Seaking 180 upgrade info

[Deepvee]

I'm considering doing the upgrade and was wondering what was the best way to mount the new ESC to the Traxxas stock tray? Where did you mount the power switch? What is the best connectors to run? Deans or Castles or Traxxas? I'm sure it's a bit of a loaded question.

Also once I get the motor and the ESC what else do I have to do? Is it just a matter of soldering on the power connectors to the ESC??

Thx again for the help guys

Should I be getting someting like this to connect up the batteries to the ESC

http://www.rcplanet.com/Castle-Creat...11-0086-00.htm

[tjdabomb]

Don't buy that, just get yourself some 10awg wire and some connectors and make it yourself. I converted all my connectors to 8mm, just cuz :)

Unless the 180 has a new version, they don't come with a power switch - you want one, you will have to make it.

[capnswanny]

I Would Use 5.5mm Connectors

I'll preface by saying that I don't have a Spartan, but if wire length allows and you have soldering ability, I would convert all my connectors, battery and ESC, to 5.5mm.

Assuming that you are running two packs in Series, here is a mocked up picture of my Revolt with a similar ESC and two packs wired in series:
IMG_20150119_211745.jpg

Here's a side by side of Deans, 5.5mm, 4mm, and 3.5mm:
IMG_20150119_212747.jpg

The 5.5mm connectors will handle the voltage and current for this setup, and this configuration will reduce excess connections and the power loss that comes with them.

If the motor connectors are 4mm or smaller, I recommend changing those to 5.5mm as well.

Happy boating my friend!!

[Make-a-Wake]

I have Parallel connectors that I make for running 2p, the link is below in my signature

[Deepvee]

Okay thanks for the heads up. I am considering Deans or EC5 look exceptional too.

Did you just velcro or glue your ESC in?

[tjdabomb]

Always Velcro. If you glue it in and it fails, you are in for some work and potentially a damaged hull (depending on the glue, some do not like giving up the bond so readily)

[tjdabomb]

And NO deans, they are junk. Only use bullet connectors 5.5mm and bigger.

[Pheyd]

I picked up the OSE leopard 4082 1600KV motor and seaking 180A v3 combo. I used velcro to secure the ESC to the tray, and the same for the ESC switch (which I stuck on top of the receiver box).

The combo comes with 6mm connectors already soldered onto the ESC leads. Just have to solder the same to the batts.

[Make-a-Wake]

Bullets are the way to go, best amperage transfer and less heat............Deans, Traxxas etc..................are for land rigs in general

[Deepvee]

Good call on the Velcro TJdabomb! This is great stuff thanks for the info guys. Bullets is the way to go. I guess I will look at the Castle Bullets and go with them. I'm thinking 10 gauge wire and Castle polarized bullet connectors. They are rated for 200A

Any ideas on type of tin solder to use> I don't have too many hours behind the gun, but was good at it back in the day with a steady hand

[capnswanny]

I'm thinking 10 gauge wire and Castle polarized bullet connectors.

You shouldn't need to add any 10AWG wire if you are running 2 packs in series. a (+) from one pack and a (-) from the other will plug directly to each other. The remaining lead on each pack connect to the ESC as illustrated above in post #3.

[Deepvee]

I will make up a "Y" connector once I decide on type of connectors. Looks like the EC5 or EC3 seem to be some what standardized too. Are these any good? It might mean less soldering down the road if I can purchase packs already made up with the connector on it. I would also have to get new cables for my X4 to charge with once I determine what brand to go with for connectors. Seems like a nightmare, but might be worth it if I can gain a bit more speed.

[tjdabomb]

I just buy 8mm connectors off of ebay, no probs. I use 8mm on all my batts, 5.5/6 or 6.5 on my motors. I only do boats - that's why i use the bigger sizes.

The solder I use I bought off the shelf from Home Depot, in the electrical section, not the plumbing. The plumbing solder needs a flux, the electrical has a rosin in the core of the solder. I fairly large roll of solder from HD was $5-6 - pretty cheap.

After trudging through soldering with a iron for a while, I finally broke down and bought a butane torch from bernzomatic - best purchase for my hobby yet. Major time saver. And if you don't have a "third hand" soldering iron tool, i'd recommend one of those too.

[Spartanator]

Before I sold mine I ran a semi-stock ESC with 10G wire and a CC cap bank. I also ran Castle 6.5mm Polarized green connectors. Worked like a charm... Everything stayed cool on 5s with a P215 and X442.
SK180V3 has a power switch.