TYPHON 6S BLX V4 MAXIMUM SPEED UPGRADE HELP

[arelee]

Thanks for the pointer on the trays I'll be watching for that.
I couldn't agree more. I enjoy the planning, research, and build more than anything. Often the results are less exciting than I build it up to be in my mind. Any time I go out and set a new personal best speed it is an extreme rush, but if I don't it is always very disappointing for me.

As I mentioned before, back in the early 80s, I built and customized many RC cars for the hobby shop in Charlottesville and myself
(as a hobby). As you know, those NiCad powered cars didn't offer many mechanical or electrical upgrades. Very unsophisticated, compared to this generation of RC cars! However, they were a blast to customize. My favorite was the Tamiya "Grasshopper". No lexan body. I built a (7) cell battery and put it into a Grasshopper that I set-up with steel bearings,dual wheels on the rear, and a proportional speed control, (very new upgrade at the time), it replaced the stock (3) speed forward and reverse unit, and a 540 motor. Sounds pretty lame now, but it was a big deal back then. I ran it once and sold it.

All of the detailed information that you,(and others on this forum), have been supplying me with, is so appreciated. It feels good to be back into my old hobby. Building and customizing Remote control cars.

Now that you are getting closer to testing the car, be sure to test out the radio range on the car in that area with the car on the ground before running. I have had odd radio issues in certain locations where it will only go 200 ft due to interference. Then other areas where I would expect bad radio interference I can go 1200 ft beyond what I can see well.

I also learned that some of the higher end Futaba's with the FASST protocol have better range. Hopefully the 3PV serves you well. It has worked well for me so far, but I am also not going 150mph yet. Many guys run signal boosters that increase the wattage of the radio signal output. I can guide you on that if you get to that point.

Just be sure to have the receiver antenna extended vertically straight up and down the best you can and as high as it will go.

Testing the car off of the ground. Makes perfect sense. When I get to that point, I'll do it. Is a signal booster basically an extended antenna?

What steering servo and mount would you suggest?

 

[arelee]

Plug and play.

Many thank's!

 

[LibertyMKiii]

As I mentioned before, back in the early 80s, I built and customized many RC cars for the hobby shop in Charlottesville and myself
(as a hobby). As you know, those NiCad powered cars didn't offer many mechanical or electrical upgrades. Very unsophisticated, compared to this generation of RC cars! However, they were a blast to customize. My favorite was the Tamiya "Grasshopper". No lexan body. I built a (7) cell battery and put it into a Grasshopper that I set-up with steel bearings,dual wheels on the rear, and a proportional speed control, (very new upgrade), it replaced the stock (3) speed unit, and a 540 motor. Sounds pretty lame now, but it was a big deal back then. I ran it once and sold it.

All of the detailed information that you,(and others on this forum), have been supplying me with, is so appreciated. It feels good to be back into my old hobby. Building and customizing Remote control cars.

Testing the car off of the ground. Makes perfect sense. When I get to that point, I'll do it. Is a signal booster basically an extended antenna?

What steering servo and mount would you suggest?

The signal booster is actually an amplifier. It requires a separate power source and bumps the radio signal strength significantly. You may not need it though... As mentioned in some locations I can use the 3PV at distances further than I can see well.

I have been trying the DS3225 (red & blue versions) so far they seem nice and low cost on Amazon. I have not messed with servo mounts for speed cars. They don't take the abuse like off road scenarios do.

 

[arelee]

The signal booster is actually an amplifier. It requires a separate power source and bumps the radio signal strength significantly. You may not need it though... As mentioned in some locations I can use the 3PV at distances further than I can see well.

I have been trying the DS3225 (red & blue versions) so far they seem nice and low cost on Amazon. I have not messed with servo mounts for speed cars. They don't take the abuse like off road scenarios do.

Thank's Liberty.

I just bought the DS3225 (RED). Since this car is being set-up for straight runs, (at least for now), I was originally planning on using the stock servo. However, I read that some people had problems with "glitching". Not something that I would want to happen, at high speeds. You're right, stock servo mount. Again, it's going to be going straight. No torque.

I am waiting for Castle to send me the "Castle Link v3 USB Programming Kit", to tune the XL-X Extreme ESC. I will call them back to walk me through the tuning process. After my last conversation, when the technician told me to set the (2) batteries in series, as opposed to parallel for max power, I thought it best to ask you first what the parameters should be set at for my application. If you wouldn't mind, please tell me what the following should be set at:
1) Low-voltage cutoff.
2) Drag brake
3) Torque limiting
4) Any other settings that you know of.

Many thank's!

Thank's Liberty.

I just bought the DS3225 (RED). Since this car is being set-up for straight runs, (at least for now), I was originally planning on using the stock servo. However, I read that some people had problems with "glitching". Not something that I would want to happen, at high speeds. You're right, stock servo mount. Again, it's going to be going straight. No torque.

I am waiting for Castle to send me the "Castle Link v3 USB Programming Kit", to tune the XL-X Extreme ESC. I will call them back to walk me through the tuning process. After my last conversation, when the technician told me to set the (2) batteries in series, as opposed to parallel for max power, I thought it best to ask you first what the parameters should be set at for my application. If you wouldn't mind, please tell me what the following should be set at:
1) Low-voltage cutoff.
2) Drag brake
3) Torque limiting
4) Any other settings that you know of.

Many thank's!

Bye the way, your video on setting-up toe, camber and shock settings was very easy to understand. Just what I needed.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Thank's Liberty.

I just bought the DS3225 (RED). Since this car is being set-up for straight runs, (at least for now), I was originally planning on using the stock servo. However, I read that some people had problems with "glitching". Not something that I would want to happen, at high speeds. You're right, stock servo mount. Again, it's going to be going straight. No torque.

I am waiting for Castle to send me the "Castle Link v3 USB Programming Kit", to tune the XL-X Extreme ESC. I will call them back to walk me through the tuning process. After my last conversation, when the technician told me to set the (2) batteries in series, as opposed to parallel for max power, I thought it best to ask you first what the parameters should be set at for my application. If you wouldn't mind, please tell me what the following should be set at:
1) Low-voltage cutoff.
2) Drag brake
3) Torque limiting
4) Any other settings that you know of.

Many thank's!

Bye the way, your video on setting-up toe, camber and shock settings was very easy to understand. Just what I needed.

I would review these 2 videos that walk through setup.

This one is more conservative, which might be good idea for starting out:

 

[arelee]

Thank's Liberty for the (2) ESC set-up videos. Very helpful to have that information when I call "Castle"

If you look at the "hits" on your video on " RC speed run wheel alignment", half of them were probably me. I spent a good part of yesterday, adjusting the above. I "raked' it (4) degrees according to my angle finder. Just looking at the car from the side, it definitely looked raked. When I installed the Mugen front bumper, it REALLY showed the angle. The nose was pretty close to the surface, so I firmed-up my front shock's a bit, for insurance. That "toe" tool you fabricated out of a paint stirring stick, was a stroke of genius. It really made the measurements accurate. I really suggest that any "newbie", like myself, that reads this thread, watch the video. It's on page (6) on this thread.

Now it's time to tackle the placement of the electrical components, and start wiring things together.

Thank's again my friend!

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Thank's Liberty for the (2) ESC set-up videos. Very helpful to have that information when I call "Castle"

If you look at the "hits" on your video on " RC speed run wheel alignment", half of them were probably me. I spent a good part of yesterday, adjusting the above. I "raked' it (4) degrees according to my angle finder. Just looking at the car from the side, it definitely looked raked. When I installed the Mugen front bumper, it REALLY showed the angle. The nose was pretty close to the surface, so I firmed-up my front shock's a bit, for insurance. That "toe" tool you fabricated out of a paint stirring stick, was a stroke of genius. It really made the measurements accurate. I really suggest that any "newbie", like myself, that reads this thread, watch the video. It's on page (6) on this thread.

Now it's time to tackle the placement of the electrical components, and start wiring things together.

Thank's again my friend!

Sounds good I look forward to seeing it all come together. It sounds like you are getting ever closer to some first runs!

 

[arelee]

Sounds good I look forward to seeing it all come together. It sounds like you are getting ever closer to some first runs!

Thank's!

I'm really looking forward to receiving the Delta Plastic, 0100-F40 body next week. Hopefully it will fit, after modifying the foam on the front bumper and adjusting the body mounts. Once that's done, it's time for the COOL factor. That body's not going to know what hit it. It's already planned out. I may even fabricate a front spoiler from a sheet of .75mm lexan that I have, by "sistering (3) pieces together for strength. Just a thought.

 

[arelee]

Sounds good I look forward to seeing it all come together. It sounds like you are getting ever closer to some first runs!

Closer yes. However, installing the "guts" of the car, and changing all electrical connectors and upgrading the wiring to 8 gauge on batteries, chargers, discharger motor etc....

 

[arelee]

Closer yes. However, installing the "guts" of the car, and changing all electrical connectors and upgrading the wiring to 8 gauge on batteries, chargers, discharger motor etc..., will take some time. It's still a bit confusing, but I think that I will figure it all out.

I just started installing one of the"Castle", 6.5mm male connectors. I couldn't get the pins to seat into the plastic housing. The fit was too tight. After destroying the the pins both sides, I decided to go to youtube and see how others managed this problem. This is what one guy did.

He took a female bullet connector, filled the wire insertion end to the top with solder,let the solder harden, then placed the other end over the 6.5mm pin. He then took a pair of channel-locks and positionde one side on top of the solder filled end of the bullet connector, and the other side on the base of the plastic housing, and squeezed the channel-locks, until the pin set firmly in the housing.

I tried it with an 8mm bullet connector. It squeezed the fins on the 6.5mm pin so much that the fit into a female connector was too loose, so I drilled out the bullet connector so it fit smoothly over the pin. It worked perfect. This also works on female connectors. Obviously, a larger inner diameter bullet connector would be an easier option.

 

[arelee]

Thank's!

I'm really looking forward to receiving the Delta Plastic, 0100-F40 body next week. Hopefully it will fit, after modifying the foam on the front bumper and adjusting the body mounts. Once that's done, it's time for the COOL factor. That body's not going to know what hit it. It's already planned out. I may even fabricate a front spoiler from a sheet of .75mm lexan that I have, by "sistering (3) pieces together for strength. Just a thought.

Well, the body and the remainder of the electronics have arrived! Once the parts have been installed, and that beautiful 0100-F40 body is custom painted, (shouldn't take too long), I will be ready for my first speed run! I am SOOOOO ready!

 

[arelee]

After installing the new servo and the XL-X ESC, (they're not wired-up yet), I thought that I'd take a break and bone-up on my painting skills, before I tackle the Delta plastik 0100-F40 body.

I took a spare, clear Typhon body to experiment on. Below are the results. When you look at the photos, it looks, in some parts, as though black paint bled through the red. It didn't. I couldn't get the lighting to eliminate the shadowing on the curves. All of the red came out fine.
Also, the windows are clear, not painted. The only decals on the body are the spider and the webs. I added (3) coats of clear mat on the exterior.

Now it's time to complete the wiring, paint the 0100-F40 body, and see how this baby runs!

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Looking good, anxious to see how it goes for you on the first speed run.
I always "warm up" on 4s before running 6s. Might want to do something similar.

 

[arelee]

Looking good, anxious to see how it goes for you on the first speed run.
I always "warm up" on 4s before running 6s. Might want to do something similar.

Hey there Liberty,

Thank's. I wish that the photos had come-out better. I'm gonna make sure that they do when I everything is complete. I may use this body for my test runs. It would be a shame to ruin the 0100-F40 body, after all of the time that will be spent shaping and painting it. I plan on selling the car, after the speed results are in.

Do you warm-up on 4S because you want to save all of the power in the 6S batteries, for the final run?

You suggested earlier in this thread, to check the range of the transmitter/receiver before running. Makes sense. Since I'll be by myself, any suggestions on how to tell if the reception is good, at a distance where I can barely see the car?

Looking good, anxious to see how it goes for you on the first speed run.
I always "warm up" on 4s before running 6s. Might want to do something similar.

 

[jondilly1974]

Hey there Liberty,

Thank's. I wish that the photos had come-out better. I'm gonna make sure that they do when I everything is complete. I may use this body for my test runs. It would be a shame to ruin the 0100-F40 body, after all of the time that will be spent shaping and painting it. I plan on selling the car, after the speed results are in.

Do you warm-up on 4S because you want to save all of the power in the 6S batteries, for the final run?

You suggested earlier in this thread, to check the range of the transmitter/receiver before running. Makes sense. Since I'll be by myself, any suggestions on how to tell if the reception is good, at a distance where I can barely see the car?

The 4S run will be slower and allow you to control the rig better.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Hey there Liberty,

Thank's. I wish that the photos had come-out better. I'm gonna make sure that they do when I everything is complete. I may use this body for my test runs. It would be a shame to ruin the 0100-F40 body, after all of the time that will be spent shaping and painting it. I plan on selling the car, after the speed results are in.

Do you warm-up on 4S because you want to save all of the power in the 6S batteries, for the final run?

You suggested earlier in this thread, to check the range of the transmitter/receiver before running. Makes sense. Since I'll be by myself, any suggestions on how to tell if the reception is good, at a distance where I can barely see the car?

As Jon mentioned I warm up on 4s so I can get a feel for a car at a lower/slower power level. It also allows the tires to warm up. Consider it a shake down run to make sure the car is running straight (dial in the radio) and the wheels wont fly off. You bring up a good point though about the power for your final run. You do want to save maximum power for the 6s LiPo. After just 1 pass your batteries are down something like 10 to 15%. It is a short lived moment of fun

My suggestion on radio range would be to use that time prior to your top speed run.... to run the car up and down the road, check for un-noticed bumps in the road etc. See if the car will go as far as you want it to before you loose range. Remember that the antenna works best when standing up vertically just like radio towers for broadcasting uses. Most of the time I will walk the road and clear the path too. A few minutes of prep can save you hours of repairs. Definitely work your way up to speeds. You will want to mash that throttle, but I am telling you it is worth it to work your way up to speed in steps.

Learning to apply the throttle smoothly is harder than it sounds. I have found you have to aggressively get up to the 75% throttle range so that you get up to speed in the space you have available, and then that last 25% is where the problems happen. This video was shared over the weekend by @TheoDR , you can see he got on the throttle a little to aggressively and resulted in a spin out.

 

[arelee]

The 4S run will be slower and allow you to control the rig better.

Thank's jon. Good to hear from you.

 

[arelee]

As Jon mentioned I warm up on 4s so I can get a feel for a car at a lower/slower power level. It also allows the tires to warm up. Consider it a shake down run to make sure the car is running straight (dial in the radio) and the wheels wont fly off. You bring up a good point though about the power for your final run. You do want to save maximum power for the 6s LiPo. After just 1 pass your batteries are down something like 10 to 15%. It is a short lived moment of fun

My suggestion on radio range would be to use that time prior to your top speed run.... to run the car up and down the road, check for un-noticed bumps in the road etc. See if the car will go as far as you want it to before you loose range. Remember that the antenna works best when standing up vertically just like radio towers for broadcasting uses. Most of the time I will walk the road and clear the path too. A few minutes of prep can save you hours of repairs. Definitely work your way up to speeds. You will want to mash that throttle, but I am telling you it is worth it to work your way up to speed in steps.

Learning to apply the throttle smoothly is harder than it sounds. I have found you have to aggressively get up to the 75% throttle range so that you get up to speed in the space you have available, and then that last 25% is where the problems happen. This video was shared over the weekend by @TheoDR , you can see he got on the throttle a little to aggressively and resulted in a spin out.

Thank's for the information and video.

Believe me, I plan on taking things slow. If this car runs as fast as I anticipate, with the radical gearing and all of the other upgrades, anything else would be moronic. I haven't run a car in many years. The way I look at it, it's like a 15 year old, who just got her drivers permit, and her father buys her a "Formula One", takes her to Laguna Seca Raceway, then tells her to hop-in and see how fast she can go.

As for literally doing a walk-through, absolutely. Even though I know the road that will be my track, it would be a bummer if I hit something that fell off of a truck. Or for how about the skunk that didn't look both ways before crossing the night before.

I was going to ask you about the proper way to get to maximum speed. On videos I have watched, people generally drive their car in one direction as far as they are able, turn it around and start the run, letting the car pass them, and continue until it has reached it's maximum distance in the other direction. I assume that is to double the travel distance.

I still am getting the car wired-up and ready to go. I ran into a few hick-ups, but I think that everything has been ironed-out. "Binding" the Futaba 3PV transmitter to the receiver is something that I can't seem to understand. I did print a copy of the "English" version of the owners manual, but still can't figure it out. The USA customer support never returned my call, and I don't speak Chinese.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Thank's for the information and video.

Believe me, I plan on taking things slow. If this car runs as fast as I anticipate, with the radical gearing and all of the other upgrades, anything else would be moronic. I haven't run a car in many years. The way I look at it, it's like a 15 year old, who just got her drivers permit, and her father buys her a "Formula One", takes her to Laguna Seca Raceway, then tells her to hop-in and see how fast she can go.

As for literally doing a walk-through, absolutely. Even though I know the road that will be my track, it would be a bummer if I hit something that fell off of a truck. Or for how about the skunk that didn't look both ways before crossing the night before.

I was going to ask you about the proper way to get to maximum speed. On videos I have watched, people generally drive their car in one direction as far as they are able, turn it around and start the run, letting the car pass them, and continue until it has reached it's maximum distance in the other direction. I assume that is to double the travel distance.

I still am getting the car wired-up and ready to go. I ran into a few hick-ups, but I think that everything has been ironed-out. "Binding" the Futaba 3PV transmitter to the receiver is something that I can't seem to understand. I did print a copy of the "English" version of the owners manual, but still can't figure it out. The USA customer support never returned my call, and I don't speak Chinese.

Sounds like you have a solid plan in place. Yes standing in the middle of the run gives you about 1000 ft to your left and right, providing max visibility in both directions. Some guys like to stand up on a small ladder, which I may start doing also.

You can ignore the parts about calibrating the ESC in this video, but this should show you how to get the radio into link mode and connect it to the receiver.

 

[arelee]

Thank's Liberty.

I just started wiring my batteries, (in parallel). When I plugged the first battery into the ESC, NOTHING happened! I called "Castle", and the tech. walked me through a troubleshoot. Bottom line, the receiver is not working. I'm sending it back to Amazon. This is the second one that I have returned. The first one didn't have an antenna. Once I receive the refund, I'll order my third 3PV. In the meantime, I'm going to try the radio that came with the Typhon. I will just take the car for walks. Not 'runs'.

Thank's again for the video. It's just what I'll need.