Brushless Losi 8ight
 

I got a Losi 8ight for xmas and converted it to Brushless.
I modified the fly wheel to work with my motor so I am utilizing the nitro clutch as a slipper/one way system. The feel of the clutch is going to take a little while to get used to. I guess if you drive nitro, it feels normal but to me its a new feeling. Man is this thing fast though :028:
I'm running 5S Lipo and the buggy is 8lbs RTR.
I wanted to run dual packs for weight distribution (one on each side) but this configuration turned out to be too difficult for me due to the unique dimensions of the chassis. The 5S pack on one side isn't too bad though. I'm taking it to the track tomorrow so this is the last time anyone will see the buggy this clean :)

Here's some pics
http://home.comcast.net/~jrwoodjr/rc/TL8_1.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~jrwoodjr/rc/TL8_2.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~jrwoodjr/rc/TL8_3.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~jrwoodjr/rc/TL8_4.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~jrwoodjr/rc/TL8_5.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~jrwoodjr/rc/TL8_6.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~jrwoodjr/rc/TL8_7.jpg

Nice! holy cow ! that pinion is sitting far from the motor!!!!! is it an fd conversion?

I dont think so. He said he converted it himself.

BTW, StarScream, this thing is so damn good indeed. You need to make the wires look neater, though..:)

The motor mounts are from FD but the clutch bell is home grown. You know me, I usually do things different.
I bought an aluminum gear from sdp-si.com and mounted it to the fly wheel. I mounted a revo primary shaft from the fly wheel through the clutch bell using a plastic gear as a shim for the revo shaft inside the front of the flywheel. I also used a 3mm revo hing pin to attach the fly wheel to the revo shaft (I had to drill out the revo shaft to 3mm) You can see in the pics that the clutch bell is supported by a mounted bearing in the front of the buggy. I bent one of my motor shafts in the process of testing so I added the mounted bearing in the front to alieviate the weight. It works quite well now :017:
I'm waiting for my bent shaft to come back from Tom but luckily I have a spare motor

Making the wires look neat has always been a challenge for me. As long as the wires are secure and won't get caught in moving parts, I usually call it good :005:

I also forgot to mention that I removed the clutch springs so that the motor will engage the clutch bell faster. I haven't tried this system with the springs installed but my theory is that the springs can only delay the engagment process so I removed them for quicker response time.

thata a good looking buggy bro.. nice work.
phil

That looks really nice! This maybe a stupid question but, is that a sensored motor? I see the bundle of wires coming out or the back of the motor, or is that hooked up to an eagle tree or something...

Bye:018:

Hm, so you are still using the mechanical brakes on that thing? Interesting. Seems to me that you could shed a bit of weight by going direct drive and getting rid of all the stuff required to run the brakes and let the motor handle the braking? Seems to me that going through a clutch is just another point where you lose energy transfer, but that's just me...

I'm with ya on the wires tho! If they don't get caught in the gears, it's a perfect installation! :D

Sleeb

I just did the same thing last week. had mike make the motor mount though. I will see if I can get some pictures and attach.

What motor is that. Also what battery are you planning to use. It looks like it will fairly small.

Id love to see some more detailed pictures of you clutch bell mod you did. I love the idea if it works. Kinda like a poor mans slipperential for a buggy.

Let us know how she runs. Nice work!

Mabye CC should make a conversion for using the nitro clutches like this.... that should eliminate any cogging problems LOL!

Seriously, having the working clutch really should stop any potential cogging because there is no load on the motor until it spins up some.

Having to use the nitros brakes is a big thing... although there are certain advantages to that, most of us don't want the extra complication and weight, etc.

I think it would be pretty good for the big monsters, but not for buggies.

Clean up the wires and it's prety a cool and unique ride. What brand are the lipos? They must be some really good cells, no?

Thanks everyone.

The Motor is a maxcim N32 sensored motor (~2000kv). The Lipo Pack I am using is a FMA Balance Pro HV (Kokam 3200's). You can see the FMA DPM attached to the splash guard. I usually get around 15 minutes runtime with this pack in my G2R so I'll see how it goes in the 8ight.

sleebus, I hear your concern with the power loss. I was just thinking about that this morning. If I could somehow attach a oneway to the clutchbell, I wouldn'l loose an power. I don't know that the power loss is that much though since the current with very little load is probably very small. I'll see how it goes with this setup and make changes if neccessary.
In order to utilize the center diff's capability of brake bias you must use mechanical brakes. A direct drive with brakes won't give me the brake bias functionality I am looking for.

I'm getting ready to go down to the track now so I'll let you guys know how it goes.

CC should make these? Do you mean Castle Creations or Coolhand Country? :005:

The Cells are 20C Kokam 3200's.
I am running the Nomadio sensor so there are extra wires for the sensors.
I'm not sure what to do with the wires as they are very secure and I'm not a neat freak :007:

Any vehicle using a center diff should utilize brake bias, IMO, so it makes even more sense to use mechanical brakes in a 1/8th buggy.

I also have a micro servo that I may replace the large brake servo with for reduced weight.

looks nice!