Rebeldude

My Feedback: (5)

I have two of the Matrix truggies that have been sitting for two years. I barely got the engines broke in before putting them on the shelf. With limited time to enjoy them I was looking at converting them to electric. Do they make a kit for these truggies?
Thanks

olsont7675

I haven't found one that works. I bought the Novak one that goes for the buggy because some guy at novak said it was the same, but it doesn't work. I have read about guys making their own. The only thing I really need is a motor mount. I am going to try and make one here soon.

Rebeldude

My Feedback: (5)

Let me know how it goes. I have 2 TRs that are basically brand new. I just don't have time to tune and play with the nitro engines. I haven't even ran a quart of fuel through them combined. Electric is just easier.

taj

anything new on the brushless conversion or help on making one

taj

still waiting on any news on this topic!!!

savage dust bunny

Lol, what are you waiting for? Why don't you do it yourself?

I just got 2 of these truggies myself and plan on converting the one and using the other one for spares and the center diff for a Genesis conversion.

I'll post pics sometime soon.

Basically:
1 Vorza motor mount or any other mount you prefer depending on the motor you will use - I'll be mounting the motor on the opposite side to the servo
1-2 battery boxes (again you can take Vorza boxes or some other) - one on each side of the support brace at the rear end of the truggy
1 ESC - mounted same side as motor but at the rear.

Drill some holes, countersink the holes, mount your stuff and off you go...

Reason I will be doing it this way is to make the truggy front heavy instead of all the weight at the rear.

I'm planning on only using one box for now. The size allows me to stand up 2x2S batteries. If I do go 6S, then I'll mount the 2nd battery box towards the rear on the motor side and mount the ESC on top of the servo.

taj

hard to get parts shipped to alaska, so i really dont want to experiment with "what might work". i thought someone would have a kit out or know what will work.

savage dust bunny

Ok Taj.... here goes for a little guide

There is no kit AFAIK for the Matrix.

I never said it might work, it will work. I have already been using version 1 of the conversion and in this week, will be finalising version 2 if all goes according to plan. I've converted a few RCs and my last completed one is my HPI Firestom which made it all the way to version 3, check it out here (you may need a translater in your browser): http://www.rcgalleri.dk/galleri/4782..._10t_brushless

Sorry for the picture quality, took them this morning just before shooting off to work.

In pic 1, you can see how I expect to mount everything. I've chosen this way to try and balance the weight as best as possible. Motor ca. 500g, batteries ca. 800g, ESC ca. 100-200g(?) etc etc. The ESC is the same as in my Firestorm. An el cheapo 100A 4S ESC from hobbyking.com - of course you buy the ESC that suits your style.
For this setup, I will be reverting to the CEN 66T spur as space is tight with where I want the motor installed. I will be using a 66/16 gearing, it's close enough to the 46/12 gearing for me. The Vorza motor mount accepts up to 4274 motors. I am using a Leopard 4092 1480kv motor so I grinded the rear mount tab to make space for the longer motor. Since the pinion will be mounted rather far down the shaft, I've opted for the Tekno long shank pinion for added strength.

As you can see in pic 2 below, this is the current setup where the motor is on the opposite side to the battery case. The ESC and receiver were mounted in front of the battery case. Now, the guy who did this not-so-nifty work didn't think things through. With this setup, the gearing was 46/12 as he used a Vorza spur gear. Note that the batterybox in the picture is just as an example, I will definitely be using the Vorza battery box.

For tools and odds and sods you need:
3, 4 & 5mm drill bits
Tapping drill bits for 3, 4 & 5mm screws
Oodles of loctite
4mm countersunk M screws - probably 6-8mm in length

Here's how I plan on doing it:

1. put the motor in the mount and clamp it down. Install the pinion.
2. line the motor up with the spur and (yep, you need to be careful here) get a good mesh. Make a mark for the front mount hole under the pinion and draw a line along the outer edge of the motor mount.
3. Drill and tap the hole. Remount the motor mount, line up with the line you drew and mark the 2nd hole at the rear. (here you need to check the mesh is still ok) Drill and tap. Then you can drill and tap the last 2 holes easily. If you f**k up when drilling the first 2 holes, then you can make the holes longer so you can slide the motor mount - just requires a bit more work and a dremel to make it look real good. As I don't expect to screw it up I'll be using a countersink drill to ensure the screws are flush with the underside of the chassis.
4. Mount the battery box on the diagonally opposite side to the motor.
5. I've found that the Traxxas mamba ESC brace can fit over the HK 100A ESC if I just re-solder or jimmy the fan wiring. So I'll be doing this so I can drop strips/zip-ties(?) round the ESC, which NEVER last me long anyway. If you go for the Mamba motor set, well, then sir, you have a wicked set and the brace fits perfectly. Drill and tap and install on the same side as the motor. I expect to mount my receiver in the same area.
6. As per pic 2, you can cut and shorten the servo mount.
7. Zip-tie/strip/tape-down the wiring and make everything look good.
8. Whoa...what happened there...? YOU'RE DONE!!

I've added links to Tower Hobbies for you so you should be able to get everything from one place. I guess their postage is cheap/free within the US? Even over here to Denmark their rates are ok.

If you or anyone else has any questions, feel free to ask. Also, if anyone has any comments or better ideas for the conversion, let me know. I'm not religious about the end result, except it must look good and function well and be as balanced as possible.





Vorza motor mount:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXZXL8&P=ML

Vorza Battery box:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXZXN2&P=7

Long shank pinion:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXZBK4&P=7

Traxxas brace for Mamba ESC:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXXFD3&P=ML

savage dust bunny

Well Taj

So I'm pretty much done with the conversion, just need to zip-tie some cabling and make some minor changes/quick-fixes here and there.

Been busy, so sorry 'bout the delay.

You can check out the pics below.

Note that I just couldn't wait to test the truck - as a result I forgot to mount the front swaybars, it got wicked dusty and I've already managed to bend one of the turn-buckles...and I need to service my shocks. Details, just details

If possible, don't use the Vorza motor mount - what a bi*ch to work with

Personally I think the most balanced conversion would have been to have the battery box and motor on opposite sides and the ESC opposite to the servo - but way too many standard holes in the way for me to bother doing this.

Running a Leo 4092 1480kv, 4S on a HK 100A ESC with 66/16 gearing. Servo is just a Hitech 13kg which does the job suprisingly well. I reckon I'll be putting in a Savox 20kg with a BEC for when I use the 7" CEN Sniper wheels. Chose a Tekno long-shank pinion for added strength as the teeth are really very near the end of the motor shaft.

I haven't logged top speed yet, but it feels like +30mph on the straight. Also, it passed my 1/1 car when I asked my girlfriend to drive 40kph (ca. 25mph).

So, I hope you get your Dremel going and make an electric beast out of your Matrix

Ps. this truggy rocks so much more than I expected, even considering getting rid of my Flux

taj

Nicely done!!!

taj

can you use bigger pinion on the vorza motor mount.

savage dust bunny

Sure you can. You'd just need to drill/cut a length in the mount holes and countersink the longer hole. To make the countersink as good as possible, I reckon it'd be easiest using a standard file and do it manually.

Using scriptasylum.com, the theoretical top speed with 66/16 gearing using a 1490kv motor on 4S with 6" wheels is ca. 62kph/38.50mph - this is my current setup. Same specs but with a more "normal" motor such as 2000kv or 2200kv gives 83kph/51.70mph and 91.50kph/57mph respectively. If running on a track, I wouldn't put more than 1800kv in it if you don't make other changes. This would give loads of torque and a top speed of about 75kph/36.50mph.

savage dust bunny

One other thing to consider - is the Lunsford turnbuckle mod, I've found the standard CEN ones are utter crap, they bend just by looking at them.

I've read some people have put rods inside of them to strengthen them. Otherwise, see this link, scroll down and have a peak. A bit pricey but apparently worth it for the added strength and in the long run I guess it's be cheaper coz you don't need to buy new CEN ones after every run: http://www.rctech.net/forum/nitro-of...rix-tr-20.html

taj

thanks for info. i have done the rod mod for turn buckles. i used extra hinge pins from another TR i had. i have three TR's two rtr and FRE.

BrandonBob

Can someone help me out on what amp UBEC I would need for my LST2 brushless conversion. I was using the receiver pack to power the servos but in the 2 years its sat in the garage, the receiver pack is now not holding voltage. Rather than replace that old outdated POS, I figure i might as well power from a BEC off the 6S Lipo. It has stock dual steering servos and one servo doing the brakes. Would a 3 amp UBEC do the job?