esc comparisions.

[britscoot]

Do the more expensive esc run cooler and produce more power than cheap ones?
Will the batteries stay cooler also?

thanks

[electric]

This should create some interesting discussion. ESC's don't produce power as such, it is more about can they handle the amperage/voltage which equals heat. Battery heat is generated by how many amps you pull vs the "C" rating and also how far you run them down. I have also found that the newer 40c batteries seem to be quite capable of handling just about anything you throw at them. The older 20c - 25c batteries "puffed" quite easily.

I have run the castles, turnigy's (120amp and 180amp),swordfish 120amp and some no name 90amp ones.
For me the real thing is to figure out the amperage you are going to pull and get more ESC than you need. For example I am running a 180amp turnigy with a Neu. The peak I am hitting is about 180, but the average is far below that. They say it is burstable to 360amp although I doubt that.

I am running some 120amp ESC's on some 2s boats and they are always cool to the touch and no problems, because I am way over on the ESC size. Hope this helps..


If you get an eagle tree data logger you will be surprised how the amp draw swings by huge amounts from when you accellerate vs. moving at top speed. It was an eye opener for me.

[tharmer]

Another question is "Are there any ESC's that are truely waterproof?" I suspect not.
-t

[electric]

I agree, you can make them very water resistant, but they all can fail at one point or another with water. I have had two ESC failures and neither were because of water. One was because a Motor demag'ed and then it pulled huge amps and blew a Castle ESC. The other was cheapo one and was just running really hot and finally popped.

The best strategy is to work hard to keep the boat dry. Some time testing and sealing in the bath tub is worth doing. I have also started using the water proof traxxas servo's, one less failure point. They seem to be holding up well.

[britscoot]

I'm running a turnigy 180 and it stays cool,but my batteries are getting too hot.
Had one blow at the weekend and 2 puff up.I run for 2.5 minutes max.
I first thought it was the low cost lipos but one of the puffed ones was a Hyperion.
I use 5.5 bullets and wondered if i should go bigger maybe.
Man you need a degree in science to understand whats going on lol

[BakedMopar]

I have also found that the newer 40c batteries seem to be quite capable of handling just about anything you throw at them. The older 20c - 25c batteries "puffed" quite easily.

They start off really good and they will start to puff too if not well cared for. Don't run them pass 80% of its capacity and they'll live a lot longer. They are worth the few extra dollars though.

Another question is "Are there any ESC's that are truely waterproof?" I suspect not.
-t

Yep the UL-1 and SV controllers can run in water. Don't ask but its happened way more than I'd like to admit.




On Topic. Higher quality esc should run cooler and may run faster for a few reasons.

1. Higher quality components
2. Better design
3. quality assembly

These in return will usually have lower on resistance which will reduce extra heat. It will also allow more current to flow through at a faster rate.

It will not however be night and day difference.

My 2 pennies worth.

[electric]

I'm running a turnigy 180 and it stays cool,but my batteries are getting too hot.
Had one blow at the weekend and 2 puff up.I run for 2.5 minutes max.
I first thought it was the low cost lipos but one of the puffed ones was a Hyperion.
I use 5.5 bullets and wondered if i should go bigger maybe.
Man you need a degree in science to understand whats going on lol

So the quesion is what was the "c" rating of the batteries? How far did you run them down? For example, I have a FE30 with a neu 2200kv motor. I can run down a 5000mah battery, 4s, in about 2.5 minutes because I am going 55mph and pulling big amps.

You really need a couple of tools to get a handle this.
1. You need a way to see how much amperage you are pulling.
2. A quick easy way to see how many MAH you used up during the run.

I will post a few links for you that give you the most basic "cheap" tools to help you out.

I have been at this 3 years now and still learning all the time. After awhile it even starts to make some sense

[electric]

Here are some basic tools:

1.http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...?prod=dh-wu100 (This will give you the max amperage you pulled during a run amoung some other things)
2. http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...PRV3-LEADS-150 (With just this tolk you can get a chart of your amps/watts etc graphed on your computer for the ENTIRE run. (you can also add a temp sensor, gps (for speed), and lcd screen (for real time data while out on the pond). Either get 1 or 2, but not both.

3. http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...rod=rcl-Sentry This is the most simple to use tool of all! It will show you how much "gas" is left in the tank battery wise and will tell you how much voltaged is in each cell to make sure they are balanced correctly. Steve is out, but you can google it to look for other sources.

Without doing some basic data you are left guessing on what happened. Were the batteries out of balance, did I pull to many amps, did I over discharge the batteries??

Once I started taking this approach I got a better idea what was going on and why I was blowing things up.
One more thing, the prop has a LOT to do with this game as well. The bigger the props, the more amps you pull, the tougher it is on your ESC and batteries... You will see that effect clearly with the tools I have listed above...

After a while and experience you start to get a general idea of what motor/esc/battery/prop will work for a boat and you use the tools less. I still run my datalogger to get some sort of "feel" for amp usage when I test new bigger props on a boat. I always use item 3 after a run to see what was left in the gas tank. After awhile, you kinda know how long a given boat will run safely on a particular set up.

[syncronized77]

I was talking with a co-worker the other day and he tells me that the caps on ESCs or any type of amplifier are used to handle the difference in amp loads....so I've started to get into the habit of staying on the throttle more than giving off throttle....unless I misunderstood him and I'm out to lunch LOL

But yes...from what I've been told, first look at the max amp draw of your motor, then find an ESC with more head room than the specs provided for the motor...then get some batteries that can provide the max amp draw needed.

[Darin Jordan]

Another question is "Are there any ESC's that are truely waterproof?" I suspect not.
-t

For BL ESCs, there are only two that I can think of, and they are the AQ SV27 and UL-1 ESCs, and the ProBoat 45 and 60A ESCs...

Andy Kunz used to make the absolute top end, best brushed ESCs ever made, and they were conformal coated and could be run in a bucket of water safely...

Otherwise, I'm not sure if any of the others truly are. I can't understand WHY they aren't... especially if they are being marketed toward the marine market, but they aren't for some reason.

[tharmer]

Thanks, Darrin.
-t

[Darin Jordan]

Thanks, Darrin.
-t

No prob... I use the ProBoat 60A in my 1/10th scale with Miss Geico motor and it works pretty well. It's a little bulky, but very reliable.

I'm working with ProBoat right now to try to get the startup power softened up on their ESCs, and also to increase the number of steps between off and full throttle, which should make it feel more progressive and smoother in transition.

The AQ ESCs are a little better in this department, and make the boats a little more drivable when you have to actually use the throttle...

[britscoot]

so i need more gadgets to confuse me....lol
last weekend at the lake,one of the gas hydro guys said "man it looks like hard work running an electric boat!"
He's kinda right.

[tharmer]

Darrin, have them make a HV 160 amp ESC and they'll rule the world.
-t

[Ub Hauled]

Darrin, have them make a HV 160 amp ESC and they'll rule the world.
-t

Seriuosly! my RTR ESCs never gave me grief like the Hydras or the so called Chinese ESCs, they run solid... too bad they are up to 60amps only. I think I read once a post that the AQ ESCs are the same as the Great Planes or Electrify ones... don't quote me on this but I know that it is one of these "generic" ESCs