[WIP] Greyhound - 4WD RC Buggy with BuWizz 2 - Redesigned wheel hubs

[Lipko]

Where's your PRO tag?

I love everything about this model. The looks, the performance, the building quality.

[Leonardo da Bricki]

Before anything else... HoF worthy!!!

The performance is epic, I love the body roll while cornering... All it needs is some LifeLites!

[BusterHaus]

@Didumos69 The finished version looks very nice! I'm guessing you will be massaging the details now.

By the way, I played around with the BuWizz units over the weekend. It rained most of the time, so I didn't get a chance to test them outdoors, but I ran into a different problem. 

Both Android phones I tied see the units but seem to only control one BuWizz at a time. I don't know if ot has anything to do with the fact that both phones are rooted, bit I doubt it (different processors, different Android versions). The units are not detected as "BuWizz", they only show up as "HMSoft". 

The only way I could control both units at the same time was through an iPad, but I only tested it tonight, too late for outdoor testing. I'll keep playing with the Android app to see if anything to be improved, and I'll plan a dual unit projet for the outdoors. In the meantime I hope your connection issues are a thing of the past. 

[KD123]

Congratulations on finishing the Greyhound, it is rock solid.  

[mocbuild101]

11 hours ago, schraubedrin said:

You managed something i always thought impossible: LEGO with the performance of a real RC-Car.

Agreed - especially the way it moves...

I guess it also confirms what I said in my signature...

6 hours ago, Leonardo da Bricki said:

Before anything else... HoF worthy!!!

+1

Edited May 3, 2018 by mocbuild101

[Didumos69]

16 hours ago, agrof said:

It flows perfectly, love how the body tilts while cornering, and how well the independent suspension moves! 

I am also happy about the engine choice, the look is much more sexy without the spare tyre.  I demand You to take wallpaper quality photos now. 

Thanks @agrof! I will definitely make some quality pictures!

16 hours ago, schraubedrin said:

This is incredible.
You managed something i always thought impossible: LEGO with the performance of a real RC-Car.

16 hours ago, barbanera said:

Amazing, is a pleasure to follow your wip, congratulations

8 hours ago, KD123 said:

Congratulations on finishing the Greyhound, it is rock solid.  

11 hours ago, Leonardo da Bricki said:

Before anything else... HoF worthy!!!

The performance is epic, I love the body roll while cornering... All it needs is some LifeLites!

5 hours ago, mocbuild101 said:

Agreed - especially the way it moves...

I guess it also confirms what I said in my signature...

+1

Thanks guys! I'm very happy with how it behaves. I think this has partly to do with the fact that I did not minimize weight to the absoulute minimum. Weight adds to the cars inertia and makes it respond lazy to bumps and give a more realistic body roll while cornering. Don't get me wrong, I did optimize a few things, for instance the BuWizzes are positioned as low as possible (under the seats) and the max steering angle is 30 degrees. Of course extra weight decreases performance in terms of speed, but imo handling and roadholding are also important aspects of performance. The car's own weight makes it sink in its suspension for about 40%, which makes the car glue to the ground.

16 hours ago, Lipko said:

Where's your PRO tag?

I love everything about this model. The looks, the performance, the building quality.

Thanks @Lipko! I don't know what would make someone deserve a pro tag, I suppose it's something our @Jims and @Milans would have to come up with.

8 hours ago, BusterHaus said:

@Didumos69 The finished version looks very nice! I'm guessing you will be massaging the details now.

By the way, I played around with the BuWizz units over the weekend. It rained most of the time, so I didn't get a chance to test them outdoors, but I ran into a different problem. 

Both Android phones I tied see the units but seem to only control one BuWizz at a time. I don't know if ot has anything to do with the fact that both phones are rooted, bit I doubt it (different processors, different Android versions). The units are not detected as "BuWizz", they only show up as "HMSoft". 

The only way I could control both units at the same time was through an iPad, but I only tested it tonight, too late for outdoor testing. I'll keep playing with the Android app to see if anything to be improved, and I'll plan a dual unit projet for the outdoors. In the meantime I hope your connection issues are a thing of the past. 

Thanks for trying @BusterHaus! Are you using the Crane profile in the BuWizz app? That is the only way to connect to two BuWizzes.

As this is a new page, here is the full-build test-drive video again, with a few indoor video fragments appended.

Also some photo's. In a spoiler, because I'm thinking of doing a final outdoor photo-shoot later.

Spoiler

Edited May 3, 2018 by Didumos69

[Isamudyson]

That is beautiful!! Love how it performs and functions.  I do hope one day i can do what you guys do with your sons with my daughter. It definitely makes it a incredible bonding experience solving/teaching techniques.

Hopefully i can one day obtain all the parts (esp a buwizz) and try out this build

[Leonardo da Bricki]

Awesome photos, you should definitely take some outdoors! My favorite is the one where its climbing the Hammerhead. 

[agrof]

Agree, the climber pictures are dope. 

May I ask for a picture with Unimog tires too (for reference)?

[Didumos69]

2 hours ago, Isamudyson said:

That is beautiful!! Love how it performs and functions.  I do hope one day i can do what you guys do with your sons with my daughter. It definitely makes it a incredible bonding experience solving/teaching techniques.

Thanks! It sure is fun to build with your kids. Actually my son doesn't really like building (he does like taking things apart), but my daughter likes building alot, especially with Technic.

1 hour ago, Leonardo da Bricki said:

Awesome photos, you should definitely take some outdoors! My favorite is the one where its climbing the Hammerhead. 

1 hour ago, agrof said:

Agree, the climber pictures are dope. 

To me, these stills are dope !

1 hour ago, agrof said:

May I ask for a picture with Unimog tires too (for reference)?

I tried making a render few days ago, but it looked uncomfortably naked. I'll try to find them. EDIT:  @agrof, I made them again. I think it's not even that bad, see spoiler.

Spoiler

Edited May 3, 2018 by Didumos69

[technic_addict]

Superb job!  Do you think one buwizz will offer similar performance?  It is hard to tell in the pictures, are the buwizz's able to be removed easily to be shared with other models?

A video showing rough terrain performance would be awesome.

 

[agrof]

Thanks for the extra render @Didumos69, it looks actually still scale to me. Great journey we had in this topic.  

[Didumos69]

16 hours ago, technic_addict said:

Superb job!  Do you think one buwizz will offer similar performance?  It is hard to tell in the pictures, are the buwizz's able to be removed easily to be shared with other models?

It won't perform similar with one BuWizz. Two BuWizzes can generate more power. Besides that, I don't know if you can attach 4 L-motors ans a servo to 1 BuWizz.

If you leave out the seats and the pins locking the BuWizzes they will be removable through the side windows.

16 hours ago, technic_addict said:

A video showing rough terrain performance would be awesome.

That's on my list. Just need the time to take it somewhere offroad.

15 hours ago, agrof said:

Thanks for the extra render @Didumos69, it looks actually still scale to me. Great journey we had in this topic.  

I agree. Thanks! EDIT: @agrof in fact the wheel base is the same as your Class 1 Buggy. Only the track width is 1 stud wider, both for the front wheels and for the rear wheels, due to the use of turn-table based wheel-hubs.The body is 2 studs wider.

Tonight I configured BrickController to control the model with my new Xiaomi game controller. I tested it outside and it works great! By assigning speed to one joystick and steering to the other, it becomes much easier to take turns at full speed. There is slightly more lag, especially when my phone is not close to the game controller, but as long as I keep the phone close to the game controller it works great. Sofar no undesired disconnections. Thanks @imurvai! I do have some remarks, but I'll let you know in the brick controller thread. Here's a video showing the full speed turns in ludicrous mode. Btw, it hits a trash container twice and looses one of the front flash lights .

Edited May 4, 2018 by Didumos69

[Permo]

Awesome job !

I think it turned out great, the suspension is doing a great job, great performance, good looks, and a very sturdy build.

Amazing !

[kbalage]

I'm happy to see that the Brickcontroller app is working for you :) The car turned out to be amazing (no surprise), love the performance and especially the smooth suspension. This is something I'd still like to achieve with my mini buggy but probably that's simply too light for that :)

[DugaldIC]

This thing has some killer suspension, I love how it pitches and rolls in cornerimg. Looking good @Didumos69 how was building with motors? Any final thoughts? 

[Didumos69]

11 hours ago, Permo said:

Awesome job !

I think it turned out great, the suspension is doing a great job, great performance, good looks, and a very sturdy build.

Amazing !

11 hours ago, kbalage said:

I'm happy to see that the Brickcontroller app is working for you :) The car turned out to be amazing (no surprise), love the performance and especially the smooth suspension. This is something I'd still like to achieve with my mini buggy but probably that's simply too light for that :)

8 hours ago, DugaldIC said:

This thing has some killer suspension, I love how it pitches and rolls in cornerimg.

Thanks guys! Yes, the BrickController app and using a game controller really adds to the experience. I do have to learn though. This morning I took it out to a perfect spot for making an offroad video, but I drove right into the trench even before I started filming. I think the BuWizzes remained dry, but the entire nose was under water . It's hanging out to dry now. I hope the motors can handle some water???

8 hours ago, DugaldIC said:

Looking good @Didumos69 how was building with motors? Any final thoughts?

It was great fun and I think I will do more RC models. I had some points where I hated the BuWizzes for disconnecting so often. Then I thought: this is why I hate electronics and love mechanics. I even thought of abandoning the entire project. I can control reliability of mechanics myself, but I cannot control the reliability of the electronics  But now that the problems seem to be 'controlled' and the build is satisfying, I'm really enjoying driving. I'm actually amazed I didn't completely wear out the small turn tables in the wheel hubs after so many hours trial and error. But the most fun for me remains to be making things fool-proof, which is even more rewarding for an RC model. If you don't run into an accident, this model does not need any maintenance after a rough ride. I think the flash-lights are the only volnerable attachments. So thanks @DugaldIC for pushing me towards RC!

Edited May 4, 2018 by Didumos69

[mocbuild101]

On 5/3/2018 at 9:24 PM, Didumos69 said:

...our @Jims and @Milans...

You mean they've been cloned?!...

On 5/3/2018 at 11:40 PM, Didumos69 said:

To me, these stills are dope !

- images -

Wow, those make it look like it's real!

Edited May 5, 2018 by mocbuild101

[mj002]

Congratulations on the finished model look great!! I also built it, ready for the chassis, rear shock absorber was headed and really got longer. After a bit of demolition work, preparing for the bodywork. You have done so beautiful bodywork, that I have to build it. I even hesitate in the colors, maybe white yellow colors. After the indoor test this is a very playable model, the chassis itself is very spectacular and goes through everything. The Buwizz control with Brickcontroller app is great and simple. Thanks a thousand for  @imurvai  And @Didumos69 do not stop the electrical line, I love this RC Buggy

[pagicence]

Following this build was a real treat. Didumos69's skills, to me, are out of this world. He made sure that every connection is secured 5 different ways. And now we can actually see how everything is sturdy enough and stays together in place. My hat goes off to you.

How about some off-road testing video? Maybe something in the dirt or in the woods?

[Permo]

I have no experience with submerged Lego motors (yet) but I think they will be fine after drying them properly, inside it's just a bunch of wire, the only concern would be the lubrication of the axle intern.

As far as wear goes, with this kind of horsepower there will indeed be wear on moving Lego parts, after my first testdrive with my 'Driftkikker'  I also noticed a fine powder comming from the axle holes of the drivetrain, a little bit of sillicone spray will prevent this kind of wear. Don't use any other (petrol based) lubricants as they will react with ABS.

 

[Didumos69]

8 hours ago, mj002 said:

Congratulations on the finished model look great!! I also built it, ready for the chassis, rear shock absorber was headed and really got longer. After a bit of demolition work, preparing for the bodywork. You have done so beautiful bodywork, that I have to build it. I even hesitate in the colors, maybe white yellow colors. After the indoor test this is a very playable model, the chassis itself is very spectacular and goes through everything. The Buwizz control with Brickcontroller app is great and simple. Thanks a thousand for  @imurvai  And @Didumos69 do not stop the electrical line, I love this RC Buggy

Thank you very much! Please be patient, I will do some updates on the bodywork before I will release it.

4 hours ago, pagicence said:

Following this build was a real treat. Didumos69's skills, to me, are out of this world. He made sure that every connection is secured 5 different ways. And now we can actually see how everything is sturdy enough and stays together in place. My hat goes off to you.

Thanks! I will be making one more run through the entire build to find things that could be done more simple or be removed completely, then I will regard it as finished.

30 minutes ago, Permo said:

I have no experience with submerged Lego motors (yet) but I think they will be fine after drying them properly, inside it's just a bunch of wire, the only concern would be the lubrication of the axle intern.

As far as wear goes, with this kind of horsepower there will indeed be wear on moving Lego parts, after my first testdrive with my 'Driftkikker'  I also noticed a fine powder comming from the axle holes of the drivetrain, a little bit of sillicone spray will prevent this kind of wear. Don't use any other (petrol based) lubricants as they will react with ABS.

So far I seem to be lucky, as the motors are still working. I hope the lubrication in the motor will be okay. As for the powder in axles holes, I have that too. I think I will follow your advice, also for the turn tables.

On 5/3/2018 at 6:01 PM, technic_addict said:

A video showing rough terrain performance would be awesome.

4 hours ago, pagicence said:

How about some off-road testing video? Maybe something in the dirt or in the woods?

Here you go.

[Beck]

Very impressive project. To me, your greatest skill is making near perfect use of space. I really like the minimal use of azure to contrast the white. What BuWizz mode did you use while filming?

[technic_addict]

Just awesome!  I will be Building this set for sure.

Will need to modify so the buwizz can be removed though.  The buwizz's need to be shared 

Was it difficult to setup a controller?  This is very fast to try and control on a flat screen.

Edited May 5, 2018 by technic_addict

[PorkyMonster]

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