Castle Hydra Ice 240 questions.

[Rob Bowman]

Thank you, Blaze. I should have wrote the the Traxxas waterproof box for the receiver was certainly the obstacle for the Ice. I'll try moving the reciever box into the battery tray. I use the Futaba radio and don't know yet, if they have a waterproof version, so for now, I'll move the box.
Thanks for the advice.

[Rob Bowman]

Just finished using the dremel to cut out the old esc tabs on the tray. The Ice fits perfectly. Next question, should I run the batt wires off the ICE just like they were in the stock set up. I've heard of run batts in series or in parallel. Whats the difference?

[dag-nabit]

A series connection (the same setup as stock on the Spartan) will double your voltage while capacity stays the same. for example when you hook up two 3S (11.1V) 5000mah batteries, the result is a 6S (22.2V) 5000mah connection.

If you run parallel wiring on the ESC the voltage stays the same, but capacity doubles. So the same batteries on a parallel connection would result in a 3S (11.1V) 10,000mah connection.

So if you run a parallel setup, and want to run 6S, then you need to purchase two 6S batteries. The plus is two 6S 5000mah batteries in a parallel connection provides 10,000mah capacity for longer run times.

What I like to do is install a connector on the ESC. That allows me to plug in either a parallel or series wiring harness providing lots of flexibility for battery configuration options.

Kevin

[Rob Bowman]

Thank you Kevin. I'm new to the sport and the help and advice from every single person I speak to, email, whatever, is incredible.

Have a great day.

Rob

[blaze]

i ran the same as the stock setup and use two 3s 8400mah traxxas batteries. i did reuse the stock wiring harness which i think was a mistake because after running it today i did notice the wires were very hot. i think you have to replace the stock wiring harness with 8 gauge wire but im not sure if you will still be able to use the traxxas connectors. one of these other guy would be able to give you better advice on this than me because this is only my third run with this setup.

[Rob Bowman]

I was told that I needed the larger bullet connectors around the boat because the stock traxxas plugs will or could melt along with overly hot wires.

[dag-nabit]

Here is a link to some general info on RC connectors, it is a bit outdated and doesn't have info on some of the newer connectors on the market, but gives a good overview. They mention the Traxxas plugs, but give no indication what they are good for AMP handling. I have never been able to find a confirmed rating on Traxxas plugs, but have seen suggested capability anywhere from 40 AMPS to 150 AMPS. Keep in mind, sometimes a particular author is talking continuous amps, sometimes talking max amps, so you will find discrepancies when looking at ratings.

https://sites.google.com/site/tjinguytech/reviews/rc-connectors

I use EC5 connectors, which are essentially 5mm bullets in a plastic housing to ensure correct polarity and ease of connection/disconnect. EC5 connectors are good to about 120 AMPS average draw, 150 max.

5mm bullets are good for about 150 AMPS
6mm bullets are good to about 200 AMPS

You are running a 240 AMP ESC, but what you really need to know, is what is a realistic average amp draw of the motor and other components on the system. As long as the connectors and wiring can handle the average AMP draw you should be fine.

Kevin

Here is a wire gauge chart to assist in wire sizing:

http://www.wattco.net/infopdf/wireguagechart.pdf

[dag-nabit]

Here is a link to some general info on RC connectors, it is a bit outdated and doesn't have info on some of the newer connectors on the market, but gives a good overview. They mention the Traxxas plugs, but give no indication what they are good for AMP handling. I have never been able to find a confirmed rating on Traxxas plugs, but have seen suggested capability anywhere from 40 AMPS to 150 AMPS. Keep in mind, sometimes a particular author is talking continuous amps, sometimes talking max amps, so you will find discrepancies when looking at ratings.

https://sites.google.com/site/tjinguytech/reviews/rc-connectors

I use EC5 connectors, which are essentially 5mm bullets in a plastic housing to ensure correct polarity and ease of connection/disconnect. EC5 connectors are good to about 120 AMPS average draw, 150 max.

5mm bullets are good for about 150 AMPS
6mm bullets are good to about 200 AMPS

You are running a 240 AMP ESC, but what you really need to know, is what is a realistic average amp draw of the motor and other components on the system. As long as the connectors and wiring can handle the average AMP draw you should be fine.

Kevin

Here is a wire gauge chart to assist in wire sizing:

http://www.wattco.net/infopdf/wireguagechart.pdf

[Troy711]

I know I've said this for a few months but I really need to get this thing out on the water. The days are getting longer and the water warmer so lets hope I can give a decent review soon! It's frustrating as hell having it ready to rock but unable to use it for the first time with the new setup!

[Rob Bowman]

Thank you Kevin. The science is becoming more and more clear thanks to people like you who help demystify the info.

Rob

[Kramerr]

I would like to see some pics of the final build and perhaps a video as well.....