Esc

[flandersander]

My LHS just called and asked me if I owned an esavage. I of course do not. So he said that I aparently paid for an electronic speed control under my name and asked them to hold it for me. So now I have some guy whose last name is sander that is missing an ESC. My question is, What does this do? Is it like the throttle control on an electric? Like a restrictor almost, regulates the power flow from batteries to the motor?

 

[Rolex]

Correct. Plugs into the receiver and eliminates the mechanical servo and speed controler.
Some are for brushed, some are for brushless. Also made to handle different voltages and current draw.

 

[flandersander]

Man i'm a genious. Or lucky.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

How did you ever connect that "electronic speed controller" with the fact that it's like a throttle control? I guess some people are just way smarter than I am. Anyway, it's like the brain that tells the legs how fast to run. Instead of having a servo that connects to the receiver and opens and closes the carb based on your command, you have a speed control that tells the motor what to do electronically. When you hit the brakes, it tells the motor to stop. When you hit the brakes again, it tells the motor to reverse (if you're not racing)

 

[flandersander]

Well I do have an IQ of 51. But seriously, 151. Now really seriously, I could have guessed. So how does it hook up? I mean does it hook to the power wire?

 

[Cupooterluvr]

Generally it'll have a plug for the throttle slot of the RX that both provides power to the RX and receives the throttle signal.

 

[flandersander]

So all the power goes through the reciever? So is that like a built in failsafe?

 

[Rolex]

The brown/red/yellow lead goes to the throttle position in the receiver.
The heavy red and black leads with the Deans connector goes to the battery.
The 3 colored leads with the brass plugs go to the motor.

 

[flandersander]

Oh I get it now. So what can happen if you fry an esc?

 

[Rolex]

Nothing works and there's nothing you can do about it. Sometimes the deliver nothing, sometimes only full throttle. It becomes a costly piece of trash.

 

[flandersander]

Can one buy a failsafe or the esc is the last resort? you would think there would be some fuse protection on one.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

most decent radios have a built in failsafe, and most high end ESC's have a fail safe feature. You've got to try really hard to fry an ESC, I think most of the problems with them usually arise from improper use or water damage.

 

[flandersander]

you are saying I need to try hard? Man, you don't know how I drive my RC's. But yeah if they are widly used they must be safe. or safeish anyway. Is there any way around an esc? I mean, not that I am really worried but is there anything else that people use?