DesertBoy 17 Brushless Build (big pics inside)

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At this point, I'd definitely consider a different motor. I just want to get this done. My main concern is that as big and heavy as this truck is ending up, I don't think the standard flux motor is going to be enough. I'm looking at the castle 1717, but that's just as big as the feigao and won't fit in the flux motor mount either. So whichever motor I use, it's got to be something that won't fit in the flux mount. Any reliable shops out there that could make me a mount for the DB17?
 
mate why don't you just buy motor mounts directly from GCM... they will mill out the motor mount to the correct size so it works!!!

It will be cheaper than buying a custom motor mount and more solid!
 
They can mill it out for the smaller motors, but not for the feigao or the castle 1717. These motors are a lot bigger than stock.
 
Just sent GCM an email asking if they can fab something up. Hopefully they're more reliable than frigging kershaw.
 
Well that was quick. I already got a response saying they'd be glad to make something that will fit for a reasonable price. I'm going to mail them the motor so they can position it correctly. Hopefully I'll actually have this thing running before it starts snowing.
 
thats one thing about GCM the prices are a little high, bu tthe work is quality and the customer service is second to none from what ive heard.
 
candre23 said:
Well that was quick. I already got a response saying they'd be glad to make something that will fit for a reasonable price. I'm going to mail them the motor so they can position it correctly. Hopefully I'll actually have this thing running before it starts snowing.
Click to expand...

that is awesome bro, glad GCM is on it for you!
 
hmmm chris at gcm is awesome!

I'm interested to see what he creates for you!!!
 
Man, I really wish I'd asked GCM from the beginning. My mount is already done and they sent me a pic.

imag0037sv.jpg


Another week for it to get here and I can finally take my savage for a spin.
 
I hate to say i told you so 😉 It is all worth the weight anyway.

Cant wait to see this up and running
 
Got the motor and mount from GCM a few days ago and finally had some time to mess with it yesterday. Ran into a snag though. Originally I couldn't get the pinion to mesh with the spur because the mount hit the servo. I shaved down the end of the mount as far as I could without ruining it, and managed to get the gears to mesh. Now the servo horn gets hung up on the motor itself. I'm thinking a smaller horn might fit better, but not sure if it will fully actuate the steering linkage - as if the turning radius wasn't bad enough already. Looks like a lot more fiddling is needed.
 
Yep the problems you are running too a normal... the chassis was only designed to work with stock parts...

I had problems with the motor hitting the servo, and then the servo arm hitting the motor...

I made a custom servo horn which was the perfect length to give maximum throw whilst clearing the motor... Plus it is extremely strong and doesnt bend/strip like other arms i have used...
Not the prettiest thing but works very well... made from 4mm alloy! Overkill! but thats how i like it 🙂

2010-08-09092245.jpg


At one point before i did my centre diff conversion. I had my servo mounted on the outside of the TVPs so it could fit!!!
it worked really well with a longer servo horn.

Keep on working on it, and you will get it all to work...
 
Outside the TVPs... I'll have to give that a shot. Certainly can't grind down the motor itself for more clearance. Should have thought twice before going with a motor the size of a beer can.
 
Yea it is a minor hitch i guess... I'm not the only person that has had to mount the servo on the outside of the tvps...
Luckily the tvps allow you to mount the lipos in the rear, otherwise the servo and LiPo boxes wouldnt be able to both fit on the outside 😉
 
From the "better late than never" department:









Two years later, it's done.

Sort of.

I pulled the wide axles and replaced them with the 17mm conversion axles. I replaced the standard bigbore springs with hellfire reds. I finally got around to sorting out servo arm issue (used a shorter arm and connected it slightly differently). Finished the body (minus decals) and mounted it. Got a plastic battery tray and bolted it to the rear floor plate. I finally mounted the ESC and RX, and I fashioned a gear-guard out of scrap lexan to keep the battery wires from getting pulled into the gears. I also stuck bits of silicone fuel tubing in all the cups to keep the dogbones from rattling around.

The end result weighs about 16lbs with a battery. It's scary-heavy. Even with the hellfire springs and two preload spacers, the front end droops noticeably. I'm seriously considering doubling up on bigbores (two per wheel) just to get the truck to sit level.


So I've pretty much sorted out everything mechanically, but now I'm having a weird electrical issue. With the servo plugged into the RX, everything is glitchy. Both the servo and the motor won't sit still, no matter how I adjust the deadzones. As soon as I unplug the servo, the ESC behaves perfectly. I already tried swapping out the RX, and it doesn't help. So it looks like the servo is definitely to blame. It's a very beefy servo - a Hitec HS-7955TG. The castle MMM is supposed to be a very beefy ESC, but is it possibly the BEC isn't enough for the servo and that's causing problems? Any other suggestions? After all this time, the truck is so close to running.
 
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