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*Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

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*Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

Old 06-18-2012, 04:13 PM
  #201  
FarBeyondDriven
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

Thanks for the response. I'll definitely check those out.

Newb Question - Is there any stock tweaks I should make sure to do that will make the stock set up run better? ie. Best spring rate, any ESC settings, etc etc that I should adjust for best all round performance and safety (for vehicle, not human/physical). Im mostly on sandy pavement, short grass and only smaller jumps etc....no serious "bashing" etc.

Also,, anything I should check for? I simple unpackaged it, charged'er up and ran it. Not sure if I should ensure I'm setting this or that, and checking this or that. (keeping my eye on all screws and so far so good. Also have blue locktite laying around just in case)

edit - also from what i think i read in this thread, its the "mah" in the batter that determins (so to speak) run time. SO for instance would this: http://hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store...dProduct=14991 have more run time per charge than this: http://www.hobbypartz.com/77p-sl4400-2s1p-30c-2222.html ?? Planning on keeping at 7.4 volt for now.


Thanks again everyone.
Old 06-18-2012, 05:07 PM
  #202  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread


ORIGINAL: FarBeyondDriven

Thanks for the response. I'll definitely check those out.

Newb Question - Is there any stock tweaks I should make sure to do that will make the stock set up run better? ie. Best spring rate, any ESC settings, etc etc that I should adjust for best all round performance and safety (for vehicle, not human/physical). Im mostly on sandy pavement, short grass and only smaller jumps etc....no serious ''bashing'' etc.

Also,, anything I should check for? I simple unpackaged it, charged'er up and ran it. Not sure if I should ensure I'm setting this or that, and checking this or that. (keeping my eye on all screws and so far so good. Also have blue locktite laying around just in case)

edit - also from what i think i read in this thread, its the ''mah'' in the batter that determins (so to speak) run time. SO for instance would this: http://hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store...dProduct=14991 have more run time per charge than this: http://www.hobbypartz.com/77p-sl4400...0c-2222.html ?? Planning on keeping at 7.4 volt for now.


Thanks again everyone.
yes the higher the mah rating, the longer the run times. The higher the C rating, the quicker the battery can discharge making it faster. 25C is about as low as you want, 30C I think would be considered the norm for the backyard bashers. People that use higher C rated batteries either have money to burn or are racers. Keep in mind that the longer your run times, the longer the motor stays hot. In the end, heat is what lets the magic smoke out of the ESC or motor. I"m not saying the 5200 mah battery is too big, just saying keep it reasonable. These components weren't designed to run 35-40 minutes. A good 3300 to 4400 mah battery will give you 20 - 25 minutes respectively and give you some tech time to check screws and nuts while changing packs out and also letting the motor cool down for 5 minutes. This is just my opinion. Most people will probably tell you to get the biggest battery you can afford. The good thing about this forum is you can gather a lot of info from different people's perspective. Then it's up to you to decide which advice best suits your needs.
Old 06-18-2012, 05:25 PM
  #203  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

Perfect gotcha! - Makes absolute sense re: battery info. Thanks bud. [8D]
Old 06-18-2012, 05:56 PM
  #204  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread


ORIGINAL:
Newb Question - Is there any stock tweaks I should make sure to do that will make the stock set up run better? ie. Best spring rate, any ESC settings, etc etc that I should adjust for best all round performance and safety (for vehicle, not human/physical). Im mostly on sandy pavement, short grass and only smaller jumps etc....no serious ''bashing'' etc.

Also,, anything I should check for? I simple unpackaged it, charged'er up and ran it. Not sure if I should ensure I'm setting this or that, and checking this or that. (keeping my eye on all screws and so far so good. Also have blue locktite laying around just in case)


Thanks again everyone.
Forgot to address this. Springs are fine for playing around. More than likely the shocks have very little oil in them. You can adjust the dampening to your liking by using heavier or lighter oil. Just simply making sure there is oil in them will go along way. Adding pre-load clips to the shocks will help keep the springs from being too bouncy. Also the stock shock retainers are known to take off. Spraying them a day glow color helps find them later. Also a drop of crazy glue between the spring and the spring retainer goes a long way. You should go over every screw on the truck. The one's that go into plastic just need to be snug, don't torque them or they'll strip out. The screw's that go into metal need a drop of blue loctite. Make sure you definately do this on the grub screws. These are the tiny set screws that are in the cups on the front and rear side of the center drive that the dogbones go into.
Old 06-25-2012, 07:38 PM
  #205  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

Here's how you stuff a 3674 motor into a Caldera: about the largest brushless that will go in with only minor trimming.











Put up the rest of the pictures here.



Old 06-26-2012, 07:00 AM
  #206  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

Seeing all those holes in the chassis reminded me. Does anyone have any recommendations for a stick on liner to put on the bottom of the chassis to make everything nice and smooth and to cover the holes? I remember a product in the 90's to make the gold pans look pretty, last longer, and be super slick but I can't remember it now.

Killer job PetRock! hope you don't twist the wheels off

Old 06-28-2012, 11:06 AM
  #207  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

Hey guys, I just ordered a Caldera SC 10E yesterday from URC, and i was just wondering what parts I should order, beforehand, so when they break i'll have a replacement. Also, will a Caldera XB body & wing fit on it?
Old 06-28-2012, 11:11 AM
  #208  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread


ORIGINAL: micah11

Hey guys, I just ordered a Caldera SC 10E yesterday from URC, and i was just wondering what parts I should order, beforehand, so when they break i'll have a replacement. Also, will a Caldera XB body & wing fit on it?

I would say a servo (mine broke) as well as frnt/rear driveshafts (aka dogbones i think), 2 lipo batteries and a charger. I;ve had my 10E for 2 weeks and waiting for the parts I just mentioned to arrive



Old 07-01-2012, 10:47 AM
  #209  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

ORIGINAL: micah11
Hey guys, I just ordered a Caldera SC 10E yesterday from URC, and i was just wondering what parts I should order, beforehand, so when they break i'll have a replacement. Also, will a Caldera XB body & wing fit on it?
This reply is a bit late, but:

Short-term - You'll want extra driveshafts since they seem a bit soft, and after mashing your front tires into a few poles they'll bend (BS903-019 - buy two sets). You should also grab a set of screws (BS903-073 and BS903-075), and a spare set of plastic front knuckes (either the bottom screw holes in them will get too loose to keep a screw in, or a crash will strip them out - BS903-015). You'll also want a replacement for the stock brass pinion since the teeth on it will probably be worn to sharp edges in about 10 packs: Traxxas steel pinions are cheap and plentiful (TRA3943).

Longer term - You'll want replacement drive cups for the center diff since they seem to wear much faster than the cups on the front/rear diffs that go out to the tires (BS903-083) - they're aren't critical as you can drive with them really worn, but your truck will start to make a clicking noise when it moves. I would also order a set of inner hub bearings (BS903-016), since unless you take really good care of them they'll eventually seize up from being doused with dirt and water.

RedCat Upgrades - The metal steering knuckes and new-style hubs (larger 4mm screws) are worth it to never have to worry about knuckle screws ever falling out again (metal parts means you can threadlock them - BS903-111 and BS903-017N) - but don't buy the blue aluminum version (MPO-03) since they're too pricey. HobbyKing sells these parts cheap, but they're often out-of-stock. If you break your steering rack you should also consider the metal version as an upgrade (BS803-010).

Other Upgrades - Standard 12mm wheels fit: if you want to use Traxxas-style 2.8" rubber buy the Stampede-2wd-front / Stampede-4x4-all sized rims, as Stampede 2wd rear rims won't be wide enough to clear the steering linkages on the front of the Caldera. Cheap 540/550-sized Tacon motors from HobbyPartz will drop right in, and larger ESCs can be sourced cheap from HobbyKing. Traxxas Jato/E-Revo springs will fit on the Caldera shocks which will let you get the most value out of your stock shocks... but if you want a shock upgrade don't buy the RedCat aluminum upgrades (BS701-004A) since they're not a good value. Instead buy Traxxas XXL Ultra Shocks (plastic body). They're cheap (check Ebay), lots of places make springs that fit (Traxxas/Losi/Integy) and you can make them stronger if they break (metal shock caps or TiNi shafts). Finally, buy a new servo: Savox makes great bang-for-your buck fast + durable models that drop right in.

That's all I can think of for now.



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Old 07-15-2012, 05:05 PM
  #210  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

Hmm... don't know why the gearbox bearings failed yet, but a 50% larger motor probably didn't help

Bearings on the front center driveshaft gave up on life, allowing the shaft to deflect and the gear mesh to slip: metal shavings everywhere!





You can buy complete RedCat gearboxes for $15-$20, so it shouldn't be too costly to fix.


Old 07-15-2012, 07:09 PM
  #211  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread


ORIGINAL: PetRock

Hmm... don't know why the gearbox bearings failed yet, but a 50% larger motor probably didn't help

Bearings on the front center driveshaft gave up on life, allowing the shaft to deflect and the gear mesh to slip: metal shavings everywhere!



[img][/img]

You can buy complete RedCat gearboxes for $15-$20, so it shouldn't be too costly to fix.


I never have less than two complete sets of diff gears for my sons Caldera on hand. They're not the best in the business.
Old 07-16-2012, 06:47 AM
  #212  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

[/quote]
I never have less than two complete sets of diff gears for my sons Caldera on hand. They're not the best in the business.
[/quote]

Second that. It seems as if they are operating at max capacity with the stock motor. Have been through 2 sets front and back already.

Old 07-17-2012, 03:09 PM
  #213  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

Well, my Caldera finally came yesterday, so I charged it up and took it for a spin... every 5 minutes it overheated and shut down. The motor and battery were really HOT. Any way to cool it down?
Old 07-17-2012, 04:10 PM
  #214  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread


ORIGINAL: micah11

Well, my Caldera finally came yesterday, so I charged it up and took it for a spin... every 5 minutes it overheated and shut down. The motor and battery were really HOT. Any way to cool it down?
Did you check the battery? We run my sons on 2s lipo for 20 minutes straight without it ever overheating.
Old 07-17-2012, 04:14 PM
  #215  
micah11
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

everything is stock, and the esc isnt hot at all, but the motor and battery are really hot
Old 07-18-2012, 03:29 PM
  #216  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

URC Review is up! And discussion is here.

Budget servo and tight links out-of-the-box: same problems I had. I bought a $15 metal-gear servo and just put a drop of oil on each pivot: they loosened up after a few packs.


Old 07-18-2012, 06:55 PM
  #217  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

I fixed the temp. issue. Bad battery connection. It looks like I lost a lower spring retainer on the front right tire while driving it. Can I lightly run it around on pavement until new shocks come, or will that hurt the spring?
Old 07-19-2012, 03:46 AM
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread


ORIGINAL: micah11

I fixed the temp. issue. Bad battery connection. It looks like I lost a lower spring retainer on the front right tire while driving it. Can I lightly run it around on pavement until new shocks come, or will that hurt the spring?
it will be fine like that, the spring will just not rebound as good. when you get the new retainer, put a drop off crazy glue on it at the shaft. also it's not a bad idea to spray those retainers with a bright color so you can find them easier if you lose 1. same goes for your dogbones
Old 07-19-2012, 11:03 AM
  #219  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

Is there any place that sells just the retainer, or do I have to buy the set of 2 shocks?
Old 07-30-2012, 04:41 PM
  #220  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

I was driving it around yesterday, and all of a sudden, I only had FWD. It looked like the drive cup fell off, but not completely, so I put it back on, and noticed the dogbone was sliding back and forth in the drive cups, like it was too short. Is there another part there that I may have missed?
Old 08-05-2012, 06:07 PM
  #221  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

I would just like to weigh in on my thoughts about the Caldera. First off this truck is an amazing bang for your buck. I have beat on it for several months and I love it. I run sky Lipo's 4400 40C 2s. There are a few things that need attention right out of the box.
Obviosly the servo is junk. Don't even bother getting redcat to send you a new one because it isn't worth the time it takes to install it. It won't last.
The first thing I did was to remove the screw used to set the clearence for the pinion and spur on the motor. It was a cheap phillip screw. I replaced it with a 3mm hex head bolt. Then I set the clearence.
The one thing I really dislike about this truck is the way the shock towers mount to the top of the differential cover. They flex alot and it is easy to bend the screws that bolt them on. I replaced those screws with a larger screw I had laying around the shop. #6 pan head phillips screw. This required the shock tower to be drilled. Prior to that I bent both factory screws in a crash. The second issue I ran into was that the shocks will let the suspension over travel and cause you to bend axles. Happened on my truck and my brothers. To solve this we took small rubber o rings and put them on the rod of each shock. This limited the up travel of the suspension on all four corners. Now if you push the truck down until the chassis hits the ground, you can only lift the tire of the ground about 3mm before the shocks bottom out on the oring.
The spring retainer caps for the stock shocks are also brittle and breake easy. The retainer cap for Traxxas Erevo and Jato shocks are exactly the same and make a good replacement.
The last thing I did was buy an assortment of 3mm bolts and lock nuts. When I have a screw that keeps coming out I just replace it with a bolt and lock nut. In some cases this will require some drilling.
I am currently running Erevo shocks with Jato springs and pistons. I really like these shocks and I picked them up off of ebay cheap. They are shorter so I had to make some adapter plates, but you could just put on a longer rod end. I also like running the Volcano body. I have attached images of the body and the shocks.
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Old 08-06-2012, 07:59 AM
  #222  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

Does anybody know what size screw is on the drive cup? It came loose once and I took it to the LHS, and they tightened it down for me, then I ran it again, and nothing broke. I ran it today, and the same thing happened. Would a new drive cup fix this?
Old 09-26-2012, 01:11 PM
  #223  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

ok i need some help i need to upgrade my caldera minimal effort.  i'll buy all the commonly broken parts "PetRock " posted and i got a new servo.

I'm looking at:

i'll be racing on dirt / grass motor:   http://www.hobbypartz.com/96m210-3660-4000kv-6t.html 
ESC 35a big enough:  http://www.hobbypartz.com/hobbywing-...esc.html 
3s li po batteries that fit well and are cost effective?  (i have a charger)

i need to replace my tires should i just replace with stock?  i see "PetRock " posted some tires but do you have links to the products? 
Old 09-30-2012, 10:14 AM
  #224  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

> ok i need some help i need to upgrade my caldera minimal effort. i'll buy all the commonly
> broken parts "PetRock " posted and i got a new servo.

I wouldn't go out of my way to get everything up front: you could wait until you break something then just add a couple extra items on your order to save some shipping. But if you're planning to keep the Caldera and put lots of miles on it then it can't hurt.

For motors the 4000kv looks fine: if anything consider the 3500kv 3660 since if you're going to keep running it with larger tires you may find you can't gear down enough on the 4000kv to keep the heat reasonable (and consider something closer to 2500kv if you'll run on 3s all the time). But the ESCis a bit small: the stock motor is a 380-rotor-in-finned-540 can... one size up from that is a unfinned 540, and you're going to a 550/3660... you're effectively going up 2 motor sizes. The HobbyPartz page for the Tacon lists it as a 1200w motor... and if you decide to run it on 3s that would be 1200w / (3x4.2v) = +-100a peak. A 35a ESC can peak much higher than 35a... but I think you'll have problems with overheating the ESC all the time. A 60a or 80a would be more reasonable. Something like a 80a HobbyKing is beefy and cheap, though it won't fit where your stock ESCis now (it's too wide). I just mount mine on the top plate.

As for tires there's lots that will fit on the Caldera. If you like the look of the larger rims with less tire sidewall any rims for a Traxxas Stampede 4wd or the fronts on the 2wd will fit, then you can put on any tires for Traxxas 2.8" rims. If you want to stick with the stock Caldera SCrims then any 2.2"-inner/3"-outer SC rubber will fit (that's the standard size)... but know that real SCrubber is a bit smaller diameter than what Redcat gives you. Here's Redcat on the right and a standard Associated SC10 SC tire on the left:




Old 10-09-2012, 01:28 PM
  #225  
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Default RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread

Thanks for the info!

I went with the 60a Hobby King ESC didn't know if the 80a would fit.

What battery do you run the caldera on and where did you get it?

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