AQUACRAFT 60Amp ESC Repair/Modification

[Fluid]

This weekend I was running a Motley Crew 1800 Kv motor and 60A ESC in my Mean Machine when after a heat the boat stopped and would not come back in. Retrieved the boat and it checked out fine(?). Next heat it armed okay, but quit after the first lap. I checked the cap and yep, the end was bulged. I had run this ESC for several years so I wasn't too unhappy with this turn of events; fortunately the ESC wasn't toast - I knew the cure. I twisted off the old cap with pliers, cut off the wires close to the ESC and soldered on a new, slightly bigger cap - 4700 mF. Glued to the top of the ESC this cap solved the problem. It is larger than required, but I had a handful laying around for higher amperage controllers.

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Post #5 in the thread below explains what to do - it's been awhile since this has been discussed so new Motley Crew or UL-1 owners may not know about it.

http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...ight=capacitor




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[detox]

Did an overly aggressive prop cause this? Does the Mean Machine have more drag than Motley Crew (larger riding surface)?

[Alexgar]

The mm is pretty wide and my converted mm is a little heavy

[Fluid]

This had nothing to do with the hull. This was one of the original UL-1 60A ESCs which were known to have weak caps. AquaCraft even upgraded them (slightly) in subsequent versions. But really, this ESC had been run for 3 years - who could complain? Realize that most ESCs are an expendable item anyway, and that damage is often cumulative. This one had three-years-worth of abuse before it blew the cap, and $1.25 later it works fine again. I wish all ESC repairs were this easy....



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[ozzie-crawl]

3 years and just a new cap to get it going again,got to be happy with that.
I wish AQ and PB would make some bigger esc,s but exactly the same being potted or sealed in extruded alloy.