Mogster

Thanks for all the replies everyone!!!!.....well thanks to 53HRA I've done a full reset and repeated the toggle on/off reverse mode procedure a few times over. All seems 'normal' doing this and the LED flashes only once after initialisation, which according to the manual, shows it is in reverse mode, however it does operate as if it's stuck in reverse lock-out mode. What do you mean by the little switch on the acoms?? I've not knowingly done anything to the transmitter and it works fine with my other cars, including one with another TEU-101.

Hi everyone, I've not been around here much recently but maybe somebody can help me out..... The Tamiya TEU-101 ESC that I'm running in one of my cars has suddenly stopped working in reverse. Now I know these ESC's do have a reverse lock-out function but I've read the instructions carefully and followed them to the letter, but still no reverse. So either the reverse function is broken or it's stuck in reverse lock-out mode. The forwards functionality and the braking works fine but when I try reverse I just get a solid red LED. Is there anything I can try to either fault-find or completely reset it? I know alot of people will say TEU-101's are rubbish and will instantly advise replacing it but it's fitted in a car that I very rarely get to use and, prior to this problem, I actually like the way it works. Besides, money is a little tight at the moment and I really don't want to fork out for a new ESC if this can be fixed. Any help will be much appreciated Chris.

Thanks for the link - funnily enough I'm watching these exact same parts in my ebay! No mention on the listing regards how hard/soft they are but at that price they could be well worth a try. This seller lists a number of similar parts too, anybody got some, are they any good?

Please help me select some replacement shock absorbers.....they are needed for a custom RC project based on a Tamiya Brat chassis. They need to be fairly soft (the stock dampers supplied with the Brat are way too hard) and 70 - 75mm long between the fixing holes. Not too expensive would be a bonus too! Any ideas anyone? Thanks, Chris.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I'll give www.parcel2go.com a try.

The time has come to thin down my collection of RC cars. I just need to decide what to keep and what deserves a new home where it will get the attention it deserves .... What is the best postal service to use for posting RC cars and approx. what are the costs? In the past when I've bought cars (& other RC goodies too) they've generally come via Parcelforce or another carrier such as Business Post, etc. Sometimes the purchase price included free delivery but I don't think I've ever paid more than

Sorry, I somehow missed this post before! Thanks for the info, I'll see what power supplies/chargers I can find. I guess as long as I don't do something silly like blow up the battery or set fire to my house!, I've got nothing to loose by trying a few things

I'm not sure exactly what it is!....It's a kids toy, not a proper RC model. Had a quick search around the web but didn't find anything useful. The battery looks like too good a fit to be a replacement, but who knows..... (Sorry about the blurry pic!) I guess the real question to ask here is....Do you need a specific type of charger for lead acid batteries? If the answer is 'yes' then I can't really do much without the original charger - I'm not going to spend my cash on a new battery or charger only to find out that the car may be unrepairable anyway.

I'm trying to fix a toy R/C car for a friend. The first problem is the battery is flat and they can't find the charger. What charger do I need for this battery? It's a 'valve regulated lead acid battery', rated at 10V.750mA with Tamiya type connectors. It states 'Max charging current 0.18A'. My usual R/C charger is 4A so I guess I can't use that. I have got some older chargers packed away somewhere that are probably lower current but I'm not sure exactly what I've got 'til I find them. Can I use any charger as long as the charge rate is below 0.18A or do I need a specific type of charger? Any help on this will be much appreciated! )

It's the re-release, not an original, so I don't feel too bad about it. Cheap, simple to build/repair and not too fast so I though it was ideal for a beginner. Anyway, the Mrs liked it.....and it's always good to earn a few bonus points!

Thanks for the comments and sorry for not replying sooner As a couple of you have now asked.....the yellow and blue 'squares' were cut from Solartrim. It's a self-adhesive coloured film, intended for use on RC aircraft. I bought it from Howes Models in Kidlington. I stuck Tamiya masking tape along one side of the body and marked out the required shapes with a pen. Then peeled the tape off the body and stuck it onto the film. I cut the shapes out with scissors and then removed the masking tape templates and stuck them onto the back of the film and produced the shapes for the other side of the body. The 'Police' lettering accross the front is also Solartrim, this time cut using the wife's Cricut machine. It wasn't too difficult to do although I did have to re-make a few sections to get the correct fit. It conformed quite well to the profile of this body as it's fairly flat but reliefs had to be cut with a scalpel over duplex curves. I did read on another forum that heating it with a hairdrier can help it to conform better over complex surfaces but it can also shrink if too much heat is used. Good luck to anyone else who tries this!

My Mrs always complains that she gets bored watching me when I'm running my RC cars. Well, no need to be bored any more.............your very own pink RC buggy!

Thanks for all the comments.... I gave it it's first proper run last night, initially I'm quite impressed with it although it was a little too slow with the 55t motor. I temporarilly put the standard motor back in and it's alot quicker, but it's really quite unstable at higher speeds. I guess a little more 'tinkering' is required!

Thanks for your help. I already found the parts list, but a manual may also be useful. No, I've not emailed them but I will if I can't find one anywhere else. Thanks - I saw one for sale on ebay a few weeks back but the driveshaft was broken in exactly the same place as mine. I 'rescued' this truck from a friend's rubbish bin! The shell has seen better days and one driveshaft is broken, other than that the chassis is in excellent condition showing very few signs of use. It's complete with batteries, radio & servos too. It's go an old mechanical speedo but I will probably replace this if I get it running again. I've ordered replacement driveshafts from Models In Motion, who assure me they can get them, but I've been waiting quite a few weeks now and not heard anything more from them.....

I'm trying to find a manual for a Traxxas Sledgehammer. I've searched the web but no luck so far....anyone know where I can get one? Thanks for any help!

Finished building this one yesterday. Always wanted one of these so when I saw it was re-released, I HAD to have one.... I plan to use it as a mild crawler/off-roader. I added a full ballrace set during assembly and fitted a 55T lathe motor with a 20T pinion, currently running with the stock TEU-101 ESC. No major mods yet, but I have been reading up about modifying the suspenion to allow more movement. I made a custom aluminium front bumper to add a little extra front protection when off-roading. Other than that I'm going to give it a few runs and see what happens. It comes with front headlight pods but no rear lights so I drilled two holes and added them myself, I also added Tamiya's Rainbow LEDs to the front auxillary lights. I couldn't decide what colour to paint it, then I suddenly had a 'great idea'....

I've got these on my TT-01.... http://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?Call...mp;ItemID=22265 They're listed in the manual as an 'official' upgrade.

I've not tried it with polycarbonate paint/shells but I have successfully used Isopropyl Alcohol to strip paint on my 1/24 scale static models. You have to let it soak for a few hours, best left overnight, and then lightly scrub with an old toothbrush. It's much less aggressive than brake fluid, which can attack the plastic. But as I say, I've not tried it on polycarbonate - If the shell is ruined anyway then you've got nothing to lose..... You can get Isopropyl Alcohol from Maplins. After you've used it, let the paint settle in the bottom and then carefully pour it back into the can so that you can use it again.

I'm building a Tamiya Brat for someone else. The kit comes with 3 sets of spur/pinion gear ratios: 50T/18T, 49T/19T & 52T/16T - Which should I use???? He wants it completed asap so I won't have time to experiment and get the setup right. It's only going to be used for bashing and he says he wants it to be 'fun'. If it was mine, I'd start with the longest gearing, try out a couple of different motors and see what works best, but I've only got one shot at this. Unless anyone suggests otherwise I will probably use the 'standard' 50T/18T option as it should give a good compromise between top speed & acceleration. I have got a 'spare' Sport Tuned motor that I could use [if he's willing to pay for it ] or will the standard setup be ok? The ratios sound fairly close so I don't know how much difference it will make. Anyone got some experience they'd like to share with the rest of us???? Thanks for any help!

Today the postman brought me....

With regard to the Brat width, I meant the shell. Wheelbase should be pretty much the same for chassis & body(?) Thanks for all the info.

I'm confused about bodyshell sizes. I've got some specific questions but any general info might help too. My TT-01 Skyline shell is looking a little sorry for itself already [rolling twice and cartwheeling on concrete at the weekend didn't help much!]. I want to get another shell, one for show and one for bashing, but don't neccesarilly want to get another the same. 1) Will a shell originally designed for a TL-01 chassis fit directly onto a TT-01? If not, is it easily modified or should I just forget about this? 2) I've seen shells for sale that are specified as '190mm' or '200mm'. I'm guessing this is the width, as the TT-01 chassis is about 190mm wide across the wheels, Am I correct? What about the wheelbase, [the TT-01 chassis is approx 260mm] how do I know what will fit, or is it a 'standard' size? 3) On a totally unrelated topic - Does anyone know the width & wheelbase of the Tamiya Subaru Brat? Thanks!

I bought myself two new batteries at the weekend - Initially I wanted 4500mah too, but couldn't resist these: Mtronics 3700mah, only

Yep, got a full ballrace set - I put these in when I built it. The kit came with a TEU101BK but I'm currently using an LRP Runner+ (borrowed from the Mini), I don't really want to buy another ESC at the moment. I've been offered a used Tamiya 540 Sport Tuned motor for free, gonna collect that tomorrow then try out some different motor/pinion/spur combinations. Already got all this except the 28T pinion - biggest I've got atm is 23T Well, I'd never have thought about this!!!! Who'd have thought it would really make a difference???? Now, where did I put that soldering iron...... Seriously, thanks for the ideas/info everyone.

Not sure if the ESC was 'too' hot, just it was noticably hot compared to the 'normal' warm. I've just refitted the stock motor and recharged the battery so, weather permitting, I'll give it a run in the car park at work tomorrow. This will get me used to the feel of it and hopefully I'll get time to tinker with the different motor & gear ratios over the weekend. I'm gonna double-check with the gear info in another thread, but with the gears I have, I think the only other combination I can use is the stock 19T / 61T setup. I think this will be too low but I'll give it a go.... Thanks for the help (again!)