Defcon Kaklkaklkekl (Wiki)

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====== Hong Nor X1X-CRE ====== My first step into 1/8 scale offroad racing is a Hong Nor X1X-CR 1/8 buggy, arriving as a nitro car destined for conversion to brushless electric drive. Electric has become a "standard" for my cars, and brushless my standard for offroad. So the buggy will be no worse that my other cars, and is given a brushless conversion. The -E extension of the model-name reflects my electrification :P The X1X-CR is a factory-made options-upgrade of Hong Nor X1-CR RTR. The X1-CR RTR is a "parts-downgrade" of what Hong Nor calls X1-CR Pro, this kit is available under a more familiar name as OFNA Jammin X1-CR. The kit I am based on is a "80% RTR" kit, meaning no engine or electronics are included.So the start of brushless conversion was as simple as removing only a handful of parts. ===== Brushless conversion ===== I wobbled a bit back and forth on what kind of mount and drivetrain setup I wasgoing to use. I knew I wanted some way of removing some of the stress the motor will receive on impacts from jumps, hard turns and crashes. I have seen a few direct-drive setups bust the rotor of pricey bl-motors already, and I consider removing that possibly weak-spot a sound investment. This decision does in fact determine most of the non-electric parts used in the conversion, so it is important to do this first, and get it "right". Two major options exist. Either go for a direct drive build, and use a [[http://www.rc-monster.com/proddetail.php?prod=RCMslipperential|RC Monster slipperential]] in place of the center differential, or go for a setup that uses the Tekno RC [[http://www.teknorc.com/product_info.php?cPath=99&products_id=1006|Electri-Clutch]]. This uses a more "traditional" nitro-like setup, and is way less expensive than the [[http://www.rc-monster.com|RC Monster]] option, but has significant limits. The only motor-mounts that can be used, are mounts that allow the use of a clutch-bell. At the moment, the only way to get that is to buy a motor mount from [[http://www.teknorc.com/|Tekno RC]], build a mount from scratch, or buy a square-can [[http://www.teknorc.com/product_info.php?cPath=98&products_id=1034|Lektron Brushless Motor]] . It also sacrifices the endless tuning-possibilities of the Slipperential. Tekno RC does not make a X1-CR(T)-compatible mounting-plate for their 32x32 motor mounts or the square-can, so to avoid having to do machining myself on so essential parts, I am going the expensive route of using a slipperential. This means I can pick-and-choose from motor mounts for direct drive application. The first mount on the truck, is another part from RC Monster, their [[http://www.rc-monster.com/proddetail.php?prod=RCMcrbuggymount|Ofna CR Buggy brushless motor mount]]. This allows for two different mounting positions of the motor, is flexible in regard to motor choice and pinion gearing thanks to adjustable mounting slides in stead of bolt holes for the motor. Plus, it looks good ... [[http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXVHF4&P=0|Castle Creations conversion kit]] is an alternative, but I prefer the style of the RC Monster one. This is a work in progress. Things still in the blue are: * ESC (Electronic Speed Control) * Motor * How to mount the batteries Regarding ESC and motor, I am not sure, but I may be going for [[http://www.swanghobby.com/hobbywing-xerun-150a-rc-truck-esc-4274-sl-brushless-motor-1-8-pr-2362.html|HobbyWing Xerun 150A ESC and 4274 2000kv brushless motor]]. Very low price, and overall good comments on the ESC in various forums (as long as warnings about not using Punch 1 and 2 are heeded). The ESC is also rebranded as HobbyKing's [[http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9127&Product_Name=Turnigy_Brushless_Car_Power_System_2350Kv/150A#|Turnigy]] name, and has received good comments under that name too. An absolute dream in regard to ESC would be the [[http://www.teamtekin.com/rx8.html|Tekin RX8]]. 210 Amp continuous, selectable 2s to 6s LiPo operation, programmable throttle profiles, adjustable timing, etc, etc. The only thing stopping me is the price tag. $199 at "low price"... The RX8 is not cheap. But honestly, this will most likely be my next upgrade! Considering options, the best spec'ed ESC's I am looking at are [[http://www.castlecreations.com/products/mamba_monster.html|Castle Creations Mamba Monster]] (4-6s, 120 A cont, unknown peak, $169 pricetag) and [[http://www.losi.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=LOSB9516|Losi Xcelorin Brushless Systems]] (160A cont, 800A peak, 3s-5s, $189). Considering I will want to do both 3s and 6s, and the minute increase in price, the RX8 looks like a winner to me. It is just a little bit steep as the first ESC, as I am almost guaranteed to fry the first ESC while learning how to handle the car :) ===== Buggy to Truggy? ===== I am pondering the idea of rebuilding the buggy to a truggy, as I have not yet decided if I like buggies yet :P With the X1-CR, it should theoretically be a simple job to build the X1-CRT, Hong Nor/OFNA's truggy model. The parts that need replacement are as far as I can tell: * Chassis plate * Chassis braces * Front shock tower * Front upper and lower arms * Rear shock tower * Rear upper and lower arms * Drive shafts an universals. This sounds like a lot of parts, almost a complete build, but when looking at a build manual, one realizes that it is really quite few, compared to the amount of parts on the cars total. Not yet decided, it will be a significant cost and work, and I want to get a feel of the car first. I do know however, that I will have to run the car brushless-only if I convert, as there are more significant differences in regard to motor mount, diff mount and so on between the nitro versions of -CR and -CRT. ===== Upgrades ===== None yet. ===== Most frequent replacements ===== None yet. ===== Links ===== http://www.hongnor.com.tw/eng/pviewitem1.asp?sn=575&area=44&cat=143 http://www.hongnor.com.tw/eng/pviewitem1.asp?sn=682&area=44&cat=143 {{http://www.hongnor.com.tw/eng/driver/drivers/X1CR%20Pro.pdf |X1CR Pro Instruction Manual}} {{http://www.hongnor.com.tw/eng/driver/drivers/X1CR%20RTR.pdf |X1CR RTR Instruction Manual}} {{http://www.hongnor.com.tw/eng/driver/drivers/X1CRT%20RTR%20Manual.pdf |X1CRT RTR Instruction Manual}} {{http://www.hongnor.com.tw/eng/driver/drivers/X1CRT%20Pro.pdf |X1CRT-PRO Instruction Manual}} {{http://www.modellers.com/Avdelinger/Produkter/Biler/Bensin/Nitro_biler/Terreng_biler/RC-Bil-Hong-Nor-X1X-CR-STD-80-X1X-CRSTD.aspx|Norwegian Modellers, my point of purchase}}