HeliMax 25A ESC programming

[xStatiCa]

Does anyone have any information on how to program these things? I want to make sure that the ESC is setup for the proper throttle ATV and see if there is a soft start feature. So far I have been unsuccessful in finding this information.

[10karer]

there is only one programable setting on this ESC and that is Brake or no Brake. you can contact h-max and they will send you the programing Instructions

[xStatiCa]

I don't see how it could know what the tx/rx's idea of min and max throttle is then. Everything I have read about other ESCs mentions that you usually have to program that because most every rx is slightly different in how it sends the min and max signal for throttle. Couldn't I be getting only 80% power at full throttle or 100% at 3/4 stick right now and not even know it? If it auto learns it I wonder if there is a way to reset it so that it learns the throttle again.

Should the break be enabled so you can get a soft start? It would be nice to not have to worry about increasing throttle too quickly when spooling up.

[10karer]

Brake Is not used in helis it is normaly used on planks with folding props to stop the motor fast so the prop does not strike the fuse. again going by memory there is only the one seting 86ed that esc soon after i got it for the algin 35a as it h-max shut down in about a 3ft hover at about 2 mins of flight time and caused me over $100 in parts (dont use algin ABS Blades). Very happy with the algin.

[Raven_darkcloud]

all abs blades suck cuz the flex soooooooo bad and strike the boom on a slight tuch.

[xStatiCa]

Does anyone know how the HeliMax ESC determines throttle min/max? I noticed that it takes a bit of movement(1/10 stick movement maybe) for the motor start up. This makes me wonder if I am not get 100% throttle at max stick position. I was thinking about increasing throttle end point to see if I get more speed from the motor but I do not know what the effects would be if it is already at 100% throttle at max stick and tell it to go more than that.

[gpeden]

Hi,

Some ESC's use fixed endpoints. It might be worth holding/tieing it down and running it a zero pitchwhile you experiment with increasing the endpoint to see if the revs increase. No harm would come from trying this.

Cheers!
Glen

[xStatiCa]

Would the best way to experiment be to remove the pinion from the motor? Hopefully I would be able to hear the speed difference when adjusting the throttle ATV.

[Raven_darkcloud]

Pest to do it at 0 pitch and listen the drag will help you hear it.

[xStatiCa]

Well I removed all the blades(main and tail) to do the test. After 100% throttle I can't tell a difference so it seems that it is already very close to that. Truthfully the difference from mid to high stick isn't nearly as noticable as low to mid but boosting ATV past 100% doesn't make things sound any faster.

Maybe I will try the 0 pitch test some time just to get more sound to go by like you mentioned. It seems like the 100% throw from the DX6 is already where it should be though.

[xStatiCa]

I found the manual to this ESC. HeliMax sent the manual to me. It is attached below for others that need it.

[Raven_darkcloud]

Its best to test with the blades on do to the drag from the blades. But if the end point seems good then go with it. I tested mine and that first 1/10 is non efective on my esc too. So it seems that its a safty thing.

[james199]

whats the best speed controle to get for my X400

[xStatiCa]

james199, I have no idea. My limited experience is with the HeliMax 25A ESC. It does not have any advanced features like soft start or governor mode. Someone else with more experience should be able to say for sure but I think the 25A is too low of power for most of the high performance motors that people buy. This ESC seems to run very cool(with the HeliMax 2580kv motor) though so no complaints from me. I dont mind not having a governor mode so I use a throttle curve. Probably because I have never used a governor mode though so I dont know how much better things could be :) .

Raven_darkcloud, I forgot to mention that I found out why the lower 1/5 of my throttle was not working... I had trim set to -40% :) . I have no idea how it got set to that. I don't remember doing it. Must be heli gremlins. It did not affect my high stick point though as the throttle trim seems to only affect the lower half of the stick movement.

[kenpsych]

I have a Castle Creations Phoenix-25A ESC with a 5A BEC. It works pretty good and the soft start is very nice...it also has a nifty red led that lights up when you are flying.

[james199]

well heck i just ordered a helimax 25 amp speed controle before i came here ...lol... guess i will be in the same boat as xstatica2 but i did read that it has a soft start so i will post how it works and how to make it soft start too :mrgreen:

[xStatiCa]

james199, According to the manual soft start can only be enabled with the brake feature on the HeliMax 25A ESC. Since a brake on a helicopter is a very bad thing you will want to make sure the break is disabled which will also disable soft start.

Not a big deal to me though... I just slowly crank up the throttle when spooling up.

[james199]

sorry for taking a long time to get back here but i did get the new speed controle and it dosnt have a soft start but it does start slow enough that there isnt any problems with spin out so i am quite happy with it now all i have to do is find a pinion that will fit my eflight six motor the MX 400 came with one but i think i have to much head speed ith it and the battery is getting to hot as well the one i have is 13 or 14 tooth and i think a 10 would be a great size is there a pinion that has a large hole in it if so please tell me where to find it also what pitch is the main gear ? 48,36, etc ? ......thanks