Thermal Issues with the New Traxxas Spartan

[millzee]

Hey, any word on the Motley Crew ETA?

[pyroM!KE]

Hey, any word on the Motley Crew ETA?

No kidding..I just got a MG, But i see a MC in my very near future or whenever they come out..

[Brushless55]

Hey, any word on the Motley Crew ETA?

Bring it!

[JPriami]

Just wanted to post my experience today with the Traxxas Spartan. It was really the first time I have gotten to run it. Let me state the only things I have modified on my boat is the rudder itself. I opened up the inlet hole and I opened up the outlet nipple on the end of the rudder. And I changed out the stock TRX (are they rated at 30 amps?) connectors to 4mm gold bullets rated at 93A. Also sharpened the rudder and turn fins.
It was about 40 degrees outside here in TN & raining a little. I used the stock NiMH packs first. I had no issues with heat on the motor or ESC. They were cold.
My next test was with 2 Hyperion G3 EX 45C 3S 5000mAh packs. I ran a few laps 1-1.5mins and checked temps. it was cold. Then went and ran the boat for about 7mins. No problems. I checked the temps. The motor and ESC were still cool. I drove the boat like I always drive. Just sport driving having fun. I made lots of WOT straight runs for 4 seconds or so then slow and turn. But I never spend most of my time at WOT doing pass after pass after pass till the batteries are drained. I wonder if thats what some are doing not knowing any better?

Later today I went back and GPS the boat it was about low mid 40's. I also ran it hard for about 2 mins with lots of WOT running trying to get the temp up. then brought it in and immediately shot a temp reading. it was 81 degrees F.

I know I can get more speed out of the boat. i just need to adjust battery placement and adjust the strut angle and get a little more of the hull out of the water. 50mph isnt a far stretch on a good day.

Oh and I guess I should mention after modding the rudder I think the higher flow of water is posing a problem for the silicon water jacket on the motor. Because at lower speeds I see a steady stream of water coming out of the outlet on the side. when I am going 3/4 to full throttle I dont see it much at all. but there is a bunch of water inside the hull (a cup or more). I suspect the motor jacket is leaking when i go fast. Im not 100% sure but its a theory. but water was sprayed all on the underside of the canopy. I did set the boat in the tub for a half hour to check for leaks before hand and just a little (1/2 teaspoon) came in around the hole going out of the transom for the stuffing tube.

[Brushless55]

the water spray you see i guess is from the prop shaft not the cooling jacket
and whey you run full speed the water stream is harder to see because the boat is going 40+mph and is no longer a stream but broken up by the 40mph wind

[JPriami]

water spray from the prop shaft inside the boat? really? interesting

[Doug Smock]

I doubt a cup or more.
If you want to find out for sure, fill and pressurize the water system with a syringe.
My guess is the jacket is leaking when you approach 50 just like the silicone jackets do.

Doug

[JPriami]

you could be right maybe not more than a cup meaning a measuring cup or .25 qrt. but I bet it wasnt far from it after running for that 7 mins. it was shocking.

damn that syringe idea is good. thanks. ive been trying to fig out a way to pressurize it. I was going to use my fuel pump to my planes or something.

[Doug Smock]

you could be right maybe not more than a cup meaning a measuring cup or .25 qrt. but I bet it wasnt far from it after running for that 7 mins. it was shocking.

damn that syringe idea is good. thanks. ive been trying to fig out a way to pressurize it. I was going to use my fuel pump to my planes or something.

No sir, I meant I doubt that much water came in through the drive line. Sorry.

You'll find the leak with a syringe if it's in the cooling system.
Good luck,
Doug

[Brushless55]

just blow throught the line off the rudder and you will find the leak

[Brushless55]

All I can say is,wow.The whole Traxxas forum deleting posts thing really bites me wrong.I have had zero intentions on getting a Spartan,but to advertise the thing the way they do-give me a break.From what Ive been reading on the boat,they are going to drive alot of their customers away.It makes me feel ashamed to own a 2.5 T Maxx that Ive had for the past 10 years-and I dont even play with it.

And again Traxxas mods (just two minutes ago) do more deleting to make is look like traxxas customer support knows much more than the pure hobbyist on the thermal issues they keep having!

what a joke

[Make-a-Wake]

And again Traxxas mods (just two minutes ago) do more deleting to make is look like traxxas customer support knows much more than the pure hobbyist on the thermal issues they keep having!

what a joke

I wish them luck in trying to delete posts here or on RCG................where it really matters..................

Still no 50mph runs out there

[skubacb]

"And I changed out the stock TRX (are they rated at 30 amps?) connectors to 4mm gold bullets rated at 93A. "

Not a good idea. The bullet connectors do not have the surface area of the TRX connectors. Actually, the total surface contact area of the TRX and Deans is just about the same. That means you will burn up something in the boat before you have a problem with the connectors. Try bursting over 100 amps.

Castle has some bullet connects that they recommend for their motors but remember they have three connectors there vice two for the TRX and Deans. Also, the Castle bullet connectors are NOT the banana type. Most all of the bullet connectors out there are bullet type so you actually have to worry about three pieces making full contact, which they don't.

[Diesel6401]

"And I changed out the stock TRX (are they rated at 30 amps?) connectors to 4mm gold bullets rated at 93A. "

Not a good idea. The bullet connectors do not have the surface area of the TRX connectors. Actually, the total surface contact area of the TRX and Deans is just about the same. That means you will burn up something in the boat before you have a problem with the connectors. Try bursting over 100 amps.

Castle has some bullet connects that they recommend for their motors but remember they have three connectors there vice two for the TRX and Deans. Also, the Castle bullet connectors are NOT the banana type. Most all of the bullet connectors out there are bullet type so you actually have to worry about three pieces making full contact, which they don't.

I just got confused: Are you saying that deans and traxxas plugs are better then CC bullets? You changed to 4mm but you are you saying that wasn't a good idea?


* The traxxas connectors and deans connectors are pure junk. Most of my setups will destroy those other connectors so quick it wouldn't be funny. I will stick to Bullets 5.5mm or higher! Also deans/traxxas will get so hot they will de-solder. There is reason why the majority of the people here don't use trx and deans plugs... Simply put they can't hang in most FE setups. I think if you continue to use trx and deans plugs it's only a matter of time before you will find the problems...

[Panama Jack]

take a close look at a used trx conector and you will see what the real contact area.

[Brushless55]

"And I changed out the stock TRX (are they rated at 30 amps?) connectors to 4mm gold bullets rated at 93A. "

Not a good idea. The bullet connectors do not have the surface area of the TRX connectors. Actually, the total surface contact area of the TRX and Deans is just about the same. That means you will burn up something in the boat before you have a problem with the connectors. Try bursting over 100 amps.

Castle has some bullet connects that they recommend for their motors but remember they have three connectors there vice two for the TRX and Deans. Also, the Castle bullet connectors are NOT the banana type. Most all of the bullet connectors out there are bullet type so you actually have to worry about three pieces making full contact, which they don't.

take a read around on the WWW bro
bullet connectors work much better than deans all the way around
bullets can handle much more amps that deans or the traxxass ones

[skubacb]

Bullet connectors especially the banana type do not have the surface contact area of the Deans or Traxxas.

Second why change if the connectors are not getting hot or even warm. In my boat the wires are warming before while the connectors are cooler.

Third, I have not seen any testing that shows that banana connectors are more efficient.

But use whatever you want.

[Brushless55]

and about most of us on these forums use bullet connectors because they are so superior
and deans suck for high amp FE boats!

[dag-nabit]

take a read around on the WWW bro
bullet connectors work much better than deans all the way around
bullets can handle much more amps that deans or the traxxass ones

A search on the web will show that not all sites rate connectors exactly the same. But in general you will find:

Deans Ultra - Rated 75 - 85 amps continuous
Traxxas - Never seen an official rating, but usually shown as around 100 amps continuous
EC5 - Rated at 120 amps continuous
6 mm bullets - rated at up to 200 amps continuous.

If the 4mm bullets used are indeed rated at 93 amps you don't really gain anything over the TRX connectors rated at 100, but for all intents and purposes are the same as TRX, and should work fine.

Kevin

[Diesel6401]

Bullet connectors especially the banana type do not have the surface contact area of the Deans or Traxxas.

Second why change if the connectors are not getting hot or even warm. In my boat the wires are warming before while the connectors are cooler.

Third, I have not seen any testing that shows that banana connectors are more efficient.

But use whatever you want.

WOW, all I can say is good luck. I think being focused on "surface area" has clouded your judgment. In Car/Planes?Heli's those plugs are fine, but in boating it's only a matter of time before you will find the problem with those plugs. Like mentioned before there IS a reason seasoned and race vets don't use those plugs. All your information you need is on the web and prob on this site. Just use the search function at the top of the page.

[Diesel6401]

A search on the web will show that not all sites rate connectors exactly the same. But in general you will find:

Deans Ultra - Rated 75 - 85 amps continuous
Traxxas - Never seen an official rating, but usually shown as around 100 amps continuous
EC5 - Rated at 120 amps continuous
6 mm bullets - rated at up to 200 amps continuous.

If the 4mm bullets used are indeed rated at 93 amps you don't really gain anything over the TRX connectors rated at 100, but for all intents and purposes are the same as TRX, and should work fine.

Kevin

Good information.

I personally only use 5.5mm bullets and up. Imagine using deans on pursuit that spiked at 170amps that wouldn't be pretty...

[skubacb]

Horizon makes the EC5 but does not give it a rating that I can find. (Does not mean you are not correct. I just can't find where they rate it.)

Both the Traxxas and the Deans have about the same contact area so I would expect them to perform the same. From my use that seems about correct. But no I would not use them for 100 amps continuous. If I really loved them I would use two.

Take a look at the bullet connectors that Castle sells. They are not banana connectors. That is my objection to some bullet connectors. You have the male the female and around the male a collar. That makes two contact areas that must be right versus one for the TRX or Deans. The Castle bullet connectors eliminates that.

BTW for those that cry about taking Deans apart just dimple the outside after doing the soldering. Also, solder the Deans while the male and female are plugged together. Some people have slightly melted the case while soldering and that is what causes them to be tight. It also makes for a less efficient connection.

Finally, look up Deoxit (used to maintain connectors). The contacts need to be maintained. Deans has been around for 20 years and surely some of those connections need cleaning.

Finally, back to subject. I do hope that just enlarging the rudder, nipple, and outlet it enough to cool the Spartan. I am planning on new tubing and the new cooling jacket. If not destroyed already. Not sure after my last lake run it over heated.

[spartanonfire]

Finally, back to subject. I do hope that just enlarging the rudder, nipple, and outlet it enough to cool the Spartan. I am planning on new tubing and the new cooling jacket. If not destroyed already. Not sure after my last lake run it over heated.

Did all that and burned up my first motor. Went to a dual pickup rudder with separate cooling for the motor and ESC. Motor number 2 is headed back to Traxxas. Good luck.. you're gonna need it.

[Alexgar]

Ec5 are coservetively rated at 120 I use them on a cc2200 kv with a t180 on a df29 spinning a x646 which draws a high amp load and haven't seem a problem yet I bought tons of them when they first came out and wouldn't stay in stock at my lhs but once I do see a problem I'll move up to cc 6.5s as I've been pretty impressed with there motors durability

[Brushless55]

WOW, all I can say is good luck. I think being focused on "surface area" has clouded your judgment. In Car/Planes?Heli's those plugs are fine, but in boating it's only a matter of time before you will find the problem with those plugs. Like mentioned before there IS a reason seasoned and race vets don't use those plugs. All your information you need is on the web and prob on this site. Just use the search function at the top of the page.

Bro I hope to build a (50cc) brushless 88" Edge 540 soon on 10s, and I will be using bullets for that one!
something close to 3500watts
http://www.aero-works.net/store/detail.aspx?ID=378

[Diesel6401]

Bro I hope to build a (50cc) brushless 88" Edge 540 soon on 10s, and I will be using bullets for that one!
something close to 3500watts
http://www.aero-works.net/store/detail.aspx?ID=378

SICK BRO... I need some flying skills. You would think being in aviation I would be able to fly... Not so much. First flight this year I crashed lol....


50cc ..... need a motor?!? http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=14426

[Brushless55]

SICK BRO... I need some flying skills. You would think being in aviation I would be able to fly... Not so much. First flight this year I crashed lol....


50cc ..... need a motor?!? http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=14426

yeah, I'll be trying one of HK's motors for it