hey hoihoi2!!!

where u @?

and how old are you? :D :D
mebbe we can meet up and race or sumthin =)

my finding on local shops..
 

Went to a few local Red Deer stores (national chain stores) and found out some things..

Radio Shack - Went to the 2 Radio Shacks in town. One had 2-3 Cyclona clones behind the register but they appeared to be in bad shape. Other store had nothing. No rare-earth magnets either anywhere. They even did a part # search and said those aren't available in Canada. :confused:

London Drugs - Sucks! They had nothing there. No KIT racers, no clones, no nothing.

Super Store - Again, nothing. :(

Zellers - No clones but I did see some KIT racers but the price was over my $10 limit. :eek: Their toy section also appeared to be a total mess!

Toys R Us - no clones but I did see a lots of KIT Racers. Only problem is, with their $17.xxcdn price tag, they are a total scam! No wonder they had so many... ;)

Walmart - by far the best I've found locally. The one on the South end of town had both ThunderFighters and a clone called Titor or something like that, but NO KIT racers there. The one on the North end had only the ThunderFighters. I also could only find a single KIT racer there (Energi). Not the best but with the $9.92cdn price tag, I couldn't say no! Hoping that within the next week or 2 they will have some RPM/MPH kits in. Will definitly buy some!

Hope that helps anyone!

dieselboy - I have a great suggestion for you. I suggest going to your local Walmart and trying to find an RPM or MPH (hear the tires with the RPM are better) Hot Wheels KIT Racing car and buying one or more of those. It will come with a real Tomy brand faster 2.6 engine (slalom/energi's only come with 2.2. It also comes with a spare battery, heat sink and a few other small useful parts.) Well worth the $9.92 my Walmart charges for them! Then you can do a 2cell battery mod, giving you the power/battery life you want, and a bigger engine. If you still only want NiMH battery, I know of a few places in Calgary you could call and see... HTH

pie i live in edmonton! comix hobby is also in Kingsway Garden Mall. Anyway, that store is excellent, I think the only place in edmonton that has bit char-g's

Today i was also at both radio shacks not looking for clones but i do agree they have nothing i like the one in Olds for electronics they have lots there usually. <looks in Bible (2003 Radio Shack Annual Catalogue) flips to page 210 and sees magnets> ok there are Ceramic magnets they are 9.6mm x 22mm x 47mm $4.99 part number 6408011, Plastalloy magnets 6.3mm x 25.4mm x 76.2mm $3.99 part number 6408012, then there is two more rounds but they are 13mm for $0.45 and a 25mm for $0.46 and has a hole in the middle the last two probably arn't them.

I was also at zellers saw nothing too messy to give a damn

Ate at louies sub had a very tasty BLT (but I prefer Subway)

went to the wally mart on the south end saw the clones didn't notice the kits oh well they are not high on my priority list yet.

went to toysRus and didn't want to take out a loan so i left.

Who knows C_CRX i may have seen you somewhere, Hell i could phone you and it wouldn't even be long distance LOL (scarry thought)

What i mean is that there are alot more expensive hobbys than this that are less fun in my eyes (I could be collecting those gold egg things i can't remember the names of them)

oh ya do you think that the sewing machine grease would work? just a thought because i seem to remember seeing lots downstairs for some reason

(Did I miss anything?)

Do you happen to know the size of magnets these things need? If you find out I think I can order some in bulk and probably float a few your way, if you want.

Well, if you saw a tired, un-shaven guy in a red hat, it was probably me.

My other hobbies are somewhat expensive. Nowhere near as bad as Faberger (sp?) eggs or anything. This hobby is fun. Like I said before, I enjoy the tuning and custom fabricating for these little 'toys' way more than actually running them.

Did you buy any clones? Thoughts?

:( no i didn't buy any clones. There were like about 30 there so I thought it would be safe to wait for a while because my visits to Radio Shack cost more than expected I bought my bread board $14.99 some resistors and caps (more to come) but now i can do the alternating headlights here is the site in case you want it

http://space.tin.it/scienza/fladelle/Page14.htm

This should look pretty sweet with ultra brites white LEDs (still need to pick up from Rat Shack in Olds)

Hummm thoughts no thoughts no school=no thoughts come monday i can think again!:D

Same here, spent too much at RS. I did still pick up a 3rd clone for the hell of it. Found out someone had improperly used my old soldering iron (for melting plastic none the less) so I thought it would be a great time to get a new iron. Also picked up some ultra fine solder, desoldering tool and some wire (22 solid for antennas and such). Was going to buy some bread board and caps/resistors but couldn't find one of those bulk cap/res bags anywhere!!

Those lights sound like a great idea. Tell me how it works out, might try this too..

I hate melting plastic with a good gun so i have a ****y one devoted to it. will be doing the lights tonite maybe tomorrow after hockey. The resistors and stuff I found in Olds the Breadboard in Red Deer I can't wait untill the Red Deer ones get more stock and clean the place up from christmas. I Will post about how the lights work when I am done the next thing that I will be buying is a solder sucker (desoldering tool) and one of those hobbie vices that have the little aligator clips and a magnifying glass this would be very handyjust because of the lack of desk space my computer has left me. here is a pic of the resistor packs i had to pick up from Olds and the breadboard why is this worth 15.00? oh well it sure beats wasting good stripboard

:( Oh crap now i notice this I may have just hit a little snag in my plans.

PARTS LIST
R1_______33K 1/4W Resistor CHECK
R2,R3____47R 1/4W Resistors CHECK

C1_______10µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor CHECK

D1,(D2)__LED(s) (Any type and color) DUBBLE CHECK

Q1_____BC560 45V 100mA PNP Transistor WHAT THE HELL
Q2_____BC337 45V 800mA NPN Transistor WHAT THE HELL

I have an assorted box of transistors my dad bought 6 years ago to replace a fried one and don't have the package to find out what kind I have. What is the diff between PNP and NPN and how do I tell which one i have? I will still try to do it but if it doesn't work, well looks like another trip back to Olds. :(

whoaa..these mods are getting sooo nuts! complex electronix galore!! good luck with that stuff!!

ohh ohh Knights and HoiHoi2, where u guys @ in edmonton?! you guys wanna meet up sometime during the weekend after school starts?

gimmie a reply!! i wanna test out my new 2.6 and the tire set :D :D

oh, the rest of you guys doin those mad elec mods, if you guys get the rare earth magnets, fire a couple up here to edmonton, i'll cover the shipping and pay you for them :cool:

sorry for hurting your brain before school i figure i may as well fire it up to get the dust out of it before it starts.

Ok i have figured out the difference and solved my problem by removing one from something that was in the take apart pile that *cough didn't work cough* i won't miss that camera flash it was a peice anyways. if you are curious here is the site that explanes the difference and how to tell apart with a good multimetre.

http://wollongong.apana.org.au/~ben/info/testing.html

so now i will make it on the :D breadboard :D wise investment and if i like it i will try to make it tiny. hope it will work and i will inform you tommorow or tonight at 2:00am when i am compleatly done and happy with it. damn at this rate i will not have time for school.......Oh well.LOL

after many oopses i am taking a break and will begin after hocky tonight (sunday) hopefully will work with a clear mind should i just start from scratch i keep noticing stupid little screw ups. neways i am going to sleep i am tired now ZZZZZzzzzzzzz.

Re: my finding on local shops..
 

"dieselboy - I have a great suggestion for you. I suggest going to your local Walmart and trying to find an RPM or MPH (hear the tires with the RPM are better) Hot Wheels KIT Racing car and buying one or more of those. It will come with a real Tomy brand faster 2.6 engine (slalom/energi's only come with 2.2. It also comes with a spare battery, heat sink and a few other small useful parts.) Well worth the $9.92 my Walmart charges for them! Then you can do a 2cell battery mod, giving you the power/battery life you want, and a bigger engine. If you still only want NiMH battery, I know of a few places in Calgary you could call and see... HTH "

Thanks for the advice C_CRX. I did find a hobby shop called model land that has microsizers along with motors. They did have a 3.0 motorfor about 15 bucks. Anyone know if this motor is worth it? As for the batteries i could use a little help. I could only find a 1/3 AAA 110 mAh NiCd battery to suit our needs but no NiMH batteries :( I might go pick the 3.0 motor up today so i'll let you guys know how it is.

I've heard the 3.0 engine is good for straights but not so good for winding courses. $15 is a high price for such an engine. I personally would do a 2.6 engine with either a dual cell or buy that 110mAh (that's 60mAh more than the stock batt!). A dual cell 2.6 will kill a 3.0 and have better battery life. You may also want to invest in a peak charger to get even more power and time out of a single charge. I've heard of people doing ~20min runs with the stock 50mAh batts with a peak charge!!

Just my thoughts...

toronto!!

hey C_CRX and deiselboy, those NiCd batteries,... the 110 mAh ones, they should provide about the same speed as a dual batt mod, but not longer run times rite? hmmm if we could find a 150 mAh NiMH battery... .............. i'd short out my bit with drool!! :D

**gurgle gurgle**

can u attach a differnet battery to the stock battery for a dual?
or will it not work. and what battry is in the bit?
can someone sell me that battery>

OMG soldering a battey terminal back to where it goes on my desk, look up at my computer monitor and it is like i have a magnet beside it. I know that soldering guns in particular create magnetic fields around them but from 2 feet away i can still do it yikes. i think i need to find a new transistor because when i desoldered it i think i fried it, this is not the first time. hope i can find another transistor. WOW 20 min runs sounds like a fun time. I wonder what batteries are in my cordless phone (evil thoughts).

:eek: :eek: :eek: hot DAMN! ima go grab my fone rite now..!! heheh!!

ahh ima go play some PS2 for a bit and tinker with the tire settings on my bit... the muffler better have dried by now.. :mad:

bbl, gj and gl w/ the mods everyone!

my phone batteries are way too big but i have seen some pretty small ones my battery pack is a 3.6V 600mAH Ni-Cd thats 3 batteries in the pack so it is 1.2V at 200mAH per battery WOW fun if only it would fit

whoa. 200 mAH of fun.... oooooohhhh yeah.. =)

I don't feel like killing my phone though, but it sure is tempting
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH bit burnouts

:D
burnouts... :)

hmmm, i found a half AAA at radioshack... it's 150 mAH, 1.5 volt... about hte right specs, but i didnt but it cuz it prolly dun fit in my bit... has anyone tried and had success?

i am pretty sure you need the 1/3 AAA but i could be wrong. You shoudl go with your stock battery and measure it. If its the same size or smaller it will work. Make sure its rechargable too!!

C_CRX, if you can find a source for them i'm sure there will be quite a few buyers

yeah.. gotta be the rite size... what is it that i keep hearing about those camera batteries?! i thought those were un-rechargeable..

oooohhh yeah, for sure, if C_CRX gets those batteries, i (one of the few) would want a couple..

I think we have gotten our storys mixed up first of all the camera batteries you said are phone batteries from a cordless phone and those are rechargable. The bulk package that C_CRX was talking about that he needed to know the size of were magnets from radio shack because rare earth arn't available in canada. Now that is the stories as i have understood them. Correct me if i am wrong because i am getting confused.

Hey C_CRX the er um light is working fine all i need is the corect resistor to make two alternating and were all set, you can change the size of capacitor to see how long you want it to flash, but it would look stupid with two leds unless they are fast. They work like this if the capacitor is a 10uF it will blink about 10 times a second if you put in a 220uF it is about 1or2 times per second if you put in a 1000uF it blinks once every 7 seconds. OK this all sounds fine and dandy but when this light is off the other is on. so lets pretend that we have a red and a green LED the red one is on for 7 seconds then shuts off at the same time as the green blinks (about a millasecond) so the faster they blink the (10uF) the better it looks. this may change when i get a proper resistor (now it is just jumped because i don't have anything small enough).

talked to bitmod and they say there are no border fee's and the shipping is the same. I am really thinking of ordering a 3.5 motor and a NiHM battery or two. Is there anyway we could make this into a group buy from them or something?

:eek: WoOoOT!! yeah Dieselboy, count me in!! my order would be the same as your's... 3.5 and a NiMH... hmmmmmm MAYBE a gear tuning set..... =\

but the motor and the Battery for SURE... yeah, this is a group buy if 2 pple counts and a group...
where do you live? and maybe we can meet up and i'll give you the money or something... :cool: Is anyone else in? pig? CRX?

oh, and one question... does multiple charging actually have any effect on the running of the car whatsoever?

PS. pig, CRX, do you think we can just find a pic of the magnets in their radioshack packaging, and that would be enuf? cuz i know there's a pic of them up somehwere in these forums...

not in i have no job anymore so no money. but here is the picture that you need.

i'm in calgary how bout you pie? About the motors though, they don't have the 3.5 in right now. But they do have the 3.1 and NiMH 150 mAh batteries. They are both supposed to be really good motors.

yep, those are the magnets im talkin about....

no money? oh... =(
did you get fired? eep....

sure as hell dieselboy.. those batteries, and sure the 3.1... o thought they were 3.2... i'll go check after i post this...

uh oh man, you're in calgary, im in edmonton.. mailing something that small shouldnt be too bad tho... ram them in a big-ish envelope and wrap everything in foam/bubblewrap and it's good to go! tell me how much money you need! and dun worry, i wont even try to rip you off

:D

no i quit because i could get paid higher at a job i actually liked but i don't start till end of month because they don't need me yet. oh well thats what sucks about being a student.

ohhhhhh ic ic.... so ur university?

ahhh gotta run... damn school, make me wake up early 2morro.. C_CRX, dieselboy, keep me posted!

l8r everyone!

Just curious how much of a discount you can get from this group buy? Nope im in grade 12 and the place i want to work doesn't need anyone untill around the end of the month so i don't start untill then. humm i wonder if my parents might be able to give me a loan. i will have to think about this let me know how it works out.

heyy, im in grade 12 too! i work in a lab during the summer, and i cant really afford to work during the year or my marks get owned in the face...

hmm, well it's not gonna be a HUGE discount, but as dieselboy said, there's no border fees,,.. which is good, and the products are much better, probably at a lower total cost too, than what you can get from stores... shipping can be cut 3 ways, which is really good... about 3-4 bucks each for shipping im guessing..

Sorry guys. I'm away on business right now and won't be home till probably Friday night. Last time I'll be online till then!

A bigger mAh battery will do nothing for speed, only run time. To get more speed you need more volts (they are all 1.2volts I believe). When doing a dual battery, you need to run them in series. If you run them in parallel you get more amps, if you run them in series you get more voltage, but NOT both. I wish 1/2AAA fit, I can find those easy in ~600mAh and 1.5 volts!! Now that would run fairly fast and huge run times. 1/3AAA is the size you want, these are acutally used in some bigger RC battery packs. I still strongly believe in peak charging these cells for maximum power and run times.

About the groupbuy, what they are saying about no border fees is most surely bull. Unless they ship from within Canada the border police will tax you a certain percent on imports, especially asian parts! They can get around this in certain ways but none are secure (declaring they are worth less than you paid, but then you get nothing if they go 'missing') or quite legal. Too much trouble than it's worth for me when I can source most things up here.

I can get the magnets most likely, just need to know the diameter and thickness needed. I have a few mods I honestly think will improve the steering without the use of bigger magnets but they will make my system better (I believe some bits already use this system, not sure if maybe all of them do already or not..). I'll talk more about it when I get back Friday and maybe bounce a few ideas off you guys. I'm confident I can get 1/3AAA NiMH batts locally also saving more money (i've also heard of a few Calgary/Edmonton stores that sell microsizers and accessories also! score!!!). This will make buying parts from across the border not needed.

PS - enjoy school while you can. I hated school when I went but now I work in the oil patch and know what work is really about. Luckily I have the option to go back to college/university (already did 1 year of college) with everything paid for and plan to do so when I figure out what I want to do with my life.

cool you get some free time and you check out the boards hehehe i have been to school one day since hollidays ended(monday) and i have broken 2 computers but i fixed them today phew (teacher said something about vandalising school property so i used big technical words to confuse him untill i could fix them hehe).

hmmmmm i guess ur right about the cross boarder shipping then C_CRX.. i;'ll take a look around, see if i can find the dimensions of those magnets.. you got a source for the batts? that's great!

heh, gl with work ^_^

Ya i'm not sure about the duty charges. I'm just going off of what the guy from bitmod told me. The only reason i wanted to place a new order was to get a more torquey motor than tomy sells.

As for the batteries C_CRX, i would be really interested in getting a couple from you if you could find someone locally. I talked to a place in vancouver that said they could get them in but then went on telling me orders are usually a minimum of 500 cells. I'll have a lifetime supply of them at that quantity. I responded back saying aroudn 10 (assuming you guys wanted a cuople each) but i haven't got a response back yet.

C_CRX is correct about the voltage increasing speed and amperage increasing torque.

hmmm... as C_CRX said, those border charges mosty likely have to be there... maybe hidden inside the actual shipping charges themselves.... yeah, i heard that the 3.5 is a torque Monster... an absolutely huge group buy would solve that problem, but at most we have 3 people right now...

heh 500 batteries!!! :rolleyes: time for a 10 cell truck mod... lol

hmmm, well if they could send anything around 10, i'd pay up for a couple at least...

my friend said my gift got confiscated at customs.... :eek:
gotta be weed... or a bit with an illegal frequency.. plz plz plz plz plz..... hehe :D