what song did you use for the montage at 7:45? the description is sadly incorrect. clicking on the link leads to a different song for me, and searching for the song on youtube leads to a completely different one, neither of which sound like the song used.
Hey, idk if you see these comments but what if you made it a little larger and heavier so you could either put 2 motors in the front and back instead of just the front or put 2 in the front and 2 in the middle with a support wheel in between the and then have a dead axle kinda deal in the back where all the controls and batteries etc are
Those dogs enjoyed the chasing of your snowcat more than the drone did.. haha.. by the way.. great project and exceptional explanation of the building and learning experience..
I don't think you get enough praise for the beautiful locations where you test and film and how good the cinematography is in these videos, alongside the informative and fun science and engineering. Great job with the snowcat and I think this video convinced me to move to the PNW!
The chase footage with dogs was very fun to watch. I thought outrunning dogs was impressive enough, and then you nearly doubled its top speed… well done. Also, conversions to km/h: 9:32: 11.95 m/s = 43.02 km/h 13:06: 12.57 m/s = 45.252 km/h 13:38: 19.17 m/s = 69.012 km/h 15:19: 22.24 m/s = 80.064 km/h I prefer m/s since they're much easier to visualise, but the unit most people in the world are most familiar with is still km/h.
That's insane ! Basically highway speeds there. I'd definitely be scared to drive at those speeds without generous distance between me and other vehicles. Also the acceleration! Probably because it's relatively lighter than a motorbike. I wonder if it could reach speeds of gas powered ones on a tarmac with an appropriate track / wheel?
So insanely quick!!! Definitely the world record. It's mad seeing the plastic start becoming brittle and chipping off in the snow test. I wonder if there's any real solution for that?
I am not into RC/drone stuff at all, super into the tech aspects (the batteries, motor, 3D printed frame, etc) but nothing I’d do irl. But this channel is insane, It’s making me interested in stuff you love just because of how you put these videos together and how much effort you put in
i love how you show the metrics of the screws and the exact driver model and etc. Also your methods of measuring and drilling. It's something a lot of other makers leave out, which makes people like me who want to learn hands-on techniques really frustrating. You give me a better view of how each fragmented piece of knowledge can work together. Thanks whole lot!
The sand issue reminds me of the different approaches the AK-47 and the AR-15 take to handling debris. The AK has lose tolerances so sand can't get stuck anywhere. The AR has tight tolerances but uses those tolerances to keep the interior well sealed off from debris so long as you have a mag in and the dust cover closed. When you do something in between, you get the issues you had with sand scraping the motors.
The AR platform rifle tends to perform better in the muddy and wet environments then the looser tolerance AK style rifles. While the AK performs better in the sand. Both perform pretty awful if you let them get really wet and then freeze though 😂.
@@Synergy7Studios it kinda depends on the kind of lube. A bit of oil based lube is ok in some areas but water based lube is no go. It also depends on actual temperatures aswell as just where the water gets to.
@@BodilyFunction I just remember the soldiers in Korea found that their garands ran better in the harsh winters when they ran them dry. Their oil must have had a high freezing point.
FYI, you can also use thinned down silicone caulking (with 30+% vinegar, mineral spirits or toluene) as a waterproof coating and it can be removed/doesn't flow into everything quite as much as epoxy. I've seen that done on some outdoor equipment I've dealt with in the past, that had to be repaired onsite. One thing we did though, is use a multimeter on the wet caulking and choose a brand/type that did NOT have any continuity when wet.
I've built skid-steered battle-bots and the best upgrade I ever did was adding a steering rate gyro. (just a V-tail mixer and a tail-rotor gyro to start) Took a bot that was a nightmare to drive that never pointed in the right direction and turned it into a drift master. I think doing the same with the flight-controller software will dramatically improve high speed stability and turning.
@@ericcmcgraw thats what i was thinking, since he already has an ardupilot install. I THINK Rover has pitch control in one of the modes. I know it has yaw control that countersteers when you get too much roll because I'm using it right now.* *although it's a little laggy and gets into weird oscillations on rough ground that lead to rollovers anyway
These look fun to race. I'd love to start a racing league with home-made rc vehicles like these. It looks like it'd be super fast but would need a lot of skill and finesse to drive at their limit
@@pineapplepenappoodlepen while fun, that also quickly becomes "may the builder with the deepest pockets win". Definitely would still want a class with spec limitations in order to get more people to participate.
@@pineapplepenappoodlepen People would just build buggies or truggies similar to what you can buy right now as those are basically proven to be the fastest designs.
Its likely it could stay on top of the water for a short time because it's mad of plastic and the tracks are reasonably wide. Probably not waterproof though...
@3:10 maybe it doesnt matter or maybe im misunderstanding, but i would slide a hella-thin washer onto the shaft before installing the coupler. That would help eliminate gouging if there is any wonkiness, and reduce any sidewall friction when the wheel is supporting side-loads.
Seemingly small mistakes like epoxy in the usb c slot are the ones that can be the hardest to overcome. Unforseen, unpredictable, and it completely throws the project off the rails until it’s fixed. Sometime you don’t have replacement parts and the fix is going to be a whole project in itself. People don’t appreciate how satisfying it is when you find a good solution to something like that. From the outside it’s nothing, but to the person encountering it, it’s like defusing a bomb you didn’t see coming. Cutting a bit off the end was genius
I laughed like a maniac when it effortlessly popped the wheelie at what seemed to be the max speed prior to the upgrades. Awesome vehicle, very scary as well. I feel we are seeing a battlebot origins story unfolding before us, even if extreme speed may not exactly be a factor in the arena... Perhaps the world is ready for battlebot jousting; then we have a sure winner!
Super cool! Have you tried using 58D TPU for the tracks? Extrudr even has one hard TPU mixed with carbon fibers which should make the tracks semi indestructible.
I think he's using cast tracks and not printed so they sould be plenty strong as is, it's just that hey are too wide to cope with the forces of such high speeds on solid ground, though on deeper snow wich they are designed for they seem to do just fine
@@FayezButts Are you talking about the "CF-TPU by SmartMaterials"? Because that's a completely different filament. The standard hard TPU from Extrudr is one of my favorite Materials ever. It's super tough, easy to print and I'm pretty sure that the CF stuff is awesome too.
This chase footage is the best I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them. But then the video goes on to show more awesome fun stuff in snow and sand. Seriously cool stuff.
I know Paul Short from NZ!!! He taught me everything I know about drones as we live in the same area of NZ. Awesome friendly guy to know, knows his drones and electronics through and through!
The snowcat series has been amazing to follow along to! Any reason why you aren't doing any more batches of the kit? cost? hassle? - either way, this project has been REALLY cool!
Yeh, really a shame this isn‘t a product you can buy. Maybe outsource the whole packaging and distribution to some rc-company? I‘d love to build one if I ever find some time to do so..
Maybe you can use the IMU in the ardupilot unit to create a coarse type of ABS, but for acceleration rather than braking. So if the RPM of the motors exceed the vehicle speed by some margin you can forcibly slow them down to maintain traction. I think part of what makes it so hard to control is that if you turn hard right, your left track can lose grip and net you will actually turn left. Traction control could help what that, especially on the ice.
To reduce internal friction you could print the track guides out of a filament composed partly of teflon. There's a couple out there now and supposedly they feel so slick that they almost feel waxy.
I also wonder if you could reduce the air resistance of the snowcat by deflecting the airflow upwards before the treads. Downside would be reduced downforce and therefore traction.
Couple things... 1) I'd love to see some sort of TPU track option, both to further cut noise, as well as making it combatible with concrete, asphalt, and packed clay/dirt 2) can we see if it can hydroplane? 3) that "digging a nest" thing is awesome, and reminds me of a way that fullsize tanks can "bed down" for extra cover and concealment. Imagine this thing as a remote-operated anti tank mine in a non-permissive enviroment that precluded manual placement... Drive some in manually and then remotely "dig them in" to get them slightly below ground surface... There's plenty of room in the design for a simple pressure pad and an EFP- and the underside of a tank and its tracks are the most vulnerable parts. You may have accidentally invented an effective anti-armor tool
Mannnn, this thing is awesome! You should totally make a version with rear suspension, either with some small rc car spring or another soft filament wheel. Since the thing is driving almost always in a wheelie I think that have the rear axles dampend will really improve the handeling and make it not flip. Also if you go for a soft filament wheel, the torque will be latend but also released faster, making it so wheelies are easier from a start. Which would be cool in my opinion.
The M.1000 is pretty nice for what it is. We have a fully kitted out one at work. We don't use it for metal, though. That edge on the aluminum looked rough.
I am amazed that it held together at those speeds, especially the tracks. It was fun to watch. It reminded me of a key wind, rubber tracked, thin sheet metal, crawler tractor I got for Christmas, when I was about eight. I'm 72 now. I carried it to school, thinking I would be the cat's meow with it. I wasn't. Another of my classmates brought a high priced, key wind, race car, which would fly. I was pretty much ignored and laughed at, a little. I took my crawler home and took the flywheel/regulator gear out of the motor. I brought it the following Monday and he brought his race car. My crawler ate him alive. It wasn't as fast as your rig, but it wasn't a slouch either.
Love this series! Would you have better luck if you could find appropriate rubber tracks? And swap it to motors as the front to help with weight distribution?
The only issue i see with this is that the side of the track in contact with the ground should be under tension, so a long toothed belt would be needed to transfer the drive from the motors up front to the track drive sprocket at the back. That said, the track tension could be high enough for it not to be a problem! It worked well in the snow going backwards! 😄
If you add skis to the front (rear) it will prevent the digging and keep it riding above the snow. You can also use them to add directional assistance.
I like your calculations for the motor requirements, it pushes a skateboard at 3:1 so direct drive rc should be fast! It’s the best kind of engineering! and I’ve got to say it’d be more than capable of running with most rtr cars too! Some drag or even a flat track racing between cars and the tank would be entertaining!
That thing is seriously insane. Have you ever considered using brush on Silicone conformal coating for your electronics? I have had very good luck with it and one advantage is that if you need to do a component level repair it can even be soldered thru without much trouble. It is much less permanent that the epoxy seems to be. I saw what appears to be a bulldozer on the floor of your shop....hoping I can find a vid of that on your channel now!
I'm way late to the party, but I still wanted to do the internet thing and provide a suggestion. Since you're using a flight controller, you can read the gyroscope data. If you have enough room in the chassis, you could add a moving counterweight, controlled automatically by the flight controller, to keep the nose down under acceleration and high speed. Obviously you'll have to make it move quick, but I think it could help. Maybe it would be possible to put the batteries on a sliding tray so you wouldn't actually be adding any weight other than the motor.
I have a suggestion, maybe try out tracks printed in tpu, it would give them a little more durability and wear resistance factor, a little added flexibility as it seems one of the limiting factors are the tracks, so maybe using tpu printed tracks would benefit it, another thing you could do is make little servo controlled downforce wings that pop up at a certain rpm and fit flat and flush to the center of the body and between the tracks so they aren't damaged when not in use in the front and back of the vehicle, it could help with speed and control
Doesn't tp lack stiffness and strength though? I think you could get a lot of mileage out of a dual-extruded composite of tpu and something strong like PC or PA. But maybe figuring out how to make the best gcode to tune the mechanical properties you want is a PhD-worth of work.
@Charles Lambert TPU 3D Printer Filament Definition Explanation (Thermoplastic polyurethane) is a type of flexible and elastic 3D printing filament. Its rubber-like elasticity, resilience, and durability make it suitable for uses requiring impact-absorption and a soft-touch surface.
Man that looks so BRUTAL but yet so FUN! Strangely the first thing that came to mind when seeing the drone footage were the tentacle monsters (Mimics) from Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise :D I think the slight upwards angle, sleek "cigar" shape, fast paced filming and especially 2 colored tracks contributed a lot to that. Also the video was done great with the music and action drone footage! I hope this takes off like a rocket, creates a new subspecies of vehicle type and will get it's own small community/scene!
I swear you should look into what it takes to enter into something like BattleBots, you guys have a WICKED Idea for a "Blinding speed" type battlebot build! You'd be running circles around the competition with this thing! Just toughen everything up, scale it up to the right weight class, make tougher parts, and put a weapon on that thing and you'd probably have one of the fastest track-based battlebots in the series if not the fastest ever! Put a Vertical spinning blade or spinning drum/barrel weapon on the front in the centre of the thing and just Wreck House!
That was really cool. Great design. I will say that when I design things for 3D printing, I try to put things like ribs or runners on all large surfaces to give them a bit of extra strength. I dunno if you want to try it, but I'm wondering if the tracks are going fast enough to aquaplane on water. It might be able to cross a pond.
Use the no limit software. Turn the abs cutoff time limit up. Turn battery amps and phase amps up. Turn on field weakening. Also connect nrf51822 for making changes over Bluetooth. Then connect the controllers over canbus so they talk to each other.
Nice video! You should make a 4 motor version to even the weight distribution, widen the tracks some, and lower the track depth a bit. Awesome project!
Awesome! I started to think about centrifugal force, track linkage bearing friction starts to be a thing I guess at this point. Can be reduced by lower track piece weight or some suitable bearing in the track pieces.
@@jonasstahl9826 You're right that the large tracks used on excavators and bulldozers don't have them but the OP's point was about the centrifugal forces tracks experience at significant speeds. Even fairly fast tanks are unlikely to face stress from centrifugal forces that even approach the forces from the usual driving torque acting against the vehicle weight/inertia and a bulldozer clearly _never_ would.. I don't know if bearings are the only solution but I don't buy the idea that sealed bearings couldn't be *a* solution -- if a slightly costly one.
@@whatelseison8970 The problem is the weight of the bearings, if I remember correct each of his tracks has 60 links, you need 2 per links, means for both sides you need 240 bearings. The cheapest sealed I have found are roughly 0,60€ means 144€ in total. Also the weight lets say there are 10 grams each that makes 2,4kg/ 5 pounds. You also need enough material thignes to fit the bearing, that makes it even heavier.
Imagine this but full scale. You're a russian soldier just trying to not die because of vladdy and then suddenly a tank with a top speed of 300kmh /180 mph approaches
Omg! I just got hit by so much nostalgia! I currently live in North Carolina. During the part in the icy snow i was sitting here thinking "Is that Snoqualmie beside I90?". And then the part at the beach north of the entrance to the locks... That's my home! I miss Seattle. I left for reasons and Seattle isn't the Seattle i grew up with anymore but i still love it. So funny that I've watched multiple of your videos and had a feeling that where you lived seemed very similar to Seattle, but maybe you were in BC or something? Who knows? Alot of places look like alot of other places around the world. But this video answered it for me and that it happened to be where i grew up is awesome.
I'm enjoying this, because Ivan Miranda once built a tank and rode it like a scooter, it was just as fun to watch, especially watching a grown man roll around on a giant toy like vehicle shouting, "tank!"
This video was really entertaining… I can only imagine how much fun you had making all of this. You get to be in the hobby and here on UA-cam as a content creator at the same time. Pretty fun you should consider yourself so lucky. Anyway it was fun to watch big thumbs up from me
Is there any specific reason not to use a gimbal BLDC motor for the tracks? I would prefer not to print the gears you use, and I already have two iPower GM5208-12 bldc motors
11 year old me says my 80s tyco fast traxx got you bro. 44 year old me wonders if 11 year old me had a true frame of reference for speed. I swear that thing went 30mph. Some impressive kit you've built there.
I would recommend getting a small Round File for taking down the burrs inside your metal tubes after cuts. Im sure you dont NEED to do that. But it would be something nice to clean up the edges and to help prevent cutting yourself on them randomly.
I started working on a tank a couple of years ago. Wish I had your resources 😢. I was using a dc esc with dc to dc boost converter. I had a problem getting it to go backwards.
This thing is super cool. As a kid, one of my favorite Christmas presents was a “Fast Traxx” RC car, I loved that thing. This is like the grown up version of that lol
you could place a cover over the track to reduce the speed to air instead of reducing tread width, though it clearly makes it single sided. a whale-tail and putting the motors on the front might do for the flipping problem.
Not sure if someone has said this yet, but move 1 motor ( and battery if running 2 batteries) up front. Relocate the controler board to the center too ballance it out.
Snow cats usually have tails. maybe yours can also be done so that it does not roll over when moving quickly, and if you still work, then the tail could help turn. Like the rudders of a ship. A tail that would drag behind the cat on the snow/ground.
Use code RCTESTFLIGHT50 to get 50% OFF your first Factor box at bit.ly/3JgFdFQ
@rctestflight how much torque does it have? Could it pull/tow you in the snow or on the sand ?
I'm building a power wheelchair I don't have all the kinks worked out..but I want to use hub motors so I can do 40ish
what song did you use for the montage at 7:45? the description is sadly incorrect. clicking on the link leads to a different song for me, and searching for the song on youtube leads to a completely different one, neither of which sound like the song used.
Hey, idk if you see these comments but what if you made it a little larger and heavier so you could either put 2 motors in the front and back instead of just the front or put 2 in the front and 2 in the middle with a support wheel in between the and then have a dead axle kinda deal in the back where all the controls and batteries etc are
why do you use meters per second and miles/h mixed up? just use straight km/h
Every new episode of the snowcat series we are getting closer and closer to a flying tank
technically the RC tanks can already fly, just not controllably
*ground effect tank
Oleg Antonov enters the chat
The Aerogavin shall be real!
Mike Sparks will finally be validated
I'm actually surprised that it survived for this long, I thought the tracks were going to disintegrate at such speeds. Awesome stuff!
The rc snowmobile community has had the tracks going 60+ mph it's insane how the links hold up! Note they are not rc test flights tracks
3D-printed plastic is solid indeed
That was my first thought - that the treads would stretch at high speeds, and any wobble would send them flying.
😲
Yeah, I was going to say "all that weight and plastic gears!!". Good going.
I was so confused by the supersonic dogs running past and coming back instantly until I realized there were 2 puppers. Great dogs and fantastic build!
These snow-cats seem to make great hound baits to get the doggies running
Taking a hit from that snow-cat looks painful! Hope the dog is okay.
@@Mattle_lutra I was gonna say this, that thing's pretty heavy and getting hit with the moving treads can't feel good.
Imagine if they mounted a camera on one of the dogs :)
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ Thnaks for this irrelevent fictional interlude.
Those dogs enjoyed the chasing of your snowcat more than the drone did.. haha.. by the way.. great project and exceptional explanation of the building and learning experience..
I don't think you get enough praise for the beautiful locations where you test and film and how good the cinematography is in these videos, alongside the informative and fun science and engineering. Great job with the snowcat and I think this video convinced me to move to the PNW!
while he terrorizes geese and rips up the lawn at the public park...
@@travissabo8792bro is a lawn 😅 what he ruining??
The chase footage with dogs was very fun to watch. I thought outrunning dogs was impressive enough, and then you nearly doubled its top speed… well done.
Also, conversions to km/h:
9:32: 11.95 m/s = 43.02 km/h
13:06: 12.57 m/s = 45.252 km/h
13:38: 19.17 m/s = 69.012 km/h
15:19: 22.24 m/s = 80.064 km/h
I prefer m/s since they're much easier to visualise, but the unit most people in the world are most familiar with is still km/h.
Yes, definitely very cool, almost looked like a video game to me)).
1m/s = 3,6km/h
That's insane ! Basically highway speeds there. I'd definitely be scared to drive at those speeds without generous distance between me and other vehicles.
Also the acceleration! Probably because it's relatively lighter than a motorbike.
I wonder if it could reach speeds of gas powered ones on a tarmac with an appropriate track / wheel?
@@dmitriiar2178 definitely felt like video game footage with the drone recording!
It's amazing how stable this is at high speed on grass, it's been great to see your snowcat evolutions
First thing I noticed... Other than happiest dogs alive finally giving chase to a worthy adversery XD
it was well built, motors are sync and the board is long enough to reduce the derivation
So insanely quick!!! Definitely the world record. It's mad seeing the plastic start becoming brittle and chipping off in the snow test. I wonder if there's any real solution for that?
Solution: don't use plastic?
Softer/more flexible plastic, or tougher plastic. Something like Nylon.
TPU?
@@ldub0775 ah yes, just add a zero to the cost. The optimal solution.
Polyurethane
I am not into RC/drone stuff at all, super into the tech aspects (the batteries, motor, 3D printed frame, etc) but nothing I’d do irl. But this channel is insane, It’s making me interested in stuff you love just because of how you put these videos together and how much effort you put in
i love how you show the metrics of the screws and the exact driver model and etc. Also your methods of measuring and drilling. It's something a lot of other makers leave out, which makes people like me who want to learn hands-on techniques really frustrating. You give me a better view of how each fragmented piece of knowledge can work together. Thanks whole lot!
The sand issue reminds me of the different approaches the AK-47 and the AR-15 take to handling debris. The AK has lose tolerances so sand can't get stuck anywhere. The AR has tight tolerances but uses those tolerances to keep the interior well sealed off from debris so long as you have a mag in and the dust cover closed. When you do something in between, you get the issues you had with sand scraping the motors.
The AR platform rifle tends to perform better in the muddy and wet environments then the looser tolerance AK style rifles. While the AK performs better in the sand. Both perform pretty awful if you let them get really wet and then freeze though 😂.
@@BodilyFunction I've heard the best thing you can do for freezing conditions is to strip all the lube out so it can't freeze
@@Synergy7Studios it kinda depends on the kind of lube. A bit of oil based lube is ok in some areas but water based lube is no go. It also depends on actual temperatures aswell as just where the water gets to.
@@BodilyFunction I just remember the soldiers in Korea found that their garands ran better in the harsh winters when they ran them dry. Their oil must have had a high freezing point.
@@Synergy7Studios makes sense but also garands are a bit different to ARs.
FYI, you can also use thinned down silicone caulking (with 30+% vinegar, mineral spirits or toluene) as a waterproof coating and it can be removed/doesn't flow into everything quite as much as epoxy. I've seen that done on some outdoor equipment I've dealt with in the past, that had to be repaired onsite. One thing we did though, is use a multimeter on the wet caulking and choose a brand/type that did NOT have any continuity when wet.
There are also hard acrylic conformal coatings designed with high electrical resistance as well.
I've built skid-steered battle-bots and the best upgrade I ever did was adding a steering rate gyro. (just a V-tail mixer and a tail-rotor gyro to start) Took a bot that was a nightmare to drive that never pointed in the right direction and turned it into a drift master.
I think doing the same with the flight-controller software will dramatically improve high speed stability and turning.
Yes! As a bonus, add in pitch control to hold a perfect wheely for max acceleration!
@@ericcmcgraw thats what i was thinking, since he already has an ardupilot install. I THINK Rover has pitch control in one of the modes. I know it has yaw control that countersteers when you get too much roll because I'm using it right now.*
*although it's a little laggy and gets into weird oscillations on rough ground that lead to rollovers anyway
Next Fricken Level!
1 like in 2 weeks
@@FLYBIRDSS I am not here for likes bro.. Ive had as many as Ive needed in my life :) I came here to congratulate a fellow OG UA-camr on a great idea
@@TheRealRCSparks im not hating im just saying...
At 8:47, a dog had the chance to make its dream come true, but instead, it tripped over the world's fastest RC tank.
Dang, that IS fast.
That's what she said
Why the Bible verse?
@@PCrailfan3790some kind of mental disorder
DANG that is FAST
@@YoursUntruly lol
These look fun to race. I'd love to start a racing league with home-made rc vehicles like these. It looks like it'd be super fast but would need a lot of skill and finesse to drive at their limit
Just make sure everyone uses the same motor as the only limitation. And then let them race!
@@AndreyAntonchik Why not open class? Push it to the limit. May the best builder win!
@@pineapplepenappoodlepen while fun, that also quickly becomes "may the builder with the deepest pockets win". Definitely would still want a class with spec limitations in order to get more people to participate.
@@pineapplepenappoodlepen People would just build buggies or truggies similar to what you can buy right now as those are basically proven to be the fastest designs.
Probably too much of a risk but I would love to see you try and drive this across a lake!
Its likely it could stay on top of the water for a short time because it's mad of plastic and the tracks are reasonably wide. Probably not waterproof though...
Some pontoons to keep it afloat to test?
@@Gainn nah, this thing has enough power to skip right on top of the water, I'm not sure how stable it would be. but the speed is more than enough.
@@MrGuliton I'd agree it has the power. The problem is if it stops.
@@Gainn the problem is *when* it stops
@3:10 maybe it doesnt matter or maybe im misunderstanding, but i would slide a hella-thin washer onto the shaft before installing the coupler. That would help eliminate gouging if there is any wonkiness, and reduce any sidewall friction when the wheel is supporting side-loads.
Seemingly small mistakes like epoxy in the usb c slot are the ones that can be the hardest to overcome. Unforseen, unpredictable, and it completely throws the project off the rails until it’s fixed. Sometime you don’t have replacement parts and the fix is going to be a whole project in itself. People don’t appreciate how satisfying it is when you find a good solution to something like that. From the outside it’s nothing, but to the person encountering it, it’s like defusing a bomb you didn’t see coming. Cutting a bit off the end was genius
I laughed like a maniac when it effortlessly popped the wheelie at what seemed to be the max speed prior to the upgrades. Awesome vehicle, very scary as well. I feel we are seeing a battlebot origins story unfolding before us, even if extreme speed may not exactly be a factor in the arena... Perhaps the world is ready for battlebot jousting; then we have a sure winner!
Super cool! Have you tried using 58D TPU for the tracks? Extrudr even has one hard TPU mixed with carbon fibers which should make the tracks semi indestructible.
I think he's using cast tracks and not printed so they sould be plenty strong as is, it's just that hey are too wide to cope with the forces of such high speeds on solid ground, though on deeper snow wich they are designed for they seem to do just fine
Lmao, watch the latest Zach Friedman filament video. That stuff is awful
@@FayezButts Are you talking about the "CF-TPU by SmartMaterials"?
Because that's a completely different filament.
The standard hard TPU from Extrudr is one of my favorite Materials ever.
It's super tough, easy to print and I'm pretty sure that the CF stuff is awesome too.
This chase footage is the best I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them. But then the video goes on to show more awesome fun stuff in snow and sand. Seriously cool stuff.
I know Paul Short from NZ!!! He taught me everything I know about drones as we live in the same area of NZ. Awesome friendly guy to know, knows his drones and electronics through and through!
that one dog is fast as hell, he went counter curve on it and caught up to it twice lol. great video man, this brightened up my day, i needed that
its awesome to see way more uploads. ive still been building ground effects rc planes because of you.
Let’s see some of them!!!
@rctestflight I'm curious how much did this cost you to build this little RC tank?
@@Nightowl5454 easily $1000-$2000
The snowcat series has been amazing to follow along to! Any reason why you aren't doing any more batches of the kit? cost? hassle? - either way, this project has been REALLY cool!
Yeh, really a shame this isn‘t a product you can buy. Maybe outsource the whole packaging and distribution to some rc-company?
I‘d love to build one if I ever find some time to do so..
How much would you pay for this?
@@johnjallen The initial buy in I remember being good value, I would have jumped in if I wasn't tight on cash at the time
Looked faster than 15mph
Maybe you can use the IMU in the ardupilot unit to create a coarse type of ABS, but for acceleration rather than braking. So if the RPM of the motors exceed the vehicle speed by some margin you can forcibly slow them down to maintain traction. I think part of what makes it so hard to control is that if you turn hard right, your left track can lose grip and net you will actually turn left. Traction control could help what that, especially on the ice.
To reduce internal friction you could print the track guides out of a filament composed partly of teflon. There's a couple out there now and supposedly they feel so slick that they almost feel waxy.
I also wonder if you could reduce the air resistance of the snowcat by deflecting the airflow upwards before the treads. Downside would be reduced downforce and therefore traction.
Couple things...
1) I'd love to see some sort of TPU track option, both to further cut noise, as well as making it combatible with concrete, asphalt, and packed clay/dirt
2) can we see if it can hydroplane?
3) that "digging a nest" thing is awesome, and reminds me of a way that fullsize tanks can "bed down" for extra cover and concealment.
Imagine this thing as a remote-operated anti tank mine in a non-permissive enviroment that precluded manual placement... Drive some in manually and then remotely "dig them in" to get them slightly below ground surface... There's plenty of room in the design for a simple pressure pad and an EFP- and the underside of a tank and its tracks are the most vulnerable parts.
You may have accidentally invented an effective anti-armor tool
Mannnn, this thing is awesome! You should totally make a version with rear suspension, either with some small rc car spring or another soft filament wheel. Since the thing is driving almost always in a wheelie I think that have the rear axles dampend will really improve the handeling and make it not flip. Also if you go for a soft filament wheel, the torque will be latend but also released faster, making it so wheelies are easier from a start. Which would be cool in my opinion.
The FPV shots were exhilarating, great show of the speed!
I never heard of a tank so fast it needed a wheelie bar. This is awesome.
An Abrams can run 70mph with it's 1500HP turbine, but it is just a bit heavier.
The M.1000 is pretty nice for what it is. We have a fully kitted out one at work. We don't use it for metal, though. That edge on the aluminum looked rough.
I am amazed that it held together at those speeds, especially the tracks. It was fun to watch. It reminded me of a key wind, rubber tracked, thin sheet metal, crawler tractor I got for Christmas, when I was about eight. I'm 72 now. I carried it to school, thinking I would be the cat's meow with it. I wasn't. Another of my classmates brought a high priced, key wind, race car, which would fly. I was pretty much ignored and laughed at, a little. I took my crawler home and took the flywheel/regulator gear out of the motor. I brought it the following Monday and he brought his race car. My crawler ate him alive. It wasn't as fast as your rig, but it wasn't a slouch either.
Love this series!
Would you have better luck if you could find appropriate rubber tracks?
And swap it to motors as the front to help with weight distribution?
The only issue i see with this is that the side of the track in contact with the ground should be under tension, so a long toothed belt would be needed to transfer the drive from the motors up front to the track drive sprocket at the back.
That said, the track tension could be high enough for it not to be a problem! It worked well in the snow going backwards! 😄
Doggos chasing the snowcat are so cute. They are probably so happy to chase and run at their limit.
did you not see 8:46 ? rip doggo
13:33 are we just going to ignore the "Strongest Shape" he drew in the grass?
thank god someone else saw it too
10:40 Never Dig Straight Down!!!!
If you add skis to the front (rear) it will prevent the digging and keep it riding above the snow. You can also use them to add directional assistance.
I like your calculations for the motor requirements, it pushes a skateboard at 3:1 so direct drive rc should be fast! It’s the best kind of engineering! and I’ve got to say it’d be more than capable of running with most rtr cars too! Some drag or even a flat track racing between cars and the tank would be entertaining!
That thing is seriously insane. Have you ever considered using brush on Silicone conformal coating for your electronics? I have had very good luck with it and one advantage is that if you need to do a component level repair it can even be soldered thru without much trouble. It is much less permanent that the epoxy seems to be. I saw what appears to be a bulldozer on the floor of your shop....hoping I can find a vid of that on your channel now!
That was incredible. The drone shots. Wow!
Those dogs were having a blast. They were zooming around! You make some of the coolest projects.
I'm way late to the party, but I still wanted to do the internet thing and provide a suggestion. Since you're using a flight controller, you can read the gyroscope data. If you have enough room in the chassis, you could add a moving counterweight, controlled automatically by the flight controller, to keep the nose down under acceleration and high speed. Obviously you'll have to make it move quick, but I think it could help. Maybe it would be possible to put the batteries on a sliding tray so you wouldn't actually be adding any weight other than the motor.
Look at the drill bending @ 2:48 😱😱😱😱
I have a suggestion, maybe try out tracks printed in tpu, it would give them a little more durability and wear resistance factor, a little added flexibility as it seems one of the limiting factors are the tracks, so maybe using tpu printed tracks would benefit it, another thing you could do is make little servo controlled downforce wings that pop up at a certain rpm and fit flat and flush to the center of the body and between the tracks so they aren't damaged when not in use in the front and back of the vehicle, it could help with speed and control
The tracks are cast. Idk what exact material they are, but 3d printing will be worse.
Doesn't tp lack stiffness and strength though? I think you could get a lot of mileage out of a dual-extruded composite of tpu and something strong like PC or PA. But maybe figuring out how to make the best gcode to tune the mechanical properties you want is a PhD-worth of work.
@Charles Lambert TPU 3D Printer Filament Definition Explanation (Thermoplastic polyurethane) is a type of flexible and elastic 3D printing filament. Its rubber-like elasticity, resilience, and durability make it suitable for uses requiring impact-absorption and a soft-touch surface.
@VulpeculaJoy they are not cast, they are 3d printed, he shows in previous videos he 3d printed the entire tracks
Man that looks so BRUTAL but yet so FUN!
Strangely the first thing that came to mind when seeing the drone footage were the tentacle monsters (Mimics) from Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise :D
I think the slight upwards angle, sleek "cigar" shape, fast paced filming and especially 2 colored tracks contributed a lot to that.
Also the video was done great with the music and action drone footage!
I hope this takes off like a rocket, creates a new subspecies of vehicle type and will get it's own small community/scene!
I read that as testicle monsters from Mimic😅
Had to re-read it realize what you were talking about 🤦♂️
it looks like that scene at the end of the movie with the water and the damaged plane.
10:14 oh my god as a Floridian who has never touched snow, you don’t want to know how much i want to be in that snowy paradise.
I swear you should look into what it takes to enter into something like BattleBots, you guys have a WICKED Idea for a "Blinding speed" type battlebot build!
You'd be running circles around the competition with this thing! Just toughen everything up, scale it up to the right weight class, make tougher parts, and put a weapon on that thing and you'd probably have one of the fastest track-based battlebots in the series if not the fastest ever!
Put a Vertical spinning blade or spinning drum/barrel weapon on the front in the centre of the thing and just Wreck House!
That was really cool. Great design. I will say that when I design things for 3D printing, I try to put things like ribs or runners on all large surfaces to give them a bit of extra strength.
I dunno if you want to try it, but I'm wondering if the tracks are going fast enough to aquaplane on water. It might be able to cross a pond.
8:47 rip dog's legs
I hope you build a marketable version of this someday. I would pay similar pricing to an XMAXX for this. Serious fun right there
Use the no limit software. Turn the abs cutoff time limit up. Turn battery amps and phase amps up. Turn on field weakening. Also connect nrf51822 for making changes over Bluetooth. Then connect the controllers over canbus so they talk to each other.
Nice video! You should make a 4 motor version to even the weight distribution, widen the tracks some, and lower the track depth a bit. Awesome project!
Awesome! I started to think about centrifugal force, track linkage bearing friction starts to be a thing I guess at this point. Can be reduced by lower track piece weight or some suitable bearing in the track pieces.
Bearings arent possible with all the dirt and sand they fail very quickly, even real tanks and bulldozers dont have bearings in there tracks.
Mechanical roller/ball bearings would not be a good fit for this purpose, but a bronze bushing would fit this purpose very well
@@jonasstahl9826 You're right that the large tracks used on excavators and bulldozers don't have them but the OP's point was about the centrifugal forces tracks experience at significant speeds. Even fairly fast tanks are unlikely to face stress from centrifugal forces that even approach the forces from the usual driving torque acting against the vehicle weight/inertia and a bulldozer clearly _never_ would.. I don't know if bearings are the only solution but I don't buy the idea that sealed bearings couldn't be *a* solution -- if a slightly costly one.
@@whatelseison8970 The problem is the weight of the bearings, if I remember correct each of his tracks has 60 links, you need 2 per links, means for both sides you need 240 bearings.
The cheapest sealed I have found are roughly 0,60€ means 144€ in total. Also the weight lets say there are 10 grams each that makes 2,4kg/ 5 pounds.
You also need enough material thignes to fit the bearing, that makes it even heavier.
Imagine this but full scale. You're a russian soldier just trying to not die because of vladdy and then suddenly a tank with a top speed of 300kmh /180 mph approaches
Crazy fast! Love the drone footage with the dogs running with it
Omg! I just got hit by so much nostalgia! I currently live in North Carolina. During the part in the icy snow i was sitting here thinking "Is that Snoqualmie beside I90?". And then the part at the beach north of the entrance to the locks... That's my home! I miss Seattle. I left for reasons and Seattle isn't the Seattle i grew up with anymore but i still love it. So funny that I've watched multiple of your videos and had a feeling that where you lived seemed very similar to Seattle, but maybe you were in BC or something? Who knows? Alot of places look like alot of other places around the world. But this video answered it for me and that it happened to be where i grew up is awesome.
I'm enjoying this, because Ivan Miranda once built a tank and rode it like a scooter, it was just as fun to watch, especially watching a grown man roll around on a giant toy like vehicle shouting, "tank!"
Love it. It's a scary thing you have there. The part with the dogs, people, and music was beautifully done but, I was flinching pretty well.
Most EXCELLENT ADVERTISING!!!
Absolutely flawless.
My favorite part was watching the dogs have so much fun chasing it lol. Loved that part.
Outstanding build and dronework!! BRAVO
Outstanding achievment and vid !!
Especially the part with soundtrack + DOGGY's !!!
Love onshape! Cant wait to check out the file
Awesome build!! You’re a genius! Super impressive!
This video was really entertaining… I can only imagine how much fun you had making all of this. You get to be in the hobby and here on UA-cam as a content creator at the same time. Pretty fun you should consider yourself so lucky. Anyway it was fun to watch big thumbs up from me
im not in a place that gets much snow, but would this have a practical use in scouting ski tracks?
Awesome build! Next Gotta make another and attach snowboarding boots to them
imagine being on the frontlines of Russia/Ukraine and instead of a drone you see this thing rushing towards you
This thing looks like the Tasmanian Devli from Lonely Tunes when it goes throug the deep snow :). Awesome build!
That is so cool and fast. Oh and Scary!
Hilarious when the dogs were chasing it on the field .
Is there any specific reason not to use a gimbal BLDC motor for the tracks?
I would prefer not to print the gears you use, and I already have two iPower GM5208-12 bldc motors
Definitely a ankle snapper😂😂, kudos for the drone pilot too,👍👍👏
Subscribed purely because you listed out every part. Really makes me want to go fabricate something.
AMAZING! awesome build and i love how RC cars double as exercise machines for dogs.
I swear this has become my favorite UA-cam videos. I respect the brain power you would need to do everything he does. I love it
Damnnnn you did hell of a work there 🎉
I loved when you dribbled those dogs there😂
11 year old me says my 80s tyco fast traxx got you bro. 44 year old me wonders if 11 year old me had a true frame of reference for speed. I swear that thing went 30mph. Some impressive kit you've built there.
I would recommend getting a small Round File for taking down the burrs inside your metal tubes after cuts. Im sure you dont NEED to do that. But it would be something nice to clean up the edges and to help prevent cutting yourself on them randomly.
8:50 the dogs chasing them were so cute
Dude, the dogs had the best day of their lives there.
that snow at 16:00 is really fun with a really fast car and paddle tires
Ahtrack-ted all the kids and dogs in town.
Nice build. Thanks for sharing.
Weekend Stuff
I started working on a tank a couple of years ago. Wish I had your resources 😢. I was using a dc esc with dc to dc boost converter. I had a problem getting it to go backwards.
I like how committed the dogs were to chasing the snowcat 😂
This thing is super cool. As a kid, one of my favorite Christmas presents was a “Fast Traxx” RC car, I loved that thing. This is like the grown up version of that lol
Curious, how did you determine the dimensions/proportions? Aka why not make it longer for more stability? Or wider?
Drone, RC, dogs, people... awesome 🔥
Awesome! I had to add a spoiler to my glow powered air boat/ice runner to keep it from flipping.
you could place a cover over the track to reduce the speed to air instead of reducing tread width, though it clearly makes it single sided. a whale-tail and putting the motors on the front might do for the flipping problem.
So much fun to watch! Seems like you entertained the dogs and the whole neighbourhood quite well 😄
If he hit a goose the goose would probably just explode
How did you work out the speed differentials between the left and right sided tracks? Just curious.
Dogs got a hell of a work out!
Not sure if someone has said this yet, but move 1 motor ( and battery if running 2 batteries) up front. Relocate the controler board to the center too ballance it out.
That's so cool....!
What about adding fins or spoilers to keep it pressed to the ground?
Snow cats usually have tails. maybe yours can also be done so that it does not roll over when moving quickly, and if you still work, then the tail could help turn. Like the rudders of a ship. A tail that would drag behind the cat on the snow/ground.
Long time viewer, just payed for your bandcamp tunes, love your stuff!!