Bought an Ebay lot of parts... will make you cry

#1 07-19-2006, 12:34 AM

So, back in the day I ordered an ebay lot of parts that said it had electronic components from gen 1, some motor parts, and parts to two ground effect kits.

I don't remember what I paid for it... not much though.

I searched through it all and apparently this guy couldn't solder.... but he definitely kept trying.

There were 7.... SEVEN... main pcbs in there. 3 of them are completely gone... fets melted off, burn marks, etc...

Two look like they should work.

The other two I might be able to get to work... one needs to reconnect foil by the power switch where he apparently almost started the board on fire and burn the foil off of part of the board.

The other one has a huge gob of solder right over about 5-6 small resistors/capacitors. If I can get it off without taking off the components it might also work....

I wanted to cry, this guy tried 7 times to mod a board and he wasted a lot of money wrecking stuff.

bengali548 · #2 07-19-2006, 12:59 AM

ones mans trash is anothers treasure

Azimov · #3 07-19-2006, 11:57 AM

Quote:

I wanted to cry, this guy tried 7 times to mod a board and he wasted a lot of money wrecking stuff.

LOL, well, you gotta give the guy something for persistance if nothing else. Persistantly destructive. This is an example of how it doesn't matter how well you explain or tutor something if the person reading it just doesn't have the skills or experience to pull it off correctly.
I would think the destruction of the first car would be enough to let me know I need to practice on some junk before I destroy another car. But, I guess some folks got money to burn. Or, parents money to burn.

Rez · #4 07-22-2006, 05:55 PM

I simply don't understand why every kid with net access and a car wants to stack fets.

Hopefully someone will read this and understand that they're very close to ruining a car on the promise of performance they probably can't even use and certainly don't even need. Your stock PCB Xmod can be plenty fast for an RCP track. Don't believe the hype people!

Thanks for the story, Jazz

bengali548 · #5 07-22-2006, 06:01 PM

well if u got money to burn or you HAVE to upgrade cuz ur fet blew than kids are forced into upgrading

#6 07-22-2006, 08:07 PM

FETs can be a good upgrade if you find them for cheap. Think about it though... this person probably bough some 4652's from some buy on ebay for $4-5 each.... Then he tried to stack them on a board and wrecked them. He asks mommy and daddy for another one, and of course they don't know he's wrecking them. To make him happy they buy him another one..... now he wrecks that one.

Soldering can be tricky if you don't know what you're doing. When it comes to FETs, it's really important to clean off the soldering pads so you have a flat surface to start with, and use some flux to help the solder flow to where it's supposed to and help it from going where it's not supposed to.

You need a very steady hand, a set of helping hands, and patience. If you mess something up, don't fix it with a soldering iron.... get the desolder braid and start over if you have to. I'm pretty good at doing FETs, haven't wrecked any yet, but I also started soldering in 5th grade.

Rez · #7 07-22-2006, 08:53 PM

But all it does is let you run a high current drawing motor. Which, in my opinion, isn't needed on a track that's any more than an oval or a drag.

If your FET blew all on it's own and you *have* to replace it, that's another thing altogether. I commend an attempt to fix something rather than replace it.

Seems to me though that most people think stacking fets will make their car faster, or is necessary to go fast, and that just isn't true.

#8 07-22-2006, 10:34 PM

I don't know of any tracks around to race. I'm not messing with xmods for the sake of racing. I do it for the hobby.... and to see peoples' jaws drop when they see something so little go so fast.

For me, the FETs were necessary. I happened to find some cheap ones when I fried one so I ordered what I thought would be enough to last me.

I like being able to run any motor I want without worrying about it. My new lipo truck.... it's the motor that's the limit. It gets super hot, even with the gian heat sink I added.

You are right though, there is ways of making them pretty fast on stock FETs, I did that for quite a while. My hunger wasn't satisfied though, as I kept wanting to get faster and faster.... for as cheap as I possibly could.

The main difference again was that I could solder. I wasn't like I was stretching any bounds to try to gain some performance enhancements. When you get get FETs around $1 each, it's not that expensive either.

Azimov · #9 07-23-2006, 01:49 PM

Quote:

I simply don't understand why every kid with net access and a car wants to stack fets.

I don't own any Xmods, so I don't post in this section that much. But, what you are saying is very close to my thoughts on the subject. I voiced this same thing back when everyone was hyped to make Bits and Zips go at insane speeds. There is no way to race outside of a drag and making a tiny car so fast that you can't control it just doesn't make sense.
Then, I thought of it as it is. The speed thing is just a big pissing contest. Some males need constant feedback from their peers based on competition. This helps to re-enforce their sense of masculitnity. This behavior is most pronounced in adolescent males as they are just beginning to assert their masculinity and see competition as the only sure way to gauge it.
In the history of technology we have gone from competitions of strength and endurance to ones of video games and many new subsets like microRC racing. The internet has given these adolescents access to information that is beyond their means. But, since they have become a part of an anonymous community, they feel compeld to compete on the level of everyone in the anonymopus community. But, they are no longer competeing with their peers as they would in person. They compete with everyone from novice to expert and only their words, photos, and videos are their proof.
It's easy to see why basic competitions with raw speed become so important to some. It's easy to prove in this medium and it sets guidelines for status. After all, you can't place yourself in the pecking order if you can't physically race each other. It is really irrelivant to these guys if the car becomes competely uncontrollable in a technical race.
The problem with this new type of internet competition is all those destroyed and dishearted youth who end up selling their hobby on Ebay because they destroyed their toys trying to compete in an open arena that anyone of any skill set can enter.
Long explanation I know, but it's the conclusion I came to when this issue first came up in the Zip/Bit threads.
In short, some boys will be boys, even if it destroys their toys.

#10 07-23-2006, 09:03 PM

Haha, definitely true Azimov. Look how many teens are devoting their lives to online games. I know you play WoW, but the amount of time some people put into that game is disturbing. They put their life into a computer game character because it's easier than dealing with there own.

As for my situation, I don't know anyone else that has xmods or smaller RC's. It's not a pissing contest for me... My truck with lipos and double FETs is really fun to drive. It's not ubelievably fast...

I have nothing to prove here... I don't brag to anyone. I'll gladly show anyone that wants to inquire, but the only satisfaction I get is my own, seeing the output of my work.

It's also another reason why I try to get as much as possible from the money I spend. If I don't need to replace something, I won't. No aluminum yet... sure, it would be nice... but I've got other stuff I'd like first.

You've seen my other post about cheaper places to get stuff. I'm patient and I have no need to make my car faster than someone elses. I don't really care if you have a faster car... if you can build a better car than mine for cheaper, I can respect that. If you spend $200 on an xmod that's only marginally better than mine, I'm going to chuckle.

bengali548 · #11 07-23-2006, 10:08 PM

wow azimov lol do you have the meaning of life hiding in your brain lol but naa but i gotta relate to those kids who want insanse speeds. yes it is a compettition and yes they could destroy it but y not. you learn SO much from xmods its unbelievable so to tweak it and bring out its limit could only teach you more but those who go beyond that limit have learned the error of their ways(those who KEEP doing it is a bit messed up) if i could relate it the whole speed fascination i would relate it to a pyro. pyros like fire and they want to get the fire bigger and bigger just like the kids you were talking about they like speed and they just want to get it as fast as possible. also yes competition relates to masculinity but than again think of life lol isnt life a competition. when you go for a job do you not make yourself look and act at your "top game". you want that job to belong to you and no one else.

sorry if im babbling but hopefully this doesnt turn into a dispute i just wanna stick up for the speedster cuz im kinda like them lol just ask jazz or read my nitrous idea or my unlimited speed idea

Azimov · #12 07-24-2006, 12:58 AM

Quote:

I know you play WoW, but the amount of time some people put into that game is disturbing.

Very much so. I got hooked on EQ many years ago so I know the allure of the multi player online games. I didn't play anything for quite some time, but got introduced to WoW by my son. I play it occasionally when I have nothing to do. Though nothing to do is a misnomer with me as I have several things going all the time. I should say I choose to play instead of doing something else I enjoy.
But, you are right, some people have no lives outside those games.

Quote:

wow azimov lol do you have the meaning of life hiding in your brain

Yah, but I forgot where i put it.

Quote:

you learn SO much from xmods its unbelievable so to tweak it and bring out its limit could only teach you more

Now yur talkin'!

Quote:

isnt life a competition.

lol, We could go round and round on that one forever.

EvilSage · #13 07-05-2007, 11:38 PM

I bought a gen one from Circuit City and it didn't quite work well (I bought it for parts anyways) when I opened it someone had removed a few parts and done a tight turn mod to the board... they failed at soldering though heh

truckian · #14 07-06-2007, 05:24 PM

DON'T BUMP OLD THREADS!!! Jeez...

arch2b · #15 07-07-2007, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truckian

DON'T BUMP OLD THREADS!!! Jeez...

i have to ask, whats the deal with the hostility toward old threads? i usually find this sort of attitude on more juvenile forums however old threads often have something to offer and often shead new light on old topics with new understanding. as the moderator for mini-zracer i've always encouraged the use of old threads as they offer a history and institutional knowledge. i have always been dumbfounded by those who see them as irrelevant and to be cast aside.