Hot Bodies Ve8

[Marvin]

I thought I'd share some pics of my new Ve8:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pJNeulUYR5E/Sx6ixQZIRwI/AAAAAAAAAbg/loCh5ZNP8Vk/s640/Photo004.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pJNeulUYR5E/Sx6iw5-lfbI/AAAAAAAAAbY/yWBRhOS-kWU/s800/Photo002.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pJNeulUYR5E/Sx6ixLJBFgI/AAAAAAAAAbc/XrkODqQCnX4/s640/Photo003.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pJNeulUYR5E/Sx6ixgpeZ2I/AAAAAAAAAbk/1JfyKQqa32Q/s640/Photo005.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pJNeulUYR5E/Sx6iwg3jyUI/AAAAAAAAAbU/dMvX9xjg1Zw/s800/Photo001.jpg

Specs:
ESC: Castle Creations Mamba Max Pro
BEC: Castle Creations BEC Pro
Motor: Tekin 1400kV T8
Servo: MKS-Servo HV380
LiPos: Neu-Energy 6S 2500mAh 30C
Rx: Spektrum DSM2 Rx
Soon, a MyLaps RC4.

All the radio gear is running on 9.6V.

[Rcrcrus]

That looks really good. My mate has just ordered one. It will be good to here how it gose. I see you are running a 1/10 speedo will that do? just asking. If i remember correctly you ran a mamba monster befor in a losi for give me if i'm wrong. Could you gie me some hints on the speedo setup as it still has to much power and i've tried to set every thing quit low. ie punch. Only getting bout 13min final not good. Running losi 8t 2.0 mamba monster with 2600 motor just mad lol.

[jasonwipf]

Love that body concept. I ought to do the Energizer car! What a cool idea you go there.

[jasonwipf]

That looks really good. My mate has just ordered one. It will be good to here how it gose. I see you are running a 1/10 speedo will that do? just asking. If i remember correctly you ran a mamba monster befor in a losi for give me if i'm wrong. Could you gie me some hints on the speedo setup as it still has to much power and i've tried to set every thing quit low. ie punch. Only getting bout 13min final not good. Running losi 8t 2.0 mamba monster with 2600 motor just mad lol.

Ya my buddy runs that set up and gets about 240-260 mah/min. If your using anything less that a 3400mah pack that is really bad run times. I did play with punch and exponential on over powered cars and while they both help control low end spinout and excessive torque. Try just lowering your throttle travel in increments of 10. My buddy runs that set up with 20% taken off the forward throttle travel and it slows the car down across the whole power curve and makes it much more controllable and increases milage.

[Marvin]

I'm guessing you're running 14.8V? If so, that is a manic set-up for a track-buggy. The 2200 will be far more controllable. Or, Castle have just released a 1512 1800kV motor - which would be perfect in a buggy on 4S, where you're trying to get more control.

Yes, it is a 1/10th ESC, but it is capable of 6S, and ~80A, like the Mamba Max (which most used with a BEC before the MMM came out). I have added 3 105°C 330uF 35V caps as well, and removed the strain of running the BEC (running an external one).

Most important thing in extending your run time is to drive smoothly. Use barely any throttle coming out of corners, and slowly build up to full throttle if needed. You'll still be faster than the nitros, but you'll get far longer run-times.

[hockeyhead019]

beauty marvin... pics of the insides maybe?

love the paint scheme haha

-Jim

[leinad]

I thought I'd share some pics of my new Ve8:
...

Great color scheme, Marvin :thumbsup:

[leinad]

Love that body concept. I ought to do the Energizer car! What a cool idea you go there.

You should... you should :lol:

[BRS]

Looks the dogs Marv, just needs sliver or chrome window trim next time :lol: side windows getting lost in the darkness

[James]

My VE8, you can just about see the new alloy hub carriers and castor blocks front and rear, also the new alloy front and rear braces underneath. These things are ACE :thumbsup:

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/DSC_0255.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/DSC_0254.jpg

And my truck :lol:

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/DSC_0256.jpg

[poopers]

Looking great chaps. :thumbsup:

What are you guys doing to protect the cells from the pinion? I heard there was a bracket you can buy, or is this not as much of an issue as people made out. Also, anyone experienced any weaknesses with the chassis. I read there was a batch that were fragile, but that might be contained to the American market? Love to read any running reports, thinking of getting one after Christmas.

[James]

I dremelled the motors rotor down so it was further away from the batteries, cells are also servotaped in, i havent seen the bracket, can you link me?
Hadnt heardof the chassis snapping but the new alloy parts may replace any bits they've had problems with:
http://www.hpiracing.co.uk/piw.php?partNo=67580
and
http://www.hpiracing.co.uk/piw.php?partNo=67581

[poopers]

James, I only heard about a bracket as a passing reference in the Ve8 thread on RCTech. Only info I could glean was that it might be an individual component or part of an alloy chassis for the car by a company called BCE (http://bcespeed.com/). Was hoping you guys might have more info.

The same thread has a couple of guys going through a few chassis, one (post 1989) apparently contacted HB/HPI who appear to admit that there has been some material issues. It seems like just a small batch though as loads of other posters are finding the car very tough.

Want one after watching this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FiBBLglOzg
:drool:

[BRS]

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd296/mrtymcfly/DSC_0255.jpg

Ufffff thats a banging paint job :thumbsup:

[Marvin]

To protect the LiPo (which is only 110mm long) I'm going to use a block of plastic, such as Delrin or a resin, then drill and countersink the chassis, and screw it on. I've also used velcro tape to prevent the LiPo from sliding, and velcro straps. The blocks are a more permanent solution so I don't have to use the velcro tape. I may try and get the connector in the block too - to look as neat as possible.

Underbody pics to come when I've finished the wiring job - 'cos it's quite complex under there at the moment.

Thanks for the praise guys.

[dodgydiy]

that car really does look like a tenth buggy when the shell is on! looks much more purpose made than others i have seen

[hockeyhead019]

that car really does look like a tenth buggy when the shell is on! looks much more purpose made than others i have seen

agreed 100%

[James]

that car really does look like a tenth buggy when the shell is on! looks much more purpose made than others i have seen

It handles much more like a 1/10th buggy too, my previous leccy 8th which was a conversion took much more forceing round a 10th track than this Ve8 which is more nimble.
I'm going to try the longer rear shocks next as is mainly run on the D8.

Telshells did the paintjob :)

[telboy]

That looks better than I thought it would james. :) Cheers for the plug. :p


I ran my LRP (I know its not an HB's) the other week on 14.8v on a damp slippery astro track, and to be honest it wasn't that bad to drive.
I think if you race nitro and are used to 'blipping' the throttle, then it can be a problem to drive on that voltage. But being used to electric anyway I'm a lot smoother on the throttle, so the extra voltage wasn't a problem.

Marvin, love the Duracell scheme. Great idea. I always say that the simple schemes look the best. :)

[David W]

Are there many parst from the d8? or are they completly new, front and rear end look the same. Anyone compared one to other 1/8 brushless?

[Marvin]

Front and rear suspension assemblies are the same as the D8.

Reports from the US seem to say that this and the Hyper 9E are about equally good and at the top - the Losi and the RC8 are a bit behind (for the average racer). Of course, that's the US, and we tend to take things a little differently over here.

[DaveG28]

Guys, well tempted but could do with some info:

Max lipo dimensions LxHxW
Is it reverse rotation, does that effect motor/esc options?
How is the esc held in?
Best places for spares?

[mark christopher]

Guys, well tempted but could do with some info:

Max lipo dimensions LxHxW
Is it reverse rotation, does that effect motor/esc options?
How is the esc held in?
Best places for spares?

1/ 140mm long
2/ just turn the front and rear diffs over to change rotation
3/ screws/velcro/tape
4/ mbmodels in leeds

[Marvin]

The biggest LiPo that can fit is not really 140mm, the motor's position denies this. 139mm MAX, I find that the best set-up in a car like this is to use small 6S packs - I've got a 110mm long, 52mm wide pack in there, though it required the velcro strap holders being moved (involved drilling and countersinking).

Official size is 140mm by 49mm though.

This picture shows it with a 138-139mm battery pack:
http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m440/fullsyz/smc002.jpg

This is what I was waffling on about with the short pack idea:
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff247/Edumakated_photo/photo2.jpg

It is a reverse direction type car, you can just mount the front and rear diffs into the bulkheads the wrong way to correct this.

The ESC is held in (officially) using double sided tape. However, there are two holes pre-drilled into the ESC area - this is to mount the Traxxas E-Revo plastic MMM hold-down. Also, you could screw a of shock-end into each and use those as some locations to hold it down using a zip-tie.

Traxxas mount:
http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7821&stc=1&d=1255068847

I just looked through 85 pages on the RC-Tech thread about it to find the post about the 'eyelet' mounting idea - turns out it was a written explanation - no picture I'm afraid...

Spares are from anywhere that sell HPI bits - they'll be able to get you parts.

[DaveG28]

Trying to remember what James told me at the weekend on this, but in terms if fitting battery's, would 2x2s packs go in there with room for connector wires etc (maybe with the connectors on the sides of each pack or something?)?

[Marvin]

Trying to remember what James told me at the weekend on this, but in terms if fitting battery's, would 2x2s packs go in there with room for connector wires etc (maybe with the connectors on the sides of each pack or something?)?

Yes but not very well -
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a76/cornolio/DSC01547.jpg?t=1254678675
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a76/cornolio/DSC01555.jpg?t=1254678591
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a76/cornolio/DSC01542.jpg?t=1254678635

Images from 'cornolio' on RC-Monster.

[DaveG28]

Are there any height restrictions or is there plenty of clearance to the body?

[Marvin]

You'd need a rediculously tall battery for that to be an issue.

My packs are 35mm tall, and I'd say there is another 15mm available - and they are wide packs - (57mm). A narrow pack probably won't be limited in height, as it'll be under the window section.

[hockeyhead019]

that battery is quite possibly the shiniest battery i've ever seen haha but Marvin great car and that's some crazy clearance you have under that shell

[Marvin]

Here's some (poor) under body pics. I just wish that the natural light would come back eventually.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pJNeulUYR5E/S1YstQtHqkI/AAAAAAAAAfo/onbMvPoiMX8/s640/An%20OK%20one.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_pJNeulUYR5E/S1YsuEnjShI/AAAAAAAAAfs/94DWST6XLJs/s640/And%20another.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pJNeulUYR5E/S1YsutnwVeI/AAAAAAAAAfw/QoEEa0LkqoE/s640/Another.JPG

You can see:
A Castle Creations MMP, with 3 220uF 35V 105° capacitors
A Castle Creations BEC Pro
An MKS HV-380 Servo - 0.03s transit times http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/images/smilies/gasp.gif
A Tekin T8 1400KV motor
A Neu-Energy 30C 6S 2500mAh pack
Spektrum DSM2 Rx
Lots of wires.

Just a note - I'm running the radio equipment on 9.5V.

[rc_dan]

sort of run time u get mate with that, short tight tacks short blasts ?

looks sweet

[Marvin]

Should be ~12-15 minutes on a large track. (Probably closer to 12 though...)

[DaveG28]

Do the castle motors fit in these no problems? And on 4s would a castle 2200 combo be a good option?

[James]

Thats what i run in mine Dave, i think you've seen it.. I had to dremel the end of the rotor down about 3-4 mm though, its pretty close to the battery.

[DaveG28]

Thats what i run in mine Dave, i think you've seen it.. I had to dremel the end of the rotor down about 3-4 mm though, its pretty close to the battery.

Hi James, is it the 2200 you run, what sort of runtime do you get on say a 5000 4s?

Also, does the motor fit in ok at the other end, heard its a tight fit with some motors?

[James]

Yes thats the motor.. Tight fit at the other end? sorry not with you...

Seems to fit fine, it would do about 15 mins at race speed..

Its going a treat now, well it was excellent before but ive just put the longer rear shocks on as the nitros tend to run on the D8, its just superb, feels like a 10th buggy not a bit of a lumberer like my previous conversion..

[DaveG28]

Yes thats the motor.. Tight fit at the other end? sorry not with you...

Seems to fit fine, it would do about 15 mins at race speed..

Its going a treat now, well it was excellent before but ive just put the longer rear shocks on as the nitros tend to run on the D8, its just superb, feels like a 10th buggy not a bit of a lumberer like my previous conversion..

By the other end I mean the back of the motor against the steering arm etc?

Do you have part numbers for the longer shocks by the way, are they a "kit"?

[James]

shocks are, theyre just HB ones #67298

You need the longer tower too - 112mm one

No the motor fits in ok..

:)

[DaveG28]

shocks are, theyre just HB ones #67298

You need the longer tower too - 112mm one

No the motor fits in ok..

:)

Cheers James, what pinion are you running it on? (Assuming your on stock spur?)

[James]

Running a 20 Dave with standard spur. I'll bring the car Sunday for you to have a closer look at, I'll be giving it a run round again too.

[DaveG28]

Running a 20 Dave with standard spur. I'll bring the car Sunday for you to have a closer look at, I'll be giving it a run round again too.

I'm not there this sunday sadly, have let Muzzy know but if you speak to him can you check he got my message?

Thanks for the advice on this, may go ahead and get the electrical side sorted now and see if any new cars are about in a mth or so, from the current crop though think it'd be the Ve8 to try!

[DaveG28]

Sorry there are more questions:

Are the standard castle wires long enough, or did you solder extra length (is it 10awg) in the middle? Looks from pics I've seen like the motor end of the wires is fixed in so can't be changed..

If I have a 138mm battery, will I have to dremel the motor shaft somehow or will I get away with a thin sheet of something protecting the cell if it moves instead? How easy is a motor shaft to dremel?

Cheers Guys!!

[James]

Standard wire is 10awg and the length is just right with a bit to spare.

Im also using 138mm lipo and yes i would really reccommend grinding the shaft down - its pretty long anyway, dead easy to do jut use a barrel grinder on a dremel or similar.
:thumbsup:

[DaveG28]

Do these come in over whatever the weight limit is?