Hobao DC1 Owners

[everclear1984]

17 hours ago, sunny said:

Can anybody please tell me where in UK I can buy the 4 link servo on axle kit please believe the part number is H230125 search on Google but the only company that comes up is euro rc I would rather buy from UK company if possible. 

I had the same issue. Ended up going with Euro RC

[sunny]

3 minutes ago, everclear1984 said:

I had the same issue. Ended up going with Euro RC

Euro Rc won't ship to UK now unless I order over 150 Euro worth. I ended up getting so.e body posts and 4 link kit from hobao e website about 28 pounds delivered now to wait for them to turn up and see if I get hit with customs 

[everclear1984]

1 minute ago, sunny said:

Euro Rc won't ship to UK now unless I order over 150 Euro worth. I ended up getting so.e body posts and 4 link kit from hobao e website about 28 pounds delivered now to wait for them to turn up and see if I get hit with customs 

Keeping my fingers crossed for you 🤞

[MrPeaski]

I got mine from Hobao direct in the US at $18.50, with a shipping fee of $10..00

Then a couple of days later an email saying that the shipping fee had been an estimate and was now $25.00, so in all ended up being $43.50 which was around £32

Still bought it though, but probably wouldn't do it again at that price

[sunny]

34 minutes ago, MrPeaski said:

I got mine from Hobao direct in the US at $18.50, with a shipping fee of $10..00

Then a couple of days later an email saying that the shipping fee had been an estimate and was now $25.00, so in all ended up being $43.50 which was around £32

Still bought it though, but probably wouldn't do it again at that price

That's a bit naughty if you selected the right country at checkout and it said ten dollars it should be ten dollars

[whitecitadel]

Hi DC1 owners, I was hoping to get some advice as a potential owner 🙂

 

Quick background, life story for context only, my nephew recently got one of those FTC tracers (the £50 RTR, UK version of the HBX stuff on BangGood) and it was immense fun, had me missing messing around with RC. My Tamiya lunchbox is long gone, but I still have a a Schumacher Axis 2 (which is probably retro by now ?) and an original Traxaas T-Maxx, the Axis 2 either has a bad ESC or motor and needs some TLC (and I am sure the NiCads are dead) and the T-Maxx was always tempremental and I suspect the engine has not taken well to sitting for 18+ years or whatever it is.  I was very tempted to get a little Tracer to race around with my nephew... which escalated quikcly to what about a Carnage Brushleas, to "those youtube videos of the Arrama 3S look good" - inbuilt ability to upsell myself has not faded it seems. Coming back on topic... I realised that actually a crawler may be more fun becuase you don't need a huge space to enjoy it and until the misses puts a stop to it I can start to build obstacles around the garden to conquer in my spare time.

 

The Traxxas TRX 4 looks good, but I am familair with Traxxas pricing model and started to look around, the little RTR's for £150 up seem fun but not enough challenge, and came accross this thread on the DC1 kit which seems great value in kit form on sale, just trying to price out total cost for everything needed - hence the ask for pointers.

• Servo's - Did some homework on Servo's and the Etronix ET2070 21Kg Servo seems good choice for the steerting servo? (saw it used earlier in this thread), what do I need for gear ratio servo - looks like micro servo ET2005 do the job? Micro servo's don't seem to be waterproof, is this an issue? (not looking to turn it into a submarine).
  (did find chinese servo's like the DSSERVO DS3225 but Brexit kinda ruined the cheap reliable eastern supply in recent expereince so just premuim for UK stock is easy option).
  (Related Q - the low servo mount on the axle - does it make a huge difference?)
• ESC - saw a few mentions of Hobbywing 1080, is 80A ESC really needed for a cralwer like this or is the 1060 enough? Looks like RTR version comes with 60A HW?
• Motor's - totally lost on this one, 27t 550 in the RTR? saw a few motors in the thread and cralwer section - any suggestions?
• Radio Gear - need to do more homework here, seems unlikely I can get a recivers for my existing 27Mhz Futaba... cheap options at £35 eTronix etc or jump to Absima CR3P or something £60-70. Worth the extra - will do my homework some more... more than 3 channels for lights/winch in future is a good idea?

Will need to get a 2S/3S Lipo but I have a iSDT charger already for a LifePo4 I have so have that part covered.

 

Bookmarked all the chinese beadlock wheels and fancy tyres, winches etc, but just looking to build the kit stock to start and go from there after some intial fun... maybe those dual rate springs though at the start...

 

Any pointers or comments appreciated!

Edited August 2, 2021 by whitecitadel
typo

[MrPeaski]

Hi @whitecitadel,

 

have a read of @everclear1984 build thread here

 

and also @Stormbringer build thread here

For pretty much the definitive guides on building the DC-1

 

I referenced both while building mine so was able to iron out any kinks they found during my build.

 

Welcome to the club 👍

Edited August 2, 2021 by MrPeaski

[MrPeaski]

Just a quick comment on Radios, Have a look at the Radiolink RC4GS for a 4 channel set up, so you have the 3 needed plus 1 'spare' for a light switch or winch, or as I am using the Radiolink RC6GS 6channel setup.

At the moment I am only using 4 of the available channels, but may use the other 2 in the future.

 

Purchase links here (no affiliation)

4 Channel https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/315778/

 

6 Channel https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/315779/

[Stormbringer]

I t6hink it was this micro servo i got for the DC1

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/traxxas-micro-waterproof-servo-1337493

[MrPeaski]

For the speed controller, I (and probably the other builders here) would recommend the Hobbywing Quicrun 1080.

 

The 1060 you mention is a cheap (but as far as I'm aware) reliable 'do it all' ESC.

The 1080 is specifically designed for crawlers and is very tuneable so you can set it up to suit how you prefer. It comes with the programming card to do so.

A video of the various features and how to set it up can be found here (also mentioned a bit earlier in this thread)

 

[whitecitadel]

@MrPeaski That's brilliant thanks, I had not found the two build logs, I realised they exist but I only created account last night and had not had a good go with the search logged in - will be reading both on my next mindless conf call later today.

 

I missed the 80A was progammable - alwasy take the programable option in life 😉 So that seems easy.

 

Will check out those radio's as well, more channels is always more, and if I can resurrect my old cars a better TX with model memory would be best.

 

@Stormbringer Thanks for the micro server tip, probably start with a £5 and see how long it lasts before investing £30 in the shoft servo...

 

So probably another £100 in Motor/ESC/Servo then the TX and batt on top at a guess.

[whitecitadel]

Loving the RadioLink TX, it seems to have a lot of useful features...

 

Quote

"V2 can respond simultaneously within 12ms, ensuring the superior ability of anti-sparks interference even enjoy with an oil tanker."

 

 

[MrPeaski]

@whitecitadel If you haven't already spotted, both of the Radiolink TX's I mentioned have a 10 model memory and also both purchase links come with 2 receivers.

 

The link for the RC6 GS mentions at the 'whats in the box' part

• 1x R6FG Gyro Receiver
• 1x R6F Standard Receiver

but mine actually came with 1 x R6F receiver and 1 x RC7FG, and the TX was the V2 version where the picture is the V1 (I got mine from the link above)

 

The RC7FG receiver is a 7 channel RX, which has a built in gyro (if you need it, and is switched off by default), but also has telemetry capabilities.

It comes with a cable (XT60 connectors) that sits in between the battery and ESC and when set up, sends the main battery voltage to the TX so you can see at a glance how much you have left.

Only slight snag is with the RX and and all the cables going into a tiny box, things can be a bit snug and awkward to fit.

 

Must admit I tried the telemetry feature (had to do a simple TX firmware update), before fully fitting everything in the RX box and while useful decided not to use it. It was a bit easier to get everything in the RX box, and as its in a crawler its not like the car will be miles away from me.

[whitecitadel]

@MrPeaski

Thanks, had worked that out from the RadioLink website that it seemed to tick all the boxes so after checking some YouTube reviews took a punt on RC6 from Banggood (v2 with RC7FG) as they have them on sale for £61 .

 

Are you still liking your reedy 16t 5 turn motor?

 

looks like the Holmes Trailmaster is hard to get outside the US, MS have the 540 35t for about £17 but seems the 550 size is better. Still not decided on a motor (or body colour…) 

[Redback]

31 minutes ago, whitecitadel said:

@MrPeaski

Thanks, had worked that out from the RadioLink website that it seemed to tick all the boxes so after checking some YouTube reviews took a punt on RC6 from Banggood (v2 with RC7FG) as they have them on sale for £61 .

 

Are you still liking your reedy 16t 5 turn motor?

 

looks like the Holmes Trailmaster is hard to get outside the US, MS have the 540 35t for about £17 but seems the 550 size is better. Still not decided on a motor (or body colour…) 

Have you looked at RedWinches, they have full stock of Holmes Hobbies Trailmaster motors in all turns.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Redback

[whitecitadel]

9 hours ago, Redback said:

Have you looked at RedWinches, they have full stock of Holmes Hobbies Trailmaster motors in all turns.

 

Thanks for the tip, had not seen that.

 

No one is running brushless then? Will have a quick look at that option, I am sure some TRX-4 owners have tried it by now?

 

Didn't realise quote how big DC1 is, daughter was measuring it out on the kithen table at breakfast - wondering if 1 can of paint is enough for decent 3 coats?

[everclear1984]

55 minutes ago, whitecitadel said:

 

Thanks for the tip, had not seen that.

 

No one is running brushless then? Will have a quick look at that option, I am sure some TRX-4 owners have tried it by now?

 

Didn't realise quote how big DC1 is, daughter was measuring it out on the kithen table at breakfast - wondering if 1 can of paint is enough for decent 3 coats?

 

1 can of paint for you main colour plus another for backing should be plenty 👍 The Holmes Hobbies 550 motors are incredible, I don't think I'll ever fit another brushed motor in a crawler (assuming it fits). I would like to try a brushless setup though, something like the Hobbywing Axe just for comparison.

[Redback]

3 hours ago, whitecitadel said:

Thanks for the tip, had not seen that.

No one is running brushless then? Will have a quick look at that option, I am sure some TRX-4 owners have tried it by now?

I only run brushless crawlers, the revolver works nice in the trx4 although lacks any real speed axe 550l is the best for the trx4 due to its size. Nothing against brushed motors, i just love the runtime and power that brushless delivers.

[MrPeaski]

@whitecitadel to answer you question about my motor...Yes liking the Reedy 16t 5 pole. on 2S it gets a decent turn of speed in the high gear, but a really slow steady crawl in low.

However, I have no real comparison to anything else as the last time I was running any kind of brushed motor was over 20 years ago and my only dalliance with brushless was  in a FTX Carnage (truggy) last year which I sold shortly after buying due to a lack of space and the local doggies trying to chase it!

 

For paint, I used 1.5 cans of the yellow main colour, 1 can of the black and 1 can of silver to back everything.

 

The DC-1 is a chunky beast and mine comes in (with a 5500mAh 2s hardcase LiPo) at just over or just under 3.4kg depending on what wheels are fitted.

 

[whitecitadel]

19 hours ago, Redback said:

I only run brushless crawlers, the revolver works nice in the trx4 although lacks any real speed axe 550l is the best for the trx4 due to its size. Nothing against brushed motors, i just love the runtime and power that brushless delivers.

Thanks @Redback- any recommendations on spec? seems like 1400 would be great for crawling with limited top end speed,  and 2200 might be better balance overall as the brushless has big low end torque anyway - checking the YouTube reviews - tempted but £££!

 

11 hours ago, MrPeaski said:

@whitecitadel to answer you question about my motor...Yes liking the Reedy 16t 5 pole. on 2S it gets a decent turn of speed in the high gear, but a really slow steady crawl in low.

However, I have no real comparison to anything else as the last time I was running any kind of brushed motor was over 20 years ago and my only dalliance with brushless was  in a FTX Carnage (truggy) last year which I sold shortly after buying due to a lack of space and the local doggies trying to chase it!

 

For paint, I used 1.5 cans of the yellow main colour, 1 can of the black and 1 can of silver to back everything.

 

The DC-1 is a chunky beast and mine comes in (with a 5500mAh 2s hardcase LiPo) at just over or just under 3.4kg depending on what wheels are fitted.
 

 

@MrPeaskithanks for motor comments, HW 80A ESC & half decent brushed motor are about £60 and brushless is at least £130, not sure I can justify the 100% extra although the YouTube reviews of the crawling control with the £££ sensored AXE system look pretty amazing!

 

Cant get too carried away as noticed there seem to be a lot of TRX4 on eBay suggesting a lot of people get a crawler and get bored quick. Seems DC1 does not hold value as well as TRx4 used as well. Probably start with brushed and see how I get on. Trailmaster 550 27t looks a good option from feedback.

 

paint - model sport told me 1 can was enough but I didn’t believe them! Thanks for confirming. I am still torn on colour, was trying to make a decision last night but kids kept bugging me - thinking strong blue, red or green metallic - but trying to steer away from RTR colours for something different.

 

I have also forgotten how to add the black “rubber” around the Windows, it’s been a while, need to google paint tips again, seem to remember liquid mask around the sticker template or something like that but as the front Windows are clear not smoked it’s probably worth the effort. 

 

Battery - was it your build photos with the Abisma hard case? The dimensions on model sport for the 3s are a few mm larger than the HoBao website dimensions for the battery tray, although somewhere in the last week I am sure I saw what looked like the same battery in someone’s DC1.  Need to go back through the threads, need to buy a battery anyway so may as well get a 3s.

 

[Redback]

1 hour ago, whitecitadel said:

Thanks @Redback- any recommendations on spec? seems like 1400 would be great for crawling with limited top end speed,  and 2200 might be better balance overall as the brushless has big low end torque anyway - checking the YouTube reviews - tempted but £££!

I have a couple of axe systems and castle to compare, they work out about the same price.
E.g sidewinder 4 and holmes hobbies revolver 2800kv vs axe 1800 are about the same, both are rapid on 3s depending on gearing, you can always volt up and gear down for more punch.
2200kv is a good sweet spot, just depends if you want to feel the load on the rig, Axe is like auto drive with less feedback to the driver it will just keep going if it bogs down it will likely pop a drive shaft off, the sidewinder and revolver feel a bit more like a brushed system as can bog down when bound down, preventing failures and giving feedback to the driver, also due to its spinning can, it has a wind down time and wont instantly stop, i say its like driving a diesel truck.
Revolver cant really be used in water and mud as its open can, axe is sealed and waterproof.
1080 brushed with a 5slot will give same feeling as the revolver but will not have spin down so might be more controlable.

[whitecitadel]

Thanks Redback for your insight.

 

Its approx £100 more for AXE over brushed, not sure I can jsutify it but still digging into it - migth just order the kit today and motor/ESC later.

[MrPeaski]

For some of the window surrounds, there are external decals provided for the windscreen and rear window rubber and also side rear windows but they were a bit confusing as to how they went on as they didn't seem to fit that well.

There are also smoked decals for the rear window and rear side windows (see my pic above)

 

It was probably on page 2 of @everclear1984 where you saw the Absima hard case battery. That is a 3S lipo. 138 x 46 x 35 mm

Mine is a Gens Ace Bashing 2S 5500mAh and has similar dimension of 139x47x25mm. From that  my longest run so far has been for about an hour at the beach, on both soft dry sand, firm wet sand at both high and low speeds, along with rock crawling on the big stuff and bimbling through a boulder field. At the end of it I had around 40% left so used that as its storage charge.

 

Edited August 5, 2021 by MrPeaski

[whitecitadel]

Thanks, I am fed up looking at paint - just going to order the kits and the rest of the stuff now on lunch with what I have decided I like best... 50/50 if I want to two tone the roof black like you did - it does look smart but it does scream Land Rover in my brain so undecided - will splash the £6 on the black rattle tin and decide later.

 

Useful to know on the window decals - I found the PDF manual online for the RTR but not the assmebly manual for the kit - which I had hoped to find to read all the details - sure I am going to miss something off the order (bit tight to pay postage later on some £10 thing when its free with the ££ kit order! 😄)

 

Still undecided on motor.

 

Right, going to go click "check out"... enough faffing!

[whitecitadel]

1 hour ago, MrPeaski said:

It was probably on page 2 of @everclear1984 where you saw the Absima hard case battery. That is a 3S lipo. 138 x 46 x 35 mm

Mine is a Gens Ace Bashing 2S 5500mAh and has similar dimension of 139x47x25mm. From that  my longest run so far has been for about an hour at the beach, on both soft dry sand, firm wet sand at both high and low speeds, along with rock crawling on the big stuff and bimbling through a boulder field. At the end of it I had around 40% left so used that as its storage charge.

 

 

Yes the Abisma is 138*46*35mm, and the battery tray say its 135*48.2mm - but photo says it fits and yours does so must be in inches for the US and a bad conversion!