I have given the Axial AX10 some pretty poor reviews on this blog. However, I must admit that it does have one big redeeming value – the compatibility it has with almost every upgrade on the market.
When I first purchased my AX10, I had a high expectation for its performance. I wanted a quality rock crawler; instead I got a mediocre rock racer. As the various pieces on my crawler began to bend, break, and just plain suck, I immediately began to look for upgrades. I have been pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to find upgrades for the AX10. Every website that I have visited looking for upgrades has parts that easily fit on the AX10. I love that. Not only do I not have to buy my parts from one location, but because there are so many upgrades that work, the competition drives the price down. Also, I can customize my crawler the way I want…of course, by the time I am done, I don’t think I will have many (if any) Axial parts on my crawler…
juice
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Integy High-clearance Lower Links
In an attempt to find some high clearance lower links that stay in the upright position (the aluminum Axial links spin around until they’re upside down resulting in less clearance than regular straight links), I purchased 2 sets of Integy high clearance lower links.
By the way, if anyone would like a set of 4 chrome colored aluminum shock risers for $20 (they are $30 plus shipping for a set of 4 if you buy them off the internet), let me know, and I will get you a set.
To sum up, I would not recommend the Integy high clearance lower links unless you have a chassis that will allow you to keep the diamond shape of the links sitting higher than the skid plate of your crawler. If I had such a chassis, I would probably keep the Integy links on my crawler. However, until that time, it’s back to the Axial…
In the beginning, I was extremely disappointed because I could not use them on my crawler; the links interfered with the shocks. This resulted in my crawler not being able to articulate at all. At first I simply put the links away and wrote them off as a poor purchase decision. However, after speaking with a family member, he told me that he could make some “shock risers” that would allow me to use the Integy high clearance links without them interfering with the shocks. A couple of weeks later, they came in the mail.
By the way, if anyone would like a set of 4 chrome colored aluminum shock risers for $20 (they are $30 plus shipping for a set of 4 if you buy them off the internet), let me know, and I will get you a set.I installed the shock risers and was then able to install the Integy links. The risers worked great! I was able to get a good amount of articulation after installing them.
After testing the Integy links, I was somewhat disappointed. I do like the way they look and like that they stay upright (they don’t twist around). I don’t like that they do not allow for as much articulation as the Axial lower links. I also despise the rounded diamond shape at the end of the link that attaches to the bottom of the Axial chassis (see photo). When attempting to go over rocks, wood, and so forth, the diamond gets hung up. In other words, instead of sliding along the skid plate on the bottom of the chassis, the rock, wood, or whatever else I am crawling over gets stuck on the links…not good.
To sum up, I would not recommend the Integy high clearance lower links unless you have a chassis that will allow you to keep the diamond shape of the links sitting higher than the skid plate of your crawler. If I had such a chassis, I would probably keep the Integy links on my crawler. However, until that time, it’s back to the Axial…
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tekin ESC and 55-Turn Motor
After months of testing the Tekin FXR electronic speed control (ESC), I have to admit…IT ROCKS! How did I ever live without it? Before getting the FXR, I was becoming extremely frustrated with the sport of RC rock crawling because my Axial AX10 was just not doing what I expected it to do (as you can read from my previous posts). Of course, I cannot totally blame Axial. The AX10 is built more for rock racing rather than rock crawling. I just wish I would have known that before buying it (If I were to do it all over again, I would go with the enRoute Berg or the Losi Comp Crawler). However, thanks to Tekin, my crawling spirit has been revived, and I am once again in love with the sport. As far as the testing of the FXR, I have the following to report:
First of all, let me say that I have no affiliation with Tekin; I don’t get paid by them, I don’t own stock in the company, I don’t work for them and there is no monetary benefit for me in giving a good review. In other words, this is nothing more than a candid review of my experience with the Tekin FXR and 55T motor.
(During the testing, I used the Duratrax 7.2V DTX 3800 battery pack with no battery eliminator circuit (BEC) [the FXR has its own internal BEC]. Also, I was using only one servo – the front steering servo, which is a Hitec HS-645MG Ultra Torque)
After speaking with a representative from Tekin, I decided to test the Tekin FXR ESC/Tekin 55-turn motor combo. When the combo arrived, the first thing I noticed was how small the FXR was compared to my Axial ESC. When Tekin says that their FXR has an “ultra small footprint” they are not just blowing smoke in an attempt to make a sale; the footprint really is ULTRA small, measuring approximately 1.15 x 0.75 x 0.4 inches.
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A.D.D. Moment: I had not soldered anything since my sophomore year in high school and was extremely nervous to solder the Tekin ESC and Motor – I didn’t want to burn it up as soon as I plugged it in. It would be nice if Tekin added a “How To” video on their website specifically for soldering their ESC’s. My local hobby shop didn’t even know how to do it (they only sell Novak and Castle Creations products). Rather, they (the people at the hobby shop) wished me luck and sent me out the door (they were probably mad that I didn’t buy one of their products). Eventually, I was able to figure out how to solder the FXR using the instructions included with the ESC (not an easy read for someone electrically challenged like myself) and some “How To” soldering videos I found on YouTube. If Tekin were looking to improve on something, a nice easy-to-read-diagram-for-dummies in the instructions would be a nice touch.
After assembling my rock crawler with the Tekin ESC and Motor, I decided to first use it with the default settings. Merely driving my crawler along the flat ground and over some small rocks, I was able to see a huge difference. The accuracy and control I had over my crawler was amazing! I became so excited that I threw out my typical battery of tests and immediately took my crawler to my home-built track. I quickly found that I was able to crawl over obstacles and crawl lines that I was not able to with the Axial ESC and motor. The power, accuracy and control were so good, that after only several minutes of crawling, I broke several plastic parts on my crawler – They broke as a result of the power from the Tekin ESC and Motor (I had been running an Axial 27-turn motor). This set me back several weeks as I had to order new aluminum parts.
When the new parts arrived, I again started crawling. This time, I began experimenting with the ESC’s controls. I set the drag brake as high as it could go. I drove at full speed (not very fast at all with the 55-turn motor) along flat, level ground. When I released the throttle, my crawler stopped so suddenly that the upper Y-arm of my crawler popped out of the gear box roll mount and I was right back to making repairs again.
After again repairing my crawler, I continued with the testing, going through many different configurations of the ESC (there are so many different configurations, that it would be nearly impossible to try them all). It was so nice to be able to “fine-tune” my crawler just the way I liked it. It was also nice to be able to change the settings with such ease (by merely pressing two buttons – the mode and increment buttons). I could tune my crawler for all different kinds of terrain without any special tools, computers, and so forth. Plus, if I didn’t like what I had set, I could easily restore the factory settings by merely pressing and holding both buttons at the same time.
I decided to do a drag brake test (keep in mind, my crawler weighs 6.424 lbs.). For the test, I set up a highly sophisticated ramp system…okay, it wasn’t that sophisticated…it was a piece of B/C particle board.
I first set the drag brake as light as it could go (without using the FXR’s Hotwire PC Interface [sold separately]). During testing, I found that letting off on the throttle immediately (after driving forward up the ramp), my crawler began to consistently roll backward on a measly 20 degree incline. However, if I eased off on the throttle (bringing my crawler to a slow stop at the top of the ramp), I was able to consistently keep my crawler in place until the ramp reached a 35 degree angle.
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As far as overheating is concerned, I have run my Tekin ESC non-stop until the battery was nearly drained on multiple occasions and in weather ranging from below freezing to above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The ESC has never overheated and the performance has not changed – it still works great every time.
The only disadvantage that Tekin had to Axial, was that the Tekin motor made more noise, but I could deal with that since it wasn’t much more noise. Especially if a little noise meant that I received much better performance.
The other issue I had was that the 55-Turn motor was much slower than I anticipated. It had unbelievable power, but there were times that I needed more speed than power. This is by no means a defect in Tekin’s equipment – it is just a personal preference. I think I may try a Tekin 35-turn motor, to see if that is a better fit for me.
Overall, I was extremely impressed with the Tekin ESC and motor. I tried to find things wrong with them, just so this review didn’t sound biased, but frankly I couldn’t do it. Tekin has covered just about every desired feature in a rock crawling ESC and motor. I would highly recommend the Tekin ESC/Motor combination to both experienced and beginning crawlers alike. I know that as long as Tekin keeps up the good work, I will always be a loyal customer.
Juice
First of all, let me say that I have no affiliation with Tekin; I don’t get paid by them, I don’t own stock in the company, I don’t work for them and there is no monetary benefit for me in giving a good review. In other words, this is nothing more than a candid review of my experience with the Tekin FXR and 55T motor.
(During the testing, I used the Duratrax 7.2V DTX 3800 battery pack with no battery eliminator circuit (BEC) [the FXR has its own internal BEC]. Also, I was using only one servo – the front steering servo, which is a Hitec HS-645MG Ultra Torque)
After speaking with a representative from Tekin, I decided to test the Tekin FXR ESC/Tekin 55-turn motor combo. When the combo arrived, the first thing I noticed was how small the FXR was compared to my Axial ESC. When Tekin says that their FXR has an “ultra small footprint” they are not just blowing smoke in an attempt to make a sale; the footprint really is ULTRA small, measuring approximately 1.15 x 0.75 x 0.4 inches.
.jpg)
After removing my Axial ESC and motor, I was able to easily replace them with the Tekin ESC and motor. Actually, it would have been much easier if I did not have the Proline Tuber Chassis in the way…I am becoming less impressed with that chassis the more I use it, but I digress.
A.D.D. Moment: I had not soldered anything since my sophomore year in high school and was extremely nervous to solder the Tekin ESC and Motor – I didn’t want to burn it up as soon as I plugged it in. It would be nice if Tekin added a “How To” video on their website specifically for soldering their ESC’s. My local hobby shop didn’t even know how to do it (they only sell Novak and Castle Creations products). Rather, they (the people at the hobby shop) wished me luck and sent me out the door (they were probably mad that I didn’t buy one of their products). Eventually, I was able to figure out how to solder the FXR using the instructions included with the ESC (not an easy read for someone electrically challenged like myself) and some “How To” soldering videos I found on YouTube. If Tekin were looking to improve on something, a nice easy-to-read-diagram-for-dummies in the instructions would be a nice touch.
After assembling my rock crawler with the Tekin ESC and Motor, I decided to first use it with the default settings. Merely driving my crawler along the flat ground and over some small rocks, I was able to see a huge difference. The accuracy and control I had over my crawler was amazing! I became so excited that I threw out my typical battery of tests and immediately took my crawler to my home-built track. I quickly found that I was able to crawl over obstacles and crawl lines that I was not able to with the Axial ESC and motor. The power, accuracy and control were so good, that after only several minutes of crawling, I broke several plastic parts on my crawler – They broke as a result of the power from the Tekin ESC and Motor (I had been running an Axial 27-turn motor). This set me back several weeks as I had to order new aluminum parts.
When the new parts arrived, I again started crawling. This time, I began experimenting with the ESC’s controls. I set the drag brake as high as it could go. I drove at full speed (not very fast at all with the 55-turn motor) along flat, level ground. When I released the throttle, my crawler stopped so suddenly that the upper Y-arm of my crawler popped out of the gear box roll mount and I was right back to making repairs again.
After again repairing my crawler, I continued with the testing, going through many different configurations of the ESC (there are so many different configurations, that it would be nearly impossible to try them all). It was so nice to be able to “fine-tune” my crawler just the way I liked it. It was also nice to be able to change the settings with such ease (by merely pressing two buttons – the mode and increment buttons). I could tune my crawler for all different kinds of terrain without any special tools, computers, and so forth. Plus, if I didn’t like what I had set, I could easily restore the factory settings by merely pressing and holding both buttons at the same time.
I decided to do a drag brake test (keep in mind, my crawler weighs 6.424 lbs.). For the test, I set up a highly sophisticated ramp system…okay, it wasn’t that sophisticated…it was a piece of B/C particle board.
I first set the drag brake as light as it could go (without using the FXR’s Hotwire PC Interface [sold separately]). During testing, I found that letting off on the throttle immediately (after driving forward up the ramp), my crawler began to consistently roll backward on a measly 20 degree incline. However, if I eased off on the throttle (bringing my crawler to a slow stop at the top of the ramp), I was able to consistently keep my crawler in place until the ramp reached a 35 degree angle.
I then set the drag brake to its maximum level (there are 11 levels when not utilizing the Hotwire Interface). When immediately letting off the throttle, I was able to consistently keep my crawler from rolling backward on a 40 degree incline (actually, my crawler would roll back about 2 inches and then stop). When I eased off the throttle, I was able to consistently keep my crawler from rolling back on a 47.5 degree incline. However, when it did roll backward, it was a very slow roll, even at 55 degrees (my tires did not keep their traction on anything steeper than that).
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The only disadvantage that Tekin had to Axial, was that the Tekin motor made more noise, but I could deal with that since it wasn’t much more noise. Especially if a little noise meant that I received much better performance.
The other issue I had was that the 55-Turn motor was much slower than I anticipated. It had unbelievable power, but there were times that I needed more speed than power. This is by no means a defect in Tekin’s equipment – it is just a personal preference. I think I may try a Tekin 35-turn motor, to see if that is a better fit for me.
Overall, I was extremely impressed with the Tekin ESC and motor. I tried to find things wrong with them, just so this review didn’t sound biased, but frankly I couldn’t do it. Tekin has covered just about every desired feature in a rock crawling ESC and motor. I would highly recommend the Tekin ESC/Motor combination to both experienced and beginning crawlers alike. I know that as long as Tekin keeps up the good work, I will always be a loyal customer.
Juice
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