upgrade question

[lupinechaos]

i am having a hard time trying to understand what to do about giving my 3rd gen Xmod some hobby grade mods like is it possible to put xmod body on a mini-z or can anyone of you explain in detail what you need to do the neccissary mods to make my car up hobby standards? thanks.

[TheB1GDude]

Putting a body on it won't make it hobby grade.

If you to make it hobby then put hobby grade electronics in it..... simple as that my friend!

[kendallcschm]

lol he is right... get a lith ion upgrade and new FETs... get new suspension too :-) what is this car for anyway? get sick wheels and a new motor too :-)

[XMDrifter]

lith+susp+fets does NOT = hobby grade.
hobby grade means precise control from the board to BOTH steering and throttle.
it must have way more than 15 step steering or throttle for it to be considered hobby grade.
and it has to have good reception and barely any slop at all.

a hobby grade xmod would be mini-z board swap + bearings
than after that, it's up to you what you want to add to it.

[lupinechaos]

thanks guys

[kendallcschm]

... go with the stuff i suggested any way :-P (he made really good suggestions.... go with both of ours)

[reaper]

Originally Posted by XMDrifter

lith+susp+fets does NOT = hobby grade.
hobby grade means precise control from the board to BOTH steering and throttle.
it must have way more than 15 step steering or throttle for it to be considered hobby grade.
and it has to have good reception and barely any slop at all.

a hobby grade xmod would be mini-z board swap + bearings
than after that, it's up to you what you want to add to it.

this is a good way to start in hobby grade but still not TRUE hobby grade as the receiver and esc are still one unit

[XMDrifter]

well, it's as close as you get without hacking or custom fabrication of the chassis and servo case.

[diymod]

The easy way to go "hobby" grade is to get into 1/18th scale RC as most if not all is separate electronics that include a speed control. receiver, and steering servo. Most of the RTR kits are about $150 or so and come with a "decent" AM radio with changeable frequencies with a range over 200-300 feet. Then one can experiment with brushless motors and speed controls, lithium polymer batteries, etc. and really spend some money.
The Kyosho Mini-Z is mostly considered as "hobby" grade because it has a decent controller, and now they offer 2.4ghz. systems as well and it is marketed by Kyosho and isn't available at the shack. Some people feel that they really aren't hobby grade because the speed control circuit is built into the receiver board.
Unless you race your Xmod against Mini-Z's at the track, who really is gonna care that your car isn't as proportional as something costing 3 times as much?
I actually think that Xmods as represented on this forum are more of a hobby than people give us credit. Just look at all the amazing projects and creations that the members build. The craftsmanship and creativety of some of these Xmods is far more impressive to me than someone who just bolts on a brushless system to their car to boast how fast it goes....just a thought.
At the price point of $49.99 or less I think you really can't beat what an Xmod offers. No they are not perfect, but I sure wouldn't go crazy trying to go "hobby grade" on that platform. They are what they are....cheap but at least they are proportional control....abiet a little "choppy".

[lupinechaos]

okay not considering hobby grade but maybe a battery upgrade like a 9 volt battery on the xmod could that work or will smoke the stock motor? a 9 volt battery like this:

[zippo855]

9v battery would fry the stock board, there is a nos kit that x.i. sells that lets you run 9v to your motor, but you have to have a 5 or 6 cell conversion or liths to activate the relay. and 9v to your motor will reduce the life span od your motor.

[lupinechaos]

okay thanks for that i had a feeling that a 9v would smoke something; i might go with AAA lithium ions instead.

what would the run time be for the enigizier liths?

like this:

[zippo855]

Originally Posted by lupinechaos

okay thanks for that i had a feeling that a 9v would smoke something; i might go with AAA lithium ions instead.

what would the run time be for the enigizier liths?

like this:

not worth the money, they are not rechargeable and don't have near the punch as lithium ion rechargeables. some people have experimented with them. you have to weigh the cost and think about if you get 15 minutes of run time out of them, you just spent the price of batteries to throw away after 15 minutes.

http://data.energizer.com/SearchResult.aspx
same voltage as a normal aa or aaa 1.5 volts. most people switch to lithium for the higher voltage, 2 lithium ion batteries give you 7.2 volts and weigh less than the same size normal battery. again longer run times and more punch than normal batts.