quote:

ORIGINAL: Bluetheron

Is there a center diff mod or option avalible for this? I'm nearly certain that I'm going to pick one up in the next month or so but I'd like to know whats availible for it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: nitrosteve22

I hate to ask but could someone refresh my memory as to what the factory LSN settings are on the sh.18 in the Caldera? Thanks.... Also what would be some good first upgrades? (Got new servo's just wondering what mods others are doing and such)...

quote:

ORIGINAL: kashjeff
I have the steering servo laying on the desk next to me, and have been looking all over the web. i found one stock replacment on ebay for $20 but i can't tell if it's used or what. the stock one is discontinued and the redcat replacement doesn't look the same.

quote:

ORIGINAL: kashjeff
I'm thinking about upgrading to metal gears or high torqe or both so I've found a bunch of after market servos on ebay and amazon but most don't list demensions. I want a direct fit bolt on.

quote:

ORIGINAL: kashjeff

I need some help...is anybody still watching this thread???
I just got my first rc last week. caldera 10e. Read Alot of forums and did all my homework before buying. KNEW i would break something(regardless of brand name).

 I took it easy on the first charge just to see what this thing is all about. I like it. second charge, full throttle, no holding back. speed, jump, crash, flip, repeat. had a blast. uh oh, steering problems, grinding and crunching sounds. it was worth it.

I have the steering servo laying on the desk next to me, and have been looking all over the web. i found one stock replacment on ebay for $20 but i can't tell if it's used or what. the stock one is discontinued and the redcat replacement doesn't look the same.

Hoping all you guys will chime in and tell me where you got your last servo. please be specific. website, part number/name/manufacturer/price. I'm thinking about upgrading to metal gears or high torqe or both so I've found a bunch of after market servos on ebay and amazon but most don't list demensions. I want a direct fit bolt on. My nearest hobby shop is 10 or 15 miles away but i dont think they carry redcat parts, is the the kind of thing that all shops have stocked? maybe a different brand name but the same size and shape.?

Any input is appreciated. More questions to follow.
thanks
Jeff

quote:

ORIGINAL: kashjeff

Thanks alot for all the input folks. you guys have cleared up a few things and answered a couple questions i hadn't asked yet. big thanks to petrock, i'm pretty sure i'll be ordering that D227F that you mentioned, I've found other comparable servos with prices starting at double and triple what that one goes for. I also like the idea of upgrading to a metal horn and was wondering if it's possible to change all steering linkage to metal.
I thought about contacting redcat but read the warranty page first, yep there's no doubt that I was at fault with this one, I pulled the servo apart today and found the gears were completely mangled, missing a bunch of teeth and the middle one was actually busted. I don't have a servo saver, should i get one even with a metal gear servo?

On to my next question. Batteries. I decided before I bought this that I'd need another battery to double my run time. LIPO is the obvious choice. I'm still foggy on whether I can charge a Lipo battery with the charger that came in the box. (One site sells a lipo with the same connector). Is there a site that sells a battery and charger combo for a decent price? There is chatter all over the web about these things. Some say that anything over 7.4 volts will fry the ESC. Others say the car will handle anything up to 11.1v What is safe? What do you guys run? The two ratings I've seen most commonly are voltage and mah. Higher numbers increase speed or runtime or both?

Any and all Info/ideas/opinions are helpful.
More (endless) questions to follow.
Thanks.
Jeff

quote:

ORIGINAL: PetRock

Hi Jeff,

There are lots of battery options: I've had a great  success with the Turningy Nano Tech line, soft-packs. You probably don't want a hard-case lipo because it won't fit sideways in the Caldera tray. If you want to stay on 2s these are a good deal , and if you'd like to try 3s I know these work and will fit (I own two). Both those links are from the US HobbyKing warehouse, so shipping should be cheap and fast.



(in that pic the battery on the table is the same as the one in the battery tray: but the Caldera is on a stand the table battery looks small)

For chargers... I don't really have a preference: I would spend 10 minutes reading the chargers people discuss on this URC forum. Almost all of them are available from HobbyParts or HobbyKing.

quote:

ORIGINAL: xxturbowesxx

I am pretty set on trying one of these but had a few questions and thoughts.

I scoured the internet for research on the Caldera(not much iout there)

Seems if you loctite all the screws with ca glue its almost indestructible.

Can handle 3s if you rewire the fan but really heard from anyone how it performs on 3s.

Anyone here broken one or had any problems other than the servo?

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies
You can run hard packs if know what size your getting the problem is your talking 2 and 3 cells which are bigger in general soft packs puncher easier that's why roar packs are usually hard

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies
Definitely do your shopping on this your battery is your bloodline and for a 32 dollar price your gonna get a 32 dollar battery this is why hobby shops don't sell these kinda batteries

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies
3s depending on voltage doubles your power output which kills plastic internals as well as will melt your motors down hence why people run diff fans on their cars and even heat sinks and coolers on the motors actually have a liquid cooling set up on one of our shops cars

quote:

ORIGINAL: PetRock

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies
You can run hard packs if know what size your getting the problem is your talking 2 and 3 cells which are bigger in general soft packs puncher easier that's why roar packs are usually hard

Most ROAR packs (and hard packs in general) won't fit in the Caldera, because the battery is mounted sideways. Common hard-case batteries have holes for bullet connectors on top: it would be very difficult to use them without cutting the chassis or soldering 90-degree bullets. But if the hard-pack has wires out the top or side you'd be OK.

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies
Definitely do your shopping on this your battery is your bloodline and for a 32 dollar price your gonna get a 32 dollar battery this is why hobby shops don't sell these kinda batteries

I agree it's easy to pay way more than $32 for a $32 battery... but you're still probably getting a battery worth $32. The Turnigy Nano Tech batteries I linked are the cheapest in almost every review, yet always come out near the top (i.e. 2nd place vs 6 other batteries 2x-4x the price). Unless you're racing at a very competitive level, there is little value in paying more for a battery. Hobby shops don't often stock them not because they aren't good: but because they don't make them as much money as other brands.

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies
3s depending on voltage doubles your power output which kills plastic internals as well as will melt your motors down hence why people run diff fans on their cars and even heat sinks and coolers on the motors actually have a liquid cooling set up on one of our shops cars

If you want to run 3s just to try it out, go ahead: I haven't had any problems with a 3s in mine for goofing around. But if you wish to do so long-term you should swap in a lower-KV brushless motor. Higher voltage packs (3s or 4s) will run cooler with a lower-KV motor... but at the same speed and a bit longer - than an equvalent 2s pack on a high-KV motor.

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies

They can run a 3s without re wiring the fan makes no sense... 3s depending on voltage doubles your power output which kills plastic internals as well as will melt your motors down hence why people run diff fans on their cars and even heat sinks and coolers on the motors actually have a liquid cooling set up on one of our shops cars 

quote:

ORIGINAL: xxturbowesxx

I am pretty set on trying one of these but had a few questions and thoughts.

I scoured the internet for research on the Caldera(not much iout there)

Seems if you loctite all the screws with ca glue its almost indestructible.

Can handle 3s if you rewire the fan but really heard from anyone how it performs on 3s.

Anyone here broken one or had any problems other than the servo?

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies
...your battery pic was a very low mah meaning run time...

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies 
...car/truck lipos run a true 100C plus not 45C~90C and is the turnigy actually 5c rapid charge capable?? www.kchobbie.com/hacaraed6527.html ...

quote:

ORIGINAL: xxturbowesxx

I am pretty set on trying one of these but had a few questions and thoughts.

I scoured the internet for research on the Caldera(not much iout there)

Seems if you loctite all the screws with ca glue its almost indestructible.

Can handle 3s if you rewire the fan but really heard from anyone how it performs on 3s.

Anyone here broken one or had any problems other than the servo?

quote:

ORIGINAL: PetRock

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies
...your battery pic was a very low mah meaning run time...

A 3s 3300mah battery is almost an exact equivalent to a 2s 5000mah battery (actually you'd need 3333mah :) ). Feed them both to the same watt motors spinning at the same RPM and they'll run for the same length of time (actually the 3s would run a bit cooler, a bit longer). You can't look at mah and ignore voltage when comparing the work batteries can do.

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies 
...car/truck lipos run a true 100C plus not 45C~90C and is the turnigy actually 5c rapid charge capable?? www.kchobbie.com/hacaraed6527.html ...

For someone that just bought a stock Caldera, that battery is an extremely poor recommendation:
- Yes, it supports 5c charging.. but it would need 32.5a at 8.4v (full lipo, 5c x 6.5a)... or 22.75 amps required from the 12-volt power supply. None of the chargers on KCHobbies even go above 10a, nevermind 20 (most chargers do about 6a). Don't pay more for a battery that can be charged faster than your charger can put out the juice!
- A 150c discharge rate is impressive! That means it could deliver 6.5a x 150c = 975 amps! But the ESC that comes with the Caldera is rated at 35a, peaking at 190a. That means at a sustained 20% of what the battery could deliver the ESC would let out the magic smoke. Don't pay more for a battery that can put out more current than your ESC or motor can use!

Assuming a standard 5000mah 2s lipo, you'd never need more than a 38C pack (round it to 40C: 190a / 5000mah). Didn't I recommend 45C batteries? :)

The 2s Turnigy Nano Tech battery I linked will only give about 77% of the runtime of the KCHobbies one (5000mah vs 6500mah), but it only costs 23% of the price ($32.63 vs. $139.99), and the car will have the same amount of ''punch'' with each (both limited by the stock ESC and motor to a 190a draw). And because  the Turnigy is smaller, it's also lighter (279g vs 354g) - so the Caldera will accelerate faster, and handle better. If runtime is the problem, buy a higher mah Turnigy, but for the love of [insert diety of choice], don't buy that $140 battery! 
 

quote:

ORIGINAL: xxturbowesxx

quote:

ORIGINAL: PetRock

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies
...your battery pic was a very low mah meaning run time...

A 3s 3300mah battery is almost an exact equivalent to a 2s 5000mah battery (actually you'd need 3333mah :) ). Feed them both to the same watt motors spinning at the same RPM and they'll run for the same length of time (actually the 3s would run a bit cooler, a bit longer). You can't look at mah and ignore voltage when comparing the work batteries can do.

quote:

ORIGINAL: kchobbies 
...car/truck lipos run a true 100C plus not 45C~90C and is the turnigy actually 5c rapid charge capable?? www.kchobbie.com/hacaraed6527.html ...

For someone that just bought a stock Caldera, that battery is an extremely poor recommendation:
- Yes, it supports 5c charging.. but it would need 32.5a at 8.4v (full lipo, 5c x 6.5a)... or 22.75 amps required from the 12-volt power supply. None of the chargers on KCHobbies even go above 10a, nevermind 20 (most chargers do about 6a). Don't pay more for a battery that can be charged faster than your charger can put out the juice!
- A 150c discharge rate is impressive! That means it could deliver 6.5a x 150c = 975 amps! But the www.hobbypartz.com="" href="">ESC that comes with the Caldera is rated at 35a, peaking at 190a. That means at a sustained 20% of what the battery could deliver the ESC would let out the magic smoke. Don't pay more for a battery that can put out more current than your ESC or motor can use!

Assuming a standard 5000mah 2s lipo, you'd never need more than a 38C pack (round it to 40C: 190a / 5000mah). Didn't I recommend 45C batteries? :)

The 2s Turnigy Nano Tech battery I linked will only give about 77% of the runtime of the KCHobbies one (5000mah vs 6500mah), but it only costs 23% of the price ($32.63 vs. $139.99), and the car will have the same amount of ''punch'' with each (both limited by the stock ESC and motor to a 190a draw). And because  the Turnigy is smaller, it's also lighter (279g vs 354g) - so the Caldera will accelerate faster, and handle better. If runtime is the problem, buy a higher mah Turnigy, but for the love of [insert diety of choice], don't buy that $140 battery! 
 

Very clear sales pitch... is this guy a sponsor linking his website?