Can I build a SPRING SMASHER for under $150??

[@jsf74]

While your engineering knowledge surpasses mine by leaps and bounds i feel you present stuff in a intelligent but understandable manner. Absolutely love the videos please keep doing what you do!!! Much respect sir.

[@jeffwooton7138]

Genius, pure genius. Although I'm purely a stock car guy, I love late model racing, and learning about them. To me, late models are complicated street stocks. With what you do, and what the Carpenters are doing with their Kryptonite cars, yall make it fun again. Please keep it up. Racing should be fun, not a challenge to see who can burn through $100's faster.

[@nathansimpson5848]

Was just discussing the price tag associated with spring smashers with my driver, and we discussed building one ourselves. Great info!

[@dantonodell]

#done As a fellow racer and engineer it drives me crazy how much there is out there that doesn’t make your car faster! Just more expensive toys to help a chassis builder make something simple complex. Keep doing what your doing and I’m glade I could support in a little way!

[@RelicArms]

Man thank you for saying it like it is. I too have always been amazed at the guys that confuse wheel load w simple spring load. Even professional guys in the industry who will recommend a smash load rating with no consideration for motion ratios and mounting locations. Keep up the awesome work! Gained a Sub from me for sure!

[@bad12jr]

Thought I was subscribed after the straight axle video. I was not but am now. Working on building a cheaper one to put in my trailer. Dad has a little fancier but still simple one I use currently but having to run between shops sucks. Working on intergrating a raspberry pi and Arduino into the design for graphing and instrumentation. Glad to come across your video. Completely forgot about most load cells being 150% rated. Saves me $100 by going with the load cell you used vs the 3000lb I was looking at. Thanks for the great information.

[@markbrown4959]

I used a scissor jack and built 2 years ago. But mine can sit on top of a bench and the top is adjustable for the longer or shorter spring setups. 👍

[@jefft1978]

The mad scientist of dirt racing, damn genius

[@seandowker8009]

Awesome build. Stopping off at the bank for some dimes was a nice touch.

[@nuntc_nt]

AK always coming in with the knowledgeable, well edited videos 🔥

[@danielgouin3910]

I love watching your videos and learning some stuff along the way. I’m currently designing my own spring smasher using almost all the same parts as in this video, thanks for laying it all out for me! You’re a treasure 🥰. Sub’d and got a shirt and hat coming, now let me know when I can come pick up that smasher 🤙🏼.

[@wolfemotorsports27]

Could you go into more in-depth instructions on how you programmed the readout for the load cell? I ordered the stuff to start on one today and I just want to know which buttons and In which sequence to hit to make it read correctly

[@AKracecars]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aafHk4WCjrOsfbssi=OrudBZOCRDyevrGl Check this video out

[@CBrittain21xR]

Thats amazing, I would love to build one. I have the confidence in building the structure part, but as far as tech part, I would be screwed. It would literally just be a smasher not reading anything lol. If you would program it for me, I would build it. Great video. Love seeing you post and also on the track

[@AKracecars]

There’s no programming! Literally just hit some buttons on that chip. You can do it

[@CBrittain21xR]

@@AKracecars Awesome man, I had it on the screen when I was rolling home. I will get more in depth on your video and notes and hopefully have one built by next season. Thanks man!

[@seanw2216]

Another good video would be you building a load stick using that load cell just an idea thanks for taking the time to make these videos it really helps

[@AKracecars]

Yep would be super easy. Lead screw, lead nut, heims, same load cell, same HX711 chip, and a short piece of tubing 👍🏻

[@michaelcrouch1779]

As a scale technician of 10 years (I deal with load cells every day), I love the ingenuity of the load sensing porting of this! I will say I would be weary of the accuracy of that setup, 1 being high quality S beam cells are generally a few hundred dollars. Using the phone as the excitation to the load cell would concern me as the m/V output of the load cell linearly scales with excitation voltage, I’d wonder if the phone would provide a steady voltage.

[@AKracecars]

With a full Wheatstone bridge, (which an S type is) variance in input voltage shouldn’t effect the reading, as it will effect all 4 legs of the bridge equally. I’ve been impressed with the accuracy of this cell after thoroughly testing it, and is well within our very wide tolerance range (+/- 10lbs). I’m sure what you work with requires much higher accuracy and thus, accommodations must be made!

[@michaelcrouch1779]

@@AKracecarsI’m sure we could figure out a way to verify it with one of our calibrated load if you’re interested in that! I’d love to see how well it does

[@schoonymopar]

I wish you would make a video on just programming the load cell , I bought the set up to build a spring smasher but there is no info on setting up the system

[@AKracecars]

@@schoonymopar KZbin: HX711 Weight Scale Display how to calibrate and how to use ENGLISH

[@schoonymopar]

@@AKracecars thanks

[@zachgibson6412]

If you want to get into .001" accuracy. I bet you could "repurpose" a set of dial or digital calipers and fix to a braket that travels with the ram. Granted, cheaper calipers are less accurate than a more expensive set. But much more accurate and easier to use than the tape.

[@NorthernFabandMachineLLC]

On the scale how do you know you are in lbs and not KG? I made a load stick and have it all wired, just wondering if I put 200lbs on it that sets the range and I dont have to convert?

[@AKracecars]

The unit of measurement doesn’t matter because you are setting the scale. You could zero it, then put 10 chicken eggs on it, set that point to “10” and it would read in Eggs. Lol

[@NorthernFabandMachineLLC]

Makes sense now but didn’t at first lol.😂so can I make a load stick that reads chicken eggs as a scale nobody will ever know my numbers!!!

[@AKracecars]

@@NorthernFabandMachineLLC precisely. I hear the magic RF load number is 865 eggs at 400 millimeters

[@gafrers]

Great. well explained

[@RichFife]

Fawking LOVE IT!!! My girl is going to hate me if I keep watching your videos! 😂😂😂

[@AKracecars]

Give your girl my sincerest apologies for me (but keep watching)

[@RichFife]

@AKracecars 💯! 🤣 Dude, I was literally done with Racing, I sold and literally gave away most of my racing stuff... and then I watched the Carolina Clash (for the 83rd time)... AND THEN you came out with the video of your banned chassis... well, wouldn't you know it? That was the ticket that convinced me to build another chassis... smh. The book that you recommended, "Tune to Win" by Carroll Smith... is badass! Thank You. You keep making the videos and I'll keep watching.

[@AKracecars]

@@RichFifethese comments keep me going more than you know. Keep it up 💪🏻

[@nejimakana]

Love the vid! Keep the content coming!!!

[@boykin75]

What app were you using for the graphs

[@AKracecars]

Google sheets 👍🏻

[@BillMurawski-pe2on]

How do you program it ?

[@AKracecars]

There’s a video called: “HX711 Weight Scale Display how to calibrate and how to use ENGLISH” that does a good job explaining

[@floodo1]

You may want to consider a new 3d printer since you actually use yours. I had similar issues (slow, inconsistent first layer surface finish, massive ringing (around the arrows)) with my Ender 3 (some solved with upgrades) and have been so happy with Bambu Labs printer. Definitely more money but so easy to get good prints quickly. Anyway, love these vids.

[@AKracecars]

Yeah Bambu P1S is on the short list. They are nasty.

[@thedirtheretic2728]

I got the Creality K1 Max and it’s a BAMF too.

[@TeamSE65]

Love it

[@nascarguy2003]

Awesome video. But I have a technical question about what you said at 1:12. I definitely think that if the machine doesn't instruct the user to input their suspension's motion ratio, then that is either deceitful marketing or lack of knowledge on the part of the manufacturer. But as far as my understanding goes, calculating mid-turn wheel load doesn't involve anything except motion ratio, spring rate, and spring travel distance at mid-turn. What do you mean by "the sum of all inelastic weight transfer" and shock valving?

[@AKracecars]

I wish it was that simple.. without getting too in the weeds, imagine you have a shock with an infinite amount of compression valving.. according to your equation for wheel load, that setup would have less weight on the tire than one with no compression. Jacking force, anti dive, anti squat, LLTD, etc all contribute to wheel load. I didn’t do a good job explaining, let me know if that makes sense or not 👍🏻

[@nascarguy2003]

@@AKracecars Thanks for the response! After I left this comment, I did a little research on what elastic/inelastic weight transfer was (never heard these terms before). I realize now that the resources I have been reading hold a somewhat incomplete view of how wheel load should be measured. Now that you mention it, of course jacking forces and anti-dive/squat would affect wheel load. My resources treat these effects as if affecting chassis roll/dive/squat was all they did. I'm not completely sure I understand your analogy, though. If we are comparing a shock with effectively no resistance to compression (as if there wasn't even a shock there) to a shock with infinite resistance to compression (as if it were a solid link), then yes, my understanding is that the 2nd shock's tire would experience most of the load at mid-turn, while the 1st shock's tire would experience a much smaller amount of load. Am I misunderstanding what you said? Or, are you saying that jacking force + anti-dive/squat account for more wheel load than is accounted for through the spring + shock assembly?

[@AKracecars]

Yes you got it. I used that example because if you were only looking at coilover linear position and spring rate, you’d be leaving out the wheel load contributions from shock valving too. Infinite compression (solid rod) was just an illogical extreme to try to explain that you could have a totally different wheel rate, without changing the linear position or the spring rate

[@nascarguy2003]

@@AKracecars I see, that makes sense. Can you recommend any good resources for learning more about this subject? I'm looking to expand my setup knowledge before I start racing next year. Also, merry Christmas!

[@kiiiisu]

great build!

[@aesthetic1124]

What Cad software is that? Struggling with auto desk... If you want to get real fancy, you can use something like an RP2040 and add in a linear potentiometer or ToF Distance sensor (still wouldnt be as accurate as a tape measure most likely....) If you use an Rp2040, you can use pandas and flask/microdot to visualize the data instead of manually making a spreadsheet. Awesome work dude.

[@AKracecars]

Trusty ole solidworks. I’ll look into the rp2040. On my next one I was planning on using an arduino, OLED screen, and string pot. We will see how adventurous ChatGPT is feeling on code for the graphing 🤣

[@ChristopherCrump-ls4dn]

This video was great! .. up until the 3D printer and plasma cutter. If I had 3D printer money, I’d have new spring smasher money! Can you make one without all the 3D printing and plasma cutting??

[@AKracecars]

Bro.. watch my other video about how not expensive both of those are. You could buy a 3D printer, plasma table, and build a smasher for less than it would be to buy a new spring smasher

[@rhodie33]

Very cool.

[@NorthernFabandMachineLLC]

I’d love to collaborate on a shock dyno, similar S-beam Load cell, arduino/iPad display, lvt sensor. The programming is where I run out of expertise

[@chrisstevens8935]

Want to build a spring smasher I’ve got a electric Jack and load cell kit

[@charleskinney6022]

i love it

[@denniscarr21]

Anyone ever tell you, you sound like Tony Hinchcliffe?

[@AKracecars]

Not yet, Tony is pretty funny. Will take that as a compliment

[@denniscarr21]

@AKracecars love the content man.

[@michaeldominguez1117]

Can you build me one?LOL

[@joryholden2675]

"promo sm" 😱

[@kyleestes321]

AK drops a vid, I watch Also, those welds👌👌💯🤌 Keep up the good work and see you at Eldora

[@AKracecars]

Forgot to add the dimes to the budget total.. might have pushed it over 150$