Turnigy 180 cooling upgrade

[properchopper]

Another way of dealing with the situation : (I'll use round numbers to make the math easy to understand)

Fully charge your packs

Run WFO for exactly one minute, bring boat in

Charge packs to full, note how many mah it took - your charger should show this number

If (for example) you used 1000mah, you use 1000mah/minute.

If you want to use 50% of your 5000 mah battery (a safe number), run a 5000 mah pack for 2 1/2 minutes [ 2 1/2 X 1000 = 2500mah] using your watch (or Porkmaster 20000-like device)

Don't get any easier than this

[viper1]

There are dozens of threads in the last year or so pointing out the flawed performance of the T-180 (and its varients) LVC

Here's a couple (there many more, take my word for it - or start a new thread and watch the response)

http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...vc+seaking+180

http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...voltage+cutoff

The first link is not about the 180A , and in both threads there is the same individual screaming that this is a 'common' problem.

Maybe it is and you could be right, but I'm not convinced yet.
I did a search for more threads on the subject but thusfar inconclusive.
Having said that, If you search for the in-build BEC having problems in this ESC, you will find an ocean of 'common issues'.
When I bought my ESC, I ordered an external BEC as well...just in case.
Guess what, I'm using it...but in one of my planes because the 180 never needed it, works flawless and yes, I am running 6s.
Fact is however, this ESC has evolved a bit over time, and the BEC in this example has been improved.

Could be done on the LVC as well?

Could be a problem on older ESC's, or I am extremely lucky (for a change )

Sorry for going off-topic

[properchopper]

Whatever works you, go for it.

[osprey21]

This and the seaking esc is the same thing correct???

Yep.

[drwayne]

@Yiper1

did you restrict the water passage through central point the original journals ?.. or is the flow to new internal pathway a 'bypassed' affair ?
W

[viper1]

I restricted it, but not fully, I glued a "restricting collar" in both orig channels.

[drwayne]

I restricted it, but not fully, I glued a "restricting collar" in both orig channels.

Good stuff.
I used a helicoil thread repair insert as a flow reducer on either side of a similar mod...

W

[viper1]

This is what you meant right?

[drwayne]

maybe, difficult to show in 2D.
try this ...

fp.jpg

[viper1]

Yep like that. Did you do any pro/post temp measurements ? if so did it make a difference?
I noticed that there are FET-banks on the bottom side of the circuit board as well, not cooled as well I would guess. But maybe these are for the reverse.

Anyway, never heard of over-cooling damage, at least not in these applications

[jsturess]

Hi

Is this upgrade necessary?

Do someone have some measurement before and after the upgrade?

[viper1]

Hi

Is this upgrade necessary?

Hard to say, Short answer: No.
Long answer: It depends, I could imagine a setup 'on the edge' where it could make the difference between survival or not.
But IMHO you should solve that problem differently, lighter prop or so. If you 'need' this mod I think you need to think about a different set-up.

Do someone have some measurement before and after the upgrade?

Not yet, but I don't think this will make it run hotter

[properchopper]

Hard to say, Short answer: No.
Long answer: It depends, I could imagine a setup 'on the edge' where it could make the difference between survival or not.
But IMHO you should solve that problem differently, lighter prop or so. If you 'need' this mod I think you need to think about a different set-up.




Not yet, but I don't think this will make it run hotter

But IMHO you should solve that problem differently, lighter prop or so. If you 'need' this mod I think you need to think about a different set-up.

Yes,yes, yes. While it seems (my opinion only, I'm no thermodynamic engineer) that most ESC cooling designs are not close to optimal and the
"T-180 cooling mod" is a relatively easy and obvious improvement, these upgrades and other methods may only provide marginal benefits. The at-risk components like FETs, stators and rotors are (likely) minimally affected by current cooling designs. While having some cooling is preferable to having none, pumping up the setup to gofaster and depending on cooling to stay in the safe zone is not good thinking.

While not a controlled experiment, this happened last year : Stephen and I have the EXACT same P-Mono with the exception of my T-180 having the T-180 cooling mod. We raced all year and had no problems with ESC heat. The last race of the season the outside air temps climbed way up. On the last lap of a six-lap heat BOTH of our T-180's thermaled. We propped down one notch and they still thermaled, only a little later in the race. To reiterate : the best way to prevent excess component heat is to adjust your setup accordingly.

[CHIEFY_44]

Hi T, listen everyone I am the Stephen Tony is talking about in his last post, what he has just said about our t 180's is correct, we have raced, tested and just messed around together at the lake since my p mono was built, by Tony, they are exactly the same apart from the esc mod, both have never had any trouble with heat. Motor, motor/esc connections, esc, caps and cells have always ran faultless always well within the safer temp range. They are both pretty quick and reliable.
But as far as the esc having pre lvc problem I really do agree with tony, that they do have a problem, I also disable lvc and test so I can run 6-7 laps safely, another thing I do is disable the bec and run a separate rx pack, doing this helps take some strain off the esc as well as some heat, in my eyes every little helps.

[Steven Vaccaro]

Does the Tygon tubing give enough flexibility?

As to water cooling the t180. I personally use these esc's often, I have admittedly overheated them. But that was the setups fault and not fault of the esc. Heat is generated from inefficiencies, if its running so hot that you need extra cooling something else should be tried.

As to the lvc. I've also experienced the lvc kicking in, when I thought it shouldn't. My personal experience really made me scratch my head. Because I've used this setup before and knew it was a good one. After "warming up" at home I figured it out. My batteries were in my truck bed for a few hours. I was running late fall, the outside temps in the 40-50 range or there abouts. So my packs were cold enough not to perform well. The next time I went out, I left them on my front seat and they worked great.