xTHExSA1NTx

Is the Traxxas Velineon motor and esc enough power for a Revo? Not looking for land speed records but I"m fed up with nitro! Dont know crap about electric rc, all my knowledge is in nitro.

I was looking at the Tekno conversion kit on Tower Hobbies for the Revo, looks like it would be all that hard to swithc from nitro to electric on my Revo, after looking at some pictures though, can I still use my same transmission with this conversion?

I just dont want a slow Revo and the Traxxas brushless system isnt all that expensive?

Any input from all you experts would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks

XTHExSA1NT

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

It's going to be dog slow, you're better off selling your current Revo and picking up a brushless E-Revo, or a used E-revo roller and dropping a Tekin or Castle setup.

xTHExSA1NTx

Really? Is it just the way that the chassi is setup? Buying a while new erevo and dropping in a tekin costs some coin...

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

The chassis and all that stuff is not cheap to install on a nitro Revo. If you want to tackle the conversion, by all means, do it, but ebay has aton of rollers available.

xTHExSA1NTx

The conversion kit from Tekno looks like it just bolts on, its $140.0 kit.

BKoz559

My Feedback: (3)

The Tekno is a bolt on conversion, however, you still need a source of motivation after that. So, $140 for the conversion plus a brushless system, some batteries and a charger; assuming you dont' already have LiPos and a charger.

From my experiences with Ebay, a good condition used Nitro Revo can fetch $200-$300 depending on the condition, which generation it is and what is included with it. Used E-Revos or E-Savages have dipped as low as $140 plus shipping, and that includes a couple of bogus NiMh batteries. I ditched a very beat up Revo with a partial Tekno conversion for $125 plus shipping about 4 months ago because I was in a similar situation to you. I wanted a big truck but nitro power is too loud for the neighbors and it doesn't really appeal to me anymore. In the end Ilucked out BIGTIME because after patiently waiting for a deal to pop up, one eventually did. Iscored a Savage Flux HP on Craigslist for $300 with EVERYTHING and then some! It is well used but, he gave me enough spare suspension and chassis parts to damn near build a second one. All I've done so far is clean out all the ball bearings and wash the chassis. Eventually I will change the connections to Deans plugs.

Enough about my story; I think TBJ's advice of building up a rolling chassis or even just looking for a good deal on a used one is probably the best bet in the long run. Consider selling your Revo on Craigslist or Ebay and use that money to put towards another electric truck. If you have your heart set on brushless Revo's / Savages, then expect to dish out a minimum of $350 for one in decent condition.

xTHExSA1NTx

May sound stupid but I"m looking forward to converting a nitro to electric, think I might try the Tekno kit and a velinean brushless kit for now and see how it turns out, then might upgrade to a Tekin brushless kit, I already stripped my revo down last night and cleaned it all up and got it ready for the build....

sloppyG

tekno conversion $140
motor and ESC $250

you're at $400 already... just sell it and buy an electric one
I converted a nitro revo to electric, I know it's expensive and you end up with a worse product than a purpose built electric

xTHExSA1NTx

If I get the Velinean brushless kit from Traxxas then it wont be that much, I have an old traxxas 4tec that I can take the motor and esc of and trade it in towards the velinean, about 130 bucks, not a bad price for the bang.....

The Hedgehog

That power system is for smaller vehicles...

There is no way it will power a revo.

sloppyG

just so you know, you can get a better brushless system than the VXL for less than even the "trade in" price from traxxas..

and if you put a VXL system or any small 1/10 setup in a revo.. it'll die a hot smokey death very quickly

if you're going to spend any money, buy the right stuff the first time.. don't do some weird thing where you're trying to be cheap. (and the VXL setup is not cheap for what it is)

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

So you're going to run a system meant for 4.5 lb cars in a 10-12 pound car?

Sounds like a great idea. Let us know how it turns out.

xTHExSA1NTx

I"ve been watching videos with people running them in revos and emaxx's, I think it would suit me just fine....I could be wrong though, only way for a person to learn right? With a 3s lipo, just a little backyard bashing, should do just fine right

xTHExSA1NTx

Let me ask you this, what Castle Creations kit should I go with then?

The Hedgehog

No it won't last, it is for smaller vehicles.

sloppyG

just because you see a video, that doesn't mean that RC actually has that combo in it... people lie...

also note how short the videos are... running something for 2 minutes does not mean it will last for a whole battery pack

just buy an e-revo.. by the time you buy a conversion and an ESC/motor combo you're almost there anyways
(you'd want the castle mamba monster combo, which is stock in the brushless erevo)


also, good luck trying to run it on 3s, that's not enough voltage and you'll be pulling a ton of amps and running VERY hot no matter what 3s setup you go with.. you need 4s at a minimum to make it work right.

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

3S, 3500 VXL setup, speed control already known for pooping out when used well below its limits, plus a 10+ pound truck...

DO IT, BUT MAKE SURE YOU VIDEO EVERY MOMENT OF ITS RUNTIMES SO ThunderbirdJunkie CAN REVEL IN THE FLAMES!

xTHExSA1NTx

Well thanks for not criticizing me to much...Since I dont know I'm going to ask, explain lipos to me, what does the 3s 4s and amps and all that mean cause I'm lost, I thought a 3s was plenty...Like I said, have no clue what i"m getting to....

SyCo_VeNoM

S is how many cells are in it
2S for example is 7.4V
3S is 11.1v, and 4S is 14.8v's
in the 1/8th system they are saying the reason you go for 4S is cause the motor KV rating is generally lower, and needs more voltage to increase its RPM's. The VXL on 3S is about 38800RPM where the 1/8th scale 2200kv setup does 32560RPM on 4S But the VXL on 3S will pretty much burn up, where as the 2200kv setup on 4S probably will barely get warm

C- rating is discharge rating. It is used to figure out the maximum constant current draw(Amps) from the battery. There are PLENTY of threads in the past 2 weeks dealing with this

xTHExSA1NTx

Ok, I"ll do some thread searching, what lipo should I run with the Mamba Monster brushless kit? Also, I was looking at Hitec X4 Quad DC Multi-Charger, seems like it would be a good charger to start out with...

BKoz559

My Feedback: (3)

For starters I encourage you to visit this link: http://sites.google.com/site/tjinguy...arging-how-tosand review the "Lipo Basics" section. It'll answer any and all questions you may have.

The charger you mentioned is a neat idea but, 2 respectable LiPo balance chargers are probably all you need; even if you have 4 battery packs. 2 in the truck, 2 on the charger and keep rotating them. Maybe a pair of these, perhaps? https://www.ssl-stormerhobbies.com/c...=ns&pn=ASC0604. Heck, Omnimodels (on Ebay) is selling Checkpoint TC-1030's for $69.99 plus $8 shipping. I think I'll get another one myself for that price! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

The Mamba Monster is a good system to use and is the same one that is used in the factory version of the Brushless E-Revo. The HPI Blur system is similar and costs about $300+. Basically you need a brushless system designed for 1/8 scale or monster trucks specifically. Typically they will accomodate up to 22.2v or 6s LiPo power. 4S / 14.8v power is still highly potent. My Flux can do backflips with 4S; I couldn't imagine trying to drive a 6S powered vehicle with any degree of control. If you are looking for a better price then you can checkout the system Hobbyking offers. I don't have first-hand experience with it so maybe other users can offer their experiences.

By the way, your Revo is clean enough to eat off of. What did you use to clean it?

xTHExSA1NTx

For starters I encourage you to visit this link: http://sites.google.com/site/tjinguy...arging-how-tos and review the "Lipo Basics" section.  It'll answer any and all questions you may have.

The charger you mentioned is a neat idea but, 2 respectable LiPo balance chargers are probably all you need; even if you have 4 battery packs.  2 in the truck, 2 on the charger and keep rotating them.  Maybe a pair of these, perhaps?  https://www.ssl-stormerhobbies.com/c...=ns&pn=ASC0604.  Heck, Omnimodels (on Ebay) is selling Checkpoint TC-1030's for $69.99 plus $8 shipping.  I think I'll get another one myself for that price! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

The Mamba Monster is a good system to use and is the same one that is used in the factory version of the Brushless E-Revo.  The HPI Blur system is similar and costs about $300+.  Basically you need a brushless system designed for 1/8 scale or monster trucks specifically.  Typically they will accomodate up to 22.2v or 6s LiPo power.  4S / 14.8v power is still highly potent.  My Flux can do backflips with 4S; I couldn't imagine trying to drive a 6S powered vehicle with any degree of control.  If you are looking for a better price then you can checkout the system Hobbyking offers.  I don't have first-hand experience with it so maybe other users can offer their experiences.

By the way, your Revo is clean enough to eat off of.  What did you use to clean it? 

xTHExSA1NTx

Got the Tekno kit today, getting ready to install it here in a bit, I"ll keep pictures posted up and keep the build informed if anyone is interested...

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

Man.. a lot of people in this thread trying to discourage the guy. Maybe he doesn't want to trade for an e-revo. I wouldn't put a velineon in it... but a decent 1/8 scale brushless system would do fine.

SyCo_VeNoM

meh if he wants to do it its upto him
I took a Savage .21 and converted it to electric. Its now got more flux parts (still gotta replaced my diffs) than .21 parts on it now
In retrospect I probably would have been cheaper off just buying a 2350, or buying a used flux roller, BUT where is the fun in that