i got a few new goodies in this week including the new, limited edition Perfex KT-18 ‘Black/White’ 2.4GhZ Transmitter for Mini-Z & dNano. just FYI, “limited edition” means that they are in limited supply permanently. i know they’ll sell out, then someone will ask, ‘hey, when are you gonna get more of those in?’ – DOH! i also, got a few samples of new items from X-Power + the latest version of their Aluminum Rear Wheel Hubs which now sport a snazzy, forest green hue. check for new items at the shop, but outside of that i don’t expect anything special to arrive anytime soon. otherwise, another relatively slow week in the shop but things are starting to pick up a bit now that Ian is back and other members are scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks. we maintained our new member intake average for April but club races went silent for the time being. so overall, things are ok in nano-ville. btw, i’ve opened up the comments so that you don’t need to register or sign in to post, hopefully that will YOU to share YOUR thoughts a bit more.
i’ve been busy filling orders, installing a new layout on F2L and getting used to my new dNaNo, the Nissan Fairlady Z GT500 Class (Motul Autech Z Auto Scale Body). it handles remarkably different from the Porsche 911 GT3, hugging corners at high speed and whizzing quietly thru the circuits. Olaf and i spent the last couple hours of shop time today installing the X-Power LED Light Kits and doing some practice ‘night’ racing on F1R. i’ve installed the XP SSG DSP Damper Kit with LED as well and both give a cool, ‘tricked out’ look to the car. though the damper does its job well, unfortunately, i can’t see the light very well with my current ASC body. tomorrow i’ll do a presentation for the Pattaya City Expats Club and we’ll have our club race as usual starting @ ~6pm on F1R. if you’re in the area, stop by to participate or spectate.
i was building a “Race Spec” dNaNo today for a customer and it occurred to me that i should give him an explanation for everything i’ve done before shipping this special gift he planned to give for the holiday season. though some may look at it as ‘just a toy’, the dNaNo is a precision racing model with various optional parts that have a distinct affect on its performance:
1) Gyro Unit – the dNaNo is a real car. its tiny but everything about it makes it like a full size car. when it runs across an uneven surface or surface with seams, those slight changes can knock the car off a straight course causing it to be difficult to handle. the gyro is an orientation instrument that helps correct these occurrences making the car drive smoother and straighter. additionally, it assists with throttle and breaking to limit the car only to what it can handle making operation more manageable. basically, it makes driving easier and more enjoyable.
2) Ball Bearings & Ball Differential – as i’ve discussed in my Diffs & Bearings video, ball bearings are parts that help make operation between moving masses smoother by reducing friction. this means with bearings, your car is free to move at higher speeds as its more free to reach its limits. just changing the bearings will make a huge increase in overall speed in the dNaNo. the Ball Diff increases the efficiency of cornering by allowing the rear wheels to rotate at different speeds while distributing power transfer evenly to the rear wheels. this means that your car can travel at high speed thru corners without losing speed, traction or control.
3) 32T-34T Spur Gear + 7T or 8T Pinion Gears- this optional part increases the acceleration by modifying the gear ratio from the stock 5.16 to 5.66 (higher ratio means greater acceleration but less top speed and lower means less acceleration with greater top speed). most of your time in racing is made up in the corners and acceleration is critical to winning since, normally, your car will never have the opportunity to reach top speed in a race. the 34T-Spur/6T-Pinion is the best racing combination for a layout with lots of tight corners. if you’re running on a circuit with long, sweeping curves or extended straights, try 34T/7T (4.86) or 32T/7T (4.57).
4) Suspension (Gold/Hard Front Shock Springs + Rear Suspension Plates) – rear suspension is important for stability and on most surfaces for mini radio control models, you’ll need to keep it pretty stiff for the most settled operation. you want to decrease “bounce” in the rear and “roll” in the front and this is accomplished with a “hard” setup. when surfaces change, you may need to adjust this but on foam or more slippery surfaces, this will give you the best traction and handling. you’ll find your car more settled and less ‘fidgety’ especially in cornering.
5) Aluminum Options (Front Suspension Plates/Rear Wheel Hubs) – the dNaNo is very light when its all plastic which is ok for speed but because of its size, its also very easy to put it on its roof when taking corners at high speed. an element of resolving this issue is adding weight and aluminum parts – while seemingly very light – will add a few micrograms of weight that will help to increase stability. the car will ‘feel’ heavier and may be a little louder but you can fix that with a bit of grease in the right places after installation. greasing the joints will quiet and smooth out operation but attract dust so stay on top of it with a small brush after every run.
6) Tires (25-45F/6R) – nothing affects car handling like tire compound. the dNaNo is very sensitive to tire compound change and you can immediately tell the difference in traction when comparing the stock #50 to anything softer. the traction increase when changing to a softer compound (25-45 degree PN Racing) is necessary to allow the car to maintain speed while cornering. traction increase can also cause the car to roll so adjustments to the steering angle (turning radius modification) will help to bring the car into a desirable range for manageable high speed cornering. the rear tires need to be a bit softer than the stock #10 to 6-8 degree to keep it from oversteering. which compound you choose will depend upon the surface you’re racing on.
7) SSG-DPS Kit - have you noticed your dNaNo ‘bouncing’ a bit in the rear during high speed cornering? this is a serious problem and can upset handling and your ability to maintain a consistent racing line. to reduce this, a ‘Damper Plate System’ should be installed which will significantly decrease this effect.
8) Racing Wheels (Aluminum or Plastic) – if you want to maintain a lightweight, quick car then you’ll want to stick with plastic. pick up some racing wheels that will give your car some style or add weight. aluminum is great for when you’re using a high torque motor and you need a bit more stability in cornering.
remember, a fast car is only part of winning races. you have to know every detail of your car for proper tuning and to occasionally resolve problems that may arise during operation. speed is a big part of winning, but speed without control is worthless. be consistent and methodical about your hobby and you can be successful. dNaNo is just one model in a hobby that’s lots of fun no matter what but can be even more fun when you win ;-). any questions or comments, post them here or send an e-mail to qon@nanotrax.net -interested in picking up a Race Spec dNaNo built by yours truly? check it out @ our online shop. until next time, see ya on the track!
sorry for the delayed update but we’ve been very busy working on wrapping up the small details for the shop. after my last update, i installed several new parts including the dNaNo gyro, Aluminum Front Steering Plate & Ball Bearings Set. i planned on giving the X-Speed Motor a try but i decided to keep that in the tool box for now. the ball bearings improve fluidness in wheel travel but make the model a bit louder when running. in my opinion, the aluminum parts are nice looking hop-ups but add weight. in some instances this is good but i notice the decrease in acceleration compared to when it was all plastic. the gyro is helpful but i noticed that i have to center my steering each time i turn it on. check the gallery & you’ll notice i’ve also installed the dNaNo Lap Timer Home Edition. i’ve tested that & its functional despite lying under a thick layer of pvc rubber. my fastest lap is less than 9 seconds but i’m sure we’ll get much more skilled drivers who’ll blow my doors off. admittedly, i’m not that good, i do it for the love!
the showroom is 97% done & we’re in the midst of our soft opening. there are lots of little details that need to be wrapped up from touching up paint to strengthening furniture used by customers & staff. the 2nd floor lounge is about 65% finished with lighting, air conditioning & paint left to reach completion. our grand opening should happen sometime this month so hopefully all should be ready for the big day. we’re now reaching the point in the biz plan where marketing & promotion becomes crucial. we’ve placed much of the showroom inventory for viewing & we’ll have signage for pricing & menus within the next few days. i’m working on the media kit, press releases & ad material daily as well as meeting & greeting walk-in customers. thanks to Darren & a few other walk-in visitors who are long time Pattaya ex-pats. suggestions like special days for people new to RC are helping me to execute a plan that will insure we maintain a constantly growing r/c hobby community.
Joom should be adding an update in Thai here soon. we want to insure that everyone feels welcome at NanoTrax so don’t think we’ve forgotten our thai customers. Joom is the person that handles accounting & other details that me as an RC geek may overlook so she’s about 10 times as busy as me. we’ve also been working together on shop material in Thai/English versions so check the forum for the latest details on special days, track rules & nanotrax services in both languages. thanks for the kind emails of support as well, its always good to receive those. big shout to John @ RCP, -J- in Hong Kong & all the guys @ TinyRC!
i’ve cataloged available parts in stock for the dNano and you’ll find detailed pics with prices (in Thai baht) already added to most of the items. any interest in buying items listed requires an email at the moment so if the price isn’t clearly visible, inquire when contacting us. parts are extremely limited and as a matter of fact, some of these parts i really want to keep for myself – lol. if no one contacts me then i’ll keep the good stuff but i’ll be fair, post everything & open up the opportunity for customers first. Nu & Bey stopped by tonight for a few beers & we kicked it for a minute. i should have video or new pics of something from the Pattaya RC track tomorrow so stop by if you have a sec.
ตอนนี้ที่ร้านเรามี รถ 12แบบ พร้อมวิทยุและอะไหล่จำนวนมาก มาให้ทุกท่านชม ทางเราได้นำรูปมาลงไว้ให้แล้ว ส่วนท่านที่ต้องการทราบรายละเอียดเพิ่ม เกี่ยวกับตัวสินค้าท่านสามารถ สอบถามมาเป็นภาษาไทยหรือEnglishก็ได้นะคะ ตามสะดวกของทุกท่านนะคะ หร ือท่านที่อยากทราบอะไรเพิ่มเกี่ยวกับรถบังคับรุ่นอื่น เช่น Buggy, Truggy , Mini-Z หรือนอกเหนือจากนี้ สามารถสอบถามมาทางเราได้คะ เพราะเรามีพี่ๆจาก Pattaya R/C Powerboat ซึ่งเป็นผู้เชี่ยวชาญทางด้านนี้โดยตรง เป็นที่ปรึกษาให้คะ
เรามีข่าวดีมาบอกทุกท่าน คร๊าบ
ตอนนี้เราได้วางโครงการเปิดร้านในพัทยา ลักษณะของร้าน เป็นโชว์รูมรถบังคับ มีสนามด้านใน มีที่นั่งสำหรับแต่งรถ และอีกหลายอย่างเพื่ออำนวยความสะดวกของท่าน และในตอนนี้เราได้ติดต่อกันสถานที่ แห่งหนึ่ง คาดว่าจะได้ข้อสรุปภายใยสิ้นเดือนนี้ หากผลสรุปออกมาเป็นอย่างไรเราจะนำมารายงานทุกท่าน…นะคร๊าบ
