proboat 50 amp esc help

[boaterguy]

guys, sorry i bug you so much, but i'm new to hobbies and in my model i have a proboat 50 amp esc, can i put an 8 AA 12V battery pack to it just to test? or will i blow it out?

[Prins Willem]

Boaterguy, According to Proboat's website the ESC is rated 4.8v to 12v. Based on that I would have to say you would be safe hooking it up to 12 volts.

http://www.proboatmodels.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=PRB2314

I was just reading the manual online and I find it interesting that on the website they say it will handle 4.8v but in the instructions it says they can void the warranty if less than 6v is used. Curious.

[boaterguy]

yes, but does that meanthat if one of the batteries had 1.6 voltsinstead of 1.5, it would blow it, is this pretty much the limit, because i don't want to take a risk, is there a reasoneable risk?

[Prins Willem]

A brand new battery (12v) will typically at no load deliver more than 12 volts. A new 7.2 volt nickel Cadmium pack will peak at around 11 volts when charging. Under any load that will drop to the rated voltage very fast. A ESC rated for 12 volts will not burn up at 12.5 volts. As soon as you crack your throttle the voltage will drop.

I have pushed ESCs as hard as anybody I know. I have a Dumas Watt Wizard which I was in the habit of running 16.8 volts (2x8.4 packs) on ESCs which were not designed to take it. I smoked one or two but it took a few runs to do it. They were usually used ones I picked up cheap.

if you are looking to keep your costs down I would recommend you buy a gel cell and save the penlight batteries for you radio. A good 12 volt gel cell (1.3 AH) can be had for about $20 while a 12 AH is about $45 at Batteries Plus.