XMODS Truck Battery Relocation(Many Pictures)

[greenday]

Hello Friends:

I have seen so many tutorials on how to perform a servo, Tamiya gearbox or other powerplant upgrade that I know the steps by heart. I wanted to bring you a tutorial that teahces you how to relocate your XMODS truck's battery pack to the top of the chasiss, or wherever else you may want to put it. This gives you a great gain in ground clearance as the pack takes up a lot of space. So, lets begin.

You will need the following tools/materials:
-XMODS Evolution Truck
-Soldering Iron
-Phillips Head Screwdriver
-Flat Head Screwdriver
-Wire (18 GA)
-Wire Cutters
-Solder
-Electrical Tape/Heatshrink Tubing
-Hobby Knife



1.)The first step is to remove the battery pack. You will do this br removing the two screws located in the middle of the pack. (Like you were going to reposition the pack.



2.)Next, you will use the flat head screwdriver to gently pry the pack off its clips.



NOTE: The pack is still attatched,so be careful when reomoving it.

3.)Now, take your wire cutters and snip the wire in about the middle or end, as close as you can get to the battery pack.



4.)You have now succesfully removed the battery pack. You should have this:



The next thing you must do is remove the board cover.



Be sure to remove the motor contacts, antenna, crystal, and other things inhibiting the removal of the cover.

5.)Now, you will have this: Remove the single screw on the board to access the wires.



Carefully pull out the wires and replace the board in its original postion and replace the screw.

6.)Now, you will need to slightly modify the board cover. Simply cut out a square in these vents with your knife.



7.)Then, you will need to route the wires through the hole you just created. Do this carefully to prevent the wires from breaking.



8.)Now, replace the screws, crystal, motor contacts, antenna, and etc. Remeber to install every screw you removed.



9.) Now, you will need to work on your battery pack. You will need to solder longer wires on to it, so you can place the pack wherever you desire. Make sure you have removed the batteries before completing this step!



10.)The nest thing you must do is join the wires. This can be a failure point, as you may incorrectly connect the wires. So, when connecting the wires, from this picture, with the XMODS back facing you, the red wire goes to the right side. I remembered it as RR.



To make your connections, strip the wire a bit to expose it. Now fold one wire around the other, fold, and then fold the other on top of it, to create something similar to a chain link.



Now, apply an appropriate ammount of solder.



11.) You must apply heatshrink tubing or electrical tape. This prevents shorts, and, exposed wires are never a good thing. Wrap the tape tightly or fully shrink the tubing.



12.) Now, you will have this:



I like to put the pack on top of the chasiss, but it works equally well if you put it in the bed, cab, or etc. It is your choice. I also bundle the wires with some electrical tape for a cleaner look.



The finished product:



Misc. Notes:Some people like to use differents packs, which is fine. Radioshack offers smaller packs in the electronics bin. Also, you can wire 2 packs (2 AAA each) in a pattern, to split the packs up in unused space on the truck. This is also a good time to add a six cell modification, while you are doing battery wiring work.

Thanks for looking,
Tyler Walker

[fieldfairy2]

Looks like a good tut. 10/10. If you didn't know atomic mods has something like this in there how to's section in how to install lithium. But very good. I see you now have a hs-55 servo now.

[meme405]

i recomend wiring up new smaller packs, that was a good thing to add, And i like how you did the proper method of passing the wires through the board and not wrapping them arround the chassis, cause that could be disastrous for those of us that are lazy.

Nice work 10/10

[greenday]

I really am glad you guys like it, I just wish we had a tutorial rewards system, so those 10/10s could be put to good use...lol...

[supraboi97]

This really comes in handy i just did it to my rock crawler project but i had to put it in the bed of the truck so i used deans plugs but alot more clearance now thanks it really helped

[greenday]

Originally Posted by fieldfairy2

Looks like a good tut. 10/10. If you didn't know atomic mods has something like this in there how to's section in how to install lithium. But very good. I see you now have a hs-55 servo now.

I knew this, but I thought it was for gen1

[suicide_star]

i did this a couple of weeks ago with my h2, it's ok but it was waaay too top heavy, kept flipping over and popping wheelies.

[Lowrideit]

Wow that is a really clear, nice tut, I like it, Good job!
10/10!

[greenday]

Originally Posted by suicide_star

i did this a couple of weeks ago with my h2, it's ok but it was waaay too top heavy, kept flipping over and popping wheelies.

I noticed that as well. You can alleviate this by splitting the batteries through a pattern wiring system and 2 2 AAA packs, to distribute weight evenly.

[suicide_star]

Originally Posted by greenday

I noticed that as well. You can alleviate this by splitting the batteries through a pattern wiring system and 2 2 AAA packs, to distribute weight evenly.

that'll take care of the popping wheelies problem but won't take care of it being top heavy though, i guess you dont have to worry about flipping over in a turn with a servo mod, but what if you get a little too sideways when climbing? that extra weight on top will make it flip a lot easier.

[Lowrideit]

SS' got a point, Maybe if you just relocate them too the side of the battery holder,
Like this,...

Remove battery pack and snip wires.
Take 2 AAA battery holders, and put them on the side of the board, like the little plastic peice, still adds weight too the side though,
So I think you'd be better keeping it how it is, even though, that clearance is extremly nice.

[greenday]

I really don't think the packs will be that bad, but, lowrideit's somewhat Gen1 style solution will work quite well too. I can see why this is a problem for you all, as it is for me as well. I hope that together we can find a solution fo r the problem.

[xmodkidd33]

Very nice, just don't tell me you soldered with the batteries in the holder.

[Lowrideit]

He didnt, If you read the soldering step, he even says make sure you take the batteries out. ;]

[greenday]

Yeah..I kinda found out that was a no-no...lol. You have to do it...batteries don't like getting hot...lol...

[Lowrideit]

Haha i bet, Did it do anything too them? Like effect there performance?

[greenday]

yeah, I am not sure, but there may be a chance of them deforming from heat and blowing up in your face! lol..I am not sure what would happen...I don't really want to find out to be hones with you....lol...

[Lowrideit]

I've had a hot battery explode in my hand before, and it burnt, and ever since then ,I get these weird red and white rashs on my hand, its really sucks, And it hurt badly.
I know they can deform in heat, and stuff, and I deffently dont wanna find out again.

[greenday]

Owwww....that sucks, makes me want to be more careful...thanks for the heads up..When a battery gets overly hot, I usually throw it away..Btw, you might have some super powers now that that happened...like extra energy...lol.

[Lowrideit]

haha, Like 1.5 volts worth, Holy... I feel it kicking in!
Oh no! here comes! Oh, Looks like the MAH wasnt high enough, only lasted about 20 seconds, Dang it!