Full Throttle

Latest Happenings At Misbehavin-RC

Welcome to "Full Throttle". This is the newest section of my site, and is where I'll list my comments and thoughts on items I've recently purchased and are using, as well as anything happening of interest on the site. Sort of a site update and behind the scenes all rolled into one. So if you're looking to see what's going on with me or my site, this should be your first stop.

Behind The Scenes

A few weeks ago I converted the site over from .html to .asp. This allowed me to remove some of the duplicate and similar articles for different vehicles, and just have one copy that is shared between them. When a page is requested the server now builds the webpage based on what you're asking for, and applies it to the specific RC vehicle you requested. All of this is done before the page is even sent to your browser, so compatibility is not a problem. Your browser never even sees anything but the .html code for that page, even though the actual .asp coding I have done on the site is much larger.

While someone browsing the site may not notice a difference, I sure will from an administration standpoint. From now on I should have to perform less maintenance to update or create an article. Considering that the site is pushing over 120MB and has several hundred actual web pages that means a lot for me. The big benefit will be with maintaining the menus and navigation bars. All that is now contained in one file, rather than in each of the previously mentioned files. I did have one person question why I didn't just use frames. Frames are good solution at times, but they also have their bad side. For the best compatibility, tables are the way to go. Plus with frames you should still create a tabled version of the site anyway, for those who can't view frames. So when done correctly, frames really don't simplify things at all, but rather make things much more complex as you actually have to then maintain two web sites.

At any rate, the only area you may notice a difference is with old links. Anything ending in .html is no longer valid. However I've tried to ease the pain as much as possible in that department as well, by creating a custom 404 page. When you try and go to a dead link the server takes the dead link and gives it back to you with it's guess as to your intended location. Once again, just like with the rest of the site, all of this is done with .asp scripting. In most cases this will work and the returned URL will get you to the correct page. However in some cases, such as links send to certain online e-mail services, it may not. For an example of this try the following link for the Electric Stampede-Airing Tires article: http://misbehavin-rc.com/pit-lane/airing-tires/es-airing-tires.html. The error page should give you a link sending you to the new page's location.

During this process, I have came across several other areas that had mistakes or contained dead links. As these were discovered I have fixed them. However, even with all the proofing I have performed, there's still a good possibility that I've missed something. So if you encounter any errors, please drop me an e-mail at eric@misbehavin-rc.com, and let me know a little about what you found. Details such as exactly where you where at and the vehicle you were viewing the article for helps greatly in resolving the problem.

New Features

Now that I have switched from .asp to .html, I've been able to incorporate a few interactive tools on the site. You'll now find a calculator to help you mix your nitro and oil and to calculate speed based upon the results of a 100 foot test. You can compare up to 3 gearing ratios at a time with the gearing comparison page, for the Electric Stampede and Rustler. All of this is made possible by the .asp scripting that is performed in the background. All of this could have been accomplished before using other means. However, with the recent change it seemed like a natural time for me to incorporate them into the site.

Latest Purchases

For anyone following any upgrades I've done on the T-Maxx, all my new stuff is working great. I did run into a small problem with the JR XS3 receiver, as it was bad out of the box it seems. So my first run with the new radio was short-lived. The good news was that my LHS promptly swapped it out with a new unit. This was actually done through the LHS and didn't involve JR's warranty procedure, so your LHS may or may not have been willing to do this under similar circumstances. In my case I spend enough there that they know me by name, and as my wife says, can probably sense my arrival before I even walk in the door. I never regretted the choice of the JR XS3, because I knew even if the LHS wouldn't have swapped the receiver for me, JR's three-year warranty would cover replacement.

My Integy Piggyback shocks seem to be holding up rather well since I've installed them. These things are built very well from what I've seen, and there's a definite cool factor involved with them even though I can't see where there would be much of a difference with the piggyback reservoir over standard aluminum shocks. The screw-type preload adjuster is nice as well, as it prevents me from having to fumble through my toolbox looking for plastic clips.

The only downside I've had with these shocks is the waiting period in which it took me to receive them. I had to wait several weeks while they were on backorder with one of the suppliers my LHS uses. From what I have seen this happens with certain Integy parts sometimes, especially their shocks. In the end though it was worth it. My LHS was able to save me a nice bit of cash over what I would have paid if I would have bought them directly. Direct from Integy these shocks cost $120.00, but I only ended up paying $95.00 through my LHS.

I guess my next upgrade will more than likely be replacing the stock suspension arms with the ones offered by RPM. I imagine I'll stay with black, as I don't really care for the colored ones. It's just hard to deny how tough the RPM replacements are, and even if you break them, RPM will replace them free of charge. Not a bad deal at all, especially considering they are only a few dollars more than the stock Traxxas pieces.

Until next time, keep on bashin'!!!

Recent Updates

• Mixing Nitro and Oil
• Speed Calculator
• Gearing Comparision and Calculator Electric Rustler and Electric Stampede
• Traxxas electric motor RPM chart
• M. Troniks ESC's
• UtahRC.net Links Added To Forums and Misc