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Score: 100 Joined: 9/14/2003 Last Login: 2/18/2011 From: Ocala,
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Darin, I don't know if you guys have thought about this or not, but with the remote start cars out there (Reaction, Ten-T, the Acme one, and yours) and all kinds of people taking the remote starts out and modding them for use on other engines/cars, it seems there might be a market for a kit for this.
I guess my question is, is your remote starter sort of generic? Able to fit on other engines?
I've modded my Traxxas EZ-Start .15 and it now spins up my SH .28.
Have you guys though about getting a kit together to do this? I'll say now, I'd buy a reasonably priced kit, $60-75 dollars maybe. Losi's ROSS components list out around that price for the whole setup, but I think the one way bearing is going to make their kit a "one size for OURS ONLY" rather than a cool mod for say, an SH .28.
Just saying.
Keep up the good work.
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Score: 101 Joined: 2/16/2010 Last Login: 2/8/2012 From: listowel, ON, CANADA Status: offline
Yes, lets, lol. Ok for starters, When the heck did they come out with remote starters!?!?!?!.. Man I have been outta the RC game for a couple yrs to long lol.. Who origanlly came up with the idea and how does it work?.
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Well, so far as I know, Traxxas first developed their Ez-Start, ?? years ago. It's an onboard starter, basically a 400 size motor that goes thru some gear reduction and turns the engine for you. It also heats it glow plug. The battery is hand-held, and the circuitry that cuts the amperage to the glow-plug (it's 7.2v to the motor) is built into the wand.
Someone took this and bypassed the switch in the wand and wired an ESC into where the battery hooked in and made it work on the 3rd channel.
Sportwerks released the Reaction, which is a 1:10 scale stadium truck that has a streamlined system, made to be remote start, but it's much like I described above.
Redcat's just releasing their Reactor, and while the name is similar, they had that contest here to pick the name. But I won't be the last to draw the connection.
Anyhow, Redcat's got a remote start on their new truck.
Losi's got the Ten-T, but while I haven't yet gotten their starter in my hands to look it over, it appears that they're trying to lock you in. Gotta have their engine for their starter.
I hate that.
I home-brewed mine based on a Traxxas EZ-Start for the .15 engine (EZ-I) and then taking an ESC, I power the motor and the glow plug with the ESC. The glow-plug voltage/amperage is dropped via a ballast resistor (used in older 1:1 cars for the coil) and I use a 6-cell 7.2NiCd to power it.
But the thing is, I'd like to see a kit put together by someone, so that instead of having to buy and modify, we could just bolt it on, much like a Tiger Drive is now. or even the Roto-Start kits you can get from Redcat today.
I like hacking and modding, but sometimes, it's nice to just open the bag and bolt it in.
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Mr_Byte
Well, so far as I know, Traxxas first developed their Ez-Start, ?? years ago. It's an onboard starter, basically a 400 size motor that goes thru some gear reduction and turns the engine for you. It also heats it glow plug. The battery is hand-held, and the circuitry that cuts the amperage to the glow-plug (it's 7.2v to the motor) is built into the wand.
Someone took this and bypassed the switch in the wand and wired an ESC into where the battery hooked in and made it work on the 3rd channel.
Sportwerks released the Reaction, which is a 1:10 scale stadium truck that has a streamlined system, made to be remote start, but it's much like I described above.
Redcat's just releasing their Reactor, and while the name is similar, they had that contest here to pick the name. But I won't be the last to draw the connection.
Anyhow, Redcat's got a remote start on their new truck.
Losi's got the Ten-T, but while I haven't yet gotten their starter in my hands to look it over, it appears that they're trying to lock you in. Gotta have their engine for their starter.
I hate that.
I home-brewed mine based on a Traxxas EZ-Start for the .15 engine (EZ-I) and then taking an ESC, I power the motor and the glow plug with the ESC. The glow-plug voltage/amperage is dropped via a ballast resistor (used in older 1:1 cars for the coil) and I use a 6-cell 7.2NiCd to power it.
But the thing is, I'd like to see a kit put together by someone, so that instead of having to buy and modify, we could just bolt it on, much like a Tiger Drive is now. or even the Roto-Start kits you can get from Redcat today.
I like hacking and modding, but sometimes, it's nice to just open the bag and bolt it in.
Wow, That`s a really cool idea,, I definetly want to get My hands on a kitwhen they become available, I also like hacking a modding My buggy.. Kinda gives it that Ratrod feel lol..
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Score: 100 Joined: 9/14/2003 Last Login: 2/18/2011 From: Ocala,
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I'd love to see a kit. So far, the close thing we have is to order the starter components from an existing car and hack them in.
But maybe, Darin might favor us with a kit. I'm waiting to see what the setup on the Reactor is like, it may be bolt-on now, depends on if they mucked about with the size of the backplate or gave it some custom one-way bearing setup or something.
If I only had a lathe. And a mill.
Someday...
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Score: 100 Joined: 1/30/2007 Last Login: 6/26/2011 From: northwood,
NH, USA Status: offline
quote:
ORIGINAL: Mr_Byte
Darin, I don't know if you guys have thought about this or not, but with the remote start cars out there (Reaction, Ten-T, the Acme one, and yours) and all kinds of people taking the remote starts out and modding them for use on other engines/cars, it seems there might be a market for a kit for this.
I guess my question is, is your remote starter sort of generic? Able to fit on other engines?
I've modded my Traxxas EZ-Start .15 and it now spins up my SH .28.
Have you guys though about getting a kit together to do this? I'll say now, I'd buy a reasonably priced kit, $60-75 dollars maybe. Losi's ROSS components list out around that price for the whole setup, but I think the one way bearing is going to make their kit a ''one size for OURS ONLY'' rather than a cool mod for say, an SH .28.
Just saying.
Keep up the good work.
SHHHHHHHHHH
Soon to be released.
Below is the vehicle:
The specs are as follow:
Remote Start Nitro Truck. With the push of a button on the remote, the vehicle will start assuming it is tuned. 1/10 Scale Truck 3.3cc .20 Engine 2 Speed Transmission Ready to run
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Posts: 124
Score: 100 Joined: 9/14/2003 Last Login: 2/18/2011 From: Ocala,
FL, USA Status: offline
quote:
ORIGINAL: RCToysNh
SHHHHHHHHHH
Soon to be released.
Below is the vehicle:
The specs are as follow:
Remote Start Nitro Truck. With the push of a button on the remote, the vehicle will start assuming it is tuned. 1/10 Scale Truck 3.3cc .20 Engine 2 Speed Transmission Ready to run
Yup. There's a whole 23 page thread about naming it. It's called the Reactor.
I wish they'd picked a different name though, because the haters will say "Oh, they ripped off Sportwerks!!"
Sportwerks **deserves** getting ripped off by Redcat. It might make them better.
[sarcastic reference to Tyler:] Note: I just bashed Sportwerks. Note: You don't have to go back in my posts to figure this out. [/sarcasm]
I want parts pricing, and pics of the starter. It may be what I'm looking for to bolt on to other stuff.
Any definite date for release, now that's it's been named?
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Score: 100 Joined: 9/14/2003 Last Login: 2/18/2011 From: Ocala,
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Hmmm...looks like we got modded. Probably a good thing.
My XTM Monster w/remote start is getting close to done. I know it's not a Redcat, but it does have remote start now, so it's on-topic if not specifically this brand.
Anyhow, the deal with this beast is that I got it Johnny Cash style on eBay (y'know, 1 piece at a time) but when I got to the point of the front/rear ends, I had an Ofna LX One carcass here that I had a drivetrain in so I frankenstein'd it onto the XTM chassis.
Then I melted the first aluminum clutch shoes in my 13t bell using the LX1's center diff. Need more torque...bigger spur gear(s)...
So I got the tranny for the monster, and a reverse kit for a mammoth and bolted that in. Only 1 speed though, need the 2spd clutch-bell. Soon.
Now to the point: I crammed the EZ-Start onto my SH .28 (First mill on my Hurricane, sleeved) and stuffed that in there.
If you've ever watched the YouTube about the remote start Revo, then what I've done is similar. He used his EZ-Start wand for the electronics.
Bah! We don' need no steenkin' circuit boards, we hack on bare metal here in the Redcat Forum, so here's what I did. I've even decided on Pics!!
First, get you an ESC. I honestly don't know what brand mine is, except it's out of a plane, and there's a button it needs pushed when I change batteries to make it actually work.
And while I love Redcat, don't use their inexpensive ESC. I've cooked 2 of them. Probably this draws more amps than the 'Cat ESC could handle.
Program this ESC to be "Forward Only" in whatever direction you choose. It really doesn't matter, I think. Mine only goes 1 way, so I got it easy. ;-)
Now, put a Dean's on the output lines of the ESC. On the other half of the Dean's, solder on 2 wires per side. 2 of these you fit to the starter motor.
(Just a note here, in this post, I'll say motor for the starter motor, and engine for the Nitro mill.)
I use the glow-plug lead from Traxxas, though I have a different setup I could use that fits over the entire plug from an experiment I was doing. The Traxxas works, but I don't like that it only fits some plugs. The long-reach plug-adapter you find in these kits for planes to relocate where you stick your ignitor would work.
Whatever you're using, hook it on one of the empty leads you put on the Dean's.
Now the fun part. In the EZ-Start I have, the first version, Traxxas used a ginormous resistor to drop the amperage supplied by a 7.2V 6-cell pack to the point that it won't cook your glow-plug. This resistor feeds the yellow ground wire that you hook to your engine anyplace.
What I do is go hit Advance or AutoZone and I get a 2-pole (My AZ had 2 and 4 pole) ballast resistor. For you young un's, that's a part we old farts used in our 1:1 cars to drop the 12v in the electrical system to 6v that our coil needed, lest we fry the coil's guts and wonder why we have no spark. It's failure was blamed for my parking at the local Lover's Lane a few times while I as kid (Hey, it's better than "Ooops, we're out of gas Hunny...") ;-)
Take the last unused lead off the Dean's and run it to a spade connector. Hook this to the ballast resistor. You should insulate the connector with shrink tube or similar, as you do not want a short.
Now make a new lead (I used the Traxxas yellow lead) and put a small tiny eye connector on one end, and a spade on the other. Insulate both with shrink tube. A short here between the 2 spades would eliminate the ballast resistor as the only way thru this circuit for the ground (Bzzzzzzzt!!!) and that'd mean 7.2 volts going thru to your glow-plug.
That's the electrical part.
The mechanical part is a bit less "Cut-and-Dried" as it can differ from engine to engine, or car to car.
I had to hack my EZ-Start so it'd clear the exhaust flange on my .28. If you're using the same starter, you will likely have the same issue. I also drilled 4 holes in my backplate for a roto-start. From what I can tell, there's 2 standard sizes of backplate, the smaller one like what's on my Force .28, and this larger size that my SH and my Associated have. It makes getting a Roto-Start a pain in the butt, and I'd gotten the wrong one.
The gears in the 2 different sizes are the same. I had an Ofna on here before, and I've interchanged Ofna and Redcat's gears with no issues. The big thing in the larger gear is the size of the hex, it's either 12mm or 13mm.
Someday, when I have a lathe and a mill I'll try making a gear that fits both.
Ok, so I had 4 holes drilled alread that line up mostly with the EZ-Start holes. I used a #51 drill and a 2-56 tap for mine. I think a 2mm tap would work as well, if I had 2mm screws.
I believe a 3mm screw would be to big. There's probably a better way to do this, but I ain't found it yet.
Bolt the EZ-Start to the engine. Hook up your power. Test it, if the motor spins but the engine doesn't, you've likely got the motor spinning backward, so switch the power leads.
Mine needed to have it's OWB cleaned, so a a bonus, you get pics of the backplate and the EZ-Start removed. Lucky you ;-)
Video:
< Message edited by Mr_Byte -- 3/13/2010 8:15 PM >
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Score: 101 Joined: 2/16/2010 Last Login: 2/8/2012 From: listowel, ON, CANADA Status: offline
Holy crap Byte, That amazing lol, I`m kinda in wow right now.. just so cool hahaha, But I do not have the patients to do all that modding, and I`m am no good at electrical, So Redcat or Himoto whoever take the hint and make a darn remote start kit!
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Score: 100 Joined: 9/14/2003 Last Login: 2/18/2011 From: Ocala,
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Thanks! :-D
It's easier than it looks, really. The part that made me sweat was drilling into my backplate, because if I messed it up, I had a spare, but who wants to ruin a good part?
I now have a problem though. I need to add a servo to the 3rc channel to run the forward/reverse on the tranny, but when I add it in via a "Y" harness, everything starts twitching. It doesn't matter if it's my "good" JR servo, or another of my "Cheap" 996R's as used in the steering. Not sure if it's my ESC or what.
I'd really hate to have to buy an R-Box at this point, or lose the ESC and use a micro-switch. I might have to get a ROSS module and see how it works.
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Score: 105 Joined: 9/17/2009 Last Login: 11/6/2010 From: Debary,
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That's an awesome frankenmonster ya got there!! Ya kinda lost me on the electrical part of the instructions, but I can see the fabricated backplate and mods to get the hardware hooked up! Once ya get it all bolted up and runnin, put up another vid so we can see her in action!!
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I had her running again yesterday but I'm gettng some serious servo glitching, enough so that it shifted into reverse while going forward .
My dogbones are all "extended" using a piece of aluminum hex that's been center-drilled and then each end of the 'bone is set with a setscrew. The front center bone and the rear axle bones all came loose (again..) yesterday as well; I think I need bigger setscrews.
I think what's going to happen here is that I'll either replace the ESC with another, to see if the twitch goes away, or I'll have to use a microswitch or one of my modified servo-with-a-relay deals.
Dammit. Not sure why it twitches. I've tried different servos...
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I dunno. It's all fine until I add the servo to run the shifting the transmission forward/reverse.
Reminds me of the time that I went to a LHS back in Cali, with servo twitch on my weed-eater powered airboat, and the first guy I asked gave me a 5 minuted lecture about how I was "crazy" for using "a motor that was never intended for use near RC" and how the Zenoah engines were "Designed for RC" etc etc, yadayada.
The owner came over, looked at my plug and gave me a resistor plug. Seems that was all the problem I had.
This might have to do with the fact that the RX is powered by the ESC and the servo on that channel is doing something to the power coming into the RX that makes the system twitch. I'd be more inclined to think that might be a problem more than mounting Traxxas hardware on a different model.
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Score: 105 Joined: 9/17/2009 Last Login: 11/6/2010 From: Debary,
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Im no electric guru, but I know stuff sometimes starts to twitch when the voltage gets low.. Have you tried a bigger battery to see if it'll still glitch/twitch? Just a though.. Hope ya get it solved, would really Iike to see a vid of that thing, going through all the motions.. Good luck!!
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Mickstix
Im no electric guru, but I know stuff sometimes starts to twitch when the voltage gets low.. Have you tried a bigger battery to see if it'll still glitch/twitch? Just a though.. Hope ya get it solved, would really Iike to see a vid of that thing, going through all the motions.. Good luck!!
I have a 6-cell stick on it now. I think you're right, the twitch is from low voltage. I'm replaceing the ESC, which I'm really only using as a RC relay with..a relay
I have to figure out how to make it neat, but what you do it take apart a servo. Pull the motor off. Put a diode on one of the leads where the motor used to be and connect it to one of the leads for a the coil on the relay (the part that makes the relay work is the coil.)
Take the other lead from the coil of the relay and connect it to the other motor connection.
Now, you tune the device by turning the potentiometer that's on the servo board. There may be a way to replace it with a resistor or 2 but I haven't yet tried. Mine will buzz or click, depending on where I have the pot set at.
But I may toss it all and get a pre-made RC switch.
The other thing I have to figure out is a filter circuit to keep any spikes or surges that can occur from switching the motor on/off from hitting the RX. I want to do this with one battery, so I need to filter the input to the RX.
It'd help if I knew more about electronics myself; I'm just a board monkey, with a very tiny bit of knowledge.
But I'll get it, eventually
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Score: 100 Joined: 9/14/2003 Last Login: 2/18/2011 From: Ocala,
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quote:
ORIGINAL: buggyboy2010
You should patent Your idea and sell it to Redcat lol..
Hell, I'll be happy if Darin takes the info here and makes us a kit that's universal. Besides, I'd hardly call my effort "Original Work" but I'm sure a good patent lawyer could figure out how to make it look like I invented Radio Control.
I'm going at it the the hard way. I think what I'll do is either buy the Losi ROSS module, or more likely, get the RC Switch I saw listed someplace and hook that up. I have a working relay now, but it's fscking ugleeeeee and big and narsty to mount. I can't seem to get the filter circuit working, so I'll likely just solder a cap or 2 on the motor and pray.
If I had some decent project board, and not this crap I got from rat shack today...Oh well.
Sooner or later.
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Well, after a bit of work, I have my switch. I'm still planning on getting a ready-made switch, but this one will work. I also managed to get the thing small enough that I can cram it in the radio box with the rest of the electronics.
If I can find a LiPo battery powerful enough to run the starter and small enough to fit in the battery box, I'll switch to that.
My servo twitch was indeed due to the ESC I was using not providing enough power to run 4 servos. This new setup doesn't have that problem. I tried cutting the red lead on the ESC toat runs to the RX (with the black and white, in the servo line) as I'd read that would cut the BEC on the ESC but still allow it's use as an ESC, but it doesn't work on mine.
I put an electrolytic capacitor across the + and - leads feeding into the RX, and I'm also puting so filter caps on the motor. This should kill the surges I was worried about.
Later:
Ok, this didn't work. Or, it worked until the motor put too much load on my relay, and it fried the contacts in the relay. Time for another approach.
< Message edited by Mr_Byte -- 2/28/2010 10:00 PM >
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Score: 100 Joined: 2/27/2010 Last Login: 12/30/2012 From: litchfield,
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I have a vortex ss it has the vertex .18 and I would like to have a starter on it like the ez start I would like to pay under 50 dollars for it though because the whole car is only like $170 altogether.
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Score: 101 Joined: 2/16/2010 Last Login: 2/8/2012 From: listowel, ON, CANADA Status: offline
quote:
ORIGINAL: 4goodbuys2
I have a vortex ss it has the vertex .18 and I would like to have a starter on it like the ez start I would like to pay under 50 dollars for it though because the whole car is only like $170 altogether.
LOL.. Well bud, I don`t think just becuase the vehicle is $170 altogether that the ez start should be sold for under $50.. That just doesnt make sense sorry. People will pay almost $100 for that.
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Redcat's Remote Start - 
SHHHHHHHHHH 
. 