Aquacraft AQUM7037 ESC

I just picked up the "Aquacraft AQUM7037 ESC" over at Maritime Hobbies for $34.99 and will be test installing it tonite to test the motors in the HMS Dreadnaught I'm rebuilding (thanks again, Paul, sweet little ship).

Thankfully it looks like it powers the receiver via the throttle connection so it makes up for me forgetting to buy a connector power cord for the receiver. The ESC had a blue pegboard card stapled to it's plastic bag that lists it as being used on the Bristol Bay Fishing Boat (kit). I should soon know if it will work for my RC warship while I find the proper switches to build the manual speed controls.

Wish me luck! I'll followup with an in-service review of the ESC once I get the ship actually in the water.

 

Does the ESC have reverse? they are very odd little things Mac.

 

KK, yes it is marked forward AND reverse.

And hopefully the first few tests will tell if the receiver doesn't care for the ESC. (I hope)

KK, post editted at 6:10pm after I got home.

I powered up the ESC and the receiver, bound the receiver to the radio and all channels worked to control a servo. Therefore at least initially the receiver works and is getting proper power via the ESC connector.

Spliced a couple of jumper wires together and clipped them from the ESC leads to port motor on Dreadnaught and the motor works, shaft spins, etc. Seems grossly overpowered in one direction so I either need to figure out how to trim the throttle channel or maybe this ESC only has 50% reverse power like I heard in another thread and I have the wires reversed.

Same test applied to the starboard motor failed as I discovered the shaft sticks in one spot, maybe indicating the shaft is bent? I can spin the port shaft easily with my fingers on the universal joint, but the starboard shaft turns stiff and then wants to stick in one spot and it takes more force to make it turn past it. I'll try taking it apart tomorrow and see if I can "see" anything wrong. Maybe it just needs greased? Anyways, this is diverting from an ESC thread to a build thread so I'll start a new one tomorrow.

More info at 7:15pm

Removed the starboard motor by prying it loose where it was glued in place, removed universal joint and locking collar from shaft so I could slide it out, propeller first. Not bent, just a bit corroded so I sanded it down, greased it, and re-installed. Discovered that shaft was sticking because the motor was mounted too close to the shaft and forced the locking collar to bind and rub against the stuffer tube. Removed motor mount and reglued it back about 1/16" to allow some play in the shaft. Will test again tomorrow once glue sets. Definitely restarting this as my build thread for the HMS dreadnaught. LOL

 

Cool mack, sounds like your having a fun time [][}][}][]

 

Small update, yeah the ESC appears to have only 50% (or less) power in reverse, which makes it virtually useless for use on our ships. I'll do one more full trial with it but then I'm pretty sure I'll be junking it.

Thanks to John for pointing out the correct switches at "The Source" so I'll be able to make my full power switch motor controls.

 

Reverse the output to the motors, and use the reverse setting for the forward direction. Adjust your props, pinion, and radio throw to get on speed. Then the reverse should be right on. Mike M in South Korea is the one that told me about this, he does the same on the Proboat speed controllers that he uses, and they so far have worked fine for him.