Rev Devo

Haven't messed with RCs in a while and wow how things have changed. Anyways, i got this sweet new Caldera 10e and i'm still feeling it out but it seems to me there is a lot of play in the driveline. Can anyone tell me if this is normal for a brand new Caldera: I can hold all four tires stationary on the ground and rotate the spur gear about 6 teeth from one direction to the other. Seems like this is just asking for something to break every time i change direction/brake. There is a tiny bit of play in every joint but it seems most of it is in the diffs. Any thoughts? Do you think i should add some shims inside the diffs?

PetRock

It can't hurt to shim the diffs for durability - but they're the same diffs used in Redcat 1/8th and 1/6th models, so they're pretty tough and understressed in 1/10th cars. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about. Also, most of the play probably isn't in the diff-pinion/diff-spur connection... on mine it's the dogbone/drive-cup connections. Each dogbone has 2 pins on the end, and they fit a bit loose in the drive cups... from the center spur to each wheel there's 3 drivecups that have to take up the slack of the pins spinning in them for the wheels to move - that's where all the play is.

Because the pins wear away at the the slots in the drive cups that play will get worse over time... but in reality your pinion can be spinning along at 30000+ RPM... so you won't notice how long it takes 6 teeth on your spur gear to fly by

jaihenwood

i installed a 17T 32P today and it fit just fine! 
got it from amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o05_s00_i01

doesn't seem to tight. 

now i'm looking for a good deal on a 3s battery that will fit.  not sure why the truck is already crazy fast

PetRock

Can't even tell it's my Caldera SC 10E: for bashing I put on a Losi Strike body trimmed to fit.



Think Iprefer ST bodies: I like the look of open-wheel, and when you turn on-power with the SC body it seems like the front tires just shovel dirt up into the chassis, bah!

Dads like rc too

I like it. Fitting your own body and own design is the best part of this hobby. I think people get nervous about painting their own body, but after you smash a few plain old factory bodies up, it's fun to creat your own. We haven't done a body for my son's Caldera yet, but after this next body is finished, we will. Here is a pic of a body I did for a HPI MT2 I used to have.

PetRock

That's a nice MT2! I hear ya on wanting to do your own thing: but the "value" part of my brain almost compels me to keep running factory bodies until they're more drywall tape and Shoe Goo than original Lexan . If something tragic happened to my Caldera body I'd love to do a simple paint job like this on a STor MT body for it:



That's a RC10 Graphite Isold last year: wish I had kept the body for my next buggy

xxturbowesxx

Ran into a few issues none really the fault of the caldera .

First off the esc burned out which was totally my fault but either way I replaced it with a brushless hobbies 120a because its a steal over that 80a.

Now I need to pair it with a new motor as this one could barely handle a 35a and 3s.

I don't want to go faster just run cooler for bashing(why I got the 120a).

I don't particularly want more power because then the diffs start failing.

Does anyone know the motor that comes with the earthquake 8e since the cars share a drive train something like that should work well? I've heard the velineon motor can be a good match if not overpowered.

PetRock

The Velineon will fit if you take the black plastic endcap off (it just snaps on and off). Another option would be a Tacon 3660 3500kv: it's a bit longer and has a wider rotor than the stock motor... the KV is almost identical so the top speed will be almost the same: but it has a lot more torque: accelleration will be very noticably better. And it's less than $35 new!

PetRock

Baby Bump: My local reseller (Amazing RC Store) had their next Redcat event yesterday, and a Caldera SC 10E won it (cough cough ). Updated the main thread here.

xxturbowesxx

Do traxxas 32p pinions fit on the tacon 5mm shaft?

If not What 32p pinions fit?

Will I lose any room and not be able to run a 16t because of the larger shaft?

Is the tacon that much better then the hobby wing ezrun?

MMAsac

So I bought a XB 10E version and I love the truck, I broke the servo after about 3 days of bashing the truck and upgraded to a metal gear servo from hitec.  Other then that I haven't really changed anything other than running 2s Lipos in it.  the truck moves very very well with lipos and is fun as heck to drive around, and its very sturdy, I'd reccomend this to anyone.  here is a picture of it the other day out where we run, I removed the side window decals and tinted them orange, for a different look!  Also what is this talk about changing the pinnions to differnent teeth, im only 2 weeks into my first rc car and dont understand all this talk just yet

Dads like rc too

They're talking about changing the gear on the motor shaft. These are called the motor pinion. Then there is the pinion in the differential or diff pinion. Luckily the Caldera is pretty tough out of the box. You will learn soon enough when your running and hear a crunching noise coming from the front or rear. The first time you replace your diff gears can be kind of intimidating but it's really a simple process.

MMAsac

thanks, wheres a good place to pick up a spare screw set for these at, Just in case.

Dads like rc too

I've not seen them anywhere like you do for other name brand kits. I could use one right now. I've been to two hardware stores searching for m4 motor mount screws and lower bulk screws and nobody has them. Even my local hobby shop doesn't have the ones I need and they have a pretty good stock of nuts and bolts. If it kills me I'm not gonna butcher my Monsoon with loose hardware I found in my garage. I'm trying to keep this one factory.

jaihenwood

screw set i got:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-REDCAT-R...item4161118803

MMAsac

Thanks I bought one of those already earlier, then i decided to search ebay for the screw parts numbers from the book, and found most of them that way and bought every screw on the buggy in bulk. so I'm in good shape now!!!  i'll always be ready "just in case"

Dads like rc too

Glad you found what you needed. I think that bag of screws was a lot of money when you factor in the shipping. When you said "screw set" I've seen actual boxes of screws which include multiple screws for every part on the individual model it's being sold for. Usually they sell for around $13. But to me a bag of the screws pulled from a new tear down is not the same thing, well not for that price anyway. To be fair though, that is what people ask for that item. I just personally think its overpriced.

xxturbowesxx

I am going to install a tacon 4000kv 540L motor with my brushless hobbies 120a.

Because I have to use 5mm mod 8 which is slightly bigger in diameter I doubt I'll be able to stick with the 16t pinion. Would I be over geared with a 15t?

jaihenwood

i think i stripped my front differantal....is this common? seems like a big repair....

i've running 2s lipo with 17p

PetRock

You can get 5mm-shaft 32-pitch pinions in the smaller sizes too: I just ordered 12/13/14t pinions from Kershaw Designs. The shaft size doesn't have anything to do with the number of teeth, you can buy a 16t 5mm 32p if you want and keep the same gear ratio.

jbain2

I have the entire velinion system in my caldera 10e. I didn't have to remove or modify anything with the motor. I have experimented with several pinion gears to modify the gear ratio. You can get them with as few as 12t. I have a 20t gear that I use occasionally.

I have a cooling fan on the velinion esc and a cooling fan and heat sink on the motor. Haven't had a problem with overheating. I actually prefer the hobbywing esc's as they are more versatile and have more programmable features, but use the velinion esc as it seems better mated to the motor for my purposes.I have blown out my front diff running this setup with a 3s lipo.I was bashing so that is to be expected. But the truck is fast.

PetRock

New motor came in for my SC10E: a Leopard 2650kv 3674: it's going to need a bit of dremel work to fit



I'm going to run it on 3s: was going to be paired with a BrushlessHobbies 120a ESC... but a new driver dunked my Caldera into a creek: water killed the BH ESCand FS receiver. So I stole the 80a HobbyWing Redcat shipped with my Shredder SC as a backup. Hope it all works!

Bluetheron

Jang just jumped onboard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbbeOjKENgU

Dave


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FarBeyondDriven

Hey guys, just finished reading this whole thread. Good info. Also just 2 days ago picked up a new 10e for a great price I think. (200). So far so good, kids love it too. It did take a small bath in a mud puddle last night, so hopefully should be done drying out today. Ran about 10 more min after that and no issues.

Anyways, need to find a faster battery charger STAT. this 6-8 hrs for the stock nimh blows. Im thinking of picking up a couple lipos, and a charger that will do the job. Just need to research them all first (because Im anal like that) lol.

Anyways, glad to have found this site. Lots of great info on here. Thanks everyone!

Dads like rc too

Courtesy of Nitrosports:

charger: http://www.hobbypartz.com/thac6smbachw.html

Lipo: http://www.hobbypartz.com/77p-sl4400-2s1p-30c-2222.html

under $100 shipped for the charger and 1 lipo. well worth it. the truck's ESC is already setup for a 2s lipo pack. just plug it in and run like a normal battery.