BETTER M-MOTOR MOUNTS, MORE TRACTION, NO CHAIN TENSIONER, MORE PRECISE STEERING...
See the photo gallery to see how the enhancements were done.
5. The two elastics that acted as a clutch were replaced by a rubber belt that was cut off an old bicycle tire. It provides less elastic tension and more grip. Therefore it acts more like a standard LEGO clutch. It starts to slip only when it is needed and it forms a more firm connection of the steering M-motor to the steering shaft. The rubber belt is also much more durable than elastics and it will last for days instead of 1/2 an hour.
4. Better traction was needed to prevent wheels spinning when driving over an obstacle or a ticker edge.
3. The chain tensioner was not needed anymore and it was removed to lessen the mechanical drag on the chain transmission. In fact, it turned out that it was not the drive chain stretching, but rather the M-motor axle bending problem that made the chain jump...
2. Drive chain was moved closer to the mounts to prevent it jumping over the cogs teeth and the annoying rattling noise was gone.
1. Drive M-motor mounts were completely rebuilt to give maximum support to the motor axle and prevent the axle from bending when a maximum drive power was applied.
When electronics started to work flawlessly and 6 AA type 1.2 V accumulator batteries enabled much more precise speed and steering control, it was time to do some mechanics redesign. Though it might seem trivial, mechanics may greatly influence how LEGO remote controlled truck runs on a rough surface. Quite some mechanical enhancements were needed to get the truck run smoothly:
Better M-motor mounts. Click on the photo to enlarge it.
New M-motor mounts : Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Quad bike rear tires for better traction. Click on the photo to enlarge it.
A bicycle tire rubber belt instead of elastics makes an excellent clutch : Click on the photo to enlarge it.