TC31 brushless

[wickedgmc]

I have a Thundercat 31 that has a bad motor in it and I was considering converting it to brushless.
Anyone every tried something along these lines that could offer me some ideas? I need to figure out a motor mount, flex cable and a brushless motor combo.

thanks ahead of time

[saleens7]

im doing the same thing with my Shockwave 36 because i had a bad motor as well...

the t-cat is smaller though and will require less power..the hull is big enough to run 24 cells, but that may be overkill...i would suggest anywhere between 12-18 cells...(i would think 18 is the best)

a feigao 12XL and 18 cells would be perfect for this hull...a hydra 120 esc will handle the cell count also (BEC will have tobe disabled though)...you can keep all the same hardware, flex shaft and all...you will just need the Octura Coupler Flex Hex 5mm to .187 Cable....i would sugest this motor mount

http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...?prod=cen-bj16

you will need to cut some wood out and use it to raise up the mount so the motor will line up with the flex shaft...

here are some pics of mine to help you get a better picture of what you will need to do (its still under construction)

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/saleens7_01/DSC00061.jpg

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/saleens7_01/DSC00062.jpg

you dont need the the flat peice of wood going across the hull since the hull is alreayd flat where the motor will be mounted...

you will also need to tear out the stringers....be carefull when you do...the epoxy proboat uses to hold the stringers down isnt the best of quality, so you just need to yank the stringers side to side until the glue breaks...a dremel will also ork for those harder to reach areas...be carefull, i put a small hole on the side of the hull when i pulled out a stringer...

[Jeepers]

or if you dont want to use that many cells (18) you could go with an 8XL, hydra 120,12 cells, X438 (sport running) or you can step it up to a x 637 640 642 for some speed
just remember to keep you first runs under a minute and watch your temps until you get the boat set up properly. either of these set ups that have been recomended will net an impressive cat.

[wickedgmc]

I will be running Lipo's what difference would that make in motor selection, thanks for all the help. Looks like the ESC is not available yet so I will have to wait a bit

[Fluid]

The performance difference with LiPos versus good NiMH cells depends on the quality of the LiPos. I substituted a ThunderPower Extreme 4S2P/3300/25C pack for 12 IB3600s and the difference was major. The TPX pack can safely deliver 165amps continuous - a level at which the NiMH pack would puke its guts out in short order. The voltage at high amperage is much higher with the LiPos, so the watts delivered is a lot more.....if you want to draw a lot of amps. In some instances you may want to use a motor with one more turn when running LiPos.

OTOH if you are using lo-po LiPos, like 10C or 12C cells, any performance differences will be minor.

.

[Jeepers]

I will be running Lipo's what difference would that make in motor selection, thanks for all the help. Looks like the ESC is not available yet so I will have to wait a bit

the escs are available you just gotta know were to find them my local hobby shop has 3 hydra 120s and 3 240s in stock.

[wickedgmc]

the lipos I am using are Orion's, so what motor would any of you suggest for that set up. Looks like I will have a little time till I can get the esc.

[saleens7]

depends how many lipos you use....youll probably still be able to run a feigao, but if you really want a powerful motor, a lehner 2080 will suit your needs...

[wickedgmc]

thanks for all the help guys, I wanted to buy my stuff from OSE, i only see the Feiago motors so I guess it will be one of those. Which one should I get for the lipo set up? 8xl 12xl etc....

I will place the order for everything tonight so I cna get it all set up and hopefully by the time I am ready I can purchase the esc here as well.

thanks again

[wickedgmc]

So I got some time off work today and had a chance to tear down my boat, turns out the flex shaft shredded and the coupler loosened so the motor is still good. Only 1/2 gallon thru it. However I am still running the brushless. I am going to order a shaft and all the parts that OSE has in stock right now and get this going. I was going to get the 8xl motor.

If anyone needs a OS .32 I have an extra

[saleens7]

i think it would be better to use 18 cells and a 12XL....the high voltage, low amp setups are easier on the cells and they will last longer.....the higher turn motors also have more tourque and they can turn biggers props....if you are still worried about weight, you could also go lipo...6s would be good...youll be at around half the weight of a nimh pack and you could still use a 12XL with has lower amp draw, so you could use lower C rated packs wich cost less than higher c rated ones...youll end up spending more money anyway...

[steveo]

i would go with a 13or 14xl if not gearing it, the boat is rather heavy and on 18 cells you can always prop up, guy had one at the club he wanted to run 24 cells i suggested a 14xl on the first test it went 40 mph and had alot more room for improvement,

[saleens7]

yeah 14XL on 24 cells....although if you ran 8s lipo, a 14XL would work great..

[wickedgmc]

so the lipos that I have are 2c would I run them in parallel to gain 4c right?

[saleens7]

only 4c? youll be wanting way more than that.....i would run 10-12C minimum, even for a low amp setup...