Upgrading lightening spark

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teamfirebrain
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Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2013 2:12 pm

Upgrading lightening spark

Post by teamfirebrain »

Hi my name is Matthew and I am 14, not many people will not know me as I have only been to 2 events. My ant, Lightening Spark, is well, very slow. I have been thinking that i need to upgrade it for a while now and now i have a bit of time and money i am thinking of changeing the servo powered wheels for gearmoters. Could anyone recomend me some parts, that would help a lot.
Thanks
Matthew
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danjr1
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Re: Upgrading lightening spark

Post by danjr1 »

im using 6v 400rpm gearmotors from ebay but ive got 18mm wheels. most use the 6v 300rpm version:

300rpm: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Diameter-12mm ... 1c33ebe517

400rpm: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Diameter-12mm ... 1e7c2db8ad

You'll also need ESCs.
teamfirebrain
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Re: Upgrading lightening spark

Post by teamfirebrain »

Thanks for that
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Rhys
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Re: Upgrading lightening spark

Post by Rhys »

I don't know many people who use the 300rpm version, it's a bit slow. I'd say the 540rpm one are what you want. Just put 540rpm into ebay and there's plenty for sale.

And as dan says, you'll need a speed controller. There's lots of choice here, you can use servo boards, which are cheap and effective. There's also Pete Waller's boards, Bot Bitz, Fingertech, Baby Orangutan and some people even make their own. I'd recommend having a look at all the options above and seeing what fits your budget and abilities best.

Can I ask what your current set up is? It might be an idea just to speed hack the servos. I don't think I've made it along to any of the events you've been at, do you have a picture of your ant?
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Hogi
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Re: Upgrading lightening spark

Post by Hogi »

you have multiple options open to you. you could speed hack the servos, however they wont last as long as gear motors. i reccomend the peter waller option D2 board. it runs 2 cell lipo packs and is far smaller and lighter than say the sabertooth board. it has a servo plug so it can be used to drive a weapon as well. you'll have to ask peter about the price though. hope this information is useful. good luck with the upgrade. :D
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teamfirebrain
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Re: Upgrading lightening spark

Post by teamfirebrain »

Hi
I cant find any pictures of lightening spark but i will get some asap.
As for the setup im not sure about the batery pack or the servos but the reciever is a radiolink R7EH and the transmitter is a Radiolink T4EU.
Matthew
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teamfirebrain
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Re: Upgrading lightening spark

Post by teamfirebrain »

Hi
If i where to use a FingerTech tinyESC v2 would i need 1 or 2 of these?
Thanks
Matthew
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earthwormjim
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Re: Upgrading lightening spark

Post by earthwormjim »

Yep. You are correct. You would need 2 of them.
An alternative is Botbitz. I use Botbitz a lot these days. They are very good. :)
They do a dual esc here...
http://www.botbitz.com/index.php?route= ... duct_id=72

Most complete and value for money option, IMHO, is a fantastic Pete Waller creation. Very well built units including RX and ESC's and dual voltage servo supply in one compact unit. Can be used again and again. ( Best customer service too!) :D
Jim.
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Hogi
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Re: Upgrading lightening spark

Post by Hogi »

you can get two cell lipos that'll plug into that speed controller from component shop. they're usually quite good.
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peterwaller
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Re: Upgrading lightening spark

Post by peterwaller »

Unfortunately the RadioLink is not DSM2 compatible so will not work with my controller.
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