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11K views 42 replies 10 participants last post by  Spoons 
#1 ·
G'Day All,
I recently purchased a Traxxas E Revo VXL 1/16 brushless. I use it around my backyard and possibly a dirt area later on. I am not that interested in flat out speed (It's quick enough for me) or racing. Just to have a bit of fun. I do have a few questions someone might be able to answer for me.
What is it called - Truggie, Buggy, Mini or something else?
I get around 10 mins play time with the battery that came with the unit (NiMh 7.4V 1400mAH I think). I want to be able to use it for longer than 10 mins. Could anyone suggest a battery/batteries that will give me this.
With a battery upgrade is there a need to worry about over temp in the motor or controller and, if so, how would I fix this?
There are a mind numbing amount of parts available. Are there any upgrades that are good to have that will improve the reliability/ unbreakability?
Thanks
 
#2 ·
Traxxas have a 2200mah battery to suit your car. That in theory would double your run times. Over heating shouldn't be a problem.


I believe it's a monster truck.


Upgrades: Shim the diffs, RPM upper and lower arms, RPM hub carriers.


Cheers.
 
#4 · (Edited)
hey spoons.

im new to this too.
1400mah is the number to increace for longer run times. i've read that numbers up round 5000mah can deliver in some cases upto an hour run time.

im not really qualified to comment on the 7.4 number but i would assume by increasing this number a battery will deliver more power. if your 1/16 can handle more power is not something i can accuratly determine but... something tells me you will be able to increase both the numbers significantly and introduce lipo battery/s to your setup. witch in turn will give you hopefully run times that satisfy your needs, better power performance and ofcource lipos dont discharge like nimh so the performance doesnt decrease as you extract energy from the pack.

as for heat your vxl have a fan ontop of the esc? if not traxxas have a plug and play fan for that.

not sure how it works but apparently the transmition doubles as a fan for the motor when the driveline is engaged so stop starting frequently elevates temps more than continued running. heat sinks for motors are plentifull and cheap so keep them in mind if indeed you require lower motor temps.

as for parts i'de have to say yeah. bucket loads. what to replace? i'de say what ever breaks when it does. others might have some more info specific for your car and part to upgrade.

hope this helps you some...

good luck spoons.
 
#7 ·
I use to be a "Freshie" many years ago and others here helped me. I'm just keeping the knowledge flowing.
 
#8 ·
Here is a link to better lipo batteries for it. You will need a lipo charger as well though.
You should get around 30 mins run time with these and more power/speed.


Make sure your ESC has lipo cut off feature. If not you can get a low voltage lipo cut off separately. I'm pretty sure yours already has that feature, just check your cars manual.


If you do get this battery, make sure you shim the diffs or it will tear them to shreds.


http://www.maxamps.com/Lipo-2250-74-ERevo-Pack.htm
 
#10 ·
If you want longer run times then you'll have to change over to Lipo's. I used these when I had a mini e-revo. They're a perfect fit and quite a bit cheaper than the maxamps (yet still decent quality)

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor...C_Lipo_Pack_TRA2820_Traxxas_1_16_models_.html

You could also consider a parallel cable so that you can plug both batts into the car at once and drain them together at half the rate (you have to keep a closer eye on temps though)

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product...41619/n/Traxxas-Parallel-Battery-Wire-Harness
 
#11 · (Edited)
parralel and y series adaptors for use with 2/3A battery packs only. what does 2/3A refferance?

also noticed that you can unlock the full potential of your model doing this... 50mph. are we upgrading the back yard also?

only way i could do 50 mph in my yard would be a case of finding a treadmill that can do 50mph...

either that or put it in a sawn of beer keg and go loopy till my head unwinds and is no longer atached to the not so dexterous neck thing sticking out of my torso.
 
#12 ·
They could mean 2000mAh to 3000mAh or maybe 2S and 3S, I'm not sure. But don't worry, a paralllel connector is perfectly safe to use on the mini e-revo. The problem with the above listing and it's description is that it refers to parallel cables AND series cables even though the item listed is the 'parallel' cable.

Parallel = longer run times
Series = more volts > more speed (like turning a 2S into 4S)
 
#14 ·
i do feel like im hijacking a thread but at the same time i think spoons might be the recipiant of benifits from such. i for one am picking up usefull info/s on the way so hope its no biggie.

they could mean 2000mah or 3000mah. could also mean 2s or 3s.

a couple of questions arise.
does that imply that there is similarity between 2000mah & 2s. and like wize 3000mah & 3s???

another genuine question.
parallel equates to longer run times.
series equal more power.

can this be interpreted as parralel equals 2 batterys without removing a used baterry and replacing it with a fresh battery during a run.

and does series mean you can just double the (for example) 7.4 to 14.8. thats assuming both batterys in the series are 7.4.
like if we had a 7.4 & a 11.3 would that give us 18.7 ?
 
#13 ·
Thanks for the info Vital-Blurs.
Parallel is the one I want - more play time. 10 mins never seems enough. I have a quote from the store I brought my E Revo from - $30 for 2S 2200 mAH which I thought was quite reasonable plus about $90 for a multi type charger. I am a big fan of buying locally if the price is reasonable. I dont mind paying a little more but really resent being blatantly ripped off.
Are all lipo batteries the same standard or are there cheap ones?
 
#15 ·
My work is done here! Thanks Trav,
 
#17 ·
hmmm. i probably should chillax a tad. then let my hair down some agreed.
vital i kinda needed your carefull drilling.
honestly i've been totally oblivious to the fact that 2s and 3s were refering to packs in a series or chain... how blatantly ignorant of me... i thought whatever number followed by an "s" was indicating some other type of battery i've yet to discover. yeah what a tool.

thanks vital and wiz.

pls dont give up... there is allways hope just as there is daft behaviour.
 
#18 ·
Running batteries in parallel means a greater current runs through the resistor, but the voltage remains he same. Conversely, running batteries in series equates to a greater voltage, but the same amount of current flow reaching the resistor.
 
#19 ·
Product Circuit component Font Gas Electrical supply




Okay... I think that the picture should show up of some simple series and parallel circuits. Imagine that each light in the picture is instead a battery and that the battery is the energy user- in this case the ESC. Imagine that each battery is releasing 3.7 volts per electron at a rate of 3 amps.

In the series diagram, the electrons from the second battery energise the electrons from the first battery further by joining with them to make one (kind of). As such, the voltage is doubled to 7.4v (2s) but since there are no more electrons per second reaching the ESC, the current (the mAh) stays the same.

In the parallel circuit, identical batteries are also exerting 3.7 volts each at a rate of 3000mAh (3 amps) but since the already energised batteries from the first battery do not pass through battery number two, they are not further energised. However, the electrons meet up at the end of the parallel, so, in the same distance that each parallel in the circuit had 1 electron, there are now two, therefore doubling the current flow to 6 amps, or 6000mAh

This process continues at the same rate of change for each new battery added

Eg. 3 batteries in series is 3 times the voltage of each individual battery (assuming all batteries are identical). Alternatively, it is equivalent to battery one's voltage, plus battery two's voltage, plus battery three's voltage.

The same occurs with parallel circuits, however the current is increased rather than voltage.

When you have two batteries per 'branch' in a parallel circuit, the voltage is doubled, and the current is increased.

In short, parallel = current and
Series = voltage

NB. RESISTANCE ALSO PLAYS A ROLE IN THE PRECISE CURRENT FLOW

To find out how much hotter your engine will get with a new battery, find it's efficiency.
For example, with a 98% efficient engine, 2% of the overall power that enters the motor should be 'wasted' as heat energy, rather than converted into 'useful' kinetic energy...
That's about all I have to say other than to buy a good balance charger, good LiPo's and a LiPo's safe bag.

Thank you and sorry if I confused you slightly:p
 
#31 · (Edited)
Was pretty much spot on although your reference to mah and amps is incorrect. Mah are a measure of current over time, how long a pack can sustain power. So 6000Mah would be 1hr discharging at 6000ma (6amps) or .5hr at 12amps and so on. where as amps are just a instant measurment. Not that it mattered in this context but you did ask for corrections. ;)

The 2/3A referred to in the first few post is the size of the cell in the nimh pack. A is bigger than a AA and the cell is 2/3 the full length.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Monster truck? No its definitely a truggy.

As far as batteries go, the previously mentioned turnigy 2.2Ah 2-cell batteries are the best choice.
Running it on 3s is going to create alot of heat, I ran 2 on parallel when i first got mine and it overheated about 6 times or so.
It was the middle of winter too. But I didn't realize i was supposed to gear it down.

I'm very wary of running 3s in a mini e-revo, as I've stuffed 6 diff and pinion's on 2s, with shims.
The stock diffs are crap and will not last; shimming them doesn't work if you gear them up or run 3s they just strip anyway.
Hot racing make a steel spiral gear diff and pinion that is very, very strong. I've one in the front and back and they are amazing, and I run mine with an over-sized motor/esc.

You can get away with shimming the diffs though, the rear takes most of the punishment and it will hold up for a while, and the hot racing diffs are $35+ on ebay. Each.
But one in the rear and you'd never have a problem with it for a long time, and it comes with shims too which must be used.
The spiral gear design makes it indestructible in acceleration, but it does have some trouble with very aggressive braking, but much less than a stock diff.

Parallel connector from traxxas are crap, the cable fray off in a month or so, so be prepared for that.
The motor bearings will rust and seize if run submerged in water unless some crc or wd-40 is applied after being run in very wet conditions.
The slipper clutch is crap and will come loose and cook itself, so it needs to be done up fairly tight.
The stock drive-shafts brake after a few months, steel or aluminium centre drive-shafts are recommended as they take more force than the outer drive-shafts which can share the load around.

Pinion and spur must be meshed properly, fi they are too close they create friction and if they are too far apart the plastic spur gear can be rounded off, but only on tall gearing or 3s with the stock motor and esc.

Servo's are rubbish if they brake don't buy the same ones buy anything else and make sure the replacements are stronger and very tough, preferably metal geared. using 2 servo's is very rewarding, they provide more resistance against the servo saver and the steering is heaps better. Stock esc sucks but is waterproof, so replace with anything over 45 amps for more kick, and replace it with a waterproof one if you want to keep the it waterproof.

The esc upgrade makes a big difference, my 2nd 1/16th e-revo has a hobbywing 45 amp esc and it goes much better.
The original esc died when a 3-cell traxxas battery exploded while the car was running.
Traxxas lipo batteries are rubbish, don't even use them as they randomly explode and kill your esc.

Axle hubs are rubbish, they last a few weeks before wearing out and creating heaps of slop.
Rpm make great replacements that are cheaper and last 6 times as long.
As mentioned rpm a-arms are a important upgrade as the stock ones are very brittle and snap easily, although only the front ones tend to brake.

Stock wheels are crap, but good for drifting and burnouts.
1/10 buggy rims with good offset and great, and 1/10 tyres are good for smoother surfaces like clay, loose dirt, on gravel and asphalt they wear out quickly.
Dirt hawgs are great for on road, they last forever, but they have very little traction in loose dirt and gravel, they are good on clay and hard packed dirt.
Gladiators on j-concepts rims are the best bet for off-road and all round use, they are fine on road too, they don’t wear as quickly as you might think.
They are simply the best tyre for use on a variety of surfaces.
They also give it some much needed height.

Don’t use aluminium pushrods or toelinks/turnbuckles, they brake easily , except for the hot racing ones. Only use plastic pushrods, you need the durability and flexibility of plastic.
Gpm make some good alternatives to body clips, which disappear every 2 minutes.
Rpm bumpers are recommended.

Basically a 1/16th e-revo is a money pit, I’ve spent hundreds on parts making mine bash-proof. (Just the first one, the second one is a spare)
Some of that cost is replacing worn parts like 7 diffs, 8 axle hubs, toe links, those plastic balls in the toe links, stock servo’s, bodies, body posts, body clips, wheel hub pins, stock drive-shafts, slipper clutches, spur gears, bearings, etc.

That’s my say on the 1/16th e-revo.
I’ve got 2 and I’ve owned one since July last year, the other since august.

They are the most frustrating thing I’ve ever encountered.

Edit: Why did I say the slipper clutch is crap? It's not... Oh well I guess I felt like getting back at the merv.
 
#30 ·
Monster truck? No its definitely a truggy.

As far as batteries go, the previously mentioned turnigy 2.2Ah 2-cell batteries are the best choice.
Running it on 3s is going to create alot of heat, I ran 2 on parallel when i first got mine and it overheated about 6 times or so.
It was the middle of winter too. But I didn't realize i was supposed to gear it down.

I'm very wary of running 3s in a mini e-revo, as I've stuffed 6 diff and pinion's on 2s, with shims.
The stock diffs are crap and will not last; shimming them doesn't work if you gear them up or run 3s they just strip anyway.
Hot racing make a steel spiral gear diff and pinion that is very, very strong. I've one in the front and back and they are amazing, and I run mine with an over-sized motor/esc.

You can get away with shimming the diffs though, the rear takes most of the punishment and it will hold up for a while, and the hot racing diffs are $35+ on ebay. Each.
But one in the rear and you'd never have a problem with it for a long time, and it comes with shims too which must be used.
The spiral gear design makes it indestructible in acceleration, but it does have some trouble with very aggressive braking, but much less than a stock diff.

Parallel connector from traxxas are crap, the cable fray off in a month or so, so be prepared for that.
The motor bearings will rust and seize if run submerged in water unless some crc or wd-40 is applied after being run in very wet conditions.
The slipper clutch is crap and will come loose and cook itself, so it needs to be done up fairly tight.
The stock drive-shafts brake after a few months, steel or aluminium centre drive-shafts are recommended as they take more force than the outer drive-shafts which can share the load around.

Pinion and spur must be meshed properly, fi they are too close they create friction and if they are too far apart the plastic spur gear can be rounded off, but only on tall gearing or 3s with the stock motor and esc.

Servo's are rubbish if they brake don't buy the same ones buy anything else and make sure the replacements are stronger and very tough, preferably metal geared. using 2 servo's is very rewarding, they provide more resistance against the servo saver and the steering is heaps better. Stock esc sucks but is waterproof, so replace with anything over 45 amps for more kick, and replace it with a waterproof one if you want to keep the it waterproof.

The esc upgrade makes a big difference, my 2nd 1/16th e-revo has a hobbywing 45 amp esc and it goes much better.
The original esc died when a 3-cell traxxas battery exploded while the car was running.
Traxxas lipo batteries are rubbish, don't even use them as they randomly explode and kill your esc.

Axle hubs are rubbish, they last a few weeks before wearing out and creating heaps of slop.
Rpm make great replacements that are cheaper and last 6 times as long.
As mentioned rpm a-arms are a important upgrade as the stock ones are very brittle and snap easily, although only the front ones tend to brake.

Stock wheels are crap, but good for drifting and burnouts.
1/10 buggy rims with good offset and great, and 1/10 tyres are good for smoother surfaces like clay, loose dirt, on gravel and asphalt they wear out quickly.
Dirt hawgs are great for on road, they last forever, but they have very little traction in loose dirt and gravel, they are good on clay and hard packed dirt.
Gladiators on j-concepts rims are the best bet for off-road and all round use, they are fine on road too, they don’t wear as quickly as you might think.
They are simply the best tyre for use on a variety of surfaces.
They also give it some much needed height.

Don’t use aluminium pushrods or toelinks/turnbuckles, they brake easily , except for the hot racing ones. Only use plastic pushrods, you need the durability and flexibility of plastic.
Gpm make some good alternatives to body clips, which disappear every 2 minutes.
Rpm bumpers are recommended.

Basically a 1/16th e-revo is a money pit, I’ve spent hundreds on parts making mine bash-proof. (Just the first one, the second one is a spare)
Some of that cost is replacing worn parts like 7 diffs, 8 axle hubs, toe links, those plastic balls in the toe links, stock servo’s, bodies, body posts, body clips, wheel hub pins, stock drive-shafts, slipper clutches, spur gears, bearings, etc.

That’s my say on the 1/16th e-revo.
I’ve got 2 and I’ve owned one since July last year, the other since august.

They are the most frustrating thing I’ve ever encountered.
Wow....you have had a bad run....I have to say though, I am feeling lucky, because I haven't suffered anywhere near your pain, and I own 6 of these in various body forms (Summit, Slash, Rally and 3 x Mervs), including one running the Castle creations mamba max pro with a 540 sized brushless held in place by the Tenbol motor mount, and another running an 1/8 scale motor and Mamba Monster Max (this one breaks stuff all the time....I am pretty sure it is because I flog the guts out of it....but I could be wrong)

A couple of points that may help you out....

Using a parallel lead was designed for use with 2x 1200mah Nimh batteries...not 2x 2200mah 8.4v lipos, the ESC was never designed to handle the run times of 4400mah @ 8.4v

Much the same as the Series Lead that is also designed to work with 2 x 1200mah Nimh batteries for a total of 14.4v for some Hi Speed passes, but with limited run times to allow the motor and ESC to cool

I agree the servo is pretty average, and that running the internal shafts in metal is a good idea, although the main shaft I pop is the rear left, but since running the metal outdrives I have only had trouble with the shafts in the Monster Power unit

So far I have not had an issue with a slipper clutch failure

Obviously I have done a lot of upgrading, but primarily for show not go....I pimped out a Mini Slash in Blue and a Mini E-Revo in Maroon as a State of Origin lark

 
#27 ·
i like the fact that you mentioned running an oversized motor and esc nice and early...

that and the fact you have spoilt yourself with two of these. im curious did you do everything twice to work out you wouldnt buy another/ or a third?

i once tried on a pair of shoes that didnt fit. turns out they just didnt fit.
based on that i wouldnt steer my aquantices away just in case there foot happened to be the right size and the shoes exceeded there expectations comfortably...
 
#28 ·
Jakethesnake,
Thanks very much for such a comprehensive rundown. You have obviously found most of the flaws with the E Revo along with the fix.
Being a newbie I am trying to contain my desire to do all the mods at once. At the moment I am at work and wont be home for another two weeks (usually three weeks at a time) so wont be able to do too much except research. I intend to get 2 x 2S lipo batteries and run them in parallel to get the extended run time (after changing to the gearing recommended by Traxxas) as well as new A arms, a heat sink with fan, steel hollow balls and maybe some new axle hubs. I will shim the stock diffs for the time being and maybe have some steel ones you suggested sitting in the tool box. New shocks and springs will have to come later as will new tyres and wheels.
Again thanks for the info, much appreciated.
Spoons
 
#29 ·
The slipper clutch is crap and will come loose and cook itself, so it needs to be done up fairly tight.
The stock drive-shafts brake after a few months, steel or aluminium centre drive-shafts are recommended as they take more force than the outer drive-shafts which can share the load around. Any particular brand?

Servo's are rubbish if they brake don't buy the same ones buy anything else and make sure the replacements are stronger and very tough, preferably metal geared. Any particular brand?


Axle hubs are rubbish, they last a few weeks before wearing out and creating heaps of slop.
Rpm make great replacements that are cheaper and last 6 times as long. Aluminium or plastic?

 
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