Brushless ESC Settings and Waterproofing

Discussion in 'Propulsion' started by Kevin P., Jul 23, 2016.

  1. Kevin P.

    Kevin P. Well-Known Member

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    Hey everyone,
    I'm looking for settings to use for my new brushless drive system. Here are the relevant parameters.

    Boat: USS California (Tennessee class)
    Drive batteries: 4S (~13.3 V) 4200 mAh zippy packs (1 per motor)
    ESC: HobbyKing 100A Brushless Car ESC w/ reverse (I have the programming card too)
    Motors: NTM 900kV

    In regards to waterproofing, I plan to pot the whole thing in epoxy, so does anyone have any tips on the best way to do so. Do I need to keep the epoxy "height" below the level of the programming switch so I can still press the switch?

    Sorry for the general post, but I figure this knowledge is out there in the group so I would just ask.
     
  2. Beaver

    Beaver 2020 Rookie of the Year Admiral (Supporter)

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    Hey Kevin,
    To program your ESC first plug it into some power source. Plug the receiver cable into the top of the programing card. The programing card's screen will display "READ" and then "C" which indicates it's a car ESC. Now if you press the down key you can scroll through the different options that can be programed. We will only need to change a few of these to get a workable ESC.
    Options 1, 2, 3, really don't need changed for our purposes, so we'll leave them be.
    Option 4: Run Mode. This one you'll want to change to 2, I think it comes programed on 3. This setting allows for instantaneous forward and reverse, no delays.
    Option 5: Brake force. This is the amount of brake force the ESC exerts on the motor to stop it before switching from one direction to another. This setting has to take into account personal preference because a higher brake force will stop the motor faster meaning you'll go into reverse faster, but there is also a downside in that a higher brake force uses more energy. It's up to you on what you want. I have my cruiser set at #1 (50%) because I don't have the extra battery juice to waste.
    Options 6-8 don't need to be changed as far as I know.
    Option 9. Reverse Force. Change this to #4. That will give you 100% reverse.
    There, that should do it. I hope it made sense. :)
    As far as I'm concerned, as long as you have the programing card I'd just epoxy over the little button. Programing card makes it so much easier than trying to listen for all the little beebs and such. :) Also, I'm told it's better to epoxy the whole ESC rather than to open up the plastic case and put epoxy in it and reinstall.
    Caleb
     
  3. Kevin P.

    Kevin P. Well-Known Member

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    Thanks Caleb. I just tested everything out, the motors go roundy-roundy which is good. I set Option 1 to 12.0V for the cutoff voltage, so the ESC will turn off to save the batteries. I plan to snip the red wire for one of the ESCs so the BEC don't argue with one another, but after that I should be good to go
     
  4. Beaver

    Beaver 2020 Rookie of the Year Admiral (Supporter)

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    Your welcome, Kevin. I'd be a bit wary setting your COV at 12v. Starting or reversing your motors creates a slight voltage depression in the battery. As your batteries wear down during a sortie this depression could go below 12v and shut off the ESC temporarily. I set my ESC's at 0.0v and just know the limits of my battery. Also, I wouldn't "snip" the BEC wire because you'll need it if you ever want to change the settings. I just pull the pin out of the plug and fold it back and tape to the other wires. If I ever need it I can just push it back into the plug. :)
     
  5. thegeek

    thegeek Well-Known Member

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    Set the cutoff voltage at about 2.8 volts per cell for LiPoFe, and not 0.0 volts. The ESC doesn't like "0", and will act wiggy.
     
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  6. GregMcFadden

    GregMcFadden Facilitator RCWC Staff

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    another thing to look at is what your esc does when it reaches the voltage limit. the esc's that I use for pumps do not stop at the voltage limit, they throttle down until the battery voltage is high enough to be above the limit. Not sure what my motor esc's do, never checked their behavior.