Speed controllers

[AssociatedParticipant @associated]

Hello there I'm just in process thinking what speed controller I would need ? I have a 1050 brushless out runner motor and lipo 2 cell battery , is there a way of working what amp esc I need ?

I know you can get battery meters to show voltage but when in middle of water has anyone heard of any warning devices to let you know your battery is nearly dead ?

I know you can program the esc for the lower voltage but that normally shuts the motor down and stuck in the pond !

Any thoughts ?

[AssociatedParticipant @associated]

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi

Warning devices, Hobbyking battery alarm(part no. VOLTAGE-ALARM.

This also checks each cell voltage and total voltage, handles 2-8S Lipo's.

The Hobbyking car ESC's (HK-45A, HK-60A-SL and HK-100A) you can program the cut out voltage with the program card.

The Turnigy IA6 can handle telementry voltage, temp and revs (part no. TGY-AVT01, TGY-ATM01 and TGY-APD02.

What size and brand is the motor?

The specs maybe on the website or from the shop you got it from.

Harrry

[AssociatedParticipant @associated]

It's from hobby King itself , il go look on my orders and view the details on motor kv

[AssociatedParticipant @associated]

**LINK**

That's the motor I have got , don't think it should be too much for a river police launch .

[Dodgy Geezer 1Participant @dodgygeezer1]

That's a 1020kv motor, max amps 18. Call it 20 – go for a 40A or better ESC to allow some safety margin.

Cheap ESCs may well be made to low specs, and fail even if they handle an amperage within their spec. No reason why you shouldn't get a 60A or more ESC. One advantage of overspeccing is that the ESC won't run hot and you won't have to worry about cooling.

[AssociatedParticipant @associated]

I have read somewhere not to buy cheap Chinese esc but in this day and age what ones are not ???

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi

The Hobbyking ESC (HK-45A) is 69 grams and I have had one for a few years on the F3 Sprint outboard for a 24" deep vee.

The motor is 3000kv about 600 chinese watts.

I have not had a problem with these ESC's including the 60 and 100Amps ones.

With the program card very easy to setup.

Harry

[AssociatedParticipant @associated]

Is that a marine one ? Do I need a marine one and if I do is it needed to plumb cooling pipes up if the esc is double the amps of motor ?

My view would not be getting as hot as not working as hard .

Cheers

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi A

It is NOT a marine one, it is a CAR one, NO PLUMPING and has an electric fan on top.

So low speed it works far better than the marine ESCs.

Also these are a small size ESC, great for small boats like my 24" deep vee and the Sea Hornet 2015.

I have not run watercooling in my boats.

Harry

[AssociatedParticipant @associated]

Thanks Harry , mines a smaller boat around same size , just thinking how to cover up electrics as the river police launch is a open boat so il have to have a infill to cover everything up but then lose the look of the boat itself .

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Yes you can hide the motor with the engine cover and maybe get the rudder servo and receiver in the small area at the stern, but, the ESC and battery are a problem.

A few pics of the Sea Hornet and this required large mods to the original design.

The deck timber work helped hide the covers.

[AssociatedParticipant @associated]

I'm going to build a fake seat to hide the rudder servo but to get to the rudder and tiller arm and linkage it's under a price of the deck that's glued down and only problem is that it's curved to the shape of the hull . Unless make a rear hatch that looks like it should be there that shands proud . Could use magnets to hold in place .

Not sure about batters esc and receiver though as will take up a bit of room !

[Dodgy Geezer 1Participant @dodgygeezer1]

Posted by Associated on 10/10/2016 23:22:28:

I have read somewhere not to buy cheap Chinese esc but in this day and age what ones are not ???

I use cheap unbranded Chinese ESCs extensively, and have had no problems. But I do use them well under their specs.

The fact that something is made in China is not a specific issue – as you say, lots of things are nowadays. But the words 'cheap Chinese' usually refer to the unbranded items which look very similar to known Western designs and are often sold with grandiose claims and rock-bottom prices.

These items are often copies of earlier Western designs, but with a lot of corners cut to lower the price. Much of the time this may not matter – occasionally it does. For example, you might find:

• Very little Quality Control
• Manual soldering to variable standards
• Wires nicked or trapped in covers, and poor internal anchoring
• Bad or non-existent documentation
• No after-care service
• Components of low quality, rejects or simply under-specified.

This is by no means always the case – some cheap providers are starting to build their brand reputation. But if you buy well-known brands you should be getting reliability and quality assurance. It's up to you how much of a premium this is worth for your particular model…

[AssociatedParticipant @associated]

So would you advise a cheaper unbranded one off eBay ?

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

From my experience with very similar motors on both 2S and 3S you won't need anything more than a 30A ESC, and even that won't get warm. I have used and can recommend the 30A V3 Marine ESC from Component Shop **LINK**

and the FUSION Hawk 30A **LINK**

I would also suggest that you purchase the appropriate programming card. You'll find it far easier to set the speed controller up with one of these.

Both are made in China but are reliable and from UK suppliers. Buy cheap and you frequently end up having to buy twice.

Dave M

[Dodgy Geezer 1Participant @dodgygeezer1]

Posted by Associated on 12/10/2016 15:20:10:

So would you advise a cheaper unbranded one off eBay ?

I must have bought about 20 cheap ESCs off ebay over the last several years – only had one fail on me and that was because I shorted it out. So I can't say that my experience is that they 'frequently' fail. As I said, I do run them well below spec. I also buy the cheap ones intended for drones, which won't have a reverse. If anything were to go wrong I would simply discard the ESC and use another. At £3 a go (which includes post!) that's not an issue. I've been happy with them so far.

If I wanted reverse I'd be paying £15 or more, and the branded ones that DM recommends (which have reverse) become much more competitive. Especially since his are waterproof…

I'm perfectly happy to believe that the branded ones are more reliable, of better quality, and you will get better aftercare should anything go wrong. If you expect to use the ESC in a situation where reliability is critical – a race, perhaps, or at sea, then reliability is obviously more important.

[AssociatedParticipant @associated]

Funny enough I have looked at hawk esc's but was looking at the 40a but guess was not needed . 30a and program card it is then .

Thanks lads

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