Out of interest how come you’ve ruled out the prado? For your use it’s ideal?!

I’ve got a 2006 Prado 120 (the 4l v6 petrol, GXL spec so centre diff lock only), the previous owner seemed to have an ARB fetish, dual battery, roof tray, dual awnings, front bar with winch, old man emu suspension. I had a pathfinder before this and the prado is miles apart. Also our use has changed because of having it, we do a lot more outdoors, camping, kayaking etc now that we have it.

I’ve always wanted a 100 series but can’t see that happening unless the prado properly dies, but I’m hoping it goes on forever.

Either way to answer your original question, of course you should get one!

Not sure on the specifics of your setup but split charge normally doesn’t use a switched live, rather a feed that is live when the alternator is charging. Otherwise you could have your ignition in the ACC position and the batteries will be connected but the engine not running.

When I did a van conversion years ago I used a voltage sensing relay to provide the switch signal rather than having to find the alternator wire.

My new (to me) prado has a second battery, that uses a DC-DC charger, it was fitted by the previous owner and I wasn’t even aware such things existed until I found the battery and charger in the engine bay, no idea how this setup works!

Quadlock have an extra optional bit for reducing vibrations

@matt_outandabout I live in Melbourne, give me a shout if you need any help or advice 👍

I’ve got a 2008 Triumph Sprint ST 1050 that is kind of a project but also just my bike now.

I bought it unregistered, no history and without a roadworthy certificate (MOT equivalent) for half the market value. Being unregistered I couldn’t really ride it apart from to take it for the roadworthy so took it over to the shop to get them to check it over. On the way it was obvious that the clutch was slipping, forks were leaking and when I got there I went to restart it to move it into the workshop and the battery was flat! The guys did a great job getting it up to scratch, new clutch, fork rebuild, new rec/reg, new battery, it’s not in total cost it’s market value but I know everything major has been done so it should have plenty of life ahead of it. Armed with the roadworthy certificate I got it registered, I got issued the plate “2Z 8UF” so apparently I’m now “too buff” according to the friends I ride with.

Since then I’ve added clear indicators to the mirrors which was a trauma trying to find orange bulbs that fit, had to go with LED which then ended up having to change the flasher, I broke the little bracket that holds the glass in place while removing it (the bike originally came from Queensland and I think all that sunshine has made everything brittle), a whole new wing mirror was rediculously expensive and there’s pretty much no triumphs at breakers here so I designed and 3D printed a replacement. I also found a R&G tail tidy on ebay over here which tidied the back end up. Considering a rear hugger now if something cheap comes up.

It rides beautifully, I’ve had 4 pots, v-twins, parallel twin, boxer but never had a triple and I’m loving it! It handles beautifully, just need to find that elusive time to actually ride it!

Coincidental timing or does he see it as a welcoming holiday destination following our recent referendum result?

Oh yes, I never noticed that before. Also happens if you search directly in google using site:www.singletrackworld.com

I’ve got quadlock with wireless charging on my motorbike and in the car, it’s a great system, just mount the phone and go. But my windscreen mount in the car keeps randomly falling off, not even because of the weight of the phone, just randomly like I’ll go out to the car in the morning and it’s sat limp and sad on the dashboard. Anyone else have this issue?

I noticed this the other day when I dusted off my old tomtom running watch, it’s years old but is perfect as it has the built in HRM and also does music. It’s a shame they’re going end of life, the watch still works and I was never bothered about syncing activities anyway, but even with the manual workaround above you still need the tomtom app to update the quickGPS data, it’ll be interesting to see if it starts struggling to get a GPS fix without this.

Came hoping for sepultura, leaving disappointed

Yeah naah, we’re all about the VB long necks down here maaate

Got mine done here in Aus, health care is a bit different here. Private procedure but it was cheaper as it’s more normal to just go private here. Quick easy no-scalpel procedure, was a bit disconcerting when I saw some smoke, I guess that’s how it works though, they let the smoke out and then they don’t work any more.
Best part was as it’s Australia I got a free stubbie holder…

Where abouts in Aus are they? If Melbourne then they could have a chat with metro hobbies, they have quite a lot of Lego stuff

Oh yes, forgot to say I mounted a strap inside the box to restrain the bottle

I used an IP rated metal electrical enclosure, once bolted to the van I hole sawed through the box and floor of the van to fit the drop vent, it was years ago so don’t have a link or anything but might be worth a search as I seem to remember the enclosure I found was the perfect height for the gas bottle and might just fit under your bed

Random search to get you started, something like this…

https://m.vevor.com.au/electrical-enclosure-c_10749/vevor-carbon-steel-electrical-enclosure-box-300-x-200-x-150-mm-wall-mount-ip65-p_010554930447

Sorry, can’t seem to add a link to a post anymore 😂

Who was that celebrity that now sells candles? Bob Holeness or Annika Rice or someone?

Is a D+ wire to say the alternator is charging rather than the engine is running? It’s been a while since I put leisure batteries in a van but when I decided it was too hard to bother finding that connection and just used a voltage sensing relay to generate that signal instead…

Finally got my beetle body painted for the DT-02 that was a holiday buggy.
Second body I’ve painted and first time using window masks and also the window surround stickers. It came with a lot more stickers but I decided to go without them. The tamiya metallic purple looks really good in the light. It looks like it’s sat a little bit far back on the chassis when you look at the arches but it wouldn’t fit any further forward because of the motor. I still think it looks great!

Don’t forget to lay warning tape over the cable too

So, 12mm hex on a DT-02…

Tamiya on the left, wltoys on the right, needed a couple of spacers that it just so happens I had something suitable on the parts tree from some CVA shocks…

Screw it all together…

It all fits perfectly! The bump steer is now even worse though 😁

Just stuck some temporary wheels and the HB body on to try it, it’s a wheelie machine now!

I’m really pleased with how it turned out, just need to paint the beetle shell and now I’ve got a lot of options for some chunky wheels to go on it 😎

I wonder what’ll break first….

ah ok, I’m glad I asked!

If I get time later I’ll head out to the local hobby shop and get some paint, I think I’m just going to go all black for it.

Along side this, I’m also working on cobbling together a way to use 12mm hex on the front of the DT-02 so I will have a LOT more options for wheels for what is now becoming a monster ish beetle project! I’ve mocked it up using the hubs and stub axles (with dog bones removed) from a broken wltoys 12428 with the tamiya carriers, I just need to go to the hardware store to get the right sized screws to hold it all together, I’ll some pics once it’s done if it works out.

Amazing work as usual @merak !

I was going to ask, do you (or anyone else) have any advice on using window masks? That beetle body I got came with them and I’ve never used them before. Is the process to clean the body as usual, then apply the masks then key with an abrasive pad once the masks are on? I assume I just have to go careful around the edges of the masks when keying?

Also, one of the shops over here has just got the holiday buggy back in at AU$150 delivered (£79 ish). I’m trying to convince myself that I don’t want to just buy another HB to put that beetle shell on and keep the old one for the kids to bash around…

And here it is trimmed… Very exciting!

My beetle body has arrived, it looks like it should be a perfect fit on the DT-02 from my holiday buggy, just need some paint now.

@Stevet1 that’s a wltoys 12428 which I’ve had a few of (see my pics earlier in this thread).

They’re ok for what they are, one thing to note though, they’re a pain in the bum to repair if anything on the drive train breaks as all the screws have some weird really strong epoxy or thread lock or something and they all just round off so you and up drilling them out. It’s a nightmare and they’re very well known for destroying their rear drive shafts. I’ve bent a lot of dog bones too. But if you don’t have any big crashes and get lucky with the drive shaft they’re a fun cheap RTR car, just that they’re more disposable than repairable.

Can any Lunchbox users suggest a good replacement for the servo connection? I was bought a kit a month or so ago and that plastic connector had broken twice now. Or is it made weak to perfect the more expensive component?

Are you talking about the servo saver, as in the bit that mounts onto the servo? If so, which part breaks? They are designed to be able to take a hit and there’s a plastic ring in there that flexes to absorb the shock.

When I broke the ball stud on the one for my Neo I could only get the ‘hop up’ version which used metal rings which is a bit stronger but to be honest it was rubbish, there was so much play in it but a bit of tension that the wheels would always be pushed one way or the other, I’d adjust the steering trim to compensate then it’d get knocked the other way and be out again.

You could replace the servo saver with a servo horn which is a fixed piece with no give in it, but then you’re at risk of breaking something else if you take a big hit. If it is the servo saver you’re talking about it does surprise me that it’s broken twice as it’s designed to ‘flex’ and absorb the force not break.

Great, thanks for the tips. I’ve ordered that one from eBay that I linked, I checked the measurements and I think it’ll fit, I’ll see when it arrives!

@clubby thanks for that, funnily enough I let the kids loose with the neo fighter and holiday buggy in the back garden at the weekend, after repeated high speed impacts with the trampoline legs the neo fighter is absolutely fine but the holiday buggy has now got a broken front body mount and one of the front mud guards has broken off the body. I’ve ordered a replacement body but could only find one in the UK so shipping will take a while.

Can you remember what beetle shell you used? I’m intrigued by this idea now and might start a mini project with the holiday buggy (they’re also cheap cars so I might still get a complete new HB or Neo for the kids while I mess about modifying the broken one). I’ve found this shell on ebay: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/404354551036 is that the kind of thing you used? The DT02 is quite a bit wider than the DT03 but I think the beetle style shell should fit quite well.

Not sure if it’s exactly what you’re after as they are simple program / rep counter / timer type things but I use the Stronglifts 5×5 app and after moving on from Stronglifts to an intermediate program (GreySkull) I use Perseus (used to be called something else but I can’t rember what and it doesn’t really matter).

But going back to my first paragraph, if I had a daughter I imagine I’d want to lock her up on a tower. I’ve no idea why and it defies all logic but I don’t feel like that with my boys ages 12 – 19. Mental I know.

I’ve got a 6 year old daughter, my old boss summed this up well as he had sons and a daughter: “with a son you have to worry about one prick, with a daughter you have to worry about a world full of pricks”

Yeah the mad van is really RTR but it’s still a fun Japanese RC and I just can’t see something similar from Tamiya, I want something with a bit more ground clearance but don’t want a lunch box. I’ve been looking at Blitzer beetles but I’d have to get one from Japan I think as so much Tamiya stuff is just out of stock here.

I stopped in at the local hobby shop today as I needed a new spur gear for the Revo (I stripped it while on the first tank running the engine in), they had some really tempting cheap 1/10 scale brushless truggys in but I resisted the temptation and just bought what I needed and a little Lego friends set for my daughter.

My brushless 12428 died a horrible death and I was fed up of fixing it as it was just overpowered for what it was so I pulled the motor out (3300kv 540 with 60A ESC) and put it in the holiday buggy 😀. Interesting it doesn’t wheely, I think it’s just because the stock rear tyres are so bad it just spins them but it’s a lot of fun with the brushless in and I think less likely to die than the 12428 as it’s a different style of driving.

Must not buy a mad van. Must not buy a mad van.

I love the idea of the tank battle!

I’m hoping the rain holds off tomorrow afternoon so my daughter and I can take the holiday buggy and neo fighter to the beach for a blast 😎

Argh, not this thread again. Luckily I’m not tempted by the tank as shipping to Australia prohibits it.

But can someone convince me I don’t want to buy a brushless Kyosho Mad Van? Please?!?

@squirrelking, further to above I just thought, you’ll need to check the voltage is the same on both batteries, the small one may be a single cell whereas the other might be 2S

Quick question, if I was to get an AX24 would I be okay to run the 25C batteries off my Tracer (with an adaptor)? The axial takes a 350mAh 30C whilst the FTX runs 1000mAh 25C, both are the same form factor to within a couple of mm either way. I’m guessing peak power on a crawler isn’t going to be anything like a basher but that’s just ignorant guesswork.

The C rating is the maximum discharge rate as a multiple of capacity, so your 350mAh 30C battery can supply a maximum discharge of (0.35 * 30) = 10.5A whereas 1000mAh 25C can supply (1 * 25) = 25A. Your ESC will draw whatever it needs to to supply the motor for a given speed / torque requirement up until it limits. So yes it should be fine, the battery will just last loads longer!

The other consideration is the battery adapter, I’ve read a bit about some of them being unsuitable for high current draw but then its just one of those internet things that different people seem to have different opinions on. I’ve resoldered my battery connectors so they’re all T-plug but that’s because all my batteries use those connectors. I think it’s only really the Tamiya style connectors that aren’t rated for high current flow and I can’t see that being an issue given your application.

An update from me…
The neo fighter took ages to arrive from Germany to Australia but it did come with the ESC and upgraded shocks. I started building it but sheared the bolt stud on one of the ball joints that go on the servo saver so is currently waiting for parts ☹️

In the mean time I ordered a holiday buggy as they were going cheap locally, I was house bound for a weekend (yes I looked up the picolax thread to prepare for that weekend!) And between visits built it up. I finished the painting this weekend, fitted a sport tuned motor and Tamiya ESC, resoldered the battery connector so I can use lipos…

Also a couple of pics of my wltoys 12427s, mine is upgraded to brushless, my daughter’s is still stock…

And finally got the new engine installed in my Revo 3.3 project. It starts but that’s as far as I’ve got as I haven’t had the time to run it in properly yet and don’t want to just rag it!

If it’s a new laptop wouldn’t it be covered by warranty so you wouldn’t be the one that needs to worry about replacing it?

No worries, I’ve ordered it anyway. I have a spare controller/ receiver on order and I’ll either keep the ESC and motor it comes with or stick something brushless on there as I have a spare 80A (or 60A, can’t remember…) ESC sitting around too.

Ive not posted on this thread before but I have a Traxxas revo 3.3 (awaiting a replacement dynamite .19T engine from America) and 3off wltoys 12427 (one is for parts, one is being converted to brushless).

I started with a wltoys, using the kids as an excuse, they do play but I now only have 1 12427 that’s working and that’s the stock one 🤣

I’ll post some photos if I ever get anything finished and running, I definitely enjoy the fiddling aspect of the hobby!

@chestrockwell is that the one dispatched from Amazon Germany? I’m in Australia but happy to pay the extra shipping if I get the right one with the motor, ESC and oil shocks

If you have the first list in column A and the second in column B, in column C you could put something like:
=IF(COUNTIF(A$1:A$8,B1)>0,”Yes”,”No”)
and fill down.

That’ll give you a “Yes” if the adjacent cell in column B appears in the range (the bit in bold, change it so it matches the length of your list) given in the formula for column A

Edit, that might be back to front, if it is swap the columns for your two lists.