Traxxas is well-known for releasing tons of upgrades and choice elements for his or her ever-growing lineup of RC autos. We just lately obtained our fingers on the non-obligatory LED gentle equipment for the Traxxas Sledge and figured it’d be nice to element the set up course of and our total ideas on the equipment.

Instruments
As with every modification or DIY work, you’re going to wish to put aside the proper instruments for the job earlier than you get began. The Traxxas Sledge gentle equipment is comparatively easy to put in, so all you’ll actually need is these few primary objects: a 2mm and a 2.5mm hex driver, a tapered physique reamer, a interest knife with a pointy blade, a small pin vise with 2mm drill bit, some curved physique scissors, and a small pair of flush cutters.

Eradicating The Interior Body
Step one within the set up course of is to take away the interior body from the Sledge physique. The cool factor about this truck is it makes use of a singular physique mounting system that eliminates the necessity for conventional physique posts and makes use of an progressive interior body clip system as a substitute. The primary a part of this body must be eliminated so as to make the required modifications which can be required to put in the LED gentle equipment. It is a easy course of and solely requires the usage of your 2.5mm hex driver. Take away screws beginning the place the mid-section meets the entrance and proceed all the best way again in direction of the tip till you lastly take away the rear physique clips and rear skid plates.

Simple Templates
To make set up even simpler, Traxxas features a sheet of pre-cut, pre-marked sticker templates to be utilized to the elements of the physique that want trimming. I discovered this sheet to be the right materials, seeming to be constructed from high-quality physique masking tape. The markings on every template are clear and concise, and line up properly with current holes and reference factors. A caveat to that is that I did discover placement of the second template, the one which goes on the entrance bumper, to be a slight bit finicky, however in the end this didn’t actually affect the general set up course of.

Reduce By Numbers
I began with template #1, the one which goes on high of the physique. Traxxas’ directions referred to as for putting this template on the surface of the physique, however I opted to position it inside as a substitute. It is because any time there may be even somewhat little bit of slicing or trimming concerned, I choose to not probably harm the surface of the physique. Inserting the template on the within means if my hand slips or I mark one thing incorrectly, it solely impacts the within of the shell.

Inserting template #1 was easy utilizing the pre-existing physique holes and clearly marked directional orientation on the decal. Traxxas ingeniously designed these templates by marking preset holes the place you are supposed to use your physique reamer. This technique of slicing ensures you could have precisely the proper placement of the cutouts and corners and likewise makes it very easy to get the physique scissors in place for the remainder of the trimming.

Every time I exploit a physique reamer, I wish to make a pilot gap first. I did this with the pin vise and 2mm drill bit, utilizing the middle level that was pre-marked on the template. After reaming out the marked holes, I scored the lengthy edges with my interest blade. Much like the best way I minimize a physique from scratch, this scoring makes it simple to snap the items away, leaving a pleasant, clear minimize behind. After scoring with the blade, I went in with the curved scissors and minimize from finish to finish, which left me with sufficient materials to bend and break free on the rating marks.

Templates 2 and three had been a mixed course of for becoming the entrance LED piece. As I discussed earlier, template #2 is usually a little tough to use. I first eliminated the unique grille decal and made positive the floor was good and clear. Becoming template #2 required aligning it inside the bounds of a really particular area on the bumper. This was the tough half, as there aren’t any arduous edges or physique holes to make use of for reference like we had with template #1. I aligned the template as greatest I might and minimize out the holes. After my cuts I noticed my template alignment was barely off. If this occurs to you, don’t fear about it an excessive amount of—it ended up not being an enormous difficulty.

Utilizing the holes we simply minimize with template #2, it’s time to position template #3. I discovered that referencing the principle strains on the bumper and grille, in addition to the holes we simply made, was the important thing to success with correct placement of template #3. The primary objective of this step is to make an oblong minimize within the entrance bumper for the entrance LED panel to sit down in. So long as you retain this in thoughts and take note of the place that bumper piece will in the end sit, putting the template ought to make sense. Much like my course of for template #1, I used my pin vise for pilot holes, completed the holes with the physique reamer, and used the mixture of the interest knife and physique scissors to attain and break free the fabric. All in all a easy course of, solely requiring elimination of a small bit of fabric.

Reassembly Is the Reverse of Disassembly
As with many educational guides, reassembly is the reverse of disassembly, besides on this case we’re including our new parts to the truck physique. I first began by putting in the entrance LED piece. The outer part slots into the minimize we made within the entrance bumper, whereas the rear piece attaches to it from the within, successfully clamping it to the physique’s entrance finish. There’s a lengthy, skinny wire coming from the outer LED panel. Make certain to string this wire via the cutout and go away it apart for now.

Subsequent up, we have to reinstall the physique body. That is precisely the reverse of disassembly. I reinstalled all of the eliminated screws, ranging from the entrance and dealing my means again. For the mid-section, we’re putting in the brand new high LED rack. That is new materials and lacks threading for the screws, so take care to screw them into the rack slowly however certainly. You solely want to use a small little bit of strain to get the screws seated accurately; they may do the remainder of the work. Identical to the entrance piece, there might be some wiring coming from the highest. Make certain these wires aren’t getting pinched and go away them apart for the subsequent step.

Hooking It Up
With the physique body reinstalled and the brand new parts in place, it’s time to sort out the wiring. Route the entrance wire alongside the interior physique body, zip-tying the place wanted. The LED management module is designed to mount seamlessly within the top-center portion of the physique body. Earlier than screwing it into place, hook up every of the 4 wires coming from the LED parts. These wires are color-coded to match their corresponding ports within the management module, making it tremendous easy to hook up every lead. As soon as the wires are securely linked, mount the management module to the pre-existing holes within the physique body. And that’s it, the work on the physique is completed. We solely have yet another step to go, and that’s putting in a wire adapter to the ESC.

Absolutely Related
To put in the included wire adapter, begin by eradicating the highest panel of the ESC in addition to the middle aluminum chassis brace. As soon as the ESC high cowl is eliminated you will note the port that the adapter hooks as much as towards the within of the unit. Place the adapter via the highest panel in order that the connector sits with the little notch sticking outward. Rigorously place the highest cowl again on the ESC and tighten up the duvet screws. The wire adapter coupler is designed with a cutout particularly to slip over the chassis brace. Rigorously slip the chassis brace via this cutout and slide the brace again into place. Pull up the wire slack, zip-tie it to the coupler, and reinstall the chassis brace screws. And that’s it, we’re executed.

Seeing the Gentle
Now that it’s all put in, we are able to merely join the wire from the physique to the coupler put in on the ESC. I like this design as a result of it’s so easy, but so efficient. The connector slots into the coupler with ease, sitting good and safe, but it stays simply detachable. I additionally admire the care that Traxxas took with their consideration to element on how effectively the principle management wire was shrink-wrapped and guarded, eliminating any considerations about wiring getting tangled or torn.

As soon as the management unit is linked, merely plug within the batteries and energy on the truck. The management unit has a button to toggle between a number of completely different brightness settings, and would possibly I say that these suckers are vibrant! Each the highest and backside LED bars output a ton of sunshine, whereas the rear has that good crimson glow, so that you’ll know which means is which even within the darkest of settings. The sunshine output from this equipment is an actual recreation changer for anybody who likes to exit and bash at evening. Even when bashing in absolutely lit skateparks and parking heaps, the truck will nonetheless profit from the added gentle from this equipment.

Remaining Ideas + Impressions
The Traxxas Excessive-Output LED gentle equipment for the Sledge is great. Not solely did Traxxas make it simple to put in, the extent of high quality of the product itself is second to none. The way in which the system installs, how simple it’s to attach, and the way simple it’s to function and regulate make it a no brainer improve for anybody looking for to boost their very own Traxxas Sledge. The high-intensity gentle output mixed with the system’s simplicity make it an ideal all-around improve. When you too wish to see the sunshine with your personal Sledge, I like to recommend you snag certainly one of these kits for your self. As all the time thanks for studying, I’ll catch you within the subsequent one.

Traxxas Excessive-Output Off-Highway Gentle Package for Sledge
P/N#: 9690
MSRP: $99.95
traxxas.com

Textual content and Photos by Lauren Brief