Shlimp - Special Ed's XXX-T
Special Ed decided that he wanted a 2WD stadium truck or buggy to go along with the
Maxx. Because sometimes you just don't want or need all that a monster truck is.
After much painstaking research, and a last minute change of mind, he opted for the
Team Losi XXX-T stadium truck. Why a stadium truck versus a buggy...tire size. He
prefers larger tires...what else is there to say. Seriously, there are differences
between the two but they're also a lot alike. It really was a last minute decision...
and he's happy with it.
Shlimp, affectionately named after Special Ed's wife (she's a bit on the short side),
is one sweet machine. He came powered by a Trinity 19T which was controlled
by a Losi Sport ESC manufactured by Novak Electronics. He was pretty fast for a little
guy. Special Ed had no immediate plans to upgrade him as he'd been dealing with fixing
up Devo. However, Dageek decided that it would be fun to do endless donuts with
Shlimp on a warm Saturday afternoon. The net result was that the motor guard got so
heated by the motor that it melted onto the motor's brush wires.
When it cooled down the plastic pulled away from the motor and actually pulled the
motor apart.
So now...Shlimp is being powered by a Novak SS4300 brushless motor/ESC setup. The
benefit of brushless is the drastic reduction of required maintenance as well as the
fact that the truck will run longer on the same charge than if one were running the
equivalent brushed motor. FYI...the SS4300 is the same brushless setup that comes
in the brushless version of the XXX-T now being sold in stores except that the ESC
that comes in the XXX-T can only use the 4300 motor - the ESC you get when you buy
the SS4300 system can take the 5800 brushless motor as well.
!!!UPDATE 11/23/06!!!
The SS4300 system has been removed from Shlimp and put into Gitis. Shlimp got a
brand new Velociti 6.5R brushless system in return. Wicked fast...that's the only
way we can think to describe the new powerplant. No, it's not the fastest
brushless system on the market but at 6,400 RPM/V it is no slouch either. We think
it will go about as fast as any off-road truck needs to. Geared at 88/17 Shlimp
will wheelie if given full throttle. In fact he will merely flip over on his back
standing in place with instant full throttle. What a sight! Heat is not an issue
when geared this way but we're going to try different pinions anyway to see if we can
go up a few teeth and still keep the motor and ESC cool.
Here are Shlimp's details and some pics....
Team Losi XXX-T
Novak Velociti 6.5R brushless motor
Novak GTB brushless ESC
Dean's Ultra Connectors Throughout
Losi Dish Wheels
Losi Taper Pin tires for racing
Pro-Line Gladiator II tires for bashing
Spektrum DX3.0 Tx w/ SR3000 Rx
