Having four days til the next race day gives me an opportunity to spend some time fiddling with my car and gear...
During the week from Monday through thursday, I cycle my four "best" 2000 mAh packs and cycle individual cells on a few weaker packs, and swap out a couple bad cells for cells that more closely match the rest of the cells in the pack just to improve my chances of making a 5 minute race. I document all the stats of every pack every time I cycle one to see which ones I should be using.
On Wednesday, I stop by the hobby shop to pick up an 87 tooth spur gear to help fill in the slight gap in gear ratios I have due to not owning a 23T pinion. No 87 to be had. Just a 78 and an off brand 86 tooth I'm told may not fit. The guy at the hobby shop is an off road racer, sponsored by Orion, so we get to talking, and I tell him what I'm racing and what gear I've got and my battery/charger dilemma. He shows me a charger, it's a tiny thing, DC only, but it will charge anything - NiCad, NiMH, LiPo, LiFE, etc... It would fit neatly in my pit box but for the huge power supply I would still have to lug around - until I mention that and he shows me a DuraTraxk Onyx 230, which is barely any bigger, and has an AC input already. I decide to bring it home to be my new charger to take to races because it eliminates the HPI box from what I have to carry! Hopefully the Turbo 30 TF won't be jealous.
At home that night, I play with the charger a bit, make some leads to be able to charge packs, and then I take the plunge. I still have my Tekin G9 speed controller, but I didn't use it in the TC because I didn't have the urge to desolder the G12c III and set up the G9. I take the plunge and swap out the speed controller and get it set up, remembering what the blue wire leading to my steering servo was for and making sure that's re-connected. I dial down the current limiter to about half and set the brake at about three quarters. While I'm in there, I clean the motor comm, and the brushes, and run some comm drops through the motor.
On Thursday, I get a small little padded envelope in the mail from Competition Electronics and get that little chip installed, and verify that I'm now on version 4.6 on my Turbo 30 TF, and proceed to cycle my only 4200. The numbers on it are vastly improved and I'm liking my chances of making five minutes with it.
The Plan For Friday : New Charger, New Tires, Tekin G9, 22/81 gearing, HPI Black springs in the rear (down from HP Purple)
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