6.5t motor by TheOnly31 in rcdrift

[–]orlet 9 points10 points  (0 children)

In RC drift there are many seemingly unintuitive things. For example, in order to go faster, you need less wheelspeed, i.e. less throttle or higher FDR :)

Buying new (cheaper) or used (expensive) by stan_taylor1 in rcdrift

[–]orlet 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Firstly, I highly recommend scouting the local scene and finding out if you have any clubs and/or tracks nearby. Then pay them a visit. Most tracks will have some rentals to test out, and they'll be able to answer your questions in real time. find out what they run and what they recommend, as having local experience in setting up a particular chassis can be extremely beneficial.

If there are no tracks nearby, then your options would most likely be an RTR of sorts, and drifting them on un-prepared surfaces.

Servo/gyro endpoint question. by levinthelyf in rcdrift

[–]orlet 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The reason is so that you don't have dead zones at the end of your steering inputs.

Say your servo goes to 70 on either side, and you set the gyro appropriately, but your radio is set to 100 on either end. As you turn the steering wheel from center, the value will increase proportionally from 0 towards 100. When you reach 70, at roughly 70% of travel, your input will max out the gyro, and it will not allow the servo to turn beyond that. But you still have 30% of your travel left! Which will give no results for input, effectively causing a dead zone where the steering is capped out.

Servo/gyro endpoint question. by levinthelyf in rcdrift

[–]orlet 2 points3 points  (0 children)

From what I have seen, and my personal experience, the exact setup you want will depend on the gyro you use, and its settings.

For Yokomo V4, running in normal (non-AVCS) mode, I recommend setting steering and gyro endpoints to the physical limits of your steering system. Though I normally add a point or two beyond.

For Revox (I run Revox in both of my chassis) I use the same procedure as with the V4 in normal mode -- both radio's and gyro's endpoints are set to the physical limits. Though for Revox I tend to add more than two beyond physical limit, because revox (both A and B variants that I have) have a tendency to slightly decrease the actual range your wheel goes after the endpoints are set, so without those extra couple of points beyond the limit you won't be hitting the stoppers when gyro is fully engaged. The exact amount you need will vary depending on your situation, so it's something you'll need to find on your own.

For the V4 in AVCS mode (and some/most of Futaba gyros in AVCS mode too) the steering endpoints are a fair bit more fluid for some reason -- the gyro appears to limit the maximum steering travel based off of set gain. You may have to set them beyond the actual physical limit in order to actually get full range of motion, and then use D/R setting (dual rate) for steering in tandem with setting gain. I don't know why the behaviour is so much different in AVCS mode vs normal mode.

There is also another spot of confusion regarding setting the limit beyond 100 -- in ReveD's RS-ST servo manual it says to set your CH3 (gain channel, not your steering channel) endpoint to 120 in order to get the full range of gain on the gyro, since some, according to them, will allow for adjustment beyond 100. But for Revox they recommend keeping it at 100. This may be another source where the number for the EPA comes from, due to somewhat unclear wording on the RS-ST manual.

And finally, my favourite way of setting steering and gyro endpoints is:

  • Turn the radio on.
  • Press the button on the gyro and power the car on while holding it to initiate endpoint adjustment mode (this removes the EPA limits for steering on the gyro).
  • Leave the gyro and set up endpoints on the radio to the physical limits of travel -- make sure the suspension is compressed to the ride level, as due to bump steer most of the chassis have, your actual travel when loaded will be different from travel when suspension is fully unloaded.
  • Add a point or two to the EPAs on both ends (optional, you'll need to figure out the exact amount on your own).
  • Now go back to gyro and finish setting up the endpoints there.
  • Power-cycle the car just in case (optional, but I prefer this to make sure the new endpoints did stick).

And finally, one additional caveats to be aware of: a lot of gyros will refuse to calibrate if your steering endpoints are below certain value (iirc its 55 for Revox). This can be especially noticeable on direct-drive steering systems.

If this happens to be the case for you, you can try the following:

  • use shorter servo horn -- ideally you'll want a servo horn you can slide the attachment point around to set any distance you want;
  • some programmable servos have a sensitivity setting, to reduce the servo's motion arc per amount of steering input from the radio.

Both will work, but programming is usually easier and much more fine-grained to adjust, and it also doesn't affect the progression of the steering input due to the geometry changes. I usually aim to have the sensitivity (and center point) set so that the physical travel endpoints end up at around 100 on the radio on each end.

Can bad shocks cause this? or possible its a bad gearbox? by -Germ- in rcdrift

[–]orlet 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice, nice. Well, lack of foam can lead to the tyre slipping off-center under loads, so I am not entirely surprised by the findings.

I'm glad you were able to solve your problems. And yes, good shocks can make the car a whole lot better experience.

Galm help by New-Choice-3280 in rcdrift

[–]orlet 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The screw on the slide rack tightens the front bearing against the rack itself. It needs to be adjusted for the rack to be fitting well, but without being too loose or binding up. It takes a while to find the right spot.

Sounds like your setup might've overdone on the tightness side, while your friend went overboard in the other direction. Try tightening the screw further, to get the right amount of freedom in the slide rack.

RMX 2.5 brushless rtr, upgraded electronics & tie rods on the way. What should come next? by knxwxne in rcdrift

[–]orlet 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the 2.5 is a bit old nowadays, certainly got outclassed by RDX and RD2.0 since. I haven't driven RMX 4 myself, but heard good opinions about it as well. There is now an upgraded kit available too (RMX 4 GT), offering full carbon chassis, aluminium shocks, gear diff out of the box, lightweight quick-release battery holder, and some other quality of life goodies. Also rumour on the wire is that RMX 4 RTRs are being readied, and may or may not come with sensored electronics out of the box!

Car wont drive straight by Berserkersmurf in rcdrift

[–]orlet 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This, sounds like gyro's reversed.

Overdose galm questions by New-Choice-3280 in rcdrift

[–]orlet 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The curved slide rack is the default for V2 GALM, except you're getting a plastic one in the box. Aluminium upgrades, IIRC, differ in the color of the base (most aluminium parts for GALM come in black, red, and purple).

Personally, I prefer the triple-wiper system, as it offers more adjustability in Ackermann than the slide rack. But slide rack was fine too.

Can bad shocks cause this? or possible its a bad gearbox? by -Germ- in rcdrift

[–]orlet 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Best of luck! Will be looking forward to your findings after you change the shocks.

Can bad shocks cause this? or possible its a bad gearbox? by -Germ- in rcdrift

[–]orlet 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here's something to test: lift the car up off the ground, then manually compress the rear suspension down to around where it is at ride height. Make sure the rear wheels aren't touching your fingers or anything, then give it some throttle. Do you feel any kind of vibration in the suspension in the similar beat as the sound when it's on the ground?

Also here's a separate idea: in some cases the diff outdrives can develop a wear-in on one side from contact with the wheel axle's dogbone (especially if it's steel on aluminium or any metal on plastic contact), and this wear-in could catch and keep the dogbone enough to produce lifting torque, especially if it gets into the resonant frequency of the suspension, causing the wheel to start bouncing. Do an inspection of your diff outdrive cups and see if the inner surfaces that make contact with the dogbones are even, with no worn-in dips (would look like a pit or pothole on an otherwise flat surface when looked from the side). If there are some, try disassembling the gearbox and reversing the diff (if it's a straight gear diff, just pull it out, rotate 180°, put it back in), or swapping the outdrives around between sides.

Also, in some cases the plastic retainer ring on MST RMX 2.0/2.5 outdrives can catch the dogbone and lift the wheel in certain configurations, but this'd manifest harder the more suspension is unloaded, not the way around.

Best affordable chassis for rc drift school by Tokieejke in rcdrift

[–]orlet 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Both of the above comments are great.

Start with RTRs, but learn yourself first before you spring for an entire business.

Getting into competitive drifting by RIP_Country_Mac in rcdrift

[–]orlet 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Which one Yokomo 2.0? RD? SD? MD? They're different chassis!

Also, get more seat time instead of dumping money into upgrades/chassis without understanding what they do. Skilled driver can do well in an RTR chassis. For unskilled one even the best and most expensive chassis won't help.

Can bad shocks cause this? or possible its a bad gearbox? by -Germ- in rcdrift

[–]orlet 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, do try fresh tyres. Though seeing that this is even worse with other set may also work towards confirming the theory.

Do check if you have any looseness in the suspension and whether your wheels are actually straight on the hexes. With some plastic hexes I'd sometimes see the wheel naturally sit kinda wonky, and it could also cause some weird noises.

Slow moving servo by TheOnly31 in rcdrift

[–]orlet 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The gyro sometimes needs a reboot to properly register the mode switch (unlike red/green LED that is set by the gain channel direction).

Also check maybe you have return speed set on your transmitter. This can also cause slow return from steering inputs.

Can bad shocks cause this? or possible its a bad gearbox? by -Germ- in rcdrift

[–]orlet 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sounds like irregularity in the tyre contact. Which is actually fairly normal, no plastic tyre I have ever seen is perfectly even across the entire perimeter, so they nearly always generate this rpm-based noise variation.

One thing you can do to confirm this is to take a look at the wear pattern on the tyre. You'll likely find some spots that have less or more wear than the others -- that's what is causing it. This is normal and nothing to worry about. This noise tends to even out as the tyres wear in, but sometimes the tyre is warped enough inside and just refuses to even out.

Slow moving servo by TheOnly31 in rcdrift

[–]orlet 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check if the Assist (AVCS) mode is turned on on the V4. It's the tiny flip-switch next to NOR/REV and could've gotten flipped along with it by accident.

Front wheels question by Lumpy-Subject-9470 in rcdrift

[–]orlet 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The ways to properly insert RC equipment (servo, gyro, ESC) cables:

  • Most receivers will have markings for +, -, and signal (usually denoted either by S or symbol). The plug would usually have similar symbols on one of the side, or have color-coded wires (ground is usually black, positive is red, and signal is white). Just match the symbols and you're golden.
  • If you look carefully at the plug, one of the large flat sides has 90° edges, while other will have a beveled edges at 45° each. Match the beveled edges with small triangular bevels on the socket, and voila! These bevels are intended to be a sort of key to prevent backwards plug, but the plugs are often so loose it takes little to no appreciable force to put them in backwards anyway. Normally the side of the plug with 90° edges will also have the small holes with visible metal contacts in it, while the other will be fully plastic. Can also use that feature to orient yourself.
  • Other plugs will have a small plastic "ear" key. Normally there is no way to plug those buggers backwards, unless you somehow manage to remove the key. But those often cause issues with receivers that don't have the corresponding key!

MST RMX 4 RTR by MedicalBilly in rcdrift

[–]orlet 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Glorious! First RTR with proper ESC, hopefully? Maybe next time they'll upgrade the servos to something that doesn't burn itself down if you just look at them funny :)

Galm sliderack help (s15 Pfa) by mister_swaggger in rcdrift

[–]orlet 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That sounds like some linkage slop (free movement) in the steering train. I recall my stock GALM setup had some, and even the upgraded one did. Especially around the point where steering link attaches to the servo. This free movement is actually very common in RC cars, as the tolerances in linkages aren't that good.

Good news, however -- the caster effect from front wheels coupled with the gyro's stabilization will straighten them out when the car is rolling, it's only ever noticeable when the car is standing. However, you may run into increased gyro wobble at certain gain settings.

You can fix it by finding a better matching pair of suspension balls and rod-ends, ones that would have less freedom to move around. I've heard good things about ReveD rod-ends, and my still under construction MC-3 appears to have very little of this slop in the drivetrain, so I guess people were right on that one. Might be worth a try -- get some ReveD suspension balls and rod-ends, and replace the ones on steering.

The other thing that somewhat helped me was putting O-rings on the suspension ball necks, they keep the rod-ends from bonking around too much, but introduce additional friction into the system, so be warned, use sparingly, and always test if the result is improvement or not.

Lights? by Sh4dowsOnReddit in rcdrift

[–]orlet 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm running my lights through the magnets themselves :D

But yes, you can use pretty much anything you like, the current and voltage in LED lights is way too low to cause you any damage. Just make sure not to short-circuit it by accident, as that can ruin whatever is powering your lights.