3Dsets 3D printed RC crawlers! A little comparison between the motor and gearbox options

I enjoy building 3d printed RCs. So far, I have a few of the 3Dsets designed cars. They are fun to make and come with some different options when you build them- mainly motor and gearbox, and axle/differential choices. They are designed for a 540 size brushed motor, or a 3530 size brushless motor. Without using community modified files (found on Printables or Thingiverse) you basically use the brushed 540 with the geared gearbox- which has a great reduction ratio for crawling- and the brushless 3530 size with the belt-driven gearbox, which gives you a bit more speed and smoothness, but less torque. Some of the mods available allow the use of the brushed 540 motors on the belted drive- which gives you the torque of the big brushed motor AND the speed from the taller reduction ratio.
Also, the axles come with a proper open differential, that allow the wheels to spin at different speeds when turning, like a full size car, or "locked" axles, which is better for crawling or off-road use.
In most of my builds, I install my own LED lights for turn signals, brake and reverse lights, and headlights. These are not from a kit- but assembled individual components soldered together on a small PCB- controlled with an Arduino Nano- which uses the PWM signals from the steering and throttle channels from the receiver to determine what LEDs to switch on and off.
The video is mostly a fun comparison between the different arrangements and how they handle on my little "test trails" in my yard, and the LED functionality. Hope you enjoy!
if you want one of these cars for yourself, get one at 3Dsets.com
(I am not sponsored or affiliated in any way, I just like their designs, and RC cars+3D printing!)

[@watpub4906]

Hi, great video that's inspired me to build some of these models. Would you please do a video showing how the lights are created using the Arduino Nano and perhaps also the wiring and code to hook into the two channels. Thanks.

[@LoganJohnsonWA]

Great video cousin!

[@meltdown78]

Really nice shots! What cam are you using? And holy moly, those geared gearboxes are loud! One of the reasons I have converted all of those to belted ones on my cars :) - that and I got bored of replacing broken gears...

[@ratty2austin]

Thanks! my 2 cameras I am using for this one- a Canon 6D, with the 28-135mm kit lens, and my phone- a Google Pixel 6a. the 6D is manual focus only during video, which is why some of the shots get blurry when the car comes closer... And yeah, those gears are loud! especially the camel trophy landy- it was my first print, and I remember my printer was not calibrated at all and things did not fit together well and of course that made the gear mesh even worse- but I went with it anyway. The 4x4 van was made much later with a well calibrated Prusa, and it was a bit smoother, although still loud. I still have not had any trouble with the gear drives- but I have had issues with my belt drives! (one of the pulleys was rubbing on the casing and melted...)

[@meltdown78]

@@ratty2austin Using the DSLR makes sense - I have an old EOS650D with the 18-135mm which I don't use often - maybe I'll try that one for video too. Regarding gears: yeah, I let my kids drive - and they tend to be not as gentle 🙄 Currently the Jeep needs some repairs... The belt drives are more reliable but need to be assembled with care to prevent rubbing...

[@jonaslundborg]

This was really informative and eye opening. Thanks for sharing 🔥
What length shocks do you have on the Trophy Landy and the beige Landy?
Is it the +10 or the +20 axel you have mounted?

[@robsonmenezes1006]

Muito bom o vídeo amigo está bem realista,👍👍👍👍👍😍🤩

[@ripmax333]

Which one you think is best as a crawler. I Printed both Landy (2 door ) version and the Toyota but the Pickup version, both feel really top heavy. Personally I prefer more the Toyota but IMO if you install shocks greater than 80mm does look right and its easy to tumble.

[@ratty2austin]

They are all a bit heavy/delicate to be a real "crawler" but, the longer wheelbase models (4 door landy, long van) would be a little more stable for crawling- I've had the short wheelbase models flip over end while climbing a steep grade. I've also considered re-printing the roof rack parts with TPU, (98A) because it would be a lot more resistant to damage if they tipped over... Also, adding weights to the wheels/floorpan can help with stability. All of my models have 90mm or larger shocks, The shorter ones are less common for me.