Hydra warranty change

[JimClark]

This fron Jay Turner on another forum

"I spoke with Castle Creations today, and their new policy will be:
If you use more than 3S on a standard Hydra (not HV) there will be no warranty. It is either that, or they will have to stop making those models.

Clearly their very liberal warranty policy has been too liberal, and too many folks are burning their Hydras up on 4S and 6S to allow Castle to continue with the 4S warranty limit. I guess that $70 for a new controller isn't so bad afterall."

And I just bought one for a 4s 1/10th scale boat

Jim

[Doug Smock]

Thanks for the update Jim.

Man I hate to hear they're failing on 4s. I wonder how much of that is user error?
We've been running the snot out of them on 4s2p setups and they heve been flawless. KNOCK ON WOOD.

Doug

[video200]

if this is so they realy should stop saying 1-6 cells in thair ads as they just dont deliver what the ad say it does.
guess it wont be a nother hydra for me next time

[Steven Vaccaro]

They just can't afford rc boaters any longer. Plain and simple. To many people are running or trying to run crazy setups. I can feel their pain. Just this week a customer emailed why his 6L on 4s blew his control? Two weeks ago a customer ran a a 8s motor on 4s in a kyosho twin storm blew a esc? Over the top setups are blowing all kinds of escs out there.

[txboatpilot]

They just can't afford rc boaters any longer. Plain and simple. To many people are running or trying to run crazy setups. I can feel their pain. Just this week a customer emailed why his 6L on 4s blew his control? Two weeks ago a customer ran a a 8s motor on 4s in a kyosho twin storm blew a esc? Over the top setups are blowing all kinds of escs out there.

I talked to CC tech. yesterday about this very thing... They said the same thing, people have no base of information that is "bullet proof" on set-ups... So, people try extreme set-ups and wonder why the esc failed?? If more people would invest in a Data Logger, I think there would be alot less SMOKE!!

[Xzessperated]

If more people would invest in a Data Logger, I think there would be alot less SMOKE!!

I could not agree more. When I first started in FE I smoked a CC Barra 120. MY FAULT. I got a Data Logger and thermometer to check temperatures and now I have run a little over 12 months and no problems with either controller. I did not even try to claim the smoked one under warranty as it was my fault.

[Doug Smock]

I agree! But I'm not sure it would have saved a 6s on 4s though.

[Xzessperated]

I agree! But I'm not sure it would have saved a 6s on 4s though.

A few have made the same comment but I have run 6s on that Barra 120 for over 12 months now and it runs sweet. Do not get me wrong, if I cooked the Barra it is MY FAULT. I know I am pushing the limits. I do not recommend anyone does what I do. I think CC are being fair with their change. I sure do not want them to stop making esc’s for boats. This hobby is cheaper than playing golf for me so if I smoke an esc once in a while then so be it. There are tools like Data Loggers and Thermometers we can buy to protect our investment. These tools help us get to know our boats before it costs us money. I do agree though that these tools are not a guarantee that things will not go wrong if we push the limits.

[JimClark]

Pardon my denseness but the problems develop when people run these huge KV motors and probably over prop to boot. These motors are 4000kv and higher


Jim

[DPeterson]

Maybe a little off topic but,

Iv'e got three 240's. One on a very hot 4S setup that I was surprised the 240 could handle - however I managed to melt off the all the capacitor leads.

My second 240 is in an 4S offshore boat and so far no issues.

My third is brand new. Put it in a mild 4S Open Tunnel set up and ran it yesterday. I blew a cap but everything else was OK.

So when these are failing for people are you blowing caps or frying the ESC.

So far I can repair my own caps so no warranty work needed.

If the 240 isn't used for 4S it seems usless to me IMO. The price of the HV's puts it on par with a very high amp ESC I can get from Germany that would dance around the Castle.

Doug Peterson

[video200]

i cant say i blame them. but i did get the hydra after a mail i had from castle saying that there was a varranty on it up to 6s. now it apears that its not the case after all. i dont run a exstreme setup and i dont exspect it to blow, but the prinsiple that they run ads with it saying up to 6s and then dont guarante that after all just dont sit well with me. after ordering the castle and paying the import tax on it i could have gotten a few good things localy as well that do handle 6s and the some.

[Doby]

I think Castle might need to publish a chart listing : batteries/ props/motor size/ boat size (weight) etc and the calculated amperage for each set up.

Just a thought !

My Hydra 120 has been good so far up to 5S on some of my set-ups.
Just bought a HV 180 for a 10S set up.

I agree with Doug, the Germans (Schultze in my case) rule when it comes to LARGE controllers.

Hopefully I'll have the same luck with the HV 180.

[Doug Smock]

A few have made the same comment but I have run 6s on that Barra 120 for over 12 months now and it runs sweet.

I have run a 240 in a 38" mono (oval setup) without an issue as well.
What I was getting at is that a data logger may not help the guy who is running a 6S motor on 4s. That is a hot setup even with a small wheel, with a big wheel my guess is that the control would give up pretty quickly.

I too will run German controls before I spring for the HVs.
That may change after this weekends SAWs. There are a few guys running them so we'll see how they perform.

Got to get loaded up, have a great weekend guys!!

Doug

[Bill-SOCAL]

So seriously, they make a 240 amp controller that they now say is not for use with more than 3S??

OK.

I wonder what the real limit for the HV series will be? 4S??

I guess what we really should be doing is rating controllers in watts, since that is really the issue. The 240 is a 2664 watt ESC. The 120s are 1332 watts.

For comparison, my 10S boat averages 3500 watts in oval racing and had peaks over 11,000 during the recent SAWS. It had a 40.160 that didn't skip a beat.

[kburrows]

Might be off the subject a little but i just bought a Hydra 120, anyone has suggestions on the correct connectors/ pictures would be good.
I have deans connectors but i dont know if deans are compatible with a lipo setup. Any suggestions