which ESC...me and a buddy need help

[savagefan04]

hey guys,

a buddy of mine from work just picked up a new MF2 to join me in racing/bashing. Since we are both electric newbs we need your help in getting new esc/motors. the goal is to race but we need something for backyard bashing too. my budget is about 150 bucks and his is about 250. what would you guys recommend? ideally i'd like to get a brushless set up but given the budget i know that might be a stretch. i know there are brushed/brushless combo ESC, but i have no idea if you can use them with lipo or just nimh's. so anyway, tell me your thoughts. the guys at my lhs werent much help. all they wanted to do was push the mamba max he had in the store. thanks

sf04

 

[Lessen]

Castle Creations just came out with an entry level sport ESC called the sidewinder. There are two motor options. One is like a 4200 or something and the other is a 5600 I think. They go for around $140-$150 for the combo. The 5600 would be a good choice for a bash/race application with your budget.

 

[savagefan04]

thanks for the tip...is it strickly a brushkess ESC or can a brushed motor be used? also, i'm assuming a lipo can be used too??

 

[Lessen]

I'm pretty sure you can used brushed motors with it as well. I'm not quite sure of the turn limitation though, if there is one. Yes, you should be able to use Lipo's. The way I understand electrics is that the ESC dictates the amount of power taken from the battery. Not the other way around. I like to think of it as if the ESC PULLS power rather than the battery PUSHING power.

 

[Plaidfish]

yeah but with brushless / NiMH, the motor will draw more current than the battery can give.....as the pack drains it supplies less and less current until the motor pulls so much the pack can't give any and the car starts that stuttering crap until it can get rolling....

 

[Lessen]

ahh ok.

With the Sidewinder I think he'd probably fair pretty well with Nimh since the motor handling is significantly less than the Mamba Max. The ESC amperage rating is lower than the MM as well I think. After all, it's a sport brushless system and for $140 it's probably the best value for the $$ out there. Even the Novak sport brushless system is like $30 more.

 

[Plaidfish]

if you have matched cells they will dump current alot more then a sport NiMH as well...I run a matched pack in my 18 most of the time so it's a lil more controllable....works fine until you get to the end of the pack then you notice the difference...it doesn't slowly run down it just won't start moving on it's own.....you have to give it a lil push, you're decreasing the current load by giving it momentum on the start....

 

[savagefan04]

thanks for the info guys. i went ahead and got the sidewinder last night. personally for the 130 bucks i paid i'm happy with it. i opted to get regular nimh cells instead of lipo. if i get 'hooked' on the electrics i 'll go back and pick up a nice lipo pack.

now do i need to break in the motor? if so, how. or can i just ease my way thru the first few packs...please let me know.

 

[hamz9561]

Just ease it in. They aren't like the Nitros in that respect. I'd also recommend that if like the electrics and decide to go LiPo, that you get the Castle Link and the programming software.It's not real expensive and allows you to fine tune the ESC to your driving style and preferences with your computer.