Review – deguno – tools, RC cars, gadgets and consumer electronics

September 11, 2015September 12, 2015

Anderson PowerPole 45A and 75A Connectors – Amazing for RC Cars and Planes

Anderson PowerPole are the best connectors for RC cars, boats and planes

In the last couple of years I have tried a number of different connectors and I thought that I’d share my experience with one specific brand that has blown the competition away – The Anderson PowerPole’s…

I have tried the lot. For less demanding applications I have often used Deans, XT-60, EC3/EC5, Traxxas connectors and multiple brands of bullet connectors. For up to 300A applications I have used Neu bullets, Castle Creations bullets, the largest bullets from HobbyKing, Schulze connectors, Plettenberg’s largest connectors, etc, etc…

Then one day I cam across someone on a forum that recommended the Anderson PowerPole connectors. They are typically used in industrial applications but also lends themselves quite brilliantly for RC. As I see it the advantages are:

The absolute best is of course that no soldering is required and that they are quick to fit
Soldering will every now and then have a bad connection – but with the Anderson PowerPoles the connection is always perfect
If you are using an ESC without a spark eliminator system you do not have to worry as the spark on the Anderson Power Poles happen on the tip of the connector when you connect them and not at the actual area where they connect (it’s hard to describe but this is often an issue with bullet connectors and it makes a big difference in terms of the connectors durability and the quality of the connection over time)
You do not need heat shrink tubing
They are sturdy connectors and feels like they will last forever
The joint between two connectors is robust and will not disconnect accidentally (but unlike some connectors they are still easy to pull apart when needed)
Connectors can be stacked via a clever system
All connectors are identical (i.e. there is no male or female type of connector) and they are therefore perfect for connecting batteries in series
In my experience the nominal currents can easily be exceeded. Many use the 45A connector in applications up to 90A and 75A connector is seen used up to 150A and a few even 200A (do be careful here though!)

For some reason I have not seen many that use the Anderson PowerPoles and I therefore thought it would make sense to write a few lines about them now that I have had such a great experience with them.

Please check out my videos here of how they work:

Have fun!

August 30, 2015August 30, 2015

Building a Losi 5ive-T Brushless (part 3) – Fitting the parts and testing the truck

When building this Losi 5ive-T brushless truck I had a set of criteria that I wanted to respect:

The car should have around 15-20 minutes of run time
I would prefer to have motor break and reverse option enabled
The steering servo should be capable = powerful and fast
All parts should be a-grade and have been put through their paces by other drivers (and with positive reviews)

I therefore decided on ordering the following goodies:

ZIPPY Flightmax 8000mAh 4S1P 30C batteries from HobbyKing
Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo Conversion Kit for Losi 5ive. This beast deliver over 1500oz of torque!!
Killer RC Super Power Switch
RC Madness BL5 Version 2 Conversion

Here a few pics of the parts and mounting them:

RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T

RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-TRC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T — RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T

RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T - Battery tray — RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T – Battery tray

RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T - Motor mount — RC Madness Version 2 Brushless Conversion Kit for the Losi 5IVE-T – Motor mount

Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo Conversion Kit for Losi 5ive-T

Hitec HS-1000SGT High Voltage Giant Torque Servo

Killer RC Super Power Switch Installed In The Losi 5ive-T

Killer RC Servo-Max voltage regulator and 14.8v 4S 3600mAh LiPo battery installed in the Losi 5ive-T

The results

Before starting the project I had read tons of forum posts and seen many YouTube videos. I have followed most of the advice and chosen components that were all of high quality. Most however recommended the use of the Lehner/MGM combo and mechanical brakes but as you can see in Part 2 of this series I chose differently.

So how did it all go?

Well so far I can safely say that I am all satisfied with my truck and the decisions made. Batteries, ESC and motor have all been running smoothly with good temps and great runtimes. I have not timed it but I would think that I get at least 18-20 minutes run time on one set of 8S batteries.

The motor brakes (and reverse) have worked great. It may very well be that if you are a super competitive and very skilful driver there may be something to gain by having the (some say) better control using the mechanical brakes but I have had no issues whatsoever and love the setup as it is now. I have the control that I need when braking and love the fact that I can reverse whenever needed.

So for now I have had a ton of fun – building this vehicle has been a blast and driving it even more so.

If you have the funds and want to experience a brushless version of the largest 4WD RC truck on the market then you can’t go wrong with the Losi 5ive-T and I can definitely recommend the setup I have gone for here.

Have fun and drive safely 😉

Final weight of the Losi 5-ive T Brushless with batteries

July 5, 2015July 11, 2015

Team Durango DEX8 – Fastet kit build ever!

I have built 1/8 buggy kits from Hobao/Ofna and Xray before I picked up this Team Durango DEX8 kit and hence thought this would be a somewhat similar build experience. I could not have been more wrong.

Just the unboxing experience is something different. The box and how it is packaged is the best I’ve tried so far with RC. They have no doubt tried to create an “Apple unboxing” experience and have in my view succeeded.

As for the build most of the parts are assembled in larger chunks. Diffs and shocks are all assembled (you will have to add diff and shock oil to match your preference) and front and rear drivetrain are almost also just a bolt-on. Very nicely thought through.

As for the build quality everything seems to be top notch but I have yet to test it out on the track. So far I have only managed to drive it up and down the street – everything was buttery smooth and only the steering needed to be slightly trimmed.

If I should have to point out something negative it would be the manual that came with the car. There were a few steps where stuff was incorrect – probably they wanted to get the product to market as soon as it left the factory. All it took was to download the latest version and here the issues were corrected.

Now – all I need to do is hit the tracks – Something I look forward to!

February 28, 2014April 3, 2014

Mafell MT 55 cc review – King of the plunge-cut saws

We have lived in apartments until we bought our house about two years ago and I finally got what I had dreamed of for years – a workshop! I decided to get some proper woodworking tools but with the limited space available a large table saw or cabinet saw was out of the question. A good quality plunge-cut saw was therefore the natural choice to cut those large sheets of plywood.

Requirements
I have only ever owned cheap circular saws in the past but after spending an evening or two researching the market I made up my mind on list of requirements. I wanted:

Great dust collection
Top of the line accuracy
Sturdy construction that would serve me for years to come
Good quality guide rails that could be extended for long cuts

I quickly got my mind set on the Mafell MT 55 cc after reading several reviews – it seemed to tick all the boxes above and after inspecting it at my local hardware shop I had made up my mind. With this said I have no way of justifying the price tag when taking into consideration how often I actually use it and that it’s only for hobby use but nothing beats the feeling of using quality tools so I went for it.

Competitors
There is no doubt that Festool used to be king of the hill when it comes to plunge-cut saws and the Festool TS 55 R was one of the main alternatives that I considered. Their saws and the tons of accessories they offer are very appealing but everywhere I turned the Mafell MT 55 cc was just getting better reviews. Predominantly because of the build quality, better guide rails, the quick change of saw blades and the scoring function.

An interesting thread on the Mafell vs Festool can be found on the Festool Owners Group where even the Festool fanboys mostly favor the Mafell.

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/festool-and-mafell/

My experience
I have had the saw for around 12 months now and I am in no way disappointed. Everything that I have used it for has been absolutely perfect. Making adjustments is so easy, the motor is super strong and have never broken a sweat. Precision is perfect and I am very impressed with the dust collection.

The blade that it comes with has been perfectly fine for everything that I use it for. I have only ever tested the scoring function for the fun of it – in normal use I have never needed it because the saw does such an outstanding job without it.

I bought the saw with two 1.6 meter guide rails. This is a highly recommended setup. For cross-cuts of 4×8 sheets (1220×2440 mm) I use one guide rail and when doing the long cuts I combine them to get a 3.2 meter rail.

Pros and cons
The list of things this saw does well is pretty extensive:

Great build quality
Great dust collection
Innovative features such as the fast blade change and scoring function
Super strong motor
Fast adjustment and spot on cuts every time
Great guide rails (and if you already have Festool guide rails it will work just fine on them as well)

The only drawback I can really point to besides the somewhat steep price tag that it comes with is that if you have already bought into the Festool line-up with tons of accessories it may not be that the advantages of the Mafell saw over the Festool equivalent outweighs the benefits of having a Festool saw that works with all the other Festool accessories. But if you want the best stand-alone plunge-cut saw on the market I would strongly argue that Mafell MT 55 cc is that saw.

Conclusion
There is no doubt in my mind that the Mafell MT 55 cc is the king of the plunge-cut saws. Everything I have put it through it has handled flawlessly and even though I had pretty high expectations before buying it it has not disappointed one single time.

So I would not hesitate for a second to recommend it. It does come with a high price tag but I would say that here you get what you pay for – it is worth every penny and it is just that good!

February 22, 2014April 3, 2014

Bosch PBD 40 710W bench drill review – Innovative features at an affordable price

I always wanted a proper bench drill in my workshop but to be honest I don’t really need it that often but when I do it is one of those tools that just make life so much easier. When exploring the market for something of a decent quality I always ended up having to pay too much and still not be satisfied with the engineering. I was therefore checking out the second hand market on the classifieds sites when I stumbled upon the Bosch PBD 40 at a local hardware shop…

Promo video

Unique features
The Bosch PBD 40 710W bench drill comes with a ton of unique features as shown in the promo video above. The clamp and fence system is super easy to use, the LCD with RPM and depth of cut is miles better than anything I’ve seen before.

The cross-hair laser also works well. I use it all the time but if something has to be super accurate I always find myself predrilling to make sure that all is perfect.

My experience
I have now had the Bosch PBD 40 for around two years and as an amateur woodworker and DIY hobbyist I have to say that it has worked brilliantly for all I have used it for.

The motor seems very capable and used with a 35mm Festool forstner style drill bit it it was like a knife through butter with no hint of labouring under the load. The adjustable speed control is also one of the main benefits of this machine – no mucking about with belts – just turn the dial and you’re done.

The combination of the clamp and fence combined with the LED light and the cross-hair laser makes everything very swift and efficient. The LCD display with the depth of cut shown also supports this experience and the Bosch is just overall well thought through.

So far so good… Now what about design faults? I have read reviews where some complain about accuracy and as you can read below from the list of cons I could list a few minor things that could have been made my experience of the Bosch PBD 40 bench drill better. But considering the cost and all what it does well it is negligible.

Pros and cons
Pros include:

Clamping system works great and also works well with pipes an round objects
Clear, backlit LCD display showing RPM and depth of cut, with measurement shown to the nearest tenth of a millimeter
Strong motor that will drill steel or wood with large forstner bits
LED light and cross-hair lasers
21st century technology at an attractive price

Cons include:

Drill waste is cumbersome to remove
Larger drill benches have fences and stops making them better for repeat work
I still prefer the classic drill bench pull handle over the dial wheel that the Bosch PBD 40 is equipped with

Conclusion
For the hobbyist with a small workshop I would consider the Bosch PBD 40 drill bench the perfect choice. Sure there are classic bench drills that can be bought second hand that would be great alternatives but the Bosch still has some tricks up its sleeve with the bulk of innovative features it packs.

So there it is I’m giving this a solid 4 stars because I think it’s the near perfect piece of kit for the person it is clearly designed for – the DIY woodworker and I would have no hesitation in recommending the Bosch PBD 40 710W bench drill.