So we tried the Brushless MiniCoop at the Track today. To use a common phrase, we got “mixed reviews”…. Let’s just say that we weren’t even close to being as pleased as we’d hoped we’d be.

• Best Lap was – 30.02sec – (half a second slower than our Best)

At first there seemed to be a general incoherent behaviour but, thanks to a quick Transmitter Model Reset we managed to get things acting normally again. We adjusted the Steering Trim and set off for a few test laps….

The handling had definitely got worse and, in my humble opinion, this was due to the heavier ESC unit positioned on the rear of the car and too high up. The car was far more likely to oversteer in the corners especially if we let go of the accelerator on the way into the slower sections of the track.

The 10 or 15 laps we got out of it also served as final straw for the recently purchased Shimizu Tyres. More dramatic was the damage caused to our veteran 2001 BMW wheels .. see for yourself:

Yes, it’d be fair to say that we now consider these as ‘RC’ parts that can be filed under ‘B’ .. : ) 

So it was back to the drawing board. We got some new Shimizu Medium fitted on a pair of Fiat 500 60D Wheels. Turns out the Fiat 500 Wheels are sturdier than the BMW Mini Wheels.

 

And to try and add some stability to the chassis we’ve also placed the ESC behind the Servo on the top. We’re hoping it’ll help with the over-steer.

So we got brand new Medium-Shimizu at the Rear, some fairly decent Medium-Shimizu at the front.

The only small problem we’ve got is finding a longer screw to hold the Servo-Saver onto the Servo itself. The one supplied with the Alturn USA Servo is a little short and if hadn’t been for the blue-tack trick, we would have lost it today!

Stay tuned for more geeky recaps of races to come!

A.

It was time that we dared, it was time that we went …where many others had already gone before… We fitted our veteran M03s (circa 2001) with the Etronix Photon Brushless Kit ! (10T). Yes… our mini is now Brushless! Welcome to the 21st Century…

The move is simple if your car is already fitted with Deans T-Type connectors there is no welding to be done, this makes the Etronix Photon Brushless kit a great starting point for beginners or lazy people (and we fit into both categories)

The Receiver we fitted is the Spektrum SR 3300T with Telemetry, it allows you to read the Battery Voltage, The Motor Temperature and, if you can fit it on an M03, an RPM counter. (we opted out for the moment)

It’s perhaps not the prettiest setup due to the odd placement of the ESC on the rear.

The motor is shown with the Temperature Sensor taped in between two cooling fins. It is actually quite impressive how sensitive it is, you can make it change temperature just by holding it in your hands for a few seconds.

Enough DIY for a school night… LMCC updates coming soon!

A.

A couple of pictures taken whilst making our TeamVebra Ad-Hoc Transmitters’ Case. The whole thing was a bargain (under 20Eur) and setting it up took about 30minutes (including time to drive to the DIY store)

We have a spare Foam Sheet so that we can, if necessary, stencil out another layout (different Transmitters or other parts)

In the DIY Section of TeamVebra’s you may soon see other little projects so stay tuned!

A.

Our latest and most substantial addition to our equipment is the SPEKTRUM DX3s, 2.4GHz DSM

 

It came bundled with not one but two receivers, the standard SR300 (3 channel) and the upmarket SR3300T with telemetry readers. 

We have a great first impression of this transmitter, the build is sturdy and it comes with three types of grips (small medium and large) to get the best feel. We opted for the large one but a younger RC enthusiast could possibly find the medium and small grip more to his/her liking.

The first step we took, for now, is to upgrade our M03 Short-Wheelbase chassis from the rather obsolete 40Mhz AM receiver to the SR300

The forces of evil have kept us away from the LMCC track this weekend so we’ve not been able to properly try out this new Spektrum yet… but … it won’t be long before we share more info so stay tuned!

Thanks for watching

A.

Our main M03 saw quite a few head-on collisions and, as it often happens, the result is damage to the Servo. We therefore recently opted for a much needed upgrade from the:

• FUTABA S3003 (running since 2001)
• Operating Speed 0.19sec / 60 degrees at no load
• Torque 4.1kg/cm
• Plastic Bearings & Nylon Gears
• Plastic Spline (damaged)

To a brand new 

• ALTURN USA AAS-752MG (fitted but not used yet)
• Operating Speed 0.09sec / 60 degrees at no load
• Torque 9.1kg/cm
• Double Bearings Metal Geared
• Metal Spline

Here’s a couple of pictures of it fitted on our M03. The metal screw going into the Metal Spline feels 10 times more sturdy than the feeling you get from the plastic one.

We may opt for some bluetack in front of the screw, just in case it decides to come loose. (a trick we read on another Forum… thank you!)

Thanks for watching

A.

Our latest Brushed Motor (aimed at our M03 chassis) is the cheap and cheerful HPI Firebolt 15T

For under 10Eur it doesn’t have replaceable brushes nor does it let you open it up to clean it out properly but if it’s good enough for a few Track-Days then we won’t complain!

We’ve only just broke it in using what we would call a “damp cold technique”. We read some posts of people using distilled water (wet) or ice (dry) and as we had an ice pack laying around we thought… let’s try it “damp cold” !

 

We taped some AA batteries together (to reach approx 3volts) and ran the motor for as long as the batteries would last. As they weren’t that new we actually went through 3 pairs of 2 AA. A great way to make sure that when you throw them away, they’re really dead.

The motor was snug inside the ice-pack, held with a rubber band. At the end the engine was nice and cool so we’re confident that it didn’t overheat at all during the breaking in process.

Let’s see if it indeed improves the motor’s performance and longevity, we have our doubts…

Thanks for watching.

A.

The recently purchased Stabilizer set for the M03 has been fitted on our M03 (short wheelbase) and here are the pictures !

Installing them is a little bit fiddly but in the process one can’t help but admire the clever engineering behind them. To think all M03 chassis are ready for this type of hop-up makes you realise how the guys at Tamiya are really rather clever chaps! With this said, we have no idea if these will actually bring a noticeable increase in performance.

Not tried on the track yet but for now we can see that if one pushes on one of the dampers the other one moves slightly as well. This should translate in a stabilising effect when racing… only our chronometer will tell us the truth!

Thanks for watching and stay tuned!

A.

With our latest basket we got the Adjustable upper arms for the TL01. In our own words, to try and explain what these do… well… they allow you to adjust the camber of the wheels on your TL01. The camber being the “vertical angle” of the wheel with regards to the ground. Most of the times, you’d try and get the top end of the wheel to lean towards the inside of the chassis so that… seen from behind… your car wheels look like this  / \

(highly technical explanation…we know!)

We’ll let below pictures speak their 1000 words.

Pictures on the Left show the Rear, Pictures on the Right show the Front of the car.

We’ll let you know if we notice any additional grip or stability when we next head out to the LMCC track!

Thanks for watching

A.

Hey there RC fans !

Today we’ve had a new arrival in Lux ! one very interesting Basket from our favourite UK supplier, www.modelsport.co.uk

Amongst these we have, Soft and Medium Schumacher Shimizu rubber, a new Brushed HPI 15turns, M03 stabilizer sets, TL01 upper arm adjustment set, some extra step-screws,  medium tyre inserts, spare damper o-rings and new Alturn Servo!

Stay tuned to see these parts fitted into our M03s and Tl01 chassis in the coming weeks. (yeah, we take our time here at TeamVebra, what’s the rush?)

A.

Hello All,

A couple of weeks ago we got these PINK dampers in and built them up. What we can say for the moment is that they seem a little more consistent than the Mini CVA Shocks (black plastic ones). We wouldn’t necessarily say that they’re definitely better, they just seem tougher somehow. Oh and…yes…they’re far more bling, of course.

Thought the packaging and original instructions might interest some people out there.

Hereunder some pictures of them being built.

Stay tuned to spot them once fitted onto our MiniCoop

A.

This is our “entry level” 2.4Ghz Transmitter by Kyosho – Model KT201 with the KR-200 Receiver.

Currently fitted to our TL01 but soon to be replaced by the newer and more powerful spektrum DX3s.

We’re satisfied with the Kyosho KT-201 for the moment. Its Menu is very simple to navigate (actually identical to many other Transmitters in the same price range, e.g. Carson) and we’ve had no problems whatsoever in setting it up and getting it working.

 The display, when On, is nicely back-lit in a neon blue colour.

The receiver, KR200, is very small and close to the dimension of those marketed as ”Micro Receivers”.

Side note, it is with the Kyosho and the TL01 that we recorded the fastest lap at LMCC (for now!)

Thanks for watching.

A.

The days of LiPo Power have finally reached us at TeamVebra and, consequently, we got ourselves a new battery charger ! The excellent Ansmann Racing Xbase 2.0 se

Capable of charging virtually any type of battery: LiPo, LiFe, Nihm, LiIon, NiCd and Pd Charge as well. We would strongly recommend reading a full specs description on the appropriate website –> Link <– to see if it meets your needs.

For our standard 2Cell LiPo and older NiHm batteries it does the trick, and it does it well.

Its Menu is intuitive and makes it easy to use. We chose a low Amp setting to charge up our 4AHr RC Core LiPo batteries. They take, approx, 60 minutes to charge (but we’ve not yet properly drained them down towards their recommended limit (above 6volts)

As per recommendations out there, we charge our LiPo batteries whilst inside a LiPo safe charging (and carrying) bag. Better safe than sorry!

Thanks for watching

A.