Well, I'm almost done by second Revo conversion. I just need a motor mount (which I'm current working with b0gh0s on) and batteries. I'm hoping I can find a bulletproof alternative to Lipos, while weighing less than NiMH (Li-Ion??).

- BK 10XL (not mounted yet due to missing mount)
- Quark 125B ESC
- ~18v batteries
- Spektrum DX3 Tx/Rx
- UBEC. Also added a 1000uF 10v capacitor to the AUX channel of the Rx to help smooth out any noise from the output of the BEC and to add a little extra current oomph.
- Crimefighter tires and StableMaxx wheels
- Using the locked tranny (2nd gear, wide ratio gear set) from my mod above.

A few pictures of the semi-finished product:

http://bgosselin.home.mchsi.com/e-revo/Revo2_front.jpg

http://bgosselin.home.mchsi.com/e-revo/Revo2_back.jpg

http://bgosselin.home.mchsi.com/e-revo/Revo2_top.jpg

http://bgosselin.home.mchsi.com/e-revo/Revo2_bottom.jpg

http://bgosselin.home.mchsi.com/e-revo/Revo2_left.jpg

http://bgosselin.home.mchsi.com/e-revo/Revo2_right.jpg

This is MUCH lighter than my first version, even after adding the potential battery weight. Without actually weighing it, I'd say 9 or 10lbs tops. My goal here was to use as much stock parts as possible, especially for the drivetrain and to keep the weight low without sacrificing undercarriage clearance. I also tried to keep all noisy electronics from each other and the Rx, which is why the UBEC is mounted in an oddball place. It's hard to tell, but the chassis is painted a charcoal "hammered" finish. It's pretty strong so wear should be OK, except for the underside.

That is VERY nice. I like the all black look. I think it would look really good if you painted the rockers black as well.

Nice!!

i agree black rockers would look sweet

Thanks!

Paint the rockers you say? Do you think dye will stick better? I've dyed RPM arms before and it works very well, but the rockers are made of a different type of plastic. I tried to visualize the Revo with black rockers and am wondering if it will be too much black? I also like the black look, but I also do like other colors for contrast; like the motor (blue), springs, red pushrods, etc.

imo there can never be to much black

lol, when the truck is complete, I'll just coat the whole thing in PlastiDip. ;) I might dye the rockers if someone can verify dye will stick. I'd hate to have a blotchy set of rockers. :)

Look at my truck. The rockers are painted black with just some Krylon flat black. I'm thinking of doing the chassis black as well.

http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/show...less+revo+v2.0

Yeah, black looks good on yours. I did notice you have a de-anodized chassis though, so there's more of a contrast. I might try to dye a spare set of rockers (maybe the LT) to see if it works. Dye looks really good and is not as thick as paint so it looks more like part of the plastic.

Well, I got some RIT dye and colored the rockers black. It does look really nice! And the dye doesn't add any thickness so the bearings still fit nice and the lettering still stands out. Thanks for the suggestion!

No problem man! Think you could post some pictures? You kinda inspired me to paint my chassis black. Either that or powder coat it but i like a more flat and glossy look. I just cant really imagine how it will look with a black chassis with the black battery trays and rockers though :032:

Just for you Squee. I even posted before and after versions for ya :)

http://bgosselin.home.mchsi.com/e-revo/Revo2_top.jpg


http://bgosselin.home.mchsi.com/e-re...ck_rockers.jpg

They look a little weird in the picture, like they are wet or something, maybe because they are made of a different type of plastic? Anyway, it looks better in person.

Just look at what you currently have in a dark room with the lights off. Everything will be black then! Ha ha!

Sorry, I couldn't resist. :sigh: It's late and I get a little wacky. :confused:

Thanks! It looks awesome....I'ma paint mine black as well. I think if you replace those white wires with black or just cover then with heatshrink it would look killer.

Paint/powerder coat the springs black too! Then you'll have a true black beast.

I was actually just gonna get some black shock covers. or would that me to much black and no silver?

I guess it's totally up to the individual how black you want the thing to be. Personally, I want some contrast. Maybe come up with a scheme - like mostly black with blue highlights on some parts, or something like that.

I'm gonna stick with purple as my contrast. Maybe purple shock sox?

Imo, i think the shock sox make the truck look - how you say , "cheesy" , i dont know but thats just my opinion.

I like them because cleaning the shocks is a pain in the ass.... Plus it keeps dirt off the shafts for less wear.

I used some of those shock covers on my Nitro Revo and noticed that they wear out underneath on the rear. There is not much clearance between the spring and the chassis there. They do keep a lot of dirt out though. I also filled in all of the little holes on the spring retainer with hotglue to keep even more dirt out. So, the only place for dirt to enter was the removal slot and I kept that facing down.

You could just use the Jato shock boots instead of the shock sox so no dirt gets on the shaft at all.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXKMB5&P=7

I honestly don't like those. One reason is cause there blue. Blue is kinda blah... Thats why I did all that work to get rid of it. I think I'ma just get some purple or black shock socks.

Or, you could dye those Jato boots...

Could...but I would still have to clean them...All the Jato boots do is keep the dirt off the shafts. I found that the spring retainers, shock collars, and springs are kinda hard to clean thoroughly.

But with shock socks on a revo, the dirt will still get to the shafts through the holes in the spring retainers.
The shafts is what you want to keep clean.

I was thinking about doing something similar to what Brian did but instead i was gonna use Shoe Goo.

Shoe goo would probably work too. Hotglue sticks well, but it pretty easy to remove though if you change your mind, and it trims easily with an x-acto blade to clean up bulges and stuff.

Update:

I created a makeshift motor mount out of some 5mm thick angle 6061 aluminum and used an EMaxx motor plate as a template for the gear meshing scheme. I can tell you that it was quite difficult using just a drill and files! I really wish I had access to a CNC mill! Anyway, it works great even though it isn't pretty. I will still probably have one machined, but this one works for now. The only flex I see is in the chassis itself. I had to mod the RCM heatsink though because of the handle/rollbar.

So, I mounted the motor and got a little anxious, so I strapped in 14 cells and took it for a little test drive. The Quark controller is VERY nice. Cogging is all but non-existent with only a hint of it at very low speeds, like under 1mph. And, it stayed cool throughout the whole run.

I'll post a couple more pictures sometime...

If the chassis flexes where the motor is, you can use one ofthese little things. I have one of my nitro Revo because I broke a motor mount. After I got one of them, I haven't had a problem.

Yeah, I've seen that too, but I can't use that because of where my motor mount is...

Do you have a picture? Also, what about the new brace Traxxas has on the 3.3 Revos? I think it would work because it mounts underneath.

I use both jato boots and shock socks.
Can't see the blah colored boots under the socks :017:

I'll have to check out their brace. Anyway, here are a couple of pics:

http://bgosselin.home.mchsi.com/e-re...otor_mount.jpg

I should have trimmed the excess off to the side to save some eight though...

OK, I finally finished Revo V2. Here are a couple of pictures. Yeah, those are NiMH. I'm gonna wait a while before getting LiPo for this. In the meantime 14 NiMH cells will work just fine.

http://bgosselin.home.mchsi.com/e-re...o2_final_R.jpg

http://bgosselin.home.mchsi.com/e-re...o2_final_L.jpg

Looks good! Hows the weight. Not to heavy on the battery side?

Thanks!

I haven't weighed it, but judging by the weight of my V1 Revo, which was 14 pounds, I would guess maybe 10 pounds. Maybe a little less.

It is a little heavy on the battery side, but not too bad. The motor, motor mount, ESC, and servo help to balance it - and those items stick out a little further from the center line of the chassis, so that helps too.

You might want to Frog Leg arms (extende wheelbase arms). They will make it far more stable. If it will work, the center diff would be great as well. I actually have one I'm about to put on Ebay.

I would except I am using RPM arms. I kept breaking the stock arms on my Nitro Revo (gotta avoid those rocks) but the RPMs are thicker and tend not to be so brittle. I'll see how this handles before I get a center diff. I do know that I am having a hard time keeping the front-end down if I goose it and I know a diff would help. I plan to program the Quark so it has less punch - that should also help protect the drivetrain and increase runtime.

You break rear arms!?! Anywho, I think RPM would make a killing if they made the Extended Wheelbase arms in nylon...

How are you getting a 4lb drop from v1 to v2? Thats nearly a 50% weight gain. :040: Looking through both threads, I don't see a whole lot that would add up to 4 lbs. Is this between the batt mounts, rollbar and emaxx tranny? I am planning a Emaxx conversion, but the weight diff you are suggesting is making be have pause.

I like the idea of the disc brake tho, so this conversion is interesting. I have a BL rustler and use the motor brake to correct my often "nose up" jumps, but hate how much strain I end up putting through the tranny, spur and motor. I worry about this more on a heavy 4wd MT. I also like the idea of stock parts. I had a hoped-up emaxx that became almost no funto drive having to worry about breaking expensive custom parts. I want to avoid that as much as possible on the Evo.

If the weight savings are that dramatic that is another huge plus.