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Grant
wrote:
>
In your experience what are the components of RC Combat
Tanks most prone premature wear, frequent maintenance and failure
?
- Electronic triggered markers. I had a ton of grief with the
electronic marker I installed in the T34. A door lock actuator or servo
is much more reliable. Don't forget to oil the marker before a
battle.
- Setscrews, if not done right will cause problems. They need to be
Loctited and set on a flat on the shaft or what I do now - set into a
hole drilled partway into the shaft.
- Drive
batteries. It is very easy to ruin a lead acid battery by draining it to
low or over charging with a cheap charger. An onboard battery meter and
a smart charger is highly recommended. If you can afford it, bring extra
drive batteries for insurance.
- Wiring. Use large wire or doubled up wiring. Keep the motor
wires away from the electronics. Use decent connectors. For
safety, mark the wires red for positive, black for negative. I
never have the right color wires so I just wrap it in red or black electrical
tape. Wire tie and properly secure the wiring to keep it out of the
way.
- Strength. When building your tank think about how it can be
broken and build to compensate. It's better to overbuild than to
underbuild. Make sure the batteries are well supported. One day
I rolled the Cromwell over on it's back while going up a stairway and
nothing broke. I had this situation in mind when I designed
it.
- Test
your tank and it's systems before the battleday. Bring extra batteries
for all your electronics. Don't mess with rechargeable packs for your
R/C gear. Alkalines will last you several battle days before needing
replacement.
- Bring
all the tools you'll need to completely disassemble your tank and everything
in it. I take my toolbox out to the home base for every
battle.
- If
you don't have a big CO2 bottle in your tank, an extra one to swap out quickly
will give you more battle time. Bring o-rings and burst disks for the CO2
bottle.
- Most
markers come with a rebuild kit. Make sure you bring this stuff with
you. Learn how to rebuild your marker before the battleday.
Whatever hose you use to connect the CO2 bottle to your marker, bring
extra.
- Spend
a few extra bucks and buy good paint for your marker for the battleday.
Use the cheap stuff at home.
- Bring
extra fuses for everything that uses one.
> Oh...by the way....how is your RS80D motor
controller performing in your Cromwell ?
No
problems yet.
Steve
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