Ok the shorting out issue with the Z... most Z owners are relying on the POWER switch to protect the car this is a BAD THING!!!
This is because the power switch does not disconect the batteries from the circut board, this is a HORIBLE design flaw... however I think they did it this way because a micro switch "might", but likely wont, cause more resistance, but the switch is on the circut any way so who cares...
I have been pondering over doing this, but I dont feel like soldering things to my board, but I might have too soon any way as the rest of my wires are loosing threads rapidly now and the coppy is discolored wich is bad for resistance purposes... gota find better (silicon) wire to replace it with.
Any way...
My concept starts by removeing the 2 white wires on the PCB, the ones that goto the switch, and just short this out, or just run one of the white wires to the solder point of the other and remove the 2nd. This removes teh ON OFF switch the Mini-Z has.. and puts it in a permanently ON state... not enough to fix the problem yet.
To allow it to turn on and off, I plan to replace the switch with a larger multi pronged, 2 channel, switch, basicly it will have 6 solder terminals on the bottom, 2 for the + and 2 for the - of the batteries... the other 2 would just not be used for the off possition. Then a wire from the switch to the PCB...
This is how most higher quality things are designed... then when its OFF the batteries are LITERALY disconnected from the car... and touching the antena to the battery terminal will do NOTHING, touching it to the motor terminal will do NOTHING... however if you were to touch it to 2 battery terminals at once you would short out your batteries, but not harm the circut board... its only 99% fool proof .
You could still leave the original switch on board, but it would serve little purpose.
This is how I think the Z should have been designed....
what about just using the current switch and using your first step with the white wires. then cut the red wire and connect it to the current switch so only the positive is switched on and off? wouldn't that serve the same purpose without any expense or added wires and work.
Not realy cuz antenna can still touch a battery terminal and follow through the "other" wire... If the switch can handle the amps... (I wasn't sure it could, reason I used a bigger switch) I will likely take 2 switches similar to Mini-Z ESC switch in the future, so I can always leave one on... thats under the body, and put one were the stock switch goes, but one will open close batteryRED, and the other will open close battery BLACK... this way it will act and feel like a normal Z.. not having to take body off to turn it on/off... and when the bodie does come off, i can swtich off the 2nd switch, wich would be the "safey" switch... or ill just keep the stock switch and make the safety switch cut both red/black wires as this one does now, this is more likely... hehe.
Hmm guess its time to get out the 4 way micro jumper I have.. and use two for the battery, one for the lights, and one for whatever else..
drac, why don't you just split the black jumper wire that goes from the opposite sets of battery and put the switch inline iwth that? seems like it'd be alot easier.
Brian
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American Mini-Z Racing Association
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