RE: official smartech buggy thread
I think that's about it!
Posted on: 5/3/2008 12:17 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7451309

RE: official smartech buggy thread
Sounds like it may be set too lean... Back off the mixture screw a half turn and try again. Some of us are around, just not posting a whole lot these days! lol
Posted on: 4/26/2008 8:53 AM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7421731

RE: official smartech buggy thread
Dang, I have that rotostart plate, but can't remember the number. Look back a few pages in the posts and you will see the talk of that part and its number. If you get the starter shaft too, your drill has to have a pretty fast speed to start the buggy. Mine at 900 rpm was too slow, so I went back to the pull start for now.
Posted on: 2/9/2008 6:20 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7049846

RE: official smartech buggy thread
You mean the Smartech used springs that would work from other cars??? COOL! I tried matching up shoes one time at a hobby store (this one had a lot, but even further away) and had no luck finding shoes that would work... Even the Kyoshus I bought needed some work to make them fit... (bought online). I had to drill new holes because the pattern did not match my bell!
Posted on: 1/9/2008 8:50 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6882424

RE: official smartech buggy thread
I thought of that one, but didn't want to mess with the spring, in case I got bad results out of the deal... I don't have a spare. When the original spring broke, I had to get shoes and spring together as a set. Hey, is any of this stuff still available online? Zeen, eBay is where most of us got our spare parts... If you look back through earlier messages here, you will see all the vendors that sold parts to us, and sometimes read comments on what people thought of them... One vendor I bought from often was in Asia, but they shipped fast and were very reliable to me.
Posted on: 1/9/2008 8:31 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6882324

RE: official smartech buggy thread
Actually, I did mess with the idle screw, but in order to keep it running when braking hard, I have to have the idle way up, too high for the clutch. It wants to engage at anything much higher than idle. I messed with a whole lot of settings, but nothing seems to work. Not having a low speed is a great nuisance... I remember tuning my antique snowmobiles in Canada: They ran Tillotson carburetors, and had a high and low speed needle. I couldn't imagine tuing a carb with no low speed needle on the snowmobile, so I can understand why this small scale version is such a pain! I wonder how many others got the carb without the low speed adjustment? Also, I am using Kyosho clutch shoes (aluminum). I am thinking if I have to, I can go back to the nylon shoes, since it seems to run best with those, probably because it gave me a higher stall speed with the lighter shoes... Mind you, if I switch back, I will be working backwards... I need to move FORWARD, so that means a new carb! haha Love your Ford truggy... What is the best machine you have for speed and jumping? I like the all terrain advantage of the trucks... Still wishing I had my friend's Monster GT! That thing was the sweetest machine I ever ran...
Posted on: 1/9/2008 8:15 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6882230

RE: official smartech buggy thread
The hobby store was more into aircraft, but they sold parts at full retail by the sound of it... Retail I have found them online for the same, but eBay much less... (.15 harder to find, looking to retrofit to a .18 if possible) I have to do some research when I get time to look at the buggy again... But when I do, I will post my measurements. I know exactly the engine you have with the black head, as many others seem to have gotten that one as well... If your carb will fit, I may buy it, unless I find a good deal on an OS on eBay, since I hear they are a much superior product... Do you even have your Smartech anymore? Just curious... Pretty sure you got a better machine since, right?
Posted on: 1/9/2008 5:19 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6881190

RE: official smartech buggy thread
Hey Doc... I was at a local (well, kinda local; within 30 miles), and they had this OS carb that looked like the right one for my stock .15, but the price was around $100, from what I recall... No way I was paying that much! I have the blue, round cylinder head Smartech motor. Original, a gallon though it. Do you have a carb for that? I seemed to have been ripped off... Even my instructions show a low speed needle in the throttle linkage shaft, but the buggy I have does not have this. It has been a compromise at best for performance, working best only at top end...
Posted on: 1/9/2008 5:07 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6881109

RE: official smartech buggy thread
Wow, that's cool! I see a few chassis differences, but I wonder how hard it would be to convert to electric? I can't see spending over $100 on a carb for my Winner Sport (it needs one; I got one with no low speed needle, only high speed and idle needles, so it likes to stall when hitting the brakes hard.) Where did you get this, and how much did you pay? The WS I got was around $220 shipped, about two years ago. How well does it work?
Posted on: 1/9/2008 2:56 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6880409

RE: official smartech buggy thread
Zeen, never heard of an electric version of the Winner Sport... Sorry. Got pictures?
Posted on: 1/9/2008 9:26 AM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6879031

RE: official smartech buggy thread
Might have your brake disc out of adjustment
Posted on: 1/7/2008 1:11 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6868713

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
Mine lasted a good while. However, a few months of use followed by inevitable failure of the motors is not a good thing, at least when there are no replacement motors easily available. In the rc hobby, the true hobbyists will fix and keep flying/driving, but when parts are not available, it gets impossible to do this.
Posted on: 12/10/2007 9:21 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6740798

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
What do you mean, 'converting'? Making your own battery packs, or using SL batteries to power other stuff?
Posted on: 12/8/2007 12:12 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6730075

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
Haha! I have 9 batteries with chargers now, and 6 of them are still in the package! LOL I'm gonna have to build something to make use of them. Or if someone finds a replacement motor for the SL for us?
Posted on: 12/8/2007 12:01 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6730032

RE: official smartech buggy thread
I bet they don't have the #40177 universal joint driveshafts/dogbones... I've been looking for a long time! I ordered some from an asian company off ebay, and got everything but the shafts. Said they were backordered, but they haven't had any since.
Posted on: 11/20/2007 3:53 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6650486

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
Hey, that looks pretty cool! If I can't find a cheap replacement SL soon, I just might try my hand at something like that.. Where do you get the foam material from? I might do doped balsa wood and see how that works instead... I just hope the weaker motor doesn't affect flying... Speaking of which: Has anyone found a replacement motor yet for the SL?
Posted on: 9/28/2007 12:22 AM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6423361

RE: official smartech buggy thread
Hey folks! Been a while... I am still wondering if anyone found a source for the #40177 universal dogbone shafts? I check ebay still, but nothing comes up.
Posted on: 9/10/2007 1:54 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6350223

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
The Stormlauncher can be a very tricky unit to fly. Because it doesn't utilize traditional control surfaces like an aircraft, trying to steer it is quite an art. Inputs must be gradual when turning left or right. There is definately not much room for error, as some crashes can be totally devastating to the craft. What I did (after a few attemtps to be a hot shot and just ending up crashing) was to finally learn that I needed some positive elevator trim. That allowed the thing to fly without me pulling back on the stick (Mistake #1) Then, once I got it up and flying using the proper trim, I was able to learn through trial and error that using too much turn input caused it to dive (Mistake #2). Using less input, I was finally able to steer it around quite efficiently. The wind conditions must be just right, however. Too much is no good, and even too little is not helpful. The thing will give hours of enjoyment, but learning to fly will take up many of those hours. Many people have posted in several forums their disappointment with this product. However, I myself knew what I was getting into. It is hard to buy something that does what this thing does for the price it does it. And yes, there are duds out there, like some machines got no response through the transmitter, and some reported motors that didn't run. (likely a wire came loose). My children were to be the 'flyers' of our Stormlauncher, but after seeing Dad crash a few times in the beginning, they were less inclined to try it, and instead had a blast playing with their 'X-Twins'. (these are quite cool to fly! Hard to break unless you aren't careful how you store them) I used the SL as a flyer, as I love flying machines. I did try it on water, and it was cool as heck, and on land it was great too. I think my next flyer will be an airplane. The SL gave me a confidence to try it!
Posted on: 9/4/2007 5:43 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6327425

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
Ah, gotcha... Must have gotten an inferior motor, I'm guessing... Just trying to cover bases... Was this one new from in-store?
Posted on: 9/4/2007 3:36 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6326909

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
Did you follow the low speed engine breakin procedure as outlined in the manual? I would also like to know of a suitable replacement motor...
Posted on: 9/4/2007 2:55 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6326736

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
Yes, the Storm Launcher has no trouble taking off from water. Mine has so many hours on it, however, that the motors are getting tired, and the land takeoffs are getting more difficult. The motors are having trouble overcoming the friction. If I toss it into the air, it has no problem flying still...
Posted on: 9/1/2007 7:52 AM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6313994

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
That, plus if they can somehow add another channel to get a pair of moving ailerons...
Posted on: 8/22/2007 7:43 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6273896

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
I would sure like to see a new version with all the improvements! Had a blast with the original!
Posted on: 8/22/2007 7:20 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6273802

RE: official smartech buggy thread
You can get a manual from Excel Hobby, Item # 10341T3 "Winner 3" That is where I got mine.
Posted on: 8/22/2007 7:36 AM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6271181

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
Our local Target clearances items that don't sell or are defective to the local GoodWill. They sell the stuff for very little money. You must check often with these stores, but they usually try to deal with charitable companies.
Posted on: 8/10/2007 1:19 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6220847

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
They really are a lot of fun... I have used it almost exclusively for flying, though if some of the ponds here were closer to large, open areas, I would probably use it on water more than I do... After many, many flights and using two sets of props, the motors are finally getting tired, so the SL has become rather lazy in the skies. One motor tends to weaken before the other. I have repaired it many times with tape and Gorilla glue, and had no real problems with it. I think it would be a great trainer for getting a real hydrofoam later, since the price was right for what I wanted. Definately worth the money to me. I will buy another if the price is right, but really, all I would like are new motors to install.
Posted on: 8/9/2007 2:05 AM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6214919

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
Check your sponsons for anything sticking out, like tape, or a piece of that black plastic runner bent outta shape. Something could be causing drag on that side. Also, how long before it turns? You have the steering trim adjusted? Inspect all you can, and check on pavement to see if it does the same thing.
Posted on: 7/3/2007 9:39 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6067854

RE: official smartech buggy thread
vn_charged, do you have the cheap carb with no low idle mixture screw? This is the one that screws into the end of the carb where the throttle servo link attaches. Mine has no adjucting screw, but some people have that screw. The screw on mine is just to attach the servo horn. My instructions clearly show the low speed idle screw, but is non existent. I have a fairly weak powerband in the low rpm range, but great at high rpm. I believe it's due to the lack of the LIM screw.
Posted on: 6/24/2007 7:21 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6029037

RE: *!STORM LAUNCHER!*
Heck, even if they have spare 'bodies' that are empty shells for sale, I would definately look into getting them for spares... Among all the other parts. I am kind of a cheapskate, but I also try to improve on stuff that is out there already. I would even go so far as to maybe hand-wind my own motors! I am also an airsoft mechanic, so I like playing with electrical stuff, gears, mosfets, etc...
Posted on: 6/5/2007 10:50 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "Electric Indoor & Micro RC Flight"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5950133

RE: official smartech buggy thread
I charged up my glow ignitor, and the buggy fired right up again. No idea why it faded out the last time I used it, but all is well. I still need to get 'nails' to fit my dogbones so I can reinstall the front drive again. How do you guys get the old worn-down pins out? Drive them with a very small punch?
Posted on: 6/3/2007 2:52 PM by Author "trinogt" in the forum "RC Car General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5938910