Anyway, here's the current status - looking good, huh? :
-
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Caster build
Well - been making some progress with the Caster. Yesterday afternoon, I got the diffs built and made a start on the front gearbox and suspension. It's the first time I've ever built diffs from scratch, so there was a bit of tension and trial and error. In the end it's fairly straightforward, but now I've gotten a little further in the build and seeing how hard diff access seems to be, I wish I'd run them in on a drill for a bit and then changed the oil before going further :/ You live and learn.
Anyway, here's the current status - looking good, huh? :
Anyway, here's the current status - looking good, huh? :
Sunday, 5 April 2009
Weekend
Well, I didn't get started on the Caster. Mostly because of a gazillion things to do around the farm. Not to worry - I'll get it done next weekend for sure, because I'm on vacation \o/
I also have received planning permission to move the farmring to somewhere far more interesting. It's drier, and it's a square bit of land, so should allow me to do a much more interesting track. I'm quite pleased about this, especially because it's closer to the house, making it a bit easier transporting stuff to and from it...
Photos of the Caster kit from kit to buggy next weekend.
I also have received planning permission to move the farmring to somewhere far more interesting. It's drier, and it's a square bit of land, so should allow me to do a much more interesting track. I'm quite pleased about this, especially because it's closer to the house, making it a bit easier transporting stuff to and from it...
Photos of the Caster kit from kit to buggy next weekend.
Friday, 3 April 2009
New toys...
Well, in the end, I plumped for a Fusion Pro kit from the states, with a Mamba Monster and motor combo....
It's arrived. Almost. Stupid, stupid Chronopost - because I have to pay duty on it (yeah - got stung for that, must take note of the USPS service that sends via Chronopost and not regular mail and remember not to use it) - have left it in their nearest office. It's 100km away. Yes 100 - not 20, or 50 or something you could do in less than an hour. Oh no. And they want money from me to retrieve it. Chronopost sucks.
It's arrived. Almost. Stupid, stupid Chronopost - because I have to pay duty on it (yeah - got stung for that, must take note of the USPS service that sends via Chronopost and not regular mail and remember not to use it) - have left it in their nearest office. It's 100km away. Yes 100 - not 20, or 50 or something you could do in less than an hour. Oh no. And they want money from me to retrieve it. Chronopost sucks.
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Spring has sprung!
Cracking weekend (again!) this weekend, so fiddled with the firestorm a bit and spent a while bashing it round the farmyard. The 'ring needs a bit of work, but that should be done in the next couple of weeks.
I'm now (thanks, Chris!) toying with 1/8th scale brushless offroad. Chris wanted me to buy a Caster, but I've taken my time and read up a bit and now have something of a shortlist.
In no particular order :
1. The Caster Fusion in RTR form. Decent value for money, but will need me to fork out for 2 x 2S lipo. Still possibly the cheapest option, but where's the fun in that :)
2. The Caster Fusion "Pro" Kit with a seperate ESC + motor. Adding, say, a Mamba Monster would have the advantage that I could save on news batteries (at least for the time being) because the Mamba Monster can handle 2 x 3s Lipo.
3. The Ishima Rave. Now I don't know why but this strikes me as being a really good looking product, and going by the cost of the RTR nitro version (300 quid or so) should not be crazy expensive.
4. The Losi 8ight-E 2.0. The dog's cojones.
5. Hobao Hyper 9 electric. Not out yet (but then is the Ishima??)
I'm now (thanks, Chris!) toying with 1/8th scale brushless offroad. Chris wanted me to buy a Caster, but I've taken my time and read up a bit and now have something of a shortlist.
In no particular order :
1. The Caster Fusion in RTR form. Decent value for money, but will need me to fork out for 2 x 2S lipo. Still possibly the cheapest option, but where's the fun in that :)
2. The Caster Fusion "Pro" Kit with a seperate ESC + motor. Adding, say, a Mamba Monster would have the advantage that I could save on news batteries (at least for the time being) because the Mamba Monster can handle 2 x 3s Lipo.
3. The Ishima Rave. Now I don't know why but this strikes me as being a really good looking product, and going by the cost of the RTR nitro version (300 quid or so) should not be crazy expensive.
4. The Losi 8ight-E 2.0. The dog's cojones.
5. Hobao Hyper 9 electric. Not out yet (but then is the Ishima??)
Sunday, 28 December 2008
Winter break and winter breakage...
Well, I couldn't resist. It was cold, it was dry - I took the firestorm out for a raz.
Proline Edge on the front and Goosebumps on the rear - it gripped like crazy...
I broke it :/ :
After 20 mins looking for the driveshaft; I got it back on the workbench (new!!!) :
that's the new work area in the cellar. It's great :)
Proline Edge on the front and Goosebumps on the rear - it gripped like crazy...
I broke it :/ :
After 20 mins looking for the driveshaft; I got it back on the workbench (new!!!) :
that's the new work area in the cellar. It's great :)
Sunday, 16 November 2008
Winter break
I took the new tyres out for a spin today. They're a gazillion times (at least) better than the stock ones. The Goose bumps clog up a bit more than the Step-pin ProLines, but they stay way grippy, and the Edge ones on the front are loads more incisive.
Overall, they're great, offer loads more grip - I'm well pleased with them. The HPI dish wheels look the part too.
The track is now getting really wet - the part of the field it's on is quite damp and never really dries out over the winter, so today may have been the last run there for a while. I can now get on with seeking out a club...
Overall, they're great, offer loads more grip - I'm well pleased with them. The HPI dish wheels look the part too.
The track is now getting really wet - the part of the field it's on is quite damp and never really dries out over the winter, so today may have been the last run there for a while. I can now get on with seeking out a club...
Tyres, wheels etc
I received this morning a big box of tyres, wheels and stuff. Have now some new tyres to try out - specifically :
- JConcepts Goose Bumps (Rear)
- Proline Step Pin (Rear)
- Proline Edge M3 (Front)
- Proline Blade M3 (Front)
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
More telemetry
Well, I finally got that last part of the telemetry fitted - the rpm sensor. You can see that the sensor fits just fine inside the spur/pinion cover - and once I found the right place for it with double-sided sticky, it was held in place by a little screw. The wires route out via the cover that's used to adjust the slipper. Quite neat, and I'm altogether pretty pleased.
For completeness, here's a shot of the aluminium mount I made for the lap-timing trigger..
.. and the new receiver (which is a lot bigger and heavier than the more modern one that the telemetry system doesn't work with :(( ) and the telemetry box itself :
Wires, wires everywhere. I'll tidy them up a bit now I'm happy it's all working, but some of them really are only just long enough, so getting them tidier may be tricky.
Back up to a 15T pinion too today, and broke my lap record for the farming (now stands at 24.8 secs - should be able to get a sub 20 sec in good conditions and once I've l2drive). Mostly because the conditions were much better (less sticky).
The temp sensor is great, the voltage sensor is pretty useful and the rpm sensor is, well, fun. It measures spur speed, but of course, you only need to tweak the throttle whilst you're airborn and you get a crazy high max speed reading :/ It'd be useful if you have a pit guy to keep an eye on the telemetry real time, but apart from that, it's not the most useful bit of the kit. There were many reviews of the Spektrum telemetry stuff which slated it - but it is actually quite a good setup - you can get them on the internet for far less than the Novek Data sentry stuff, and the voltage and temp are really quite useful. The rpm sensor could be a pain to mount (I guess it depends a lot on the car) but on the e-firestorm it's really quite straightforward if you can drill a hole straight and are willing to spend 15 mins or so getting the stuff in exactly the right position.
For completeness, here's a shot of the aluminium mount I made for the lap-timing trigger..
.. and the new receiver (which is a lot bigger and heavier than the more modern one that the telemetry system doesn't work with :(( ) and the telemetry box itself :
Wires, wires everywhere. I'll tidy them up a bit now I'm happy it's all working, but some of them really are only just long enough, so getting them tidier may be tricky.
Back up to a 15T pinion too today, and broke my lap record for the farming (now stands at 24.8 secs - should be able to get a sub 20 sec in good conditions and once I've l2drive). Mostly because the conditions were much better (less sticky).
The temp sensor is great, the voltage sensor is pretty useful and the rpm sensor is, well, fun. It measures spur speed, but of course, you only need to tweak the throttle whilst you're airborn and you get a crazy high max speed reading :/ It'd be useful if you have a pit guy to keep an eye on the telemetry real time, but apart from that, it's not the most useful bit of the kit. There were many reviews of the Spektrum telemetry stuff which slated it - but it is actually quite a good setup - you can get them on the internet for far less than the Novek Data sentry stuff, and the voltage and temp are really quite useful. The rpm sensor could be a pain to mount (I guess it depends a lot on the car) but on the e-firestorm it's really quite straightforward if you can drill a hole straight and are willing to spend 15 mins or so getting the stuff in exactly the right position.
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Sunday, 19 October 2008
Gah spektrum!
Got most of the telemetry plumbed in and...
couldn't get the handheld to bind properly so checked the internet. Telemetry is compatible with all Spektrum surface receivers... except the one I've got. Gah! Mine's a DSM2 - will only work with the DSM1 ones.
Off to ebay we go...
couldn't get the handheld to bind properly so checked the internet. Telemetry is compatible with all Spektrum surface receivers... except the one I've got. Gah! Mine's a DSM2 - will only work with the DSM1 ones.
Off to ebay we go...
Telemetry
The telemetry kit arrived. I can see what the reviews on the internet meant when they say it's a PITA to fit...
Fitting to the e-firestorm will require :
I'll keep you posted with updates - gonna try and make some cardboard patterns this afternoon.
Fitting to the e-firestorm will require :
- A mount for the IR lap timing sensor. Current thinking is that this will be made from aluminium and be screwed down to the screws that hold the battery down. they are very long on mine, as I had to change them
- A cutout (or at least a polish to make the lexan transparent) so the IR "eye" can "see" out.
- A mount (again from alu) to get the rev. counter sensor close enough to the spur gear while still fitting under the spur/pinion cover. I've no idea yet how this can work...
- Re-soldering the battery connector on in order to add the harness to the voltage sensor.
I'll keep you posted with updates - gonna try and make some cardboard patterns this afternoon.
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Fun on the track
No photos, I'm afraid, as my dear wife is starting to get bored with having to trek across the field to the Farmring and watch me spin round the track whilst she points the camera. Unreasonable, huh? :)
Anyway - a good session on the Farmring - some tweaking of the car has improved things no end. Swapped the rear springs for softer ones (now have 3.3lb springs on the front and 3.0lb springs on the rear - previously had 3.3 on the front and 3.6 on the rear). That has radically improved things down the front straight, as the car sticks to the track much better, and so you can keep the power on. this is how I discovered that the newly reshaped jump on the front straight is deadly at high-ish speeds :) I've calmed it down a bit now, but it still needs to be taken 'just right' or you tumble into the scenary.
Other main tweak I made is to use the Exponential setting on the DX3R to make the steering less twitchy around the midpoint, while keeping reactivity when you get to full lock. It has made me much more fluid round the track, and really helps me get the power down better without it fishtailing.
The telemetry kit should be arriving this week, including the timing stuff - so I should be able to post some lap times!
The firestorm is now filthy. Must get it cleaned.
Anyway - a good session on the Farmring - some tweaking of the car has improved things no end. Swapped the rear springs for softer ones (now have 3.3lb springs on the front and 3.0lb springs on the rear - previously had 3.3 on the front and 3.6 on the rear). That has radically improved things down the front straight, as the car sticks to the track much better, and so you can keep the power on. this is how I discovered that the newly reshaped jump on the front straight is deadly at high-ish speeds :) I've calmed it down a bit now, but it still needs to be taken 'just right' or you tumble into the scenary.
Other main tweak I made is to use the Exponential setting on the DX3R to make the steering less twitchy around the midpoint, while keeping reactivity when you get to full lock. It has made me much more fluid round the track, and really helps me get the power down better without it fishtailing.
The telemetry kit should be arriving this week, including the timing stuff - so I should be able to post some lap times!
The firestorm is now filthy. Must get it cleaned.
Saturday, 4 October 2008
Farmring Action!
Just a few photos to give you a taste.
Getting some air - even though the jumps need re-shaping after the 'gate', you can still get airborn if you've got enough... :)
You can also get it wrong :
Throttle control is important - some bits have more dust than grip. I'd changed down to a 13T pinion, and vmax is still pretty hard to hit
And to end with, here's one of the e-firestorm with a big grin on its face at the end of the session. The new Edit stickers have improved overall performance ;)
Getting some air - even though the jumps need re-shaping after the 'gate', you can still get airborn if you've got enough... :)
You can also get it wrong :
Throttle control is important - some bits have more dust than grip. I'd changed down to a 13T pinion, and vmax is still pretty hard to hit
And to end with, here's one of the e-firestorm with a big grin on its face at the end of the session. The new Edit stickers have improved overall performance ;)
Farmring Walkthrough
Well, I know lots of you have been waiting for some snaps of the Farmring, so here's a walkthrough of the track. Bear in mind that the gate ruined most of the jumps and banking, and that hasn't been fixed yet. (If that sentence makes no sense, I suggest you read a few previous posts :) )
Let's get started on the front straight :
Nothing much to say, other than some difficulties will be added later (a rough zone, for example). There was a big mound that was to be a tabletop, but that got flattened. The soil is still there, but it need making back into a pile in the right place.
The straight leads into a left hander (the course is anti-clockwise, in fact, though for the moment it can be used either way since all the jumps are gone.
The turn is up a hill (the photos don't show it too well, but it's a decent gradient) and tightens progressively :
This then leads into what should have been a banked 'S', but again the gate got the better of it :
And then onto the back straight - same remarks apply as to the front straight, there was (and will be) some jumps on here :
This part then starts to swing left into what was (and will be...) a sort of banked hairpin. I must admit, I've been struggling to get this bit right. It may just remain a tight corner :)
After the hairpin comes Frankenstein's Corner - its a hard to describe crossover between a jump and a banked 'S' - the photo doesn't do it justice, and the gate calmed it down somewhat - it's a fun thing though, that it's quite hard to get right.
And after Frankenstein's - it's back onto the front straight :
Overall - the track has so far been quite a learning experience. I'm following a scraper blade for the tractor on eBay, because I think that's the best way of getting a good finish on it. The jumps and final finishing needs to be completed by hand. The track is not as wide as I would have liked it - but a) for the moment, there's only ever one car on it anyway :) and b) I was limited by the size of the heavy objects I used to drag round there. The scraper might change that :).
I'll try and convince my dear wife to take a few action shots (wish me luck!), and I think now that I'll gear down to 13 or 14T pinions, as the 16 that's cool for bashing is really too long for the track. Lots of fun to be had - shame that winter is now closing in...
Elvis fully approves of the track, btw :))
Let's get started on the front straight :
Nothing much to say, other than some difficulties will be added later (a rough zone, for example). There was a big mound that was to be a tabletop, but that got flattened. The soil is still there, but it need making back into a pile in the right place.
The straight leads into a left hander (the course is anti-clockwise, in fact, though for the moment it can be used either way since all the jumps are gone.
The turn is up a hill (the photos don't show it too well, but it's a decent gradient) and tightens progressively :
This then leads into what should have been a banked 'S', but again the gate got the better of it :
And then onto the back straight - same remarks apply as to the front straight, there was (and will be) some jumps on here :
This part then starts to swing left into what was (and will be...) a sort of banked hairpin. I must admit, I've been struggling to get this bit right. It may just remain a tight corner :)
After the hairpin comes Frankenstein's Corner - its a hard to describe crossover between a jump and a banked 'S' - the photo doesn't do it justice, and the gate calmed it down somewhat - it's a fun thing though, that it's quite hard to get right.
And after Frankenstein's - it's back onto the front straight :
Overall - the track has so far been quite a learning experience. I'm following a scraper blade for the tractor on eBay, because I think that's the best way of getting a good finish on it. The jumps and final finishing needs to be completed by hand. The track is not as wide as I would have liked it - but a) for the moment, there's only ever one car on it anyway :) and b) I was limited by the size of the heavy objects I used to drag round there. The scraper might change that :).
I'll try and convince my dear wife to take a few action shots (wish me luck!), and I think now that I'll gear down to 13 or 14T pinions, as the 16 that's cool for bashing is really too long for the track. Lots of fun to be had - shame that winter is now closing in...
Elvis fully approves of the track, btw :))
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Welcome to the Farmring!
Well, firstly, apologies. I am full of fail (hello, Brench!) cos the camera is in Paris, about 400 kms from the Farmring.
There is some good news, however. My idea of dragging a big log round the 'ring was sucky. The log wouldn't stay behind the tractor. After searching around the farm, though, an old gate was found that did a damn good job. Once the overall finish was smoothed, a bit of handwork with a broom and a rake to clear the excess vegetation, and the 'ring is about finished. The jumps and banked turns need revisiting by hand, as all of this dragging stuff around meant that things didn't stay the shape I wanted (you can get airborne over a couple of the jumps, but to do so you have to be so damn fast that the next turn'll wipe you out anyway : / )
There is some good news, however. My idea of dragging a big log round the 'ring was sucky. The log wouldn't stay behind the tractor. After searching around the farm, though, an old gate was found that did a damn good job. Once the overall finish was smoothed, a bit of handwork with a broom and a rake to clear the excess vegetation, and the 'ring is about finished. The jumps and banked turns need revisiting by hand, as all of this dragging stuff around meant that things didn't stay the shape I wanted (you can get airborne over a couple of the jumps, but to do so you have to be so damn fast that the next turn'll wipe you out anyway : / )
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
More Farmring
Well, on the weekend, I got further than I thought. Once the basic layout was rotovated, I moved a lot of earth (well, the tractor did ;) ) to start on the banked turns. I now only really need to get a way of hardening the earth round the track around 2m wide - which I think I can do by dragging around a big heavy log. Updates will be posted here :)
Saturday, 13 September 2008
The Farmring - Part 2
Work started on the Farmring (permanent course :) ) today. That meant, first and foremost a good trim for the field in question with the flail mower. Hadn't been done for a while. I'd read somewhere on the internet (which knows everything, remember) that rotovating (or tilling, as they say in the US of A) is a good idea as not only does it help "draw" the track but it also make the soil much easier for moving around for jumps etc.
That's how far I've got. Tomorrow, if the weather holds, I'll get the spade and shovel out and start "shaping" it - but I suspect bigger features like banked turns will have to wait a while until I'm happy with the overall layout and have tried it out a bit.
That's how far I've got. Tomorrow, if the weather holds, I'll get the spade and shovel out and start "shaping" it - but I suspect bigger features like banked turns will have to wait a while until I'm happy with the overall layout and have tried it out a bit.
Sunday, 7 September 2008
The Farmring - Part 1
Knowing that the weather wasn't going to be kind enough to let me make a real start on the big track, I cobbled together (using thin logs and laid down fence-posts) a "short-track" Farmring in the yard. And I'm really glad I did. For a bit of a n00b like me - it was a great way to find out what kind of shape I think the Farmring should be.
The Farmring (Short course) evolved a lot over the laps (and not just because I kept hitting the logs :) but the final version had a hairpin at one end, a long (well, relative to the rest) "straight" that, in actual fact swung left slightly with a wider, faster turn at the end, leading into the back straight with an "S" that could be taken flat out if you got the exit right of the fast turn at the end of the straight (and, of course, your b4lls are big enough :) )
There were some nice terrain bits too - where there were choices to be made between what was in theory the best line round and a slightly "slower line" but that offered better grip.
All round, lots of fun. The car now needs quite a clean :/
The Farmring (Short course) evolved a lot over the laps (and not just because I kept hitting the logs :) but the final version had a hairpin at one end, a long (well, relative to the rest) "straight" that, in actual fact swung left slightly with a wider, faster turn at the end, leading into the back straight with an "S" that could be taken flat out if you got the exit right of the fast turn at the end of the straight (and, of course, your b4lls are big enough :) )
There were some nice terrain bits too - where there were choices to be made between what was in theory the best line round and a slightly "slower line" but that offered better grip.
All round, lots of fun. The car now needs quite a clean :/
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Alloy hubs - The End...
Well - just a quick post tonight. Basically Mirage don't know when they'll have any hubs available, so I've agreed that they'll send me the equivalent value in some spare parts.
The End...
?
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
The front hubs don't fit
It's official. Mirage have received the parts and confirmed they won't fit. Unfortunately, they don't have any to replace them with (although 4 days ago they did have some to try on a car...)
I have asked if it's a problem with all of them (design fault) or a particular run of the part - we'll see what they say, but for the moment BEWARE: The EDIT Front alloy hubs don't fit the firestorm (or the e-firestorm - they share those parts). I've yet to find any evidence, even on the internet (which knows everything) of anyone ever actually having fitted these successfully. So for the moment, my statistics are 100% "DON'T FIT" (sample size = 1 pair :)) )
I have asked if it's a problem with all of them (design fault) or a particular run of the part - we'll see what they say, but for the moment BEWARE: The EDIT Front alloy hubs don't fit the firestorm (or the e-firestorm - they share those parts). I've yet to find any evidence, even on the internet (which knows everything) of anyone ever actually having fitted these successfully. So for the moment, my statistics are 100% "DON'T FIT" (sample size = 1 pair :)) )
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