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united_rc
10.26.04, 1:47 pm
We have our first Mini Quake (MQ) to run. We will use it for testing various products and let you know our findings. We hope that this will help many of you with questions about the truck, and allow you to make an informed decision on whether this truck will fit your RC needs.
Enjoy, and check back for updates.
This Mini Quake is stock except:
Battery: URC X23 Battery pack, with Deans Ultra plugs
RX: Futaba FM
ESC: MC 230RC Futaba
Motor: Not yet released.
Enjoy!
http://www.unitedrc.com/pics/mq/mqsdsf.jpg
http://www.unitedrc.com/pics/mq/mqspsf.jpg
http://www.unitedrc.com/pics/mq/mqgdsf.jpg
http://www.unitedrc.com/pics/mq/mqgpsr.jpg
United RC
johnnyshore
10.29.04, 7:11 am
Any updates on the truck's performance with the GP1100's? Anything get tore up (i.e. driveshafts, etc.)?
I have a couple sets of GP1100s (6 cell double stick configuration) and they make the truck punchier and runtimes are longer (though I have not timed it). So far, nothing has broken on the stock driveline. This truck is very solid out of the box I must admit.
hmmm, it seems some people are breaking the outdrives and some aren't. I haven't yet on mine.
Mitch P
11.05.04, 12:25 pm
All stock, even the battery. I had more than a few problems re-calibrating the ESC. I probably should have left it as factory, but my reverse is anemic to say the least, and the forward is waaay punchy. No torque in reverse whatsover and it takes 5-6 feet to get up to a reasonable speed.
Duratrax says this is normal ?! My Venom M/G was much better in that reverse to immediate forward was the way you got it to wheelie. Maybe my upcoming 1200mah battery upgrade will improve it. Overall, it's a nice piece. I had a total money-pit E-Maxx that I dumped on Ebay and took a major loss. I don't want to go down that road again, hence no Mamba brushless or any of that. I just want a simple backyard and playground (mulch is great) basher that won't sink my wallet.
That's what my blown Mustang daily driver is for... :O
Mitch
united_rc
11.05.04, 12:38 pm
All stock, even the battery. I had more than a few problems re-calibrating the ESC. I probably should have left it as factory, but my reverse is anemic to say the least, and the forward is waaay punchy. No torque in reverse whatsover and it takes 5-6 feet to get up to a reasonable speed.
Duratrax says this is normal ?! My Venom M/G was much better in that reverse to immediate forward was the way you got it to wheelie. Maybe my upcoming 1200mah battery upgrade will improve it. Overall, it's a nice piece. I had a total money-pit E-Maxx that I dumped on Ebay and took a major loss. I don't want to go down that road again, hence no Mamba brushless or any of that. I just want a simple backyard and playground (mulch is great) basher that won't sink my wallet.
That's what my blown Mustang daily driver is for... :O
Mitch
I was having somewhat the same issues with the stock ESC! As far as i was concerned...it was very sub-standard in performance. That is why i removed all the electronics (ESC and RX).
URC
united_rc
11.05.04, 12:49 pm
I forgot to upload some new pics. Nice MEAN racing look!!!
Enjoy!!
http://www.unitedrc.com/pics/mq/miniquakecp3.jpg
http://www.unitedrc.com/pics/mq/miniquakecp.jpg
http://www.unitedrc.com/pics/mq/miniquakecp2.jpg
http://www.unitedrc.com/pics/mq/miniquakecp4.jpg
URC
As funds permit, I will upgrade the radio and ESC. BTW, the 1200 mah wasn't a lot faster in forward, a little improved in reverse.
That body looks nice! Was it a direct replacement? Who makes it?
Thanks
united_rc
11.08.04, 6:51 am
Mitch,
A 1200mah pack will not necessarily make your MQ faster, it will more than likely just provide a bit longer runtimes. MAH = Runtimes.
Thank you for the comments on the body. The White Body is a Proline Crowd Pleazer, for the Mini-T. As far as a direct replacement, i guess that is in the eye of the driver :). The rear quarter panels of the body were cut out, not because of "fitting" issues, but for a better look. The body is a bit short (length wise), but after i cut off the rear quarter panels, it does not give the look of being too short (basically removing the wheel well shape). Other than that..it is a nice, or as you asked, a direct replacement. Of course you will not use the "pre notched" body post locations, as there are meant for a Mini-T. But prior to painting, i just fitted the body on the MQ, and marked the correct body post locations, easy as pie!
URC
Mitch P
11.08.04, 12:25 pm
URC:
You're right about the run-time; my brain-cramp. I don't know if this is like yelling "movie" in a crowded firehouse, but on "one18th.com" the M/Q forum has a thread referencing several email responses from Duratrax about ESC setup and such. I called them and confirmed their troubleshooting techniques about the poor reverse response. Interesting reading. I'm going to several techniques the tech recommended before I try to convince the wife I really need new electronics (after about 3 days of owning the darn thing)
:d
united_rc
11.08.04, 12:39 pm
LOL!!!
Sometimes information found on that site has to be verified.....from another source! Good call on calling Duratrax! Regarding the ESC "disproportional" brakes, I could tell on my truck on the first brake pull, the truck almost flipped over and that was with the stock NiCAD pack!
URC
I post my results tomorrow concerning the ESC adjustments.
Thanks!
p.s. do you plan to break out the products on your website by what truck(s) they will fit and what level of modification may be necessary (specifically stuff like battery packs for the M/Q)?
I attempted to use Duratrax advice for adjusting my ESC - the issue being the truck is full bore on forward and very slow to move in reverse - probably a 70/30 or 80/20 bias. Duratrax suggested reversing the throttle servo switch on the handheld and then going through the ESC programming process in hopes of moderating the bias.
Results - slow forward and out of control reverse speed. After than experiment, it took me literally a dozen tries to get the ESC program back to "normal". Sometimes my programming would produce full forward speed whether you used forward or reverse on the trigger; sometimes it would produce slightly better than normal reverse and no forward at all; sometimes it would do that and then after pressing forward on the trigger half a dozen times it would unsuspectingly take off.
Duratrax wants me to ship the entire truck and controller back for service. No way. I just got the thing. Does Futaba make a replacement ESC that will work with the stock handheld that does not require soldering bullet connectors to the motor, etc. This thing was supposed to be an out of the box enjoyment, not another money pit!!!
Ehh... :d
Too bad they won't just take the ESC back. Obviously the truck isn't the problem, its just the ESC. BTW, oddly enough I think the ESC is made by Futaba. I could be wrong, but mine has a stick on it saying "Futaba".
I sent them an intelligent, but no-nonsense email. I told them I loved the truck, but considered it a bad business decision and poor consumer support to require the entire truck to be returned. I recommended them shipping a replacement ESC and radio if necessary (yes, I think it's all Futaba stuff). I even offered them my credit card number as insurance that I'd return the original parts once I'd swapped.
I guess we'll see what happens after they chew on that. I see where ESC's have front/rear bias percentages specified; I asked Duratrax to document what the MQ's ESC is.
It's a darn shame. As a software developer, I know bugs can get through quality control, but you don't make people ship the old software back - you send bug fixes.
Well, I think the whole truck thing isn't needed, but making you send the ESC alone for a new one shouldn't be an issue and should be what Duratrax requests when people have an issue with theirs. This is what Traxxas did for their first ESC in the E-Maxx. And even then, they offered some sort of replacement deal for the new ESC they chose to use (since the first one had too many issues).
I don't have any other r/c toys anymore! That's why I'm (carefully) running it indoors while I wait for a response. Again, it's just annoying to have a new truck and have it down waiting for a part when it doesn't even have measureable runtime on it!
About the other suspension parts failures I've read about: I do find the some of the choices (e-clips on the lower shock mount shafts) questionable, but it has bounced off the wall a couple of times with no damage. After wrenching on a race car for about 10 years, there isn't much I can't fix or replace; it's the design decisions that usually cause problems with our "toys".
Question: the idea behind the E-Maxx brushless concept is more power (too much actually) and longer runtimes. Does this also apply to the M/Q stuff coming out?
Thanks!
If you go brushless, it will be more power/too much (depending which motor/esc you choose).
That pretty much goes for anything that you stick brushless into.
Can you or anyone here recommend a replacement ESC and radio setup for the M/Q that is a direct replacement and doesn't require bullet connectors, etc? Something with at least a 60/40 front/rear ESC bias?
I haven't heard from Duratrax and I'm looking into a low cost replacement solution. I think the motor is adequate for my needs and with a 1200mah and some 2400mah batteries out there, my runtime would be more than adequate for a non-race inside/outside fun truck. I just want the bloody thing to be able to back up!
johnnyshore
11.12.04, 7:24 am
Myself, along with a couple others, are going with a Futaba MC230 esc. It's small, and has excellent proportional control in both directions. I bought one on one of the rc boards for $15 used, but you can get them new for around $40-45.
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