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Here's a crawler I started a week or so ago. I've done quite a bit to it, and it is my first crawler. I don't know what got me started, but I just have to build more! Expect to see many crawlers from me in the future, each better than before.

To the crawler.

Here it is now. I'll explain mods along the way.


Just a view from the side. Not finished yet, of course.



The body pretty much sucks. It didn't turn out anything like planned. Expect a new body when I can find one. The stuff I did anyways: Extended flatbed, rollbars, cut windows, netting on frond window. And that piece of paper has been taken off.



I added a 4th gear to start out with. I have A zzse servo ready to go(chopped and framed) and will add that later. You can also see I've started a waterproofing by balloning the batt.



I also put in a green zzmt motor for the steering. Big difference! Thoes tires will turn anywhere anytime!





And of course I'm sure your wandering about the tire chains I made them from a necklace I bought for two dollars. Each section was cut off of the necklace, then spliced back together to make the chains. They were a PITA but really look nice. And amazingly add a lot more traction on carpet and snow that I've tested it on.

MODS

Chassis lengthend
Artic
Flipped and Weighted wheels
Custom tire chains
4th gear
zzmt Motor steering
CAT5 ant
Custom raised body for more artic




Just some artic pics. Action pics comming soon.

Great chassis man, those wheels look ready for the inclemant(sp?) weather .
I think I read somewhere that nothing happens when the batts get wet, however, you should ballon the PCB from the snow and other forms of moisture

Great work, can't wait to see more
Maxx

Nice work man! Looks rock-ready to me!

Tire chains are very creative, haven't seen any on a MT before!

love it man.NICE WORK!!!

Maxximum Attack wrote:I think I read somewhere that nothing happens when the batts get wet,

Water conducts electricity. Enough water and you can short your batteries out. Which will permently damage your pack, or even cause it to explode. Also I've had batteries corrode just from exposure to moisture in the air. So personally, I'd keep the batteries far away from water.

crazydave wrote:Enough water and you can short your batteries out.

I'm not too sure if submerging your truck is advisable as CD said, but I'd say, enough water and your batteries wont short... because although water conducts electricity, it also provides a fair amount of resistance. For instance.

Take a small amount of water, and spill it on the counter, hook up a 9V Battery to some leads, and leave them in the water, then do the same with the LED, don't let them touch each other. (led wires shouldn't touch battery wires) The LED should still light.

But now, fill your basin with water and do the same, the LED will either become extremely dim, or will not light up at all. That's at 9V power, ZZMT packs are only 2.4V, so I don't think you'll run into any worries.

I also submerge 1/10 battery packs without any effect when offroading, most are shrink-wrapped, but a few of my packs aren't. They all still peak fine.

Obviously, if you run 110/240v through it, it'll blow you up,just like in the movies when they drop a toaster plugged in, into a bath.. (somehow) but that's much higher voltage..so the resistance isn't harming the current flow as much.

After all that said, I guess it's safer just to balloon it, or stay away from it.

awesome crawler, love the chains!

to clarify, pure H20 does not conduct electricity, it's the crap dissolved in it that does.

Yeah water has good deal resistance, I don't know what I was saying, but it is a conductor, it's been known to short ESCs (or the crap disolved in it as betty says, what crap you talking about betty?). I still maintain batteries and moisture aren't a good mix. Just makes sense to me to keep them away from each other.

He's talking about calcium salts, and other minerals the water company puts in the water. Chlorine for example is put in to disinfect it.
Distilled water is water free of those salts and electricity conducting ions.

Of course I don't plan on submerging the thing. That'd be stupid. The pcb sits high enough that just a good taping job will keep the snow out.

I got the zzse servo in. Put on some weighted swampers and did some indoor crawling.





Vid and action comming soon.

straight on betty! everone gets scared when they're shit gets touched by rain water..its pure...it doesnt conduct...dont stress

love the crawler, hads given me some push to finish mine

guerd87 wrote:rain water..its pure...

no it aint!

if you want pure h20 for your water dipping break ins you gotta get distilled or demineralised water. should be available at your local supermarket.

Sorry zzapultimate, got your thread off track and didn't even comment on your car.

I like the body, I think with some details it can work. Good job.

for electronic purposes rain water is non conductive, we have some de-ionised water columns here we use for work which is good

That body has some serious potential just looks like it needs to be lower. That flatbed idea is sweet. It looks like if you flip your battery flat and move it forward you'll have room to lower the pcb and could drop the body down. plus it will crawl steeper stuff. Having the flatbed in the rear will allow you to enlarge the rear wheel wells so the tires don't rub.

Just my 2c. Sweet crawler.