Are these caps still good?

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  • Stephavee
    I like cool things!
    • Jan 2011
    • 218

    #1

    Are these caps still good?

    I must say that this 45amp esc held up pretty well on 6s. It still works and i have retired it to other 3-4s boats, but i saw that the caps look puffy. is this what a bad cap looks like? If so can i just replace the caps and still run this esc?P3140406.jpgP3140410.jpg
    " Do you really need anouther boat "
    YEP!
  • Serpents811
    Senior Member
    • Oct 2011
    • 381

    #2
    Originally posted by Stephavee
    I must say that this 45amp esc held up pretty well on 6s. It still works and i have retired it to other 3-4s boats, but i saw that the caps look puffy. is this what a bad cap looks like? If so can i just replace the caps and still run this esc?[ATTACH=CONFIG]72490[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]72491[/ATTACH]
    i would say they are near pretty soon

    Comment

    • Make-a-Wake
      FE Rules!
      • Nov 2009
      • 5557

      #3
      I dont know how they look when new, but it looks like the brown goop is already starting to come out....................just add a couple caps to the batt leads and you'll be off and running again!! I use 1000uf 35v's.
      NEED PARALLEL CONNECTORS?? QUALITY 5.5MM, 8MM, 8 AND 10 AWG, GET THEM HERE: http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...est!&highlight=

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      • Stephavee
        I like cool things!
        • Jan 2011
        • 218

        #4
        OK so any 35v caps will do? Can i get them at radio shack? I just got a new weller solder station and cant wait to put it to good use!P3140411.jpg
        " Do you really need anouther boat "
        YEP!

        Comment

        • Make-a-Wake
          FE Rules!
          • Nov 2009
          • 5557

          #5
          What ESC is this..................how many volts and amps is it rated for?
          NEED PARALLEL CONNECTORS?? QUALITY 5.5MM, 8MM, 8 AND 10 AWG, GET THEM HERE: http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...est!&highlight=

          Comment

          • Serpents811
            Senior Member
            • Oct 2011
            • 381

            #6
            Originally posted by Make-a-Wake
            What ESC is this..................how many volts and amps is it rated for?
            that looks like proboat speedo from a ms geico 45amps maybe , tops 23volt

            Comment

            • Make-a-Wake
              FE Rules!
              • Nov 2009
              • 5557

              #7
              If its 6s lipo rated or less i'd use two 35v 1000uf's.
              NEED PARALLEL CONNECTORS?? QUALITY 5.5MM, 8MM, 8 AND 10 AWG, GET THEM HERE: http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...est!&highlight=

              Comment

              • Stephavee
                I like cool things!
                • Jan 2011
                • 218

                #8
                BJ 26 45amp...I know...I know not rated for 6s! im a newb and i do dumb things sometimes, but she held up well got 53mph out of it! but i have seen the errors of my ways and have turned over a new leaf. I now try to do things the right way! but there is so much to learn about this hobby and all i want to do is go fast!...GO FAST NOW!!!

                Im taking this esc apart now to remove the bad caps to keep this thing running.
                " Do you really need anouther boat "
                YEP!

                Comment

                • Make-a-Wake
                  FE Rules!
                  • Nov 2009
                  • 5557

                  #9
                  Dont even bother taking the old ones off, just add caps to the battery leads.

                  I abused this T120 and added caps.......still runs to this day!
                  Attached Files
                  NEED PARALLEL CONNECTORS?? QUALITY 5.5MM, 8MM, 8 AND 10 AWG, GET THEM HERE: http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...est!&highlight=

                  Comment

                  • Stephavee
                    I like cool things!
                    • Jan 2011
                    • 218

                    #10
                    I learn alot from taking things apart. I have not yet mastered putting back together though! but i gotta ask what is this thing? its not a cap?...is it?P3140412.jpg
                    " Do you really need anouther boat "
                    YEP!

                    Comment

                    • JonD
                      Senior Member
                      • Jun 2011
                      • 129

                      #11
                      The caps really need to be removed, and replaced. They are most certainly faulty. Just looking at the way the plastic sheath has contracted down the can, they have overheated. They could leak (already signs of this with the brown gunk) and possibly cause corrosion of the boards, and at worse, explode.

                      In this application with high inrush current and high frequency PWM motor drive, they should be good quaility and preferably low ESR caps for best performance and reliability. I would be going to Mouser or DigiKey rather than Radio Shack to get quality caps. Even the best quaility don't cost much - not worth the risk for ma few cents. These caps work hard in these circuits. Yes you can use cheap poor quality caps and everything will appear to work, but that dosen't mean to say it is working as designed. After all, the ESC with likely work with some of its caps missing altogether - but the caps are there for a reason.

                      Jon

                      Comment

                      • JonD
                        Senior Member
                        • Jun 2011
                        • 129

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Stephavee
                        I learn alot from taking things apart. I have not yet mastered putting back together though! but i gotta ask what is this thing? its not a cap?...is it?[ATTACH=CONFIG]72498[/ATTACH]
                        Ehh....no. It's an inductor.

                        Jon

                        Comment

                        • Stephavee
                          I like cool things!
                          • Jan 2011
                          • 218

                          #13
                          Oh... Well ok then. Thanks for the help and i will remove the old caps. and and three 1000s uf caps and this should be fine for what i need out of it. Cheaper than scraping it and fun to learn something new and fix it myself! But why do you think they blew? The caps say 35v and i was running 6s only.
                          " Do you really need anouther boat "
                          YEP!

                          Comment

                          • JonD
                            Senior Member
                            • Jun 2011
                            • 129

                            #14
                            Originally posted by Stephavee
                            But why do you think they blew? The caps say 35v and i was running 6s only.
                            The caps are working particularly hard in these types of circuits. They provide a buffer or reservoir of "energy" to supply the motor drive circuitry which requires very high instantaneous pulses of current to work most effectively. Caps are good at doing this. So is the battery, but batteries have leads and connectors etc which can limit the peak currents that the motor is demanding. The batteries effectively charge up the caps, and the caps drive the motor circuitry. That's why they are important.

                            You will notice that the caps can get quite warm in operation (this is not just heat transferred from the MosFets and the rest of the ESC electronics). Heat is generated within the caps due to the huge currents flowing in and out of the caps thousands of times a second.

                            But why did they blow? Fair wear and tear, and it is likely that they may not have been of particularly good quality. As always, it comes down to price, competition, and the market wanting things cheap. We are all guilty of this. I don't think you mentioned what brand of ESC it is, but I am guessing it is made in China, and Chinese caps can be quite "variable" in quality, to put it politely.

                            Designing and manufacturing electronics has been my profession and living for over 35 years, and quite frankly these pesky little ESC's are one of the most demanding and stressed electronic devices I have ever come across, and every time I take my boat out, I that the ESC will hold itself together. But seriously they do a great job, and our hobby would not be the same without them.

                            Good luck with the repair. Be careful with the soldering not to damage the tracks on the PCB. If you have a friend that "is in to electroincs" maybe ask him to remove and install the new caps for you.

                            Cheers,

                            Jon

                            Comment

                            • oscarel
                              Fast Electric Addict!
                              • Dec 2009
                              • 2127

                              #15
                              Try here http://thecapking.com/35zlh1000.html

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