Sonic wake killing ESC's.

[Peter A]

HI All
We have a sonic wake in our club that has been killing esc's. It popped the caps on the original esc, and has done the caps on an OSE Raider 150 yesterday. It was running 6s on the 75% setting. I have tried to say the boat would be better on 4s for ovals but...
Down side also it is my raider esc that was in it.
Any ideas as to why this keeps happening?

[Peter A]

Oh and prop was a detongued 445.

[rol243]

what motor kv,s is it running ? is the battery getting hot ?

[785boats]

Pete.
What do you mean by the statement "It was running 6s on the 75% setting"?

[Peter A]

Stock motor, batts are Giant Power 5000mah 65c. It is also the second motor, the first one fried the esc caps after new bearings were fitted after it had been left wet. Honestly I think these boats are total rubbish for 6s in stock form. The kv is too high for 6s at 1900, and low for 4s being a 36mm can. If they had kept the same motor as the Voracity it would be a better boat.

[Peter A]

Pete.
What do you mean by the statement "It was running 6s on the 75% setting"?

The Proboat tx has 50%, 75% and 100% throttle settings. Maybe that this is a bad design from Proboat! The boat wasn't racing, just playing around with a newbie driver, exactly what it is designed and marketed for!

[Fluid]

If the boat is run extensively at part throttle, especially with that rather hot set up, it will burn up the ESC. ESCs like to run wide open with high amp setups and part throttle is much harder on them than full throttle is. This is likely why the ESCs are dying. Set the throttle trim to 100%.

To reduce speed it is better to use a smaller prop, either diameter and/or pitch.

.

[Peter A]

If the boat is run extensively at part throttle, especially with that rather hot set up, it will burn up the ESC. ESCs like to run wide open with high amp setups and part throttle is much harder on them than full throttle is. This is likely why the ESCs are dying. Set the throttle trim to 100%.

To reduce speed it is better to use a smaller prop, either diameter and/or pitch.

.

Yep I know that part throttle is bad for esc. Why do Proboat have that function? It is a bad design function that wrecks expensive gear. It cost $200NZ for a new replacement motor. Frustrating when you are trying to get people into FE! They tend to believe the blurb instead of experience!
The sonicwake is ballistic and virtually uncontrollable with 6s on an oval! Even propped down it is still nuts and does not handle well at all.

[MarkF]

Most people run a 1250 to 1400 kv motor for 6s on there monos. 4s work fine at 1900 kv. Try a 447 prop for 4s and if the temps are good you can go up to a 450 prop. A popular race setup in the US is a Neu 1521 1900kv on 4s and a 450 to 452 props. A 445 is small but good for longer run time.

[Peter A]

Taking into account the sonicwake motor is 36x74mm 1900kv. IMO Proboat screwed up with this size motor in a 36" boat. The 40x74 1650 motor from the Voracity would have been a better choice.
I have tried to get them to run 4s and my suggestion was a 447. But they only had 6s packs and do not listen!

[Fluid]

Yep I know that part throttle is bad for esc. Why do Proboat have that function? It is a bad design function that wrecks expensive gear.....

The throttle endpoint adjustment is available on virtually every transmitter sold today. Since transmitters can and are used in many different setups they need to have versatility built in. For example, some ESCs need a different endpoint than others, and boats with brushed ESCs can be speed limited by reducing the transmitter endpoint.

The consensus among experienced boaters is that ProBoat made major mistakes with this boat, but in some ways we can?t blame them. Like every company they are in business to sell product, and today?s consumer is fixated on speed. Speed sells, and most FE boat makers are fully aware that the vast majority of all RTR boats sold will only be run a few times before being retired to the garage or storage shed. So offering a very fast boat to satisfy the GPS-happy public makes sense even if it is uncontrollable. They are not the only ones doing this either. Today you can buy a 70 mph-capable three foot long FE boat and hand it to a ten year-old to drive at the park pond lined with fishermen and bathers. Does no one see a problem with that?


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[Capt'n Crash]

I studied several videos of the performance of the stock version of this boat on 6s when it first came out and came to the conclusion that it was just too over powered. When I got mine I immediately propped down to a 1.3 pitch Grim Racer 42x55 on 6s and it's been running great all Summer long without a single issue. No bouncing, no skipping, no flipping and no overheating or failure of the electrical components. Mind you it's probably not going 50+mph but a simple prop change turned it into a fun, fast and very stable sport racer. (I do love the wine of a 6s setup)

Several members have also complained of overheating and blown motors/esc's due to the poor design of the cooling intake on the rudder. It can get clogged easily with debris and prevent any water from flowing through the system.

I would however concede the a combination of people new to the hobby with inexperience and Proboat's marketing can unfortunately lead to total frustration in some cases.

[785boats]

The Proboat tx has 50%, 75% and 100% throttle settings. Maybe that this is a bad design from Proboat! The boat wasn't racing, just playing around with a newbie driver, exactly what it is designed and marketed for!

Thanks Pete.
Fluid gave the explanation, in response to your info, in his post #7.

I thought it might have been a partial throttle setting on the Tx but wasn't sure. Hence my question. But yes I agree, that is most probably why the ESC's are blowing.

[Peter A]

Well that won't be an issue anymore, the guy has taken the motor out and want to swap it for another motor I have for a rigger, then sell off the rest of the boat. I think I will put that lttle motor into a JAE33 that I have sitting to build up.
Just got a new Raider 150, turned up on Friday. I noted that it now has an extra cap bank, that'll help.

[Steven Vaccaro]

Its just not possible to make everyone happy and also have something thats super fast and flashy.

This boat runs great on 4s for oval racing for a few minutes. On 6s, its more of a dragster. Run for a 5-10 seconds and then allow to cool.