parts as well. i keep seeing 17p input gear being suggested. This is for the differential right?

Although I eventually went with BLX parts, it's not all doom and gloom as everybody makes it out to be to upgrade a Mega.

I have sort of followed the line of everybody else just skip the Mega don't upgrade a Mega it's not worth it. It is what it is, you have it enjoy it have fun upgrading it.

I would recommend though starting with a name brand esc like a Hobbywing or one of the RTR (ready to run) versions of the Hobbywing escs. Start at least with a 120a esc to leave more headroom for motor upgrades then start with a cheap (Racestar, Surpass, Goolrc) 3650 size motor around 3100kv to 3900kv to start with if you're going to use nimh batteries and 48p gearing. I use a lot of the cheap Goolrc, Racerstar, Surpass etc. motors and they all work fine it's just the escs can be very unreliable. A 60a esc 3650 motor combo can work but eventually you will probably want more power that's why I suggest starting with a 120a esc (handle more load and current (amps) then do motor upgrades if you want more power (motors can be had cheap). Upgrade drivetrain to BLX parts if and when things break or strip.

Heres where I would start (given your currency reference I assume you're in the UK)

ESC https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Team-Ori...876810?hash=item4b74d8418a:g:Ko4AAOSw5PleRU0I
17t HD input https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/302967/
Cheap motor https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-3900K...hash=item1a93320716:m:mKVoAabL2M8zl9BHNqJSP7w
Adjustable motor mount https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/314930/

One thing about the cheap escs though is they already have deans connectors installed so batteries will be easy to find and you won't have to do any soldering.

Hi
I have just been rereading this post in preparation for installing stuff. What is the 17hd input for? https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/302967/ ? is this for the differential? are there any other hd part that are deemed essential? i am planning on following @Cheapbastard advice and use a 17t pinion on the motor. Is this the part you suggested also?

 

[Jerry-rigged]

HI,
Do you happen to have the part numbers for the stuff you bought, the BLX and 3s parts. Just seen your post and it looks quite cool. I am still a bit confused. I bought the blx 100 esc and a 3100kv motor. But i am looking to upgrade the more essential blx parts as well. i keep seeing 17p input gear being suggested. This is for the differential right?

Yes, the HD17T input is for the MEGA differential.

Hi
I have just been rereading this post in preparation for installing stuff. What is the 17hd input for? https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/302967/ ? is this for the differential? are there any other hd part that are deemed essential? i am planning on following @Cheapbastard advice and use a 17t pinion on the motor. Is this the part you suggested also?

That link has the description correct for the HD17T diff input, but the picture is for the diff output shaft - a different part. You may message the seller before you hit the Buy button to make sure they are selling the Input, and not the output.

 

[jimbulsara]

Yes, the HD17T input is for the MEGA differential.

That link has the description correct for the HD17T diff input, but the picture is for the diff output shaft - a different part. You may message the seller before you hit the Buy button to make sure they are selling the Input, and not the output.

Many thanks, you have no idea how confused i got looking at that hahahah. Do i need two of those? one for the back and one for the front?do you think a 3100kv motor with a 17 pinion will give me a bump in speed over the stock mega? i am looking for 40-45 mphs on 8.4V. I don't know if this is achievable, will my current setup hold with a 3650 3500kv motor as well?
Also the motor mount you suggested, can I use the same gears etc? Or do I upgrade those too?

 

[Arrmajunk]

Many thanks, you have no idea how confused i got looking at that hahahah. Do i need two of those? one for the back and one for the front?do you think a 3100kv motor with a 17 pinion will give me a bump in speed over the stock mega? i am looking for 40-45 mphs on 8.4V. I don't know if this is achievable, will my current setup hold with a 3650 3500kv motor as well?
Also the motor mount you suggested, can I use the same gears etc? Or do I upgrade those too?

It’s quite a bit of work I cannot remember all of the part no. You’ll need , go onto Arrma website pullout the manual exploded view
Study closely , the Different Part no. In the Drive Train The diff cases different pitch but you swap the planetary gears over, The yoke should be ok.
The input shafts for the centre shaft are different, I think ? You need different spur,
and possibly different spur housing The Motor useses a 20t pinion on a 5mm shaft different pitch to the mega
Check this picture too

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Speed question first - Your 8.4V - is this the 7C Nimh? If yes, then No. A 7C Nimh is about equal to a 2s Lipo. - at least for the first minute or two of the run. For pinions, play with it, check heat on both motor and ESC. 48p/17t could work, I bet.

First question - You can get by with the Mega input in the front, for a while. Best would be to go ahead and do both. But - breaking the front is rare. Back when I was making the HD inputs, I never made one for the front, and never broke the front. And that was running a BLX185 combo on 3s and 4s.

 

[Arrmajunk]

Speed question first - Your 8.4V - is this the 7C Nimh? If yes, then No. A 7C Nimh is about equal to a 2s Lipo. - at least for the first minute or two of the run. For pinions, play with it, check heat on both motor and ESC. 48p/17t could work, I bet.

First question - You can get by with the Mega input in the front, for a while. Best would be to go ahead and do both. But - breaking the front is rare. Back when I was making the HD inputs, I never made one for the front, and never broke the front. And that was running a BLX185 combo on 3s and 4s.

You can’t change one with the other ? Wrong gear pitch ,You need to be running Lipo if you going brushless . Speed wise the 8.4v nimh will have a slight edge over a 2s on top speed , Providing you Can find a road long enough ? Because the 2s will accelerate a lot lot faster . You can run brushed set up with a 2s Lipo I does inject a bit of life into it but the motor will not last long, And you can leave all of the Mega Drive train in the Car and Install a Brushless system too it goes OK.

 

[jimbulsara]

Speed question first - Your 8.4V - is this the 7C Nimh? If yes, then No. A 7C Nimh is about equal to a 2s Lipo. - at least for the first minute or two of the run. For pinions, play with it, check heat on both motor and ESC. 48p/17t could work, I bet.

First question - You can get by with the Mega input in the front, for a while. Best would be to go ahead and do both. But - breaking the front is rare. Back when I was making the HD inputs, I never made one for the front, and never broke the front. And that was running a BLX185 combo on 3s and 4s.

Cool, I will play with the pinions. I might get a nimh 9.6 battery for now then and try to get more speed too. I will move to lipos soonish, i am waiting for the batsafe to come in stock here in the uk so i can store the lipos inside it in a sealed container on my patio. I will install the HD input to the back as suggested.
The aluminium motor mount is it worth it to get it now? can i swap the parts on the current one to the aluminium one (with the 17 pinion)?