FAQ

Disclaimer: All FAQ items are not the sole opinions of RCPRODUCTDESIGNS, but a list of enthusiasts answers to questions commonly asked by other enthusiasts.

1. NEU- 1512 version used on 1/8 Scale Buggies. Some like the 1.5D and 2D versions with smaller pinions 10T to 12T with the Kyosho 46T spur. These help on reducing the cogging that could exist with the MM. The new Version of the Castle Creations Mamba Max Software Version 1.17 helps reduce cogging to be almost non-existent.

                  1512       rpm/v      Max V Max Amps        Watts      HP                         HP at 15 Volts(4S)
                    1d          4875        15         200               3000       4.023                     4.023
                    1.5d       3200        18         135               2430       3.25863                  2.715525
                    2d          2600        20         125               2500       3.3525                   2.514375
                    2.5d       2000        30         78                 2340       3.13794                 1.56897
                    3d          1700        35         70                2450       3.28545                  1.40805
                    1.5y       1900         32         80                2560       3.43296                  1.6092
                    2y          1400        40          60                2400       3.2184                   1.2069

"It all depends on the user and their application. This should be something on the FAQ page if it isn't already. Before I bought the 1.5D, I really had no clue that IT was the faster motor, but just going off suggestions from everyone. What I think would really help for newbies is maybe something like this on the FAQ:

1512 1.5D (Battery run limited compared to the lower Kv motors...used for big tracks and going stupid fast!!)
1512 2.0D (Probably the best motor for most conditions.....middle of the road, but not to be confused with mediocre)
1512 2.5D (Saves battery time and when crazy speeds are not needed....probably equal to a fast nitro...if not a little more)

*The above is what I have gathered from the forum, with only having experience with the 1512 1.5D (so take that as my opinion, or just speculating what other have said).

Some of us (like me) don't get into the nitty gritty details, but just the basics. The above list to me is "the basics". I do realize there are a lot on here that love to get out their calculator though. It's fun and I can do it, but I prefer not to."

2. NEU -1515 version used on 1/8 Scale Truggy. A few us us really like the overall performance of the 1515 1.5D motor. Could be used on a buggy, but others believe it is too big. Works Great on the Truggy.

3. Fiegao - Best to use the XL Versions with a RC Monster Heat Sink Motor Clamp.

4. Lehner - Very powerful, 2- pole, many sizes to choose from, very efficient, works with the MM. They are hard to get in the US.

They are made in Germany with NOT the best customer service. Look around the forums and ebay, sometimes you'll find them.

I've been running Nitro for the past few years. I used to use a 5-cell NiMh Rx pack but was never really happy with the performance. When the pack was fully charged the servos were very fast and strong. But in a longer main, you could feel the brakes fade. Then once we started running the truggy class you could really see the impact on the steering servo and brakes.

Then a lot of us started using LiPo receiver packs. Against the Mfg recommendation we were running the LiPo Rx packs direct without a voltage regulator. The servo's speed and torque was INSANE. The personal transponder didn't have any ill effects off the direct LiPo nor did the Spektrum and Nomadio Receivers. But some of my older airtronics 357/358 servos didn't last long. I then switched to the new Hitec Titanium servos (5955) and have had zero issues. The Hitec Ti servos are rated for 7.4 volts. Some of my friends have used the JR 9000 series servos as well as some digital Ko servos. I'm sure if I ran the Airtronics servos with a 7.0 volt regulator they would have been fine, but when fully charged the LiPo is pushing over 8.4 volts.

The only problem with running the LiPo direct was the pack fully charged has like 8.4 volts and slowly drops to 7.4 over the first 10-15 minutes of use. Again you can feel the voltage decrease. But once the pack settled in, the cars were just easier and more responsive to drive. I also noticed more consistent lap times.

The guys running regulators were using the 6.0 volt regulators but I had Eric from HT Batteries make me a few 7.0 volt regulators (Adam Drake, Ryan Mayfield and Chad Bradley I believe all use the 7.0 volt regulators too). The 7.0 volts is below the packs normal voltage of 7.4 volts so they work great. The voltage is constant for 90-95% of the packs life before it dumps. But the other good thing is that you can monitor the voltage on your radio (if you use a React or Spektrum Telemetry) so that when the pack falls below a pre-set voltage an alarm goes off. If you can only discharge the LiPo's to 3.0 volts per cell, what good is running a 6.0 volt regulator? Once the pack falls below 6.0 volts, the cells may be ruined. Many guys think the servos will get ruined running at 7.0 volts when they are rated for 6.0 volts. But you also have to remember that a fully charged 5-cell NiMh pack has well over 6.0 volts anyways. I think mine measured at 6.7 to 6.8 volts. It would slowly discharge all the way down to 5.0 volts.

In my E-MBX5R I have the new CC BEC. It is adjustable from 4.8 to 9.6 volts. I plan on running my Hitec 5955 steering servo at 7.0 volts. The servo has like 400oz of torque at 7.0 volts. The CC BEC is also rated for more Amps than any other BEC on the market.

Best regards,

1. Mamba Max- Made for 1/10th scale, has been a real workhorse for the 1/8th Scale. Has Been used with 4S Lipos safely. With 4s lipos it requires an External BEC to supply power to the RX. The MM outdoors in a racing condition requires some kind of external cooling and a modification to the MM tub has helped keeping its temps down too.

Here is a pic with holes in the tub and a 25mm-5volt Fan on the top and bottom of the MM. The inner part of the MM can be removed by the 2 small allen head screws. You can remove the electronics from the tub and drill the similar holes in the tub and the bottom to fit the 25mm fan.

to this date, it has been the choice for working with the NEU motor. There is another ESC from the same company, not out yet, that is to be called a Mamba Monster Max designed to work with these larger 1/8th scale vehicles. Many places to buy from.

"If you are using the Mamba Max it has the lipo cut off capabilities built in.
As far as wiring goes you need to attach the input wires on the bec to the battery wires on the Mamba. The bec will then be plugged into the batt port of the receiver. You must pull the red wire out of the plug on the mamba and then plug the mamba into CH2 of the receiver. plug your servo into CH1 on the receiver. Now wire both fans together and put a servo plug on them and plug them into CH3 on the receiver. If you are going to run a personal transponder you will need a Y that you will share the CH3 with the fans and the PT. ( remember there will be power on the radio gear as soon as the battery is plugged in. You will need to turn on the power switch for the Mamba.) the motor wires are a simple solder together, but if the motor runs backward just change two of the wires around."

Pic of less than 0.30" spacer to keep the fan from catching the shroud. Depending on the fan height, it may need to be shorter than 0.030".

"One more shot of how I pocketed some of the material out of the MMM case bottom so the fan plug and the other black component dont rub on the case. I just used a dremel and a flat bottomed bit."

One quote from the prez of CC.

"We are looking into the fans -- they are causing a significant percentage of the failures (they run off the BEC, and some of the fan failures are killing the BEC.)"

"IMPORTANT INFO IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE A R1PRO WITH 4S LIPO OR MORE!

The cap that comes with the unit is only 16v and intended for up to 3s lipo. In 1/8 scale and 4s lipo or more you must use a 25V at least or 25V cap. Also the supplied cap is only 330uf, a tiny little stud, but not enough for the power of 1/8. You need a 2200uf or larger which we offer as accessory items.

Please remember this is not what this product is designed for, but since we knew people would do it anyway we are supporting it with info. Fact is that it does work pretty well if you make the needed changes to the cap and have a reasonable setup and driving style.

We are starting to understand some of our returns that did not make sense. We have had so few failures that each one is looked at closely. People typically do not disclose that they were using them in this application so we can explain why it failed and what to do to make it work."

"We also love voltage and hate current so it makes some sense. However the fets most of us use are 30V. Higher voltage fets tend to have slower switching and higher on resistance so there is a trade off. Also means we have to step down all that voltage for all the other circuits and some of the components can get spendy at those levels.

A lot of it is cost effectiveness. When we are buying components you really have to buy huge quantities to get decent prices. That is why even our mini products have top of the line fets because we can actually buy them for less than smaller qty of lower power fets in many cases. If you want an affordable controller please do not make us redesign from the ground up and source all new parts.

Even though we like 5s better than 4s for current reasons, it seems that 4s makes sense for the hobby in general. Allows people to use 2 2s packs in the cars and still have them available for use in 1/10 as 2 s packs. Also means the current chargers are applicable since few can boost the voltage to these levels and still have any current.

I agree higher voltage may be the right answer technically, but when 1/8 electric becomes mainstream and there are rules defined all of this will have to be taken into account. The decision will really be made for us. This industry does not really design for pure engineering reasons, but is driven by cost and other factors. You are talking about completely different motor designs and components rather than just an evolution of what we already have. Time will tell, but I predict 4s will dominate and 5s might be allowed since faster is not always faster on the track. It is about putting it to the ground and turning fast laps.

Maybe I am completely wrong, but all the products being designed currently are for 6s or less and get it done. I do not see a quantum shift as possible for the mainstream at this point."

4. MGM: Works with most any Motor. Made in CZ a lot of mixed reviews. Rated for high power with up to a 224 amp- 6s design. Can buy here: http://www.rc-monster.com/brushlesscontrollers.php

5. Quark Monster Pro 125B: Works with most any motor. Has heat issues that could be helped with a Thermo Mod. Can buy here: http://www.rc-monster.com/brushlesscontrollers.php

The 8ight buggy has a high working angle and a small -weak CVD in front of the center diff. They seem to wear out and cause a little noise the looser they get.

I have a Mugen MBX5 that has a large robust CVD that can handle a much larger working angle without binding.
These parts work well without mod to the 8ight chassis or driveline.

mugen parts:

U-Joint Shaft: C0264
U-Joint Cup: C0266
Front/Rear Universal Drive Shaft: C0267 (comes in 2 per pack, Spare)
Pin fro U-Joint: C0265

"ok here's the lowdown bear with me here..

as far as the spur gear once you try lining it up with the drive cup you will see what needs to be done to the spur gear holes. its very straight forward.

the stock shims. in the diff.

on the stock spur gear there are two shims behind the big gear. take the gear off.. and transfer the o ring and stuff to the kyosho gear. then only replace 1 shim but save the other shim because that will be used later. if you try and use two on the kyosho spur you will get some serious binding and that's no good..

then you'll need to take the crosshair spiders out. (the little'er gears)..there will be a shim behind each little gear.

then take the other big sun gear that's in the bottom of the cup out. you should see two shims under that. (this is where the spare shim from the spur gear comes into play ) you'll want to put that other shim on the shaft. for a total of 3 shims on the cup side. put the sun gear back on..

then put an additional shim behind each small gear on the crosshairs. for 2 behind each one. then fill and assemble the diff.

total number of shims stock 8
total number of shims after mod 12 the diff may feel slightly ratchety but it will loosen up as it wears in
youll wanna change the center diff fluid after a race day. because when they wear in they will expel alot of small metal chips your diff fluid will look metallic. although it looks cool this prematurely wears out the diff cup and the spur gear.

oky doky. heres a few little tips i found necessary to do.

first off all the little locknuts on the shock tower/top plate screws. put a small dab of ca glue on them to keep them in place when working on the rc8.. when you go to replace the top plate when it breaks these little nuts fall out and are a pain in the behind to get back in place.
the places are
front shock tower.
rear shock tower
under the top plate.

another thing i made sure to do was go through the whole car. make sure everythings tight.

another thing to do is on the front chassis brace on the upper bushing the shiney metal peice i flipped that over to prevent the brace from popping off during a race. once you take a look at it youll see what im talking about.

as for the knuckles. bear down and buy a set of king headz knuckles there are some mods for the stockers and i only broke mine hittin a 2x4 midair on a quad.. as long as you dont do that you should be fine.

another thing
LOCTITE the motormount/center diff brace on the conversion. also do the same for the top plate.

locktite your front cvds and rear cvds and center cvds. this is A MUST

also loctite your servo saver adjust it how you want then tighten it slightly put a dab and then loosen it back to where you had it.

i run two maxamps 6000 packs in series. i use two seperate packs cause this gives me flexibility. if one cell goes i just replace the pack. if i sell the car i just use the packs in other vehicals. another thing is i dont need to balance as often. where as 4s you need to balance EVERY charge.

i have my rc8 geared 11 46 i get 22 mins pushing it HARD and doing warmup laps. the car is more than capable of overclearing ANY thing on the track. i also run the 1.5d/f

faster than nitros and has more pull than nitros id say on a medium/small size track 11 tooth is perfect

on the battery side of the car i run slightly more preload to adjust for the extra weight. this car is dialed. and i love it. i came to this buggy from a 8ight and i wouldnt trade it for the world. BUT dont get me wrong the 8ight is a wonderful platform as well but the rc8 suits my driving style better.. it seems it likes to be pushed hard. and soaks up alot more than the losi."

Comment 1: One of the biggest issues with these things are that they jump higher, further and are faster than any nitro. With that said, they fall and hit things harder than any nitro. The LIPOs are very malleable and can deform which could lead to worst outcomes. Respect the LIPO....

Comment 2: Breakout on the balancer connector to power the 5V fans for cooling the ESC. On this balancer cable the red is positive. The other 4 black ones are the negative parts of the batteries in series in this 4s battery. The first black wire is 3.7volts next to the red wire. The next one out from the red wire is 7.4 Volts. These two give more than enough voltage to run the fans. I use a mini Deans connector for this and the fans to plug in when I'm ready. The pics should be enough to understand the connectors.

1. Maxamp: Cost effective. A 6000mah 4s pack will fit in the RCPRODUCTDESIGNS single tray while just touching the body on the buggies. Truggies have enough room to put a 8000 mah 4s pack with no problems. The 6000 pack with a NEU, MM setup has had 15-20 minute mains on buggies.

2. Enerland: Usually cost more. They fit in the RCPD long tray setup, which all trays will incorporate from now on. Enerland is the manufacturer and the 5000 pack has been working great for up to 20 minute mains. Thunder Power, Flight Power, PolyQuest, PolyRC, Neu 30C/60C model and Hyperion has used these cells.

"In discussions with Bob Novak about the conversions they are doing, they said they started out with mechanical brakes. After a LOT of testing by his pro drivers they decided it was not necessary and they scrapped the idea.
No offense, but the need for mechanical brakes seems to be the mindset of experienced Nitro drivers. Most if not all have found they are not necessary. It is not impossible to put them in a chassis... but there is limited space, the issue of how to disable the ESC brake function and still be able to get the braking action needed.
The brakes on the ESC work great and are more than you will ever need. Most are dialing out braking for better control. It is not a US VS THEM issue. Just a different set up that takes getting used do if you have been running Nitro with mechanical brakes."

"I have been racing nitro 1/8th scale since 1991 running a Kyosho Burns,Turbo Burns, Turbo Inferno and a Kanai II. Then I picked up a Losi 8ight and converted it to electric. I feel that it depends on the chassis that is converted, weather or not mechanical breaks would be an advantage. The Losi and Associated cars do not really need brake bias because they turn so well. My old K car would definitely need rear brake bias to make it around a tight track. Most of the top level 1/8th buggies do turn well much better than the cars of the old days. With all that being said the converted 1/8th scale handles very much like a 1/10th electric 4wd and they don't need brake bias. I had a Tamiya TRF 501x for two seasons and never needed a one way front diff to make it turn. You can adjust your set up to get the car to turn."

"I've been racing Nitro for four years (1/8th buggy and truggy) so I'm very used to having mechanical brakes. Driving my E-MBX5R without them I haven't really missed them much. But the car drives very different too so I can't say I wouldn't like mechanical brakes back either. For me, the setup would have to be simple, easy to adjust and not create an electrical/radio night-mare though.

I look forward to seeing what the Mfg's produce when they are ready to step into the 1/8th electric market. I understand one of the major players is already working on a production unit so it'll be interesting to see what they come up with.

If I had to guess, in the FAR future, I think you'll most likely see them make a bigger 1/10th scale 4WD car. So it would be a LOT lighter than any of the 1/8th nitro cars we're converting today. About the only thing it'll probably share are tires & rims. But I also think a car like that may be years, upon years off.

Right now it'll be way too easy (and the quickest way to make a buck) to follow the conversion process we're doing ourselves. I say that because of how the truggy class has developed over the last 3-4 years. First it was bolt on LONG full offset 17mm Dominator rims with MT tires, then the JT conversion kits helped the gearing issues, then the MSR factory conversion kits (although HotBodies beat everyone to the punch), then full blown Mfg truggies. But even after building purpose built truggies it took over a year to make purpose built truggy tires & rims. Just like the car conversion itself, at first they just used Monster Truck tires/rims. Then they made MT tire treads/compounds for racing. Then folks starting playing with tires & rims (over two years ago I took large diameter 40 series MT rims, turned them down, cut off the MT tire bead and mounted up my own "low-profile" truggy tires). Now they finally make low-profile truggy rims and tires. So it basically took 4 years for the "early truggy pioneers" to get a true tire made for the application they envisioned."

"We have found that a steel pinion against a steel spur does not hold up to the torque of these motors in MOST applications. There are a few who are doing it... But still the longest we have had a steel pinion last in race conditions is about two race days.
SO Kyosho IF148 46T plastic spur is what we pretty much ALL use. Other than a adaptor from Ofna that fits the Mugen with a 51T spur, ( not sure if it will fit other diffs.) That is our only choice, the 46T.
It is not so much the gear size... it is that we need the plastic.
You can get the spur from me at www.rcproductdesigns.com and many other places
Dan"

Although not always true, a rule of thumb is:
Hot motor, cool controller, cool batteries = undergeared
Cool motor, hot controller, hot batteries = overgeared

Losi 8ight, Neu 1512 1.5D, 4S Enerland 5000, 5 minute Indoor Data using an Eagletree system

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1/8th Scale and TRUGGY FAQ: