1/18 Brushed / Brushless Motor - What are my options?

[Frogeyeddog_95]

Had an accident near some water today.. sorting my kid's toys out whilst on a walk, trying to hold everything all at once. I'm not sure exactly how, but I managed to reverse my RC car into some water, totally submerging the poor thing.

 

I disconnected everything straight away and tried to shake off as much water as possible - a few hours later nothing.🤕 

 

It was only a cheap Haiboxing 18859e (HBX Blaster or something similar) basher type thing, but I have grown somewhat attached to it ait'sts my first RC that wasn't from Argos.

 

Now that nothing seems to work on it, I wondered how I go about converting it to either brushless or a decent brushed motor and new electronics.

 

Needs to be relatively cheap, and compact - the current motor measures 40x25mm

 

 

 

 

 

[BigGinge]

You should be able to pick up a 2435 or 2440 brushless motor fairly cheaply from AliExpress. A quick look shows there are plenty of people selling motors in this size from surpass who I've had decent luck with in the past, though you will have to work out what speed/kv rating you want to try and aim for as I'm not sure what comes in your model as stock.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001604983874.html

 

A decent ESC to pair with that sort of motor would be a Hobbywing  16BL30, which is what I run with a 2845 motor in my LC Racing truggy. So it should be more than enough for a 2435 (or 2440) in your truck.

 

Hobbywing QUICRUN WP-16BL30 BL ESC HW30105030001 (modelsport.co.uk)

 

You'd then probably need a new servo as well as the original is probably a 5 wire type that won't work with the new ESC and reciever. Not sure what size you would need but I think this is what I bought when I upgraded my XLF F16 so could be about the right sort of size for the 18859e

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001896408684.html

 

You'd then need to add new reciver and transmitter as it's pretty unlikely you'll find anything that is compatible with the parts that came with the truck. There are quite a few decent budget options around but people do seem to like a few different models from Dumbo RC and Fkysky.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002805991289.html

 

The only thing I would say about going down this route is it might be worth checking out how much you can pick up a new, brushless version, of the truck before you go ahead with upgrade of the one you have As you might find the price of the whole new truck isn't too far off the price of the individual bits I've listed above.

 

FTX Tracer Brushless 1/16th 4wd Monster Truck RTR - Blue FTX5596B (modelsport.co.uk)

 

HBX 16889 RC Car RTR Sale - Banggood UK

 

HBX 16889A Pro 1/16 2.4G 4WD Brushless High Speed RC Car Vehicle Models Full Propotional Sale - Banggood UK

[BigGinge]

The other thing that might be worth a try is looking at replacing the ESC that got all wet, new ones from the FTX tracer (which I think is the same truck) can be had for not too much money from model sport. Might get you up and running again as the water is unlikely to have killed your brushed motor (though it might not have done the servo any good).

 

FTX Tracer ESC and Receiver FTX9731 (modelsport.co.uk)

[Frogeyeddog_95]

16 hours ago, BigGinge said:

You should be able to pick up a 2435 or 2440 brushless motor fairly cheaply from AliExpress. A quick look shows there are plenty of people selling motors in this size from surpass who I've had decent luck with in the past, though you will have to work out what speed/kv rating you want to try and aim for as I'm not sure what comes in your model as stock.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001604983874.html

 

A decent ESC to pair with that sort of motor would be a Hobbywing  16BL30, which is what I run with a 2845 motor in my LC Racing truggy. So it should be more than enough for a 2435 (or 2440) in your truck.

 

Hobbywing QUICRUN WP-16BL30 BL ESC HW30105030001 (modelsport.co.uk)

 

You'd then probably need a new servo as well as the original is probably a 5 wire type that won't work with the new ESC and reciever. Not sure what size you would need but I think this is what I bought when I upgraded my XLF F16 so could be about the right sort of size for the 18859e

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001896408684.html

 

You'd then need to add new reciver and transmitter as it's pretty unlikely you'll find anything that is compatible with the parts that came with the truck. There are quite a few decent budget options around but people do seem to like a few different models from Dumbo RC and Fkysky.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002805991289.html

 

The only thing I would say about going down this route is it might be worth checking out how much you can pick up a new, brushless version, of the truck before you go ahead with upgrade of the one you have As you might find the price of the whole new truck isn't too far off the price of the individual bits I've listed above.

 

FTX Tracer Brushless 1/16th 4wd Monster Truck RTR - Blue FTX5596B (modelsport.co.uk)

 

HBX 16889 RC Car RTR Sale - Banggood UK

 

HBX 16889A Pro 1/16 2.4G 4WD Brushless High Speed RC Car Vehicle Models Full Propotional Sale - Banggood UK

Thank you kindly.

 

I have already spent money on previous upgrades for the truck, so I don't mind spending a little more on it. Saves it from going to landfill, and keeps me busy.

 

You mention the speed / KV rating required - can I install any rating, or will it need to be similar to what was previously installed?

 

Thanks 

[BigGinge]

The things that will likely limit how fast a motor you put in are the motor temps that you get when running through your gearing and, possibly, cogging if you go for too high a speed. 

 

If you can’t find anyone who has tried out different motor speeds in your car before you might need to experiment a little to find the perfect option (fast without causing overheating or cogging). Having said that with a small light car like this you might find that going straight for the fastest option isn’t the best choice overall as it might be a bit of a handful or eat the drivetrain. 
 

A sensible place to start might be to try and copy the stock motor speed for the brushless versions of the truck. Looks like that is probably a 3800kv 2840 motor, which might mean you can fit something a little larger than the 2435/2440 suggested above.