Choosing an ESC these days ain't easy. Please advise me!

[ricerscott]

I'd definatly look at getting a mamba max pro, and any 13.5-17.5 motor. I have had nothing but great luck with castle. Plus with the castle link tuning is a breeze.

[Coelacanth]

I'd definatly look at getting a mamba max pro, and any 13.5-17.5 motor. I have had nothing but great luck with castle. Plus with the castle link tuning is a breeze.

Thanks, that's about the ballpark of motor I'm looking at...and the Castle Mamba Max line is one I've been checking out too, but they tend to be rather pricy. I'm trying to be patient and find something on eBay for a good price.

[CamplinP]

They cost a little but I figure that it is something that should last a long time and it pays to get one that does everything well. Just some good velcro and in a couple minutes can be used in a different car.

[Coelacanth]

I'm chiming in again guys...after reading all the recommended specs (if not brand names), and after someone on another thread suggested the EZRun stuff was pretty good (I'd assumed it was cheap Chinese knock-offs), I'm investigating the following, which I have yet further questions about. I saw some YouTube vids of guys demo'ing EZRun stuff and it looked pretty good to my inexperienced eye.

-EZRun 13.5T / 3300 kV brushless motor
-EZRun 60A-SL ESC

Details:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/eZRun-V2-5-5-8-5-13-5-17-5T-Brushless-Motor-60A-ESC-RC-/380262312306?pt=FR_YO_Jeux_RadioComRobots_VehiculesRadiocommandes

How would this combo work for a Turbo Optima that I want to kick butt but not shred the gears? It seems like several of the recommended specs in this topic thus far are in that neighborhood...

I'm still foggy on a few details with the ESC.

1) It seems that the above unit's fan won't work with an 8.4V pack. Can I just remove the fan for this combo or must I find a fan that can handle 8.4V?

2) This ESC outputs 6V to the receiver; I have an old Futaba Magnum JR radio; can this receiver handle that? I've read something about there being an issue between the 5V and 6V thing, with some older radios.

[Coelacanth]

The following thread is a very lengthy discussion about the EZRun gear:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=44717&start=100

What I found remarkable is that there was hardly a single complaint, everyone was satisfied with the operation. The few issues near the start of the thread were due to human error, not the hardware, and were subsequently resolved. I was quite surprised at the lack of problems.

The one unknown would be longevity. I've had brutal luck with "Made in China" laptop batteries and A/C chargers, I had 4 out of 7 batteries crap out within 4 months of purchase, and one A/C charger is of really low quality; the connector to the laptop charge port doesn't snug in firmly, it pops out if you breathe on it heavily, and the connector on the inverter pops out similarly. Furthermore, it creates a lot of electrical noise; when plugged in, I get a lot of static on my TV. Unplug it, the static goes away. So, I'm rather leery of cheap Asian knock-offs.

Does anyone have any feedback on the aforementioned EZRun components (60A ESC & 13.5T, 3300 kV motor combo for Turbo Optima and 8.4V DTX4600 NiMH battery)? And more specifically the 5V/6V issue regarding the receiver? I've searched this forum for "ezrun" and read everything, there doesn't seem to be any negative press here, either.

[jwscab]

6 volts to the recevier should never be an issue, ever. back before rechargeable batteries were affordable, all you had was alkalines which, at 1.5V output, a 4 cell receiver pack would give you 6v nominally.

with the rechargeables coming down in price and better availability, along with the advance in electronics, circuits were able to use the nominal 4.8-5v nicd batteries put out even better than the old gear.

so I would expect older gear to be more fussy with 4.8v than it would with 6v. new electronics probably don't care much at all (except some servos are sensitive to voltages due to limitations on coreless motors)

[Coelacanth]

Well, I read through this entire 61-page thread regarding EZRun BL ESC's and motors:

http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric-road/238141-ezrun-brushless-system.html

Since a Kyosho Lemans 240SB motor was 29,000 rpm I believe, I figured a 30A ESC & 13.5T - 3300 kV motor or 10T - 3900 kV motor would be a suitable upgrade that would fly at least as good as she used to, hopefully without putting unnecessary strain on the drivetrain. On 8.4V, the 13.5T motor is 27,720 RPM and the 10T is 32,760 rpm. So, at least according to the math, the 3900 kV motor would be just a tad hotter than the 4-minute Lemans 240SB.

Would either of these combos be safe for the Turbo Optima drivetrain, bearing in mind that I managed to track down a hard final pinion to replace the otherwise weakest link in the chain? And which of the two would you recommend? They'd be about the same price. Thanks!

[cmain]

one thing to keep in mind is brushless motors can run a taller gear than brushed.

for example associated reccomended gear for a rc10t4 with a 19t brushed is 19/87

for a 13.5 it would be 25/87

[Coelacanth]

I thought I'd update this topic, in regards to this particular post. I completely rebuilt 2 of my brushed motors (unknown black-can that appears to be a 14T, and a Kyosho Lemans 480 Gold that was a reliable motor for years); new brushes, new soldered-on capacitors & motor leads with 3.5mm gold connectors, cleaned out the insides & armatures with Easy-Off, per the RC motor black-book I found & downloaded online. They look practically brand new.

I connected either of them to the Associated SC200 ESC and got nothing from either one. The steering works on either receiver channel, so it's not the receiver.

I pressed & held the Set button for 3+ seconds to go into Setup mode. The LED flashed orange. I pressed Set to set Neutral; the LED lit green and stayed lit. However, when I gave full throttle, nothing happened.

Fortunately, the seller will take it back with a partial refund, but I just wanted it to work so I could do some test-driving before the snow flies here.

What's an easy way to break in a motor? I seem to recall connecting a motor to a pair of D-size batteries to break in the brushes...

I managed to score a nice group of items on eBay sold as a lot, it must've gone under most people's radar...it included an Associated SC200 ESC (17T+ with reverse), 2 motors (SC10 RTR, Reedy Radon 30,000 rpm), 1903 servo, old HPI Racing 1300 mAh NiCad battery pack (didn't need this) and brush cutter.

What do you guys think? I can eventually upgrade the ESC to something capable of lower turn motors, but this unit seems to be a good fit for now. Are the motors any good?

[Coelacanth]

Both motors spun nicely when connected to a pair of D batteries, so the ESC was indeed the problem. Oh well...the wait-to-drive continues!

[Kayne]

Has any tried these?
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=8993&Product_Name=Hobby_King__Brushless_Car_ESC_100A_w/_Reverse_(Upgrade_version)