Caster SK10 Pro. Any other Casterites out there?

[V6Jim]

Originally Posted by KennyClark

What oil are you running in the front diff?
A lighter oil in the front will make the car more aggressive to drive.
I think 10K in the front is a good starting point.

I believe it's 7K, but it's the stuff that was in it when I bought it!

I was working on the car tonight and noticed that when I tighten down the top half of the front diff casing it stops it turning freely! This is just the sort of thing that could cause the car to be tail happy - front brakes!

Might be up to yours this Sunday, if I can wangle it!

Jimmy

[Timee80]

won't a front brake bias cause a car to push in to a corner?, not be tail happy

[discothesnake]

Originally Posted by V6Jim

Took delivery of a new servo yesterday. I was pretty sure that the Alturn servo I had was a bit rubbish, so I splashed out and bought a Hobbyking HK47111DMG from the UK branch of HK. What a fantastic range of stuff they have at pretty seriously cheap prices. This one was $37. (£24)

This servo is quite highly regarded in the US, so I thought I'd try it. Here's the blurb:

The HK Mi Series servos represent the next break through in high precision servo technology. Using Magnetic Induction, rather than a potentiometer, for an unsurpassed level of accuracy and performance.
Specs:
Voltage: 4.8v / 6v
Speed: 0.08sec / 60deg (4.8v) - 0.07sec / 60deg (6v)
Torque: 9.70kg.cm (4.8v) - 11.8kg.com (6v)
Size: 40.2mm x 20.1mm x 39.2mm
Weight: 61g
Gear Train: Full Titanium Alloy
Motor: Coreless

Mi : Magnetic Induction, uses a Magnetic Rotary Encoder in place of a traditional potentiometer (invented in 1877). Magnetic Rotary encoders have a longer life and suffer less wear.

Super fast, torquey, quiet and smooth. Well, I say 'quiet' it actually runs quietly, but when at rest it chitters away like a chipmunk!

Anyway, it's light years better than the Alturn.

Doing a bit of diff oil experimenting. I'm changing the rear 3K oil for 7K oil. I think that may make it better under full power.

Jimmy

Jimmy, stop buying Chinese crap and just buy a Savox 1251 or 1258. You could have had one for the money you wasted on two cheap efforts. Everyone uses them because they are good and they work!

[V6Jim]

You know me, always going down a different path! I actually nearly bought a 1258 Savox secondhand, but it eventually sold for nearly as much as a new one! So, I thought I'd give the HK a go. It's a little quicker than the 1258, has all the latest gubbins and is half the price!
As long as it lasts a couple of seasons I'll be happy. I'm getting my money back for the Alturn servo.

Jimmy

[V6Jim]

New cab forward body from Caster!

Well, not actually - just me messing with Corelpaint....

CasterBody.jpg

Jimmy

[mark-rc]

I've been running the car for the passed couple of years, it's improving all the time. It's a very easy car to drive and as so does not need high diff oil's like the rango 410. I ran the car at Chadderton 'slippy cork' floor. I used 6k in the front and 10k in the rear. I could get on the power as hard as I wanted with this setup. but remember tyres play a huge part in how you get the power to the ground. I race 1/8th Rally Cross also and when the track is slippy and the rear want to over take the front when getting on power, I go heavier in the rear diff. this stops the diff from diffing out and helps push the car from the rear.

by the way, that shell would be cool !

[V6Jim]

I've been arguing that heavier rear diff oil would help stop the oversteer and I have just set the car up last night with 10K in the back and 7K in the front. I'm probably running it this weekend, but that'll be on carpet, so I'll not learn too much about any handling subtleties on that!

Good to hear from you. Post pictures and any other tips and tricks you've learnt over the time you've had it.

Jimmy

[haggis]

ive just bought the 10 dollar and the 20 dollar servos off hobby king to give them a try.

ive got 3 models now so if i used savox in all of them that would be £150 in servos which is just not right

[V6Jim]

Originally Posted by haggis

ive just bought the 10 dollar and the 20 dollar servos off hobby king to give them a try.

ive got 3 models now so if i used savox in all of them that would be £150 in servos which is just not right

Which ones exactly? A $10 servo isn't likely to be terribly marvelous!

Mind you, my $30 one seems to be pretty good. Had a quick run with it last night (on that well known floodlit practice track - the street in front of the house - midnight) and it seems pretty good,

Jimmy

[haggis]

BMS-631 Super Fast Servo 5.0kg / .10sec / 43g
$12.42

BMS-616DMG+HS Super Strong Digital Servo for bugggy (Metal Gear)10.2kg / .12sec / 46.5g
$22.54


Ill stick the $12 in my 2wd sc10. its gotta be better than the standard acoms thats in it just now. The super strong is going in my 410 which should arrive this week.

will update next wed after racing

[V6Jim]

Haggis,

They are cheap! They also look OK - certainly better than a basic Acoms. Interesting to hear how they do!

Here's another view of the Caster body I'm having a go at....

CasterNewBody.JPG

The guys on the USA Caster website are quite keen to get this made. Which would be nice!

http://casterracingusa.com/forum/index.php

Jimmy

[/tobys]

Originally Posted by V6Jim

Haggis,

They are cheap! They also look OK - certainly better than a basic Acoms. Interesting to hear how they do!

Here's another view of the Caster body I'm having a go at....

Attachment 45040

The guys on the USA Caster website are quite keen to get this made. Which would be nice!

http://casterracingusa.com/forum/index.php

Jimmy

IMO, I think the windscreen needs to be steeper and larger so that is is proper "cab forward", otherwise there will be little/no performance benefit.

[V6Jim]

Originally Posted by /tobys

IMO, I think the windscreen needs to be steeper and larger so that is is proper "cab forward", otherwise there will be little/no performance benefit.

I don't know about you, but I seriously doubt that the cab forward shell would make much difference to the handling of the Caster SK10. It's front shock tower is so big that any aero benefit that may be derived from the shell would be negligible.

In fact I'm pretty sure that very few buggies actually, really, benefit from the cab forward design, apart from the extra room they provide up front! Aerodynamically? Hmmm. Perhaps, a little.

No, this is really just an excercise in making a prettier cab forward shell..

Jimmy

[/tobys]

If you have a quick google, you will find where others have quantified the effect of typical cab forward shells (e.g. Proline Bulldog and JConcepts Punisher/Finnisher). Whilst you may be surprised, I seem to recall the concensus being that as long as there was enough surface area it made a difference to the downforce on the front. Simply shoving the cab "bulge" forward isn't enough so not all cab forward shells offer enough surface area to make any difference so this is purely cosmetic.

You mention the shock tower interfering - I think this is why the original cab forward designs have such as massive raking windscreen (so it affects the air passing over the shock tower). Trimming a few mm off the rear of a wing has a noticeable difference on the handling of our buggies (esp when jumping) as can running a cab forward shell.

And a steep and angular cab forward windscreen just looks "slammed" (as the Americans say)...I wouldn't say that yours looks any prettier than a Bulldog or Finnisher shell although it looks better than the kit one

Just my opinions - don't hate me for 'em

[V6Jim]

That'll likely explain why the new Caster CF shell is soooo huge at the front. It is ugly though. I think I'd rather see a nice front wing.... Tamiya style.

Jimmy

[V6Jim]

Ran the car last weekend with the 7K front 10K rear and it was pretty good.

The track was carpet, and it had a long 90 degree sweeper onto the straight. I did find that the car tended to push quite badly as I was powering onto this straight and I had to feather the throttle to stop it drifting to the outer barrier.

I'm pretty sure lighter front diff oil would sort this. (Or better front tyres!)

For anybody following this thread, Caster have now introducing a newer version of the car. Not sure what it's going to be called yet, but possibly Caster SK10 V3 or something... Anyway, it now has Big Bore (13mm) shocks, new slipper clutch, stronger driveshafts all with CVD couplings. Front bulkhead brace and a variety of other wee mods.

It should also come with a new bodyshell based on my new cab forward design! I have just sent more detailed drawing this evening! I'd be mighty chuffed if they actually put it into production....

Jimmy

[V6Jim]

The SK10 V3 is on it's way! Two weeks!

Jimmy

[kullyrc]

hi, can any one help i have a caster s10b with all the hop ups, but need to know what shock oil do i use for indoor (carpet) and outdoor? one others thing is that when my buggy is running it seems to sound very loud but the gear diffs are all smooth.

many thanks

[SamRCRacing]

Hi,

When I ran my Caster I used 35 in the front of 30 rear and outdoors 40 front and 30 rear. I would say the mesh between you pinion and spur is too tight. There should be a little bit of movement between the two.

Sam

[V6Jim]

The drivetrain should be sweet and quiet, so the only real culprit for noise, as Sam says, is the pinion/spur mesh.

I've found that for indoors on carpet it should be set pretty low and fairly stiff. It turns really well, so you can set the front stiffer than the back. Diffs have both got 7.5k oil in and I use Schumacher Mini-Pin yellows all round. Mine still isn't perfect, but it's OK.

Keep in touch with how you get on!

Jimmy