jperch
Jun 21, 2003, 10:50 AM
Okay, here is the story. My setup is a 3s2p pack of Etech 1200's, a CC Phoenix 25 ESC, and a Hacker B20-15L with the gearbox. The prop is a 10x7 APC electric prop and I was using a Berg 5*DSP Rx. I have tested this system and everything works.... well used to work. I have not had a chance to fly this system bue to problems with radio stuff. I would take the plane to hte field for its maiden and a servo would be jittering. When I got home, no jitter. ANyhow, this has nothing to do with the ESC being dead (I don't think).
After several weeks of the plane hanging from the ceiling, I decided to try a different Rx. I removed the Berg Rx and replaced it with a Hitec Electron 6. When I powered everything up...nothing. I got no beep or flashing lights from the ESC and the motor would not arm. However, the BEC seemed to be functioning as the other servos functioned properly.
I read the troubleshooting section of the manual and it said that most likely the ESC was not seeing 4 seconds of braking signal form the Tx. I use a Hitec Eclipse Tx so I thought I could play with the settings to make sure the low throttle pulse was low enough.
Since I don't have a scope, I used a DMM on the throttle channel and set the Tx so that the low stick position gave me the lowest voltage reading on the DMM I could get. I also set it so that the full throttle position gave me the highest reading on the DMM I could get. Now, the Tx should be giving me the closest thing to brake signal I could possibly provide and as I said before, this used to work with the other Rx.
Still nothing from the ESC. I decided to bite the bullet and purchase another Pheonix 25. When it arrived, I attached connectors for the battery and connected the motor and the Hitec Rx. This ESC did seem to have some life to it. I still didn't get any beeps but I did see some flashes. However, I still could not get any motor response. I played with different settings on the Tx trims and subtrims to no avail. I did notice that when the throttle stick was all the way down, the light would flash in a steady pattern. However, as I slowly advanced the throttle, I noticed the flashing become erratic and then stop.
I decided to try the Berg Rx again. Afterall, this had worked before. I got the same behavior from the ESC as with the Hitec Rx. Except that after some time, while I was advancing the throttle, the motor pulsed. It just jumped a little. It also scared the snot out of me as I was not expecting it to jump to life like that. But, now this second ESC behaves exactly like the first. No beeps, no flashes, nothing. Only the BEC seems to work. I have also noticed that the ESC gets a little warm when the battery is connected. It is not hot, just barely noticably warm. This happens even with the motor disconnected.
I am at a loss here. I now have two ESC's that I think are fried and I still can't fly my plane. Can anyone out there help me? I don't think that there is anything wrong with the motor yet I am afraid to try it out on the only other BL ESC I have.
I appreciate your willingness to offer this assistance.
Joe
After several weeks of the plane hanging from the ceiling, I decided to try a different Rx. I removed the Berg Rx and replaced it with a Hitec Electron 6. When I powered everything up...nothing. I got no beep or flashing lights from the ESC and the motor would not arm. However, the BEC seemed to be functioning as the other servos functioned properly.
I read the troubleshooting section of the manual and it said that most likely the ESC was not seeing 4 seconds of braking signal form the Tx. I use a Hitec Eclipse Tx so I thought I could play with the settings to make sure the low throttle pulse was low enough.
Since I don't have a scope, I used a DMM on the throttle channel and set the Tx so that the low stick position gave me the lowest voltage reading on the DMM I could get. I also set it so that the full throttle position gave me the highest reading on the DMM I could get. Now, the Tx should be giving me the closest thing to brake signal I could possibly provide and as I said before, this used to work with the other Rx.
Still nothing from the ESC. I decided to bite the bullet and purchase another Pheonix 25. When it arrived, I attached connectors for the battery and connected the motor and the Hitec Rx. This ESC did seem to have some life to it. I still didn't get any beeps but I did see some flashes. However, I still could not get any motor response. I played with different settings on the Tx trims and subtrims to no avail. I did notice that when the throttle stick was all the way down, the light would flash in a steady pattern. However, as I slowly advanced the throttle, I noticed the flashing become erratic and then stop.
I decided to try the Berg Rx again. Afterall, this had worked before. I got the same behavior from the ESC as with the Hitec Rx. Except that after some time, while I was advancing the throttle, the motor pulsed. It just jumped a little. It also scared the snot out of me as I was not expecting it to jump to life like that. But, now this second ESC behaves exactly like the first. No beeps, no flashes, nothing. Only the BEC seems to work. I have also noticed that the ESC gets a little warm when the battery is connected. It is not hot, just barely noticably warm. This happens even with the motor disconnected.
I am at a loss here. I now have two ESC's that I think are fried and I still can't fly my plane. Can anyone out there help me? I don't think that there is anything wrong with the motor yet I am afraid to try it out on the only other BL ESC I have.
I appreciate your willingness to offer this assistance.
Joe