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alferz · 06-26-2015, 04:06 PM

I was doing some bench testing earlier with my 550X, running the stock 1360KV motor and the Hobbywing 150A Opto ESC. With the vbar governor enabled I have never had a problem with the motor cutting out, but today I was manually controlling throttle using vbar's collective control on the gov setup screen. When I got to around 60% throttle the motor suddenly cut out and made a sound like it was braking. Both motor, ESC, and the 3 wires got very hot, around 180F and there was a burning smell coming from either the motor or the ESC. I let it cool down and tried it again but the same thing happened, even though it runs consistently when using the governor at 2300 RPM.

What could cause this shutdown and smell, does it point to a bad ESC? I'm using 12KHz and 15 degree timing which I think is correct for this motor.

FNFAL · 06-27-2015, 09:39 AM

I certainly don't have experience with your specific motor & sensorless ESC combo, but on occasion certain pairings can indeed prove difficult for the proper commutation. Signs of improper commutation will be sputtering, jerking and excessive heat generation even under little load.

"Burning smell" is never a good thing and can lead to insulation breakdown and eventual internal shorting and failure.

It seems like it's having difficulty at the higher rpms (non-governed?). PWM and timing changes usually won't help much. Perhaps those in the Blade forum can further assist?

RC/DC_5000 · 06-27-2015, 01:37 PM

I'd agree. Mikado states up front in the manual that their governor will not work with every ESC and motor combination. They make it sound like its a 50/50 lol.

I've heard great things about HW ESC and VBars governor working very nicely.
Do you have a different motor to try? Or perhaps you can justify this for an upgrade. So if we are to assume what everyone else is saying- the HW ESC is probably not to blame.

If you stunk up the ESC, it would probably stop working right. Whereas you can stink up the motor and it will still work for awhile.

alferz · 07-11-2015, 07:02 PM

I ended up replacing the Hobbywing ESC with a Castle Edge 130. This problem has completed gone away, I was able to bench test throughout the entire RPM range with no glitches whatsoever. I think I must have shorted something when I first tested the motor and ESC - not knowing that an outrunner meant the outside spun rather than just the shaft itself, I hooked it up on my bench and tried to start it up holding the case in my hand

. The motor spun around and twisted the wires badly enough where it caused a short that I verified with my multimeter between the case and one of the wires. I ended up replacing the motor but it looks like that little mistake messed up something in the ESC as well. I've read that a bad motor can ruin an ESC, but a bad ESC isn't likely to ruin a motor. Oh well I guess you live and learn.

06-26-2015, 04:06 PM	#1 (permalink)
alferz Registered Users Join Date: Jan 2015	Motor Momentary Cutout and Smell I was doing some bench testing earlier with my 550X, running the stock 1360KV motor and the Hobbywing 150A Opto ESC. With the vbar governor enabled I have never had a problem with the motor cutting out, but today I was manually controlling throttle using vbar's collective control on the gov setup screen. When I got to around 60% throttle the motor suddenly cut out and made a sound like it was braking. Both motor, ESC, and the 3 wires got very hot, around 180F and there was a burning smell coming from either the motor or the ESC. I let it cool down and tried it again but the same thing happened, even though it runs consistently when using the governor at 2300 RPM. What could cause this shutdown and smell, does it point to a bad ESC? I'm using 12KHz and 15 degree timing which I think is correct for this motor.

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06-27-2015, 09:39 AM	#2 (permalink)
FNFAL Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Dayton Ohio	I certainly don't have experience with your specific motor & sensorless ESC combo, but on occasion certain pairings can indeed prove difficult for the proper commutation. Signs of improper commutation will be sputtering, jerking and excessive heat generation even under little load. "Burning smell" is never a good thing and can lead to insulation breakdown and eventual internal shorting and failure. It seems like it's having difficulty at the higher rpms (non-governed?). PWM and timing changes usually won't help much. Perhaps those in the Blade forum can further assist?

06-27-2015, 01:37 PM	#3 (permalink)
RC/DC_5000 Registered Users Join Date: Jan 2015	I'd agree. Mikado states up front in the manual that their governor will not work with every ESC and motor combination. They make it sound like its a 50/50 lol. I've heard great things about HW ESC and VBars governor working very nicely. Do you have a different motor to try? Or perhaps you can justify this for an upgrade. So if we are to assume what everyone else is saying- the HW ESC is probably not to blame. If you stunk up the ESC, it would probably stop working right. Whereas you can stink up the motor and it will still work for awhile.

07-11-2015, 07:02 PM	#4 (permalink)
alferz Registered Users Thread Starter Join Date: Jan 2015	I ended up replacing the Hobbywing ESC with a Castle Edge 130. This problem has completed gone away, I was able to bench test throughout the entire RPM range with no glitches whatsoever. I think I must have shorted something when I first tested the motor and ESC - not knowing that an outrunner meant the outside spun rather than just the shaft itself, I hooked it up on my bench and tried to start it up holding the case in my hand . The motor spun around and twisted the wires badly enough where it caused a short that I verified with my multimeter between the case and one of the wires. I ended up replacing the motor but it looks like that little mistake messed up something in the ESC as well. I've read that a bad motor can ruin an ESC, but a bad ESC isn't likely to ruin a motor. Oh well I guess you live and learn.

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