Castle Hydra Ice 240 questions.

[Troy711]

Hi guys, asked this question on the Traxxas forum but it got Nazied down (presumably due to not being Traxxas related even though if I asked the same questions in a Traxxas car forum it would be fine).

Just upgraded to the previously mentioned ESC and I have a few questions. How is it going to run with the stock Castle motor? Will the stock motor handle 8s should I decide to do something stupid (lol)? What prop should I look at using which won't overload it? Does anyone have tips for mounting it?

Thanks for looking!

[Snowride]

IMHO both the stock esc and the stock motor are rather borderline on 6S. The SF 240 is overkill for that hull but should last a very long time however a T180 would have been more than sufficient. If you want to get some more power out of the stock setup you simply cannot run this on 8s with the stock motor or you will fry on the first lap and actually could take out the Swordfish. Even with a different more powerful motor on 8s the hull will be maxed out stability wise around 60mph which has already been done and proven.

[Troy711]

Cheers for the reply. I figured it was going to be overkill for the Spartan but I'm really looking for quality. I'm could have simply bought another VXL6s but it would likely die again. I'm over the junk Traxxas feed their customers and on the last 12 months I've killed 3 different ESCs and I possibly have another 2 on the way out.

I'm still new to this RC boating stuff so for atleast the next few months I'll continue to run on just 4s until I get the hang of it. Eventually I might upgrade motors.

What sort of prop should I run with the 240 and stock motor?

[dag-nabit]

As already mentioned the Hydra 240 is more ESC than you need, but if you stay smart on battery, motor, and prop selection you should achieve a very solid setup.

For motor, I would suggest looking at something like the Leopard 4082 1600kv, Has good torque and the lower kv rating can be compensated with a slightly larger prop to get the speeds you want. Also follow TMESTER (? correct name) thread over on the Traxxas site with his Hydra 240 / Castle 1717 setup. Both components more than what is necessary for the Spartan hull, but should be a solid setup for him.

With the Hydra and stock motor I would probably suggest still staying somewhat conservative on prop sizing maybe an octura X642 or prather S220 at most. With a Leopard 4082 1600 I think you could push an Octura X645 or Prather S225 without overloading the electrics.

All this assumes nothing higher than 6S on batteries.

What you need to keep in mind is that the more prop you try to push with this hull, the more stress you put on the drive line, and the more torque roll you create and will need to compensate for. If running higher torque motors and larger props you will want to upgrade your flex shaft to either a .187 flex shaft, or a .078 wire drive to survive the extra torque.

As Snowride points out, very few have successfully pushed the Spartan hull close to, or over the 60 MPH mark and managed to keep the boat stable at high speeds. I can tell you from experience this hull does not tolerate high speed wipe outs very well. The hatch likes to pop off and crack at the pin, and it will separate at the seam where the deck attaches to the hull. Just things to keep in mind when deciding how far you want to push this hull.

Keep us up to date on your build.

Kevin

[Troy711]

Excellent reply dag-nabit, I really appreciate you takin the time to write all that! I might just stick with the Prather S215 for now and if I do upgrade motors then I'll go bigger.

I'll deffinatly keep this updated, seems how I'm not allowed to on the Traxxas forum lol.

Next step is (when the ESC arrives) working out plumbing and mounting.

I've also read about waterproofing the Hydra, what does this involve?

[detox]

The data logging of Hydra Ice LV 240 is a really fun feature. Tower club members can get $50.00 off and free shipping with coupon code.

[dag-nabit]

Excellent reply dag-nabit, I really appreciate you takin the time to write all that! I might just stick with the Prather S215 for now and if I do upgrade motors then I'll go bigger.

I'll deffinatly keep this updated, seems how I'm not allowed to on the Traxxas forum lol.

Next step is (when the ESC arrives) working out plumbing and mounting.

I've also read about waterproofing the Hydra, what does this involve?

There are several of us here at OSE Spartan Forum that no longer post over at Traxxas because of their over zealous moderators. We all understand the need to keep the forum family friendly, but they go a little overboard shutting down threads that are simply discussing known issues and problems with the Spartan.

Steven runs a great forum here at OSE, still keep it family friendly, but here we can have frank, open discussion, while seeking solutions to problems.

Kevin

[detox]

Traxxas moderators work the tails off weeding out truthful, unfriendly post. I am sure they are paid to do so.

[Troy711]

I understand they have a crap job. I moderate a car forum with 2 million posts and 100,000 members which has been around for nearly 10 years and I've had people threaten to come around to my house and flog me simply because I exercised my right to an opinion and they didn't agree with me. No one needs that. But what annoyed me is that my thread over there was shut down and I was told to ask Castle for support but every single day you see new threads asking what Mamba is suited to their car including how to mount it, what gear selection and what battery they should use.

Anyway, I'm sure everyone has heard it all before lol.

Just curious, is a stainless or copper prop better?

[dag-nabit]

Both are good both have advantages and disadvantages.
Stainless is harder and withstands nicks and dings better but are more effort to balance and sharpen.
Copper/beryllium props are softer and easier to balance and sharpen, but will nick easier AND you have be sure to wear proper personal protective gear when balancing because beryllium is a known carcinogen. Nitrile gloves, eye protection, and a dust mask is what I wear. I wear the same even when working with stainless, just because.
Kevin

[detox]

Stainless is a stronger metal. You can sharpen a stainless prop much thinner (thinner is better) without worry of it bending under load. Copper/beryllium can be hardened in oven after thinning and sharpening.

[Troy711]

I think I might go a stainless 220. Cheers again :)

[Troy711]

Well, that was quick! I received my ESC today in the post and I still can't believe how big it is!!



Next questions.. Any tips on mounting it and what would be the best plugs to use for the battery and motor?

[Fluid]

Use at least 5.5mm gold plugs, and polarize them (male+ female-, etc.) Now take off one plastic end and spray it with CorrosionX inside. That's about all that's needed for water proofing. Dips and epoxies have several well known issues, better to steer clear. As long as your hull doesn't take on a lot of water you should be golden. Keep the power wires as short as practical to help assure ESC longevity. You did get the Castle Link didn't you? If so program it as needed. If not, get it.



,

[detox]

Mount with velcro.

[dag-nabit]

There are a couple Spartan owners who have successfully mounted the Hydra 240 in the component tray. I know there are some posts floating around somewhere. Try a search, or I'm sure they will chime in when they see your post.

Kevin

https://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...tall+hydra+240
https://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...tall+hydra+240

[Troy711]

Thanks again for the replies. I have 4 packets of Castle 5.5mm bullets I think I'll use. I bought a Castle Link cable a while back when I was going to put a Mamba in my Rustler but never ended up doing it.

Cheers again :)

[Troy711]

Bullets are now on. I'm not 100% sure which colour motor wires run to the ESC though. The motor has white, yellow and blue an the ESC has white, black and red. I'm assuming like this first pic..?



Also the other question is how I've wired the battery end. I used bullets as well so I assume I need a cable to run between the 2 2s packs to run them as a 4s..? Before I actually complete the circuit can someone confirm that it's correct?



Also are my wires looking too long? I've made sure to keep everything at 8awg cable so as there is minimal amp/power loss. Aaaand last question.. I know batteries spark when connected but is it normal for higher C rated batteries to spark bigger?

Thanks again for all the help, this forum has been great!

[Fluid]

1- Connect the motor wires in any manner. Test for motor rotation. If it runs backwards, just switch out any two motor wires.

2- Plug Pack A's black wire onto Pack B's red wire. Connect the other two wires to the ESC: red-to-red, black-to-black.

3- Yes, your wires are way too long. Gauge has a smaller effect on impedance although it will reduce resistance. Impedance is what burns up ESC's. You should be able to cut off at least 2"-3" from each wire, or more. Leave enough wire to allow for connecting and shifting the packs around a bit. Frankly I'd turn the ESC around and shorten the motor wires a lot too. You'll be able to have some shorer pack wires too.

4- Yes, packs with lower internal resistance will produce a larger spark. Wait until you plug in some 10S2P packs!




.

[Troy711]

Hmm, I hope I have enough bullets left to replug everything. I knew I had to do my packs again anyway so if I shortened them to about an inch would it be enough without having to do the ESC?

[hobby_man]

I just mounted a Turnigy 180 amp esc in my spartan, I cut the old esc in half so I could use the base to attach my Turingy too via velcro. The boat speed is 57.4, up from 48.0 with the castle esc. (not the stock prop)
the esc runs real cool.

[dag-nabit]

Hmm, I hope I have enough bullets left to replug everything. I knew I had to do my packs again anyway so if I shortened them to about an inch would it be enough without having to do the ESC?

You should be able to re-use your bullet connectors.
Kevin

[Troy711]

Mounted!



I used my Dremel to remove the stock ESC mounting lugs and then made some holes to use the tabs on the side of the Hydra. I've had to move the radio box though, it kinda limits my battery placement a touch but I figure most of the time I'll have the packs full forward anyway.

Next step is to knock a few inches off all of the cables (including batteries) so there is enough slack on them without having way too much length. I think that'll be tomorrows job. I don't think you can quite notice in this pic put I also installed a Traxxas 2075 servo for a little bit of extra oomph. I have a TQi radio system sitting here that I'm thinking of putting in but I think I might just chuck it in my Speed Rustler instead.

Yesterday I plugged in the USB cable just to have a quick look at the Castle Link functions. I felt like such a nerd using a laptop to program an RC boat!



Hopefully all my new cooling lines turn up soon so I can get to work on the plumbing. Be prepared for some dodgy MS Paint drawings so I can get some opinions on what to do and how to run it all.

[dag-nabit]

Looking good

Kevin

[Troy711]

New lines turned up today but the sidewall is thicker than I'd like and I think it will cause me issues trying to get it to fit so I'll just stick with the yellow ones I have now.

Just about to start on shortening the wires on everything.. hopefully the heat from the soldering iron keeps me warm in the garage!

[madmorgan]

sorry to hear about another run of bad luck with that plastic turd lol j/k i have 1 the v1 burned up the elecs in it after about the 5th pass on 6s. i was booted from traxxas forums for boohooing and bashing. i was simply telling ppl they were fos about their speeds and still running spartans on 6s. i think the first thing that pooped was the flex drive lost a brand new 642 on that 1. anyways i emailed traxxas about the burned up junk in it being 2 weeks old and never recieved a reply. so i did like anyone would do and upgraded with non traxxas parts and every chance i get i bash traxxas spartan on every forum im signed up in. i thought the new castle would run 6s all day long? must be the guys that are praising it only run 1 lap then put it up for the year huh??? . good luck on the expieriments

[dag-nabit]

sorry to hear about another run of bad luck with that plastic turd lol j/k i have 1 the v1 burned up the elecs in it after about the 5th pass on 6s. i was booted from traxxas forums for boohooing and bashing. i was simply telling ppl they were fos about their speeds and still running spartans on 6s. i think the first thing that pooped was the flex drive lost a brand new 642 on that 1. anyways i emailed traxxas about the burned up junk in it being 2 weeks old and never recieved a reply. so i did like anyone would do and upgraded with non traxxas parts and every chance i get i bash traxxas spartan on every forum im signed up in. i thought the new castle would run 6s all day long? must be the guys that are praising it only run 1 lap then put it up for the year huh??? . good luck on the expieriments

The version 2 electrics are proving to be more reliable than version 1, but still lots of ESC issues being reported. The motor seems pretty solid now, you don't see many reports of burned out motors.

Traxxas still has some work to do to before the Spartan has a chance of earning a reputation as a reliable RTR.

Kevin

[Troy711]

Motor and ESC wires and now shortened so I just have the batteries to do. All the lines are run and I even added one of those in line coolers for good measure. I dunno if it does anything (comments?) so if it doesn't it will take me about 2 minutes to remove. Pics to come soon.

Next job is getting the radio gear set up properly and then to program the ESC. Is there anywhere I can download setup files for the Hydra? That would save me lots of stuffing around.

[dag-nabit]

You are not going to have cooling issues with this ESC, unless you try to run 12S and sizzle the motor. :)

The programming instructions are included in one if the links I posted above. Or log onto Castle they have pretty good documentation there.

Kevin

[Troy711]

No more updates as of yet. All I need to do is configure the radio gear and she's all ready to take out. Only problem is winter is starting to hit here so if I need to do a recovery it could be rather uncomfortable if I fall out of my rubber boat lol.