Volcano EPX?
 

Hey guys. So im thinking of making a FPV RC Car to explore some trails in the woods around me, and i was thinking of getting a brushed monster truck. I came up with the volcano EPX being the cheapest option. Now its not a bumpy trail by any means, but having a monster truck will work better. Also i may use a 2s lipo, but will NOT be going full throttle all the time....just on occasion when i feel like doing speed runs or the such. Will this truck work fine for what i want to do? It wont be jumped off ramps or bashed around. Just driven in a gentle manner with some speed here and there.

RE: Volcano EPX?
 

Ok so first off you mentioned the Volcano EPX and wanting a brushed monster truck "which the EPX is", but then mentioned the possibility of running a 2s Lipo. I'm not the battery expert but I've been told lipo's and brushed motors don't mix. One thing I will tell you from experience is stay away from anything Redcat sells with a brushed motor. Now I've been a supporter of Redcats products, I own several, but I will never purchase another brushed product from them. I run nitro and my son has a brushless Caldera which is awesome, but I purchased the Volcano EPX for my 7 year old daughter thinking the slower brushed motor would be a good fit for her first hobby grade RC. Well the truck itself seemed well worth the money, but surprisingly after 3-4 packs run through it we had smoked the motor. Redcat has great customer svc, I filed a warranty claim online and in less than a week a new motor had been shipped to my door. The problem I had was with the email I received. Now I'm not quoting word for word but basically it said that to be aware that brushed motors run very hot and that I shoud keep run times to 6-7 minutes. I couldn't believe Redcat sold a truck with an intended run time of 6-7 minutes. The 1800 mah battery that comes with it runs a little longer than 15 minutes and it's a tiny battery by anyone's standards. I never researched this before buying it, but had I known this I never would have purchased it. I was very close to getting her a Caldera as well so I could have the same parts but really didn't want to spend that much on her first truck or give her something with that much power. So needless to say, I've since repaired the truck and it sits in the corner looking all new.

RE: Volcano EPX?
 

Oh okay thanks. That doesn't sound too good...i will look at a brushless one then.

RE: Volcano EPX?
 

The brushless version is definately worth the extra money.

the brushed motor in the epx can handle a 2s lipo...the ESC on the other hand cannot.

For your project, the volcano should work. The upper deck of the chassis could be modded to hold a large plate in which to mount all your FPV gear.

If it were me, I would be tempted to lock the rear diff. while it is a 4wd truck, if 1 front and 1 rear tire were to be off the ground (or not get any traction) then all the power will go to those 2 wheels and the truck wont go anywhere. It wont be fun as a FPV truck if it gets stuck. But if you lock the rear diff then it will be really hard for it to ever get stuck.

Normally, I wouldnt suggest locking the diffs, as it limits tight turning and handling to a degree. But with your project, id say the gains would be worth the reduced handling.

RE: Volcano EPX?
 

Thank you nitrosportsandrunner. How do i go about locking the diffs?

RE: Volcano EPX?
 

basically, you remove the rear diff from the truck, open the case and there is a pinion gear (input) and a ring gear that has a case attatched to it. Inside that case are some planitary gears. You can use JB weld on them to lock them.

RE: Volcano EPX?
 

Cool thanks. Sounds pretty easy.

RE: Volcano EPX?
 

yeh, its not that hard. Ive pulled diffs off epx's a few times, so I can do it in 10 minutes. Probly take you 20 minutes or so the 1st time.
The manual will have an exploded view of the truck, that will help you to dissasemble it.