Thursday, October 23, 2008

Throttle Linkage set-up 8ight 2.0


When setting the throttle linkage in your new 8 2.0, please follow these steps:

1) With the servo horn off and the ball end disconnected from the carb, turn on the your transmitter and set the throttle trim to neutral.

2) Take the appropriate servo horn insert (LOSA9166) and gently set it down on the the servo output splines. Do not push it all of the way down. You are just trying to find the proper allignment!

3) Set the throttle servo horn (Losa9166) over the servo horn insert and observe the horn's alignment against the servo. Is it exactly inline with the servo or pointing a little inwards or outwards? With the transmitter still on to hold the neutral position, adjust the alignment of the splines until the servo horn is centered in relationship to the throttle servo. It may take a few tries to find this position. See the above photo for proper orientation of the servo horn.

4) Now that the horn is centered, carefully lift the servo horn off, leaving the insert in place on the servo. Reinstall the horn one "tooth" clockwise. This is the correct position for "neutral". the horn's orientation will be pointing in slightly from the centerline of the vehicle,

5) turn off the radio system and tighten the servo horn screw provided with your servo.

6) Snap the ball end of the linkage onto the carb and turn your radio system back on.

7) I recommend immediately turning your End Point Adjustments (EPA) down to around 50% to begin this procedure. This will prevent the servo from stalling if the servo's travel exceeds the carb pull.

8) Using a .050 driver, move the collar until it barely rests up against the throttle actuator. This will set the "deadband" or play when the trigger is pulled. Next, adjust the inner collar against the spring so that it compresses the return spring about 2-3mm. Tighten the .050" set screw.

9) Pull full throttle on you radio and hold it there. Pull on the throttle rod. Adjust your throttle EPA so that when full throttle is applied, you can still pull the throttle rod out another 2mm. This is very important! If you are not familiar with EPA adjustment, refer to your radio's owners manual.

10) Turn the throttle pull rod in small increments to increase or decrease the amount of "deadband" desired. Tightening the rod will decrease deadband, and loosening it will increase deadband.

11) Turn your Brake EPA to 45%. Apply full brake and confirm that the return spring on the throttle rod is not fully collapsed (coil binding). You should have plenty of room! If not, go down to 35% EPA on the BRAKE setting.

12) Place the car on a stand so that the wheels can turn freely. Loosen the collars on the end of the brake pull rods nearest the silicone tubing. Adjust so that the rear brake collar just barely takes up the slack and actually engages the rear brake. Adjust the front brake collar about 1mm looser (away from the silicon tubing towards the end of the brake pull rod) than the rear brake collar.

13) Spin the wheels. Adjust the Rear brake pull rod so that it BARELY DRAGS THE REAR BRAKE. Then back it off two turns by turning the blue adjuster clockwise.

14) Adjust the front brake so that it feels about 1/4 the braking force of the rear when the brakes are applied. Use the front brake pull rod's blue knurled adjuster for fine adjustments, and use the front brake pull rod's adjustment collar at the other end for coarse adjustments.

15) Now that the brake "Bias" has been set, use the EPA for overall braking force needed. Most top level pros actually use this adjustment on the fly to adjust braking force during a race!

16) Double check that the brakes are not dragging at neutral and readjust if necessary. Verify that the return spring is not collapsed (coil binding) at full brake.

17) It is a good idea to recheck your linkage before each day of running!

18) Have fun and feel free to ask any questions!

Dan Hissam