mudbug85603

Have Y'all seen this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foiRZU5UVTA

NitroSport85

I'm at work right now so I can't watch the video, but I'm assuming that's Raw Steele's video about how the X series cuts power out at higher voltage to basically save castle from warranty damage.

If it is that video:
I'm surprised no one else has mentioned this until this point as the Mamba Monster X has been out for a while and there's a few guys on the traxxas forum using them in slashes. If that's universally true and not just an issue on his units I can see a lot of people switching ESC manufacturers. In any case I was considering one for my Savage Flux XL build but now I'll probably stick to a good old MM2 or a hobbywing Max 8.

If it's not that video:
Disregard everything you've read before this!!!!!!!!

Dr_T

Here's some background on RCM, curious whether Castle will eventually respond in that thread: http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32285

0verkill just did 95 mph with his truggy, pulling ~150A on 6S with the MMX - so I am wondering how much the use for us simple earthlings doing up to ~100mph speeds is really affected, at least with MMX; but the 6S vs. 3S performance in rawsteele's video is pretty weird.

mudbug85603

Interesting read Dr T.... At first it seems Castle is just trying to pass the buck and blame it on the end user. When you look at the Data Logs though there is something going on, still very curious as to this situation.

0verkill

iTrader: (8)

I just spoke with Castle about a few things. Castle has put a stricter safe guard on their new ESC's because they don't want customers burning them up and sending them in for warranty because they're pushing them too hard. The guy in the video is pushing 361 amps and who knows how much ripple through his ESC's and the new ESC's will limit the power once certain thresholds are reached. Castle is looking into this and may increase the limit a little bit but there's no definitive answer at this time.

My MMX is providing really good power for me with a 40x75 motor and 146 amps. We'll see what happens when I put a 40x102 motor on it and increase the load.

NitroSport85

I saw firmware version 1.26 mentioned in that thread. I was wondering if that comes standard on older esc models as well such as the MM2. I'm probably never going to push any esc with speed runs but it will be in a heavy truck and I would be disappointed if I get half performance when I decide to go 6s.

drivejumpfly

By any chance did they give you any recommended parameters to operate the ESC in to keep it in a safe but powerful range? I am interested in their recommended sweet spot for power and longevity.

mudbug85603

Thanks, Overkill.
That ain't right, design and build a product to function within a set of parameters, then limit it way before it's designed intent so there's less chance it won't break?

Why not just change the warranty to limit liability for the manufacturer.

This really isn't about top speed IMO more an issue of propelling a heavy vehicle. When 3s has more get up and go than 6s, that has a detrimental effect on all of my current and future vehicles.

superjoe5000

It's 2016. Make a reliable ESC that does not break. They can do it, if they want to. No excuse for these things still breaking / overheating in 2016. These guys, all of them, need to step it the hell up.

bmag5000

I never had a problem with the Sidewinder series escs for 1/10 scale.
Now there is a guy at the racetrack Saturday that overgeared his 5700kv motor
and the esc kept thermaling. But after he geared down it didn't thermal anymore.

drivejumpfly

I posted this in the other thread:

I called Castle today also to find out the details. The guy was honest with me and told me that yes they do limit power and Castle is aware of the video that was posted comparing the ESCs. He had to give me the company line that they did this because people were pushing the ESCs beyond what they were designed for so they modified them. It makes sense I get it. If I ran a business I would not want to back warranty claims from speed run guys like myself that plan to push them until they fry. He hinted at a software release that might give us more power but he could not give any details out or a timeline. I get that too. This reminds me of Traxxas' stance on the X-Maxx ESCs.

The bottom line is this - Castle should make us sign something that shows we agree that we cannot file for a warranty replacement if we press the unlock button to let the XLX loose with all of the power we can put through it.

Overdriven

iTrader: (18)

I'm sure they could integrate something into Castle link to remove the restriction and unlock the esc. But for Castle to know it was unlocked to be able to enforce voiding the warrantee it would need to do a few things. Namely record the esc's serial number through the link (manual entry wouldn't fly) and then send Castle a notification with the serial number. Burnt esc's don't usually tell to many tales so they'd need a notification system external to the esc. Is an esc's serial number programmed to the esc and if not what about the esc's in customers hands? Do you not allow unlocking on ones without the serial programmed into them or maybe send them in for a reflash at the customers expense? If I was Castle I'm not sure I'd want to foot the bill to reflash an esc to increase the chance of failure. And once unlocked I wouldn't want to allow it to be locked again, too much to keep track of and there's the possibility of hacking the whole system.

Just pointing out some obstacles and considerations here.

ausprime

How do you modify an ESC to get more power then what its rated for
How does one push an ESC to hard, and still be covered under warranty?
If an esc blows up, and you're within the the recommended lipo cell count, and didn't get it wet. It means the ESC is faulty. It has nothing to do with the way i drive.
Did all these people that castle covered under warranty use more lipo cells then the recommended.
wouldn't it be easier for the ESC have a cut off switch if it gets to hot?
If it's only good for 4s then make that the max rating. Don't make an ESC rated at 8s if it cant handle it.
That's like making a V8 engine, but when you put your foot down, it's limited to run on only 4 cylinders. If the V8 can't handing its 8 cylinders, then don't make it.
If the ESC can't handle what its rated for, don't make anymore. Or change its rating!

mudbug85603

This whole thing reminds me of Traxxas and the Velineon VXL-6s, don't fix the problem just throw a band-aid on it.

drivejumpfly

It is a tough situation for Castle and us. When you buy the newest version you expect it to be better than the last version. I hope they resolve the issues soon, or release a better ESC for the speed run and large vehicle enthusiasts.