Welcome to the Information Page for Dash Inlines.

While I'm excited about these chassis, I need to 'temper' peoples expectations on what these are, and what they're not.  There are also some very critical things that as a buyer, you need to know.

This page will be used to explain the design behind this series of chassis, how to take them apart and reassemble them, what to do and what not to do if you want to replace or upgrade the motor, how to adjust the traction magnets,

 

How does this differ from other chassis that use 'the same' can motors?

This chassis uses a unique motor mounting system.  Unlike other chassis that use a similar motor and where those motors are soldered into place, this chassis uses a removable bulkhead that forms the electrical bridge between the shoe hangers and the motor terminals.  This is needed because the motor is very narrow and the terminals will not reach the shoe hanger stampings, and electricity would not reach the motor..  So the solution is to either solder the motor in place, or create an electrical bridge.

 

I opted for this setup because I wanted to offer a chassis that had a motor that could be easily 'replaced/swapped out', allowing for easy upgrades or replacement.

Although the motor can be replaced, there are some limitations. The replacement motor needs to have the same physical dimensions, along with a shaft that is long enough for the pinion to reach the crown.

 

Parts of I-Dash-TJ

 

 

Rear axle assembly - 29mm straight non splined axle, 23t crown, Dash Tuff Ones rear wheels and tires.

Front axle assembly - 29mm straight 'nail' allowing independent front wheels, Dash Tuff Ones front wheels, O ring tires.

Motor Clamp - Standard T-Jet clamp, keeps motor from rotating. The clamp is not essential but because the motor doesn't use an 'anchoring point' like the Mega G+, and it's not soldered in place, the motor can rotate a bit.  The clamp  prevents this from happening.

Chassis frame - Top and bottom views which shows that the tubes for the traction magnets, run the full height of the chassis.  Magnets can be moved inside these tubes to adjust traction to your preference.  Magnets are 3mm in height and diameter, level 52. 

Shoe hangers, springs and shoes - The chassis are equipped with Dash made parts but can use similar matching parts by Tomy, BSRT, Viper.  Springs are .008".  Shoes are phosphor bronze.

Bulkhead, electrical bridge - the hole fits over the endbell end of the motor.  Each side is wrapped in highly conductive copper tape and when in place between the motor and the shoe hangers, forms the electrical bridge to get electricity to the motor.  Without this, the motor would need to be soldered into place.  This part makes it possible to do quick motor swaps.

(it has been suggested, and I already thought of this ages ago, to use double sided PC board...  The problem is you still need to bridge the front and the back of the board to form the continuous connection.)

Motor w/pinion - 'N20' motor, rated conservatively for 12V, can operate this chassis up to 20 volts.  Happiest at 15 to 18 volts.  Carbon Brushes.  Copper terminals, can be 'brittle' and can snap off.  Do not try to bend these.  Pinion is 7t and the shaft hole runs the length of the gear allowing for ideal pinion placement.  Motor dimensions are 12mm W x 10mm H x 15mm L.  Motor shaft is 8mm long.  This is important if you need to replace the motor, you'll need the same motor dimensions and a similar length shaft.

 

What do I need to know about the motor?

 

This motor is what is referred to as a 'N20' motor, which is the same size as the motor that is used in chassis lie the AFX Mega G+ and the Jag DK4.  The body dimensions are 12mm W x 10mm H x 15mm L.  The shaft is approximately 8mm long.

Our motor is 10 ohm, conservatively rated to run at 12V. We have tested this motor running to 20 volts. 

Our traction mags are Level 52, which add considerable load to the motor.  I would recommend 15 to 18 volts to avoid any issues with the motor getting hot.  This motor uses carbon brushes, not the metal 'feeler' brushes, which allows it to carry more current and last longer.  

You might notice an increase in performance as the motor brushes break in and conform to the motor comm.

 

Here are pics of the motor endbell which shows the motor terminals.  The first pic shows the motor with the terminals straight out of the endbell.  In order to use our system for easy replacement of the motor, we created a motor mount which forms an electrical bridge between the motor and the shoe hagers.

In order for this to happen, teh motor terminals need to be folded down to the endbell.  This is what you see in picture 2.

 

In picture 3, you see the addition of a silver material to the terminals.  This is a conductive epoxy and it's applied to the terminals to help prevent then from breaking off.  These terminals are not very flexible and the can break off if you try to rebend them.  If the terminals break off the motor will be useless since not enough of the terminal will be available to make contact with the motor mount.

Original Motor

Motor with the terminals folded down

Terminals 'sealed' with silver epoxy.

This helps prevent the terminals from breaking off. 

 

If you have no reason to take this chassis apart (you aren't replacing the motor, or replacing the shoe hangers, etc), it is STRONGLY SUGGESTED that you not take the chassis apart.  The terminals of the stock motor are prone to breaking off at the base and taking the motor in and out increases the chance of that happening.  If that happens, there will not be enough terminal area to form the electrical connection and the chassis may not run.

 

Does the motor need oil?

Yes.  But oil sparingly.  A little goes a long way.  The endbell (the green part) is where the brushes are and there is a really tiny hole to oil the shaft. Do not over oil in this area because there is the possibility that over oiling will get oil on the brushes.  This is not a good thing.

On the other end is where the shaft comes out and there is a tiny brass bushing that will need oil occasionally.  Again, it's easy to over oil these areas. Be careful.

Both areas where you need to oil, are accessible without having to remove the motor.

 

Motor Mount - The motor mount (bulkhead) is the key to this setup.  Without this, the motor would need to be soldered in place.  The reason is that the motor terminals are not far out enough to the sides of the endbell to reach the shoe hangers.  So this motor mount forms the electrical bridge between the motor and the shoe hangers.

Each side of the motor mount is wrapped in conductive copper tape.  I tried conductive paint and it wore off too easy.  So for the time being, I'm going with the tape until I find a better solution.  As such, this works great as it is, it just looks a bit odd.

The tape also helps add some bulk to the motor mount and helps to ensure a solid connection.

The motor mount does not need to lie completely flat against the endbell.  In fact, it probably can't because the terminals take up some of that room.  So if there is a slight 'bow' to the motor mount (as viewed from the top) that's OK.

 

Gear ratio - the pinion is 7 teeth and the crown is 23 for a 3.28 gear ratio. 

 

What bodies can best be used with this? Because of the height of the motor, the axles sit up much higher in this chassis than they do in a regular t-jet, or even a TFX.  The bodies that fit this chassis the best are bodies that have 'open' wheel wells. 

Dash makes a number of bodies that fit this chassis well with little to no trimming needed. 

Bodies that fit with no modification include:

- Cheetah

- Ghia

- Bug

- Aston

- Mc Laren

- Camaro 

 

The older Cobra and re-release (soon) of the Cobra needs the screw posts to be trimmed to lower the body to fit right.

The Dash 55 Chevy needs a .75mm shim in the rear to provide tire clearance.  No body mods are required.

The 2 bodies that Jag Hobbies makes to fit the TR-3 can also be used without modification.

Bodies that require that you either jack the body up in the rear or dremel out the wheel wells are almost anything by Model Motoring and many AW bodies.  Anything with wheel wells that are not 'open'.

The Jag TR-3 chassis  and I-Dash-TJ are similar in this respect where you either 'jack it or hack it' to make certain bodies fit, unless you like the bodies to sit high off the ground and look cartoonish.  This is all because of the location of the axles.

 

Wheel options - Chrome 5 Spoke wheels coming in a few months. We need to make a longer splined axle for use with these.

THIS IS IMPORTANT!

If the wheels on the chassis that are for sale are the 'Dash Tuff Ones' style, then the axle being used is a 29mm non splined axle.

The axles on these chassis that are being sold 2/17 are the 29mm non splined axles and can only be used with the 'Dash Tuff Ones' wheels. 

Other Dash wheels, including the Chrome 5 spokes, Turbines and Deep Dish need a different axle.  The non splined axle WILL NOT WORK with the non 'Tuff Ones' wheels.  They will fall off.

 

Adjustable traction mags - The traction magnets sit in tubes that run the entire height of the chassis,  They fit snugly but they can be moved up and down to tailor your magnets for the desired traction. .

 

Off the shelf parts can be used - front end electricals like AFX, BSRT or Viper shoe hangers, springs and shoes., N20 '10x12' motors, similar to Jag DK4 motor and AFX Mega G + (check shaft length).  This uses a standard T-Jet guide pin.

 

Independent Front End - when the 'Tuff Ones' wheels are used.  Not available with chrome wheels because they are closed hub.

  

Issues you might have with these chassis

- body fitment for bodies with non open wheel wells

- terminals breaking off of the motor and not making the connection

- shoe hangers 'floating'

- burrs in the hanger openings

Videos

- How to remove the motor

 

- How to Install a motor 

- Important considerations when replacing or upgrading a motor in a Dash Inline