Team Kassanova K2v2

[EDS]

Came up with a solution for the weak front arms. These unfortunately won't be stronger then B4 front a-arms.. but they will be just as durable. Plus I can stock up on modified B4 front a-arms if B4 part of these a-arms break then I just transfer the custom lexan piece to the other a-arm and bolt them together. I don't think the lexan part will break its 3/8" So this is basically like having the parts availability of the B4 a-arms.. but pivot ball suspension. Perhaps I should have just started out with this idea instead of keeping it as my plan B.
I'm still trying to figure out an alternative for the rear a-arms but they might just have to stay 3D printed.. I think they might actually be durable enough as they are.
Here are the new front a-arms..



I will be going back to the track tomarrow.. I'm hoping that I will have much better results.

[adam lancia]

Cool solution, well done.

[ryanlownie]

The thicker a-arms you designed probably don't flex anywhere near as much as most a-arms on other cars do. An impact will of course just snap the arm.

If you designed them with less material so they actually flexed more, they surely would be more durable.

Cool project though, great seeing all the different stages.

[rcjunky]

I think the printed arms won't be strong enough regardless what you do, abs is just too brittle, delrin or aluminum is what you want, or just use conventional arms of something else

[till]

Originally Posted by rcjunky

I think the printed arms won't be strong enough regardless what you do, abs is just too brittle, delrin or aluminum is what you want, or just use conventional arms of something else

I think your right the lexan parts at the whole car might be too brittle, especially at the (front and rear) A Arms.

Where would you buy Delrin??? are there online shops where I could get it ?!?

gon on with this build, i like it !!!!!!!!!!

[EDS]

Ry: I agree with rcjunky.. no matter what I do to the ABS a-arms they won't be strong enough.

Rcjunky: I'm thinking aluminum is out of the question as I can't mill it, down the line Delrin could be considered but becuase of my budget and time limit I'm going to have to settle with 3/8" lexan.

Till: The parts that are very weak are the white ABS a-arms. Lexan is not brittle at all and will be used for new rear a-arms.

Over here in the states Delrin is easy to come by on the internet I don't know about across the pond.. it also goes by the name of Acetal.



Unfortunately, I was unable to go to the track today for testing. Last night I decided to set up a small jump outside to see if the 3d printed rear a-arms would hold up. Of-course they didn't hold up for more then one jump. They broke at the hinge pin very easily. I can't put modified B4 a-arms in the rear because of the stupid spur gear. So I'm going to have to make my own a-arms out of 3/8" lexan I have work tomarrow and thursday after school so I won't be able to make the a-arms until friday or saturday. I'm not looking forward to making these a-arms...as a-arms are very difficult to make because drilling a straight hinge pin hole in every direction is quiet difficult. Anyway hoping to test Sunday.

I also ordered alot of stuff for this buggy.. so that stuff should be here in a couple days. I will post of picture of what I got. I also plan to cut the carbon parts soon.

16 days till the debut!! (Feb 11)

[rcjunky]

what do you have for software? I know someone who can CNC those arms pretty easily if you have a cad programe so he'd just need to run the programe, it would cost ya but for something like that if wouldn't be too much. unfortunatly a regular non-cnc mill won't really work for those do to the shape, although I'm going to make a chassis on it and I've already made a steel front arm for my losi

[dodgydiy]

find yourself some 6mm or maybe slightly thicker nylon sheet for those front arms, really strong and durable, will absorb impact as it flexes slightly, threads well too, not easiest to cut or machine but the extra time is worth it as i doubt you would need to make any spares! oh and it takes dye really well.

[EDS]

rcjunky: I use Solidworks. Since of my tight deadling I don't believe I will be able to have someone mill some a-arms for me at the moment. Maybe after the debut.

dodgydiy: I think nylon could be pretty strong. I think Delrin/Acetal would probaly work well too. Its just right now I have a tight deadline and I have some 3/8" lexan laying around so that's what I'll be using.


I got the new lexan rear a-arms finished and mounted up today. They actually weren't as hard as I thought they were going to be to make. I'm going to do some quick durability testing tonight and if everything goes well then tomorrow is a track test. They aren't the prettiest.. but I think they will do. I personally think they look better then the white ones..as far as the color goes and they should be a ton stronger




I also started cutting out the carbon main chassis today since it was pretty warm out No pictures of that yet.:sneaky:

[EDS]

Today's track test went aton better than the first time I took it to the track. This time it actually ran for more then a minute. Actually I was at the track for about 2 and a half hours and put alot of time on the buggy. The front and rear a-arms held up great. Since I'm a new driver I wasn't easy on it at all and they held up. I did break the wing mount and also the B4 bulkhead that I cut in half for the upper a-arms. These things didn't break until the end of testing though. The cvds held up great and I'm very happy with them. For gearing I started out 21/78 but the motor wasn't getting warm at all so I went up to 23/78 and I'm still not sure that is high enough gearing. I think I could go up to 24/78 or 25/78 tops.

Unfortunately, as far as handling goes I don't have anything to compare to because I haven't driven another buggy on that track. I'm also not a good enough driver yet to tell if a car is handling great. One thing I can comment on is the traction. In most places the traction was pretty good. I did have to be careful in some parts not to spin out.. but at the same time I wasn't using the recommended compound of tire so that may have had something to do with it. I think I also might be able to squeeze some more steering out of it.I'm very happy with how today went and I think with some tuning and more track time this thing can handle really well.


At the track I picked up some paint for the body. Tomorrow I have a shipment of parts coming in along with the body. I'm going to continue to work on the carbon fiber chassis parts and then paint the body and do some finishing touches and tuning. Unfortunately, I can't make it to the track until Friday or next Sunday.

Finished pictures will be posted February 10th. And believe me it will end up looking so much better then it does now.

12 days till debut!

[EDS]

Finished pictures coming tomorrow night!

Debut is this weekend!

[EDS]

Tomorrow is the start of this buggies debut race. Tomarrow is practice day. I have a few small things left to do before then.. but pretty much done.. I will post some better pictures up after this weekend.. also I will post a video of it running. Throughout the weekend I will probaly be taking a few pictures here and their and posting how each day went at the end of each day. But for now...:sneaky: Hope you guys like.

[jeffrey]

looks very nice

[SHY]

Fun & amazing project young man!

Best of luck with your studies! And hope you get a position at one of the top RC manufacturers!

[EDS]

Thanks alot Shy!!

DAY 1 of Debut race: Practice

I got to the track at about 4pm today. I got my pit space set-up and started getting ready the K2. The white springs on the buggy were too soft and so I switched back to some Traxxas springs. I took my first run and the track had lots of traction. I soon found out that I don't think traction will be a problem at all this weekend with this buggy. I started off slow just to get a feel for the track and stuff. I ran 2 full 6 minute practice rounds and was doing pretty good. On the 3 practice round I went too fast down the straight and ran straight into the wall. The front upper bulk head broke. So I got out the power tools and made another one. I got back out on the track about 45 minutes later. This time Dustin Evans caught site of the buggy and watched it turn a few laps. :sneaky: On my 6 round of practicing I did the same thing as I did when I broke.. I ran into the wall after the straight. This time I broke the front upper bulkhead mount and front rocker.

The whole night I had people coming up to me and asking about my buggy and complimenting me on it and it got a lot of looks while it was out on the track.

I think that with some suspension tuning, lighter materials, and a good driver that this thing could hang in with all the other Buggies.

I have quiet a few spare parts to make tonight. Tomarrow is 3 rounds of qualifying. I'm going to make a few small changes tonight. But overall I think the buggy is really doing great. Now I just have to learn how to drive.

Here are some good pictures of the buggy before I set-off to the track.

[EDS]

Thanks guys for the compliments.

DAY 2 Qualifying:
Yesterday was qualifying. We had 3 rounds of qualifying. My first round went all right I was just trying to baby it around the track so I wouldn't crash. In the last few minutes I picked up the pace. With about twenty seconds left the front upper bulk head mount broke again because I crashed. For the next round I put a carbon fiber upper a-arm mount on instead of another plastic one. The second round went a lot better and nothing broke. After the second round Scott Brown ( A sponsored racer from Seattle) checked out my car and he liked it. I ad him take a few laps with it. He told me the suspension was way too stiff. Other then that it seemed to go around well. Also another sponsered racer and local hot shot Kody Numedahl commented on my buggy and said it was impressive.Hearing compliments from big time sponsored guys was awesome. Last qualifier didn't go so well and I broke another front upper bulkhead. These parts are definatly the weakest parts on the buggy. I finished the race though.

Over-all day two went Ok I suppose. I just really am no good at driving..I can build the cars but I'm not good at driving them yet.

Here is a picture of the track that the race was held at.


DAY 3 1 round of qualifying and mains:

I had one qualifier in the morning today and my slipper came undone half way thru the race so I had to tighten it. After that things went pretty good. Once again though another front upper bulkhead broke.

A picture of my pit space


My main went well and was my best race of the day. I ended up 4th and nothing broke on the buggy.


Overall...it was a disappointing weekend. A few bugs here and their and some weak parts on the buggy. But I'm more disappointed in my driving. But I haven't really been racing much at all.

As far as the buggy..I'm proud of it and think it turned out great. I think it needs some different springs and some different rockers to soften up the suspension. With some weight reduction (its ready to run weight is 1700g so 200g over minimum ) and some small durability fixs I think it could do really well with a good driver.





I think I'm going to take some time off from this project. I'll be submitting some pictures to the magazines.. but now that the race is over I'm sort of burned out. It takes a lot of work to get build a car like this is and is very stressful with a deadline. I will continue to test and tune the buggy over the next few months. In the mean time I'm going to start a new project so be looking for that. I'll post any updates, pictures, or videos. But for now a well deserved break is sounds very good right now.

Though…. For my senior project for school.. I am drawing the whole car up in Solidworks.. I may post some pictures of that once I’m finished also.

Once I get this thing dialed and get alittle bit better at racing I will be posting a video. A video of my main race may show up in a couple days.. I’m just not sure.

[AndyF]

Well done mate. I can see that what you have done would take a lot of effort, but don't give in. A few days and you will be planning your next meet!!!

Anybody can drive, few can design and build buggies!

[kaszal]

Well done! You are getting valuable engineering experience and car setup knowledge... plus the 'soft skills' you mentioned e.g. hard work, perseverance and knowing when to have a break from a project and refresh! What a great addition to your CV.

Any chance you can post a video of it running?

btw that dirt track looks wicked, wish I had one nearby (London)

[till]

It´s an awsome car! Show this thread to Losi or Asso when you send them your application and they wont even think of taking someone else!!!
I keep fingers crossed for you and your future, but only if i get a preproduction car then

And i think the driving is not a big problem, the biggest issue is to focus and concentrate during a quali or a main then it´s no problem!!

Nice work !!

cheers

[john333]

just found this thread, what a great piece of work!
You should definitely look at a job in the industry when you get your qualifications.

Well done mate.