ok, im going to limit this info to here on LSF only for the time being. need to do some more testing, but i though i would give you all here some info on the mod i have been doing.
Goal is to eliminate battery box, and increase power a small bit with extended runtimes.
Im modding a 3S LiFe pack to fit the bike while maintaining balance, function, and increaseing performance and ground clearance.
one thing i really didnt care for with the DX450, is the way the battery box limited down travel and would toss you about if you landed a good jump. so i got to looking at it and the setup, and determined i could fit a 3S LiFe pack in it. I got ahold of Kent at Killer RC and he was kind enough to supply me cell measurements so i could decide if they would fit or not. according to the size of the cells, and the room available for them, it looked like it would work, but would be SNUG! So i ordered 3 cells and Kent shipped them out right away with everything i would need to make a pack. 3 cells, ample shrink wrap and a balance tap for my charger.
So i pulled the stock esc and mounting plate. and generally escavated the inner area. played with setup and layout a bit, and decided the only way it will work is to make the pack into an "L" shape, then use the hollow area for the Mtroniks Genesys Pro ESC i have here to use. its a great ESC, but a bit big. If anyone decides to try this mod, should i yield good results, i would suggest you use a CC Mamba Max or MM Pro. their should be room for one to fit and not be as snug as the Genesys Pro is. For our UK/Euro guys, Mtroniks makes a nice ESC for bikes that would fit perfectly and is water proof to boot. is one of the reasons i wanted to use the Genesys esc because the MTroniks ESCs are waterproof.
while test fitting the cells, i found i would need to move 2 of the cross members in the front of the motor mount area, back so they were just above the front edge of the motor. this was needed to allow the cells, as well as the esc to fit deep in the frame cavity, right up to the motor. i also removed the bottom cross braces that would of been in the battey box. i made new mounting holes, and used some axial 55mm cross braces and a 2mm small brass bushing i had to mount 2 new cross braces to open up the "Motor" cavity. after a couple nights of fitting and adjusting, i got it all to fit.
the finale setup of the 3S LiFe and the ESC is in the pic above. as you can see, their is no battery box, so i have full travel full to bottom and no box to interfere.
I have to run it yet. i tried to get a run with the stock controller, but it was just not adjustable enough on the throtle. the throtle was almost instant. last night and this am, i installed one of my Nomadio Rxs and went thru and reprogrammed everything.
power is much more controllable now. its kind of crappy out today, but im hopeing to get a few test runs over the weekend on it. I go back to work monday, so time will be limited to after work in the hotel room.
in most the pics. you ll see the esc i was test fitting is the EZRun 35A esc. it doesn't have the power needed. but the 60A esc may be a better option and may work pretty good. its the same size as the 35a in the pics, just does more power. nice option is they are 60ish bux, and also waterproofed from the factory. they also have an on/off switch, one thing the Mtroniks are missing imho.
testing the fit
Profile shot
close up
Finale setup is just slightly different than this one.
Feigao 4643KV motor with a 15t pinion
you can see the new cross members here. i moved the top one back another 5mm from this pic
more after i find out if it works well or not. lol
T
