Project Durango is getting there slowly!
 

well, project Durango is slowly making progress.:thumbsup:

The durango arrived and very well packaged it was too. obviously used but it has been well looked after. i don't like the paint job one bit but it'll do for now.:bored:

i began to source the electrics after discusssing with Dave and Les (many thanks)

i decided on team orion lipos 5500mAh 90c, found them reasonably priced at my local model shop. £70.99 but, i hit a snag. they seem too big but after some swearing and brute force the battery holder fits ok and the driveshaft clears fine? normal or not?

I also purcahsed the servo at the same place, a Savox 1257tg fast, Strong and reliable according to team durango themselves. £44.00 this fits fine but not sure where the cable is supposed route through?

now, after selling my soul on ebay (still got the kids, it was against ebay policy! :lol:) i have managed to raise the funds for the motor and Speedo and TX/RX.

These came from Modelsport UK next day delivery which was really impressive, if not a little pricey at £6.00 per item.

i decided on Speed Passion for both items as these seem to get good press everywhere in publications and on the the internet.

The speedo is Gran Turismo GT V2.0 LPF and came with programming card( what that does is beyond me!) for £95. this model sells in my local store for £139 :o

The motor is a speed passion Ultra sportsman 13.5T V3 sensored brushless obviously. £40.99 both prices included delivery.:thumbsup:


now, here is where i get stuck. HOW ON EARTH DO YOU GET ALL THAT IN A SPACE NO BIGGER THAN MY iPHONE?!

i need serious help. :blush:

i have looked at many images of 410's here on the boards and it seems like a work of art, or for those old enough to remember...a Krytpon factor challenge! :o i have more cables than SEEBOARD and as much space to fit it in as a matchbox! :lol: obviously i need to keep the driveshafts clear but i havnt even got the RX yet so thats got to fit in as well, and not to mention a transponder.....:cry:

I think i may pay someone to do this for me, cos i definitely aint the right man for the job! :lol:

right, seriously though i have noticed i am lacking a few things to get this running.

1. servo arm. team durango alloy part? or aftermarket part?
2. allen head screws for servo and motor. where can i source these?
3. arial mount. does it need an exteranl arial? didnt see them at maritime raceway?
4. Lipo charger/balancer. but i've got an idea of my chosen brand.
5. wheels and tyres to suit club rules.
6. Second mortgage to pay final bill! :lol:

i am hoping that i'll be up and running for April and then i'll see if i can drive the bloomin' thing! :lol:

Thanks again to those who have taken the time out from busy lives to help with via email and Text. without you guys with the know-how i would be struggling to understand the requirements.

Ian

Are you going to faversham tomorrow night?
If so come and see me and I will sort it all for you
Just ask for Scott Dickinson, not dixon! Lol

Ian - as Scott says - come up when you're able to as it'll be a lot easier to get someone with "the knowledge" to show you how to cram it all in than try and explain on here.

Glad you're getting along nicely with the kit. We'll soon have you out on track wondering what you've let yourself in for!!!

Any help I can give - you've got my email address :thumbsup:

Cheers guys, no can do this week.:cry: got parents evening for my 17 yr old son from 6-8pm by the time i get back home and i've hung drawn and quarted him it'll be too late.:lol:

i'll be there soon. at the moment real life just seems to getting in the way. i keep this thread updated with purchases and who know's i may even have a go myself...just need a soldering iron as well. :cry:

Thanks for the offer of help, you guys are great!

Have a rummage thro the "lets see your" thread on 410s, or search for electrics and 410. It is VERY tight as you will see!

If you haven't yet bought your Rx/Tx it might be worth having a look thro those threads first, as most (?) many installs (mine included) have resorted to micro receivers. It makes life a lot easier.

http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31939

Some ideas for you.

Thanks matt, slowly wading my way through the images in that thread, it certainly looks like a work of art once it is all squeezed in!

i'll wait until i have the receiver in my posession until i see what goes where and lay it before i try to install it.

does everything just get stuck in with double sided sticky?

oh, and can someone tell me where i get extra bolts/screws from? for servo and motor?

also what about the pinion? where do i source that?

sorry for all the questions but if i can get all parts before i start to locate everything it'll make it easier.

Thanks again for all the help.

Definately speak to Scott as he is the pro when it comes to RC cars..

I'm the other Scott and race a DEX410 at the mo and Scott did my install a while ago and it is still the same, brilliant!!

Good luck with the racing,

Scott.. (the other one)

Yup, double sided tape, strong double sided tape!! Or Shoe goo has been mentioned. ESCs are quite weighty and *can* come loose if you have a big landing (or crash). Have a rummage round on any of the mail order websites or ask at the club/local hobby shop and you'll find tape or glue of some description which is rated to hold ESCs in.
According to the manual its M3x6mm TD705001 bolts for the servo, then M3x8 TD705002 bolts for the motor and 3x6x0.5 TD709007 washers for both...... you can get them from most of the TD stockists, or just look for the equivalent metric sized bolts (they are all buttonheads).
Most (metric) manufacturers use those sizes in many places.
Pinions, same thing, can get them from any of the mail order places/LHS, you'll probably need to get a couple or three to experiment with, and changes to inside/outside, track and so on. Something around 19-22T would be a passable start point (i have 19 thro to 23 kicking around, will probably get some more soon, and some different sized spurs too), you'll need a 48DP pinion for your durango, get anything else and it'll eat spur gears, and it'll run even louder than a 410 does normally :D

For fav you will need 26/27/28 pinions 48dp I run 27
All the screws are sold trackside by xtremerc
Servo tape is sold at maplins ( double sided black foam tape ) in a large reel that will last years , about £4.50
Hth's

you dont want button heads for the motor, use a cap head bolt 2.5mm socket head, so you can crank it in without stripping the bolt head, not to tight as all brushless motors are ally cans!

Bit of a trade off there :D Either strip the bolt and struggle to get it out, or strip the can.......

as all 410 owners know its a bit of a crotch, to do the motor up and the 2mm hex in the button head is to easily rounded.

Best i go easy then.....:o

The final pieces of the durango jigsaw are coming finally together, i have ordered a Spektrum DX3C with RX and a core digital lipo charger and all the neccessary bolts/screws and sticky tape and it all should be here today at some point.:woot:

i must say, i have been using modelsport and i have found their service to be fantastic! order before 3pm and receive next day. prices are the most reasonable on the net too, cheaper than most ebay outlets. I have also been using JESpares, they seem pretty good too.:thumbsup:

once i have it all in my posession i can think about the install, i know i have been offered help for this but i have found an install pic that works with my ESC and i am gonna attempt it myself. :o more of a sense of achievment that way seeing as i didn't build the 410 myself. :(

The last things i need are new wheels and tyres. but they can wait, as i am not ready to race yet. :p

Oh, ive also ordered a new shell and with graphics sheet, cos the one it came with is awful. :bored: anyone know where i can it airbrushed, local to me in kent?

Thanks

Ian

it all arrived yesterday and today i laid it all out in position ready to install and have soldered the motor wires to the ESC and connected the sensor wires and servo cable, it is a tight fit but it'll go in no problem but i do need to shorten cable lengths.

is it ok to cut down motor cables shorter and battery cables too? they seem far too long and the servo cable is massively long too, this though, i can deal with.

i have this picture which i am working too, so i know what goes where. does this look acceptable? (taken from install thread).

what i cant see in this pitcure is the arial? where does that go?

i'll take some pictures this week once everything is in position, before i go sticking it all down! :thumbsup:

The aerial fits in a plastic holder the screw for this is just behind the servo horn offset to the right. In this pict the proper hope is covered with with the speedo, so ots been moved to behind the reciever.

2 point to note,

Are you not running the capacitors?

Will the shell fit with the reciever on its side?

i will be running the capacitors and they fit next to the RX towards the front.:thumbsup:

now, i have a problem, i want battery cables that solder directly to the ESC and just push into the Lipo's but the standard cables have the balancing cable fitted as well. which means they'll be flapping around.

can these be made? as you can see in the picture, this guys cable look bespoke for this purpose. so, when i charge, i unplug the cables from the ESC and plug in the standard ones that come with the Lipo's with the balancer cable. does that make sense?

You mean the link wire to pair the two halves of the lipo?

Yes short price of wire and 2 4mm gold banana plugs.

Ian - what cables are supplied with your charger to hook up to the lipo? Positive, negative, and a balancing plug of some kind?

i've got the correct cables for charging, they came with the lipo's, ive got the correct cables with the red plug for connecting lipo's to the charger with the balance board, but i cant use these for soldering to the ESC.

I need a red cable with a push plug, a black cable with a push plug, both to be soldered directly to the ESC, then plug into the lipo's and i need a black short cable to connect the 2 lipo's together, which i don't have. :(

what i am saying is, do these have to be made? :confused:

in short yes!

I'm still here and still plugging away, in fact i have really enjoyed putting this all together.

i purchased a soldering iron and have made the battery cables for the ESC, and have today actually installed all the electrics. :thumbsup: really enjoyed doing it and the heatshrink you use on the plugs is awesome, makes a bad solder job look half decent! :lol:

i was so looking forward to the BIG switch on, but it seemed to go all wrong.:o i have what seems to be a problem. unless i am being completely stupid or have done something wrong with the install. :confused:

I'll try to explain.

When i switch on the esc, with everything connected, the servo goes hard right lock and pops off the ball joint for the steering and stays hard right until i switch off the the esc.

have i connected the servo horn incorrectly? how do i know what is centre?

also i am correct in saying, that the transmitter always goes on before the buggy? :thumbsup:

Hope you are all not bored yet, i will do this on my own if it kills me! :woot:

one thing is for sure, i certainly am getting an understanding of this hobby. :lol:

No everything is nearly fine
Just remove your servo horn ( quite tricky in 410 you will need to lift the servo out) by removing upper servo cover then remove the screws on underside of chassis that hold in the servo/steering system.
Then set your transmitter trims ( and sub trim if it has it )
Then switch car on!
Servo will centre!
Then try the servo horn back on the car so that with the servo on the cars steering is centred ( straight forward wheels ) you may need to try a few times on the servo splines till it looks about the best you can! Then the last bit can be trimmed to straight on the transmitter.
Then it's time to calibrate the speedo ( using its manual )with no motor pinion fitted

Hope this makes sense

Thanks very much, it all makes sense. i got a couple of hours spare during the day, so i'll have a go tomorrow. you guys have been so much help and i would'nt have been able to do it without you. :thumbsup:

Install complete! :woot: servo sorted, was a pig to get out, after i installed the ESC and RX :( but thats fine now.

Calibrated the ESC with no problems, it seems ok and had the correct light flashes for neutral, full throttle and full brake. it came as standard in forward only mode, but does come with a programme card, which i'm gonna leave in the box for now! :o

I'm not 100% happy with length of motor wires but i can live with it for now.

just the shell to sort out now. i have a design in mind, and may have a go myself. the shell that it came with i am sure is not a durango official shell, its a completely different shape to my new one? :confused:

it's been a long journey of discovery and mistakes, but a steep learning curve but with a lot of satisfaction too. :thumbsup:

Now, ive got to test it. :woot:
http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/o...r/IMG_0292.jpg

quick question...:eh?:

my lipos are 5500mah and 7.4V

what settings on the charger should i have?

im using an orionUAC 50 balance charger, any idea?

2.0A balance mode? and how do i know when lipo's are charged? used to be easy with nimh batteries, light goes of or comes on! :lol: