501X Electric installs! post yer pics!
 

I am interested to see how other people have installed electrics in their 501X, so feel free to post photos! :)

http://www.oople.com/rc/photos/misc/501xwiring.jpg

This layout seemed the best for me, the servo and ESC receiver leads both go under the antenna mount, so are away from the belt.

Obviously its not quite finished yet, I am waiting on some wire for the esc and cells

There should be room for a large ESC on the right hand side there but it would need to be velcro'd in place since you need access to the motor screws (unless its brushless, in which case I guess not!)

Hi Jimmy,
Here is a pic from a french 501X. I put everything on the right side to improve the weight distribution. Receiver is on the rear to keep access to the motor screws.
Great site!
Nicolas V.

very neat!
What ESC is that ? looks very small. Is that a low profile servo also ? A good idea to counter balance the motor, I don't really have small enough electrics to do that, or it would be a real mess.

Looks like a KO VFS1 and the servo either a Futaba S9550 or the new KO one ;)

Chaz

Thanks! it's KO esc and KO servo too!
When do you think you will finish 501X review?

Winter is HARD - I cannot go out to take nice photos until the weekend (it is dark by 4pm! ) and the weather is terrible, which also makes it hard to get some photos. Photos are the main stumbling block to finish any review. But at least in summer, I can go out most evenings to get photos I need.

But, should not be too long.

I got the KO servo also, so I can run a large ESC like the mamba max in this car at a later date.

looking good jimmy so will it be ready for the track this weekend?

Sure will Ian, gonna get it wired up tonight and get some photos saturday - weather permitting, then I can trash the poor thing:rolleyes:

are you going to Kiddy Jimmy? you could snap some exclusive first shots of my S4 while you are there ;)

we need some action photos of S4's....

Heres the piccy of mine, will have another piccy soon with the brushless installed, only real change to when this was taken is that I have moved the arial mount. Otherwise I have tried to keep it super neat.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d3...s/DSC02252.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d3...s/DSC02253.jpg

very nice! puts mine to shame again!

trf501x
 

hi jimmy when will u do a reviews on the trf501x!!
thanks!!
Pete68

Don't despise your buggy like that.
At least your pics are top notch and most peoples pics wont compare to it.

I have a couple of questions, though.

1- Is it possible to mount a lipo pack which is 30mm tall, 44mm wide and 143mm long in a width wise position in the chassis of the 501x with some spacers to highten the pack from the chassis without making it hit the upper deck( so the belt wont get in contact with the pack)?

2- Do you think Tamiya will release a bunch of TRF edition of this buggy based on the chassis driven by famous racers(i.e. Maizumi or Reinhard)?

A lipo pack like those that are around at the moment wont fit, no. I think we will have to wait for someone to make a saddle pack formation :(

I guess they could make a driver version of this car IF they win the worlds, otherwise I doubt it.

That's a good thing about the 501 - there's masses of space to fit all the radio gear :D I put the speedo on the left behind the motor, and the receiver opposite the speedo so I could still get to the motor mounting screws. I'd heard about these new low profile steering servos and I got one in the shop the other day, but I havent had a look at it yet. I've already got a metal geared 2133 in there, so I don't think I'll bother replacing it ;) At least there's plenty of room for a brushless setup for the outdoor series this year :)
-Steve

Actually, a company called MaxAmps has some saddle packs of lipos that would easily fit the 501x. You can even use a 3s pack(12.6V) for CRAZY power and speed with a good brushless motor, but the MaxAmps quality is not as good as that of FlightPowers, though.

The Trackpower lithium car batteries are very good, I've got one in my DF-03 and one of my mates is running one in a BJ4. I hear that Trackpower are working on a saddle pack version of their battery, but for the moment I'm running a couple of packs of GP 4300's...
-Steve

Isn't there any concern about getting the back of the car to light when using lipos?

That is what lead is for! :D

The rear weight should already be more rear than the BX anyway, the cells are further back.

haha thats tidy, do u have wires in that car lol. very nice

Bad news for you mamba fans the mamba motors wont fit properly due to the ring of screws around the bottom of the can so you will have to think of another motor to use instead, also the speedo is very difficult to place in the 501. I'll have to keep the combo in my B4 instead.

Here's mine, waiting impatiently on the FX pro to get a little more room... Sorry for the quality but my camera broke so phone picture...

Finaly took the plunge and decided to instal the Novak brushless setup in the car, and boy did it take some time, nearly drove me insane... I like all my cars to look very neat and tidy with the minimum of fuss, this was just not going to work like that at all, but I think that I did a good job otherwise and it now should look the dogs danglies.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d3...Xbrushless.jpg

There's always good news when it comes to Mambas.. you don't need the screw heads on the MM motor. Grinding them off with a dremel, etc. are some of your options

The motor will be fine with them shaved.

Just out of curiosity, is that a std size of servo or is it a smaller servo.

I ask as i run the same gtb and would like to know if a Ko digital servo will fit?

Thanks

Col.

that looks like a normal size servo.

Well spotted DCM that is a normal sized KO servo. I no longer run the brushless setup in the 501 as it glitches all over the place and is a pain in the neck, until I find a way to mount it without it glitching it is sitting in the pitbox!!!

The mamba max system says to try cut down on interference that you should twist the motor wires - not sure if that would help or not.

I was (cough cough) fastest lap - fastest lap about 1 second quicker with the 501X over the Keen Hawk (once the hawk was semi-sorted) but on average about 3 seconds per lap quicker I'd say.
This was the sheer un-pushability (wow, I made a new word) of the 'Hawk - it bit me hard when pushed.
Needless to say, I'll race it again before i finish the review, it's the only fair way.

twisting wires is an old trick of brushed motors too, but more often or not, it is a culmination of things that cures it, or the interference demons just go haunt somebody else all of a sudden (one for Northy that....)

Glitches
 

Hi

Is it possible that the belts and Carbon fibre are generating static and the sparking causes the glitch?

Also why not run the aerial close to the Rx and make sure the Aerial wire is run in some fuel tube and doesn't rub on the Carbon fibre.

Jeff

I would of thought it is more to do with the fact the receiver is one side of the chassis and the aerial tube is the other, so the aerial wire is laid across a rather large conductor (the chassis).

The glitching is comming from the motor under load if you hold the car in your hands and throttle it it wont do it but under load (coming out of corners). I had this a few weeks ago in my XX4 I sorted it buy buying a 2.4 ghz radio system (was ready for a new system anyway) I think it is RF noise coming from the motor.

I tried running the arial the same side as the reciever after it glitched the first time, didnt make a blind bit of difference. I am sure that the problem is down to the rf noise generated by the motor under load. However without a suitable place to run the reciever away from the motor Im a little stuck. I desperately want to use the brushless system but until I can come up with a miracle I am stuck!

Have you tried the 'magical capacitor in the receiver' trick? Seems to cure most things.

Cheers,

G

Northy, bottom of picture "Magic Cap" installed. Didnt work. Have thought about taking the car to a local preist and getting the gremlins Excorsised from it!! But apparently the C of E doesnt have an RC excorsism section.

Ah, sorry, never actually looked at the picture. :)

Just to start a flame war, I'm a firm believer in the fact that KO receivers pick up interferance very easily, i.e. they don't like being sat near a PT. But I guess thats a bit extream to change.

G

I would say, the biggest move would be switching receiver to the other side.

Northy, does the magical mystery capacitor have magical smoke inside?

Oh yes, lots and lots and lots of smelly smoke! That's why its so good! ;)

G

is the magic smoke EVIL?
that could be the cause of glitches lol