Some Cool Stuff from Scorpion that will Blow Your Mind!

[Innov8tive]

Hello Everyone!

It has been a very interesting day here at Innov8tive Designs. We are down to 2 days and counting before we leave for the Chicago show. I just about have everything done now, and am getting all the loose ends tied together. Between designing the new catalog, designing and building all new booth displays, getting new products onto the website, answering customer Emails, processing orders and getting stuff packed and ready to go for the show, think that I have worked at least 15 hours a day for the last 40 days straight! I think now I know what Noah felt like building the Ark! :D

I got some awesome news to share with everyone, which I will get to in a minute, first, some new products that are on the way.

I have gotten a few early prototypes of some new speed controllers that are coming out, and I have production samples that are coming from Scorpion, and should be here on Monday morning. The owner of Scorpion sent me some photos of what is coming, so I wanted to share them with you today.

First are the production versions of the 40 Amp, 80 Amp and 120 Amp 6-cell ESC's with the built-in Switching BEC circuit. Here are photos of each.


http://innov8tivedesigns.com/rcgroups/SW40ESC.jpg


http://innov8tivedesigns.com/rcgroups/SW80ESC.jpg


http://innov8tivedesigns.com/rcgroups/SW120ESC.jpg



Next is a couple shots of the new 12-cell Opto-Coupled series speed controllers. This will be available in a 90 and 130 amp model to start with, and more may be offered if the demand is there. Here is a top view and side view of the new 130 amp 12-cell ESC.

http://innov8tivedesigns.com/rcgroups/Opto90Top.jpg


http://innov8tivedesigns.com/rcgroups/Opto90Side.jpg



You will notice that each of these Speed Controllers has a LED hanging off it on the power input side. This is the new Status LED that is a tri-color type, and it will blink different colors to give you various fault indications. This way you will know exactly what is wrong if you see a light blinking.

Now, here comes the really cool part. You had better sit down for this. Wait, If you are on your computer you are probably already sitting down, but just in case, sit down for this one.

OK, I am sure that you are already aware of the fact that every single Scorpion ESC comes with a Free Programming Card. This handy little gadget allows you to re-program all of the features of the ESC without having to hook it up to a PC or play with beep codes or any of the other programming methods out there. Now as cool as this is, you still have to unplug your battery, then unplug your ESC from the receiver and plug it into the programing card to use it. Once you are done, you have to then unplug the battery again, unplug the programming card, plug the ESC back into the receiver and then finally plug the battery back it to power everything back up. Whew! In reality, it is not that big of a deal, and we have all done it before, but if you are like me, you have thought to yourself, "There has got to be a better way!"

Well, boys and girls, Scorpion now has a better way. What would you say if I told you that there is now a way to re-program your ESC without unplugging the battery..........


Without unpluging the ESC from the receiver.............


Without plugging in any cables..............


In fact, without even touching the speed controller at all! :eek:

Impossible? Well let me introduce you to the most technologically advanced ESC programmer to ever be produced:




The New Scorpion Wireless ESC Programming Card! :eek:

http://innov8tivedesigns.com/rcgroups/SWIRProg.jpg




Is this the coolest thing ever or what! All of the ESC's shown above will use this new programmer. The circuit board to the right of the programmer is the IR receiver module that works with the programmer, and mounts in your plane. The IR module plugs into your throttle channel, and then the ESC plugs into the IR module. If you look at the upper left corner of the IR receiver module you will notice a small switch. If you flip the switch down, it puts the ESC in the Receive Programming mode, and will accept commands from the programming card. When you flip the switch up, it puts the ESC in the Run mode and you fly away with the new program. Oh yeah, I know you want one! :cool:


So here is a quick guided tour of the new Wireless Programmer:

Starting at the top left and going by row, here are the functions of all the buttons.

LVC is for Low Voltage Cutoff. It is adjustable from 6.0 to 25.0 volts in 0.5 volt increments, so you can select just about any cut-off level you want.

PCT is for Program Cut Type, and it lets you select 100% cut, 50% cut or no cut with a warning light.

COP sets the Current Overload Protection on or off.

RO sets the Rotation direction normal or reverse.

BRK sets the Braking action to one of five levels from no brake to hard brake.

MAT sets the Motor Scceleration Time delay to 0.15, 0.30. 0.45. 0.70 or 1.3 seconds.

FREQ sets the PWM frequency to 8 KHz, 16 KHz or 32 KHz.

TIM sets the motor Timing to 0, 5, 15, 20, 25 or 30 degrees of advance.

AIR will set the programmer into the Airplane mode when the Car and Boat ESC's come out. (Currently Disabled)

CAR/B will set the programmer into the Car-Boat mode, with the ability to adjust reverse on those controllers. (Currently disabled)

SS will set the ESC in the Slow Start mode. (A future option not yet available)

GOV will set the ESC in the Govrner mode for Helicopter use. (A future option not yet available)

SB will turn on the motor Start Booster feature. (A future option not yet available)

ENTER will send the specified command to the ESC

The last 4 buttons with the star, asterisk, pound sign, and the think that looks like a 3-bladed prop, are keys that will be used for other features that have not even been thought of yet! How is that for thinking ahead.


Now that you have all seen the new Scorpion Wireless ESC Programmer,and see how cool this thing actually is, you are probably wondering to yourself, "OK, how much is this little gem going to cost me, $20.00, $25.00, maybe $30.00"

Well, I will tell, you.


Are you still sitting down.


OK, how about FREE! Yes I said FREE! Every new 6-cell Switching BEC style ESC and 12-cell Opto-Coupled ESC will come packaged with the Wireless Programming Card and receiver module shown above! I have not heard of anyone else using a wireless programmer before, so I think that this is an industry first for Scorpion!

So there you have it. After you take a few minutes to get over the shock, let me know what you think about the latest products coming from the Scorpion Skunkworks!

Man I Love My Job! :D

Lucien

[Mayday!Mayday!]

Thats pretty cool LM.

[cryhavoc38]

Pretty cool, actually very "innovative" :)

but I have one question regarding the IR programmer.

Is the IR receiver sensitive to IR given off by the sun?

I ask, because anyone who has a picooz or similar micro helicopter knows that the heli doesn't like to work outside when its sunny, or even overcast due to its IR receiver being blinded by the sun and it can't receive the signals from the IR transmitter.

Is it recommended to only program the esc using your IR system indoors, AND would the esc IR receiver be suseptible to IR interference when in flight mode?

thanks

[bass3587]

Dang cool if you ask me. I want one too but are there going to be versions for smaller esc's like a 20 or 30 amp version?

[rob mueller]

Great news Lucien...very cool! :)

[Innov8tive]

bass3587,

Yes, In addition to the 40, 80 and 120 amp models, Scorpion will produce a 20 amp, 30 amp and 60 amp model of the ESC with Switching BEC circuit. So once these are available, you can fly those smaller 4-cell aircraft that have 4-5 servos, and not need a seperate BEC.

Thanks for the interest!

Lucien

[Innov8tive]

cryhavoc38,

There is a switch on the IR receiver board that you flip to put the ESC into the Programming mode. When you are finished with the programming, you flip the switch to the Fly mode and it bypasses the IR receiver all together so there is no chance of interference while flying.

Lucien

[cryhavoc38]

cryhavoc38,

There is a switch on the IR receiver board that you flip to put the ESC into the Programming mode. When you are finished with the programming, you flip the switch to the Fly mode and it bypasses the IR receiver all together so there is no chance of interference while flying.

Lucien

Hi Lucien,

I understand that, however, what about programming in the field. Has Scorpion done field testing out in the sun, or an overcast day to see if the programming is affected by daylight? Just trying to understand if the IR programming feature is recommended for indoor use only, or at least when shaded out in the field. I think its a great new feature to be able to wirelessly program an ESC, but if one has to be indoors to program the esc on the fly, then that doesn't lend itself to be field friendly if you know what I mean.

thanks

[cmulder]

So if you find a way to use a channel to flick that switch you should be able to reprogram your esc during a close fly-by right? ;)

[cherokee180c]

Any word on price yet? I was just looking at the Scopion motors and speed controls for my next electric plane project based on everyones recommendation on the forums. Also when you say 6 cells, is that upto 6 cells? Will these handle a 3S lipo setup?

[aflipz]

WOW!

Sweet stuff Lucien, this will come in handy when i finally tackle my first E-conversion :cool:

[BEC]

Hi Lucien,

I understand that, however, what about programming in the field. Has Scorpion done field testing out in the sun, or an overcast day to see if the programming is affected by daylight? Just trying to understand if the IR programming feature is recommended for indoor use only, or at least when shaded out in the field. I think its a great new feature to be able to wirelessly program an ESC, but if one has to be indoors to program the esc on the fly, then that doesn't lend itself to be field friendly if you know what I mean.

thanks

I was wondering exactly the same thing after reading the description. IR control in general doesn't work too well outdoors.....so I'm really curious to see how well this works at the field.

[OICU812]

Remote and all that real nice. But what I am more concerned with and interested in is how it will actually perform? The 12S version you have and how the governor feature will work on a big E Heli, that will be the question and how good it is from there we will see. I ssupect the LVC and all that will be different selectable numbers for the larger escs?

[kgfly]

Creative idea and good for those situations where it can be hard to get to the Rx to swap plugs in and out. That's always been one of the advantages of stick programming over programming cards, no need to fiddle with plugs.

I am curious about feedback from the ESC. I have used a few ESCs and one thing I have learned to hate is an ESC where there is no way to check the existing settings before changing them or whether the new settings have been applied correctly. So what feedback (beeps, blinks etc) if any does the ESC/programmer provide to let the user check the settings ?

Thanks for sharing the advance info Lucien.

[BlazerB52]

Cool !!!!

Been waiting for Scorpion to come out with an ESC that goes above 4S.

Question has been asked and wondering too. If it is 6S ESC can you run fewer cells with it also.

Keep up the great product intros.

Blazer

[Innov8tive]

cherokee180c,

The new Switching BEC series of ESC's will work on anything from 2 cells up to 6 cells. I can imagine anyone running one of these on 2 cells, but I know that a lot of people will want to run them on 3-cells to take advantage of the high servo count that the Switching BEC will offer.

Scorpion is still working on the final price details, so I do not have a final figure yet. The Switching BEC speed controllers will be more expensive than the standard Scorpion ESC's with the linear regulators, but they will be less than other similar ESC's on the market.

For the 12-cell Opto ESC's, again no price has been set, but they will be less than comparable HV controllers from other manufacturers.




cryhavoc38,

I spoke with the owner of Scorpion last night, and they have done tests outside to try the IR programming card. If you have the plane oriented so the sun is shining directly on the receiver, the sunlight will overwhelm the IR reveiver, an it will not receive. If you spin the plane around so the sun is behind it, then it will receive the signals OK. If the sun is directly overhead, and you hold your hand out to cast a shadow on the IR receiver, it will work as well. Hopefully that is acceptable to you.




cmulder,

Unfortunately, when you put the IR receiver board in the programing mode, it disables the ESC, so this would not be very practical, althogh it would make for some interesting "Pit Stops"! :D



kgfly,

I will have to check with Scorpion on "What's already in the program" types of indications. I know that the ESC will beep the motor and flash the LED light to give confirmation of the settings as they are applied, but I am unsure of whether or not the ESC can tell you what settings it has stored.



BlazerB52,

As I stated earlier, these new Switching BEC ESC's will work on anything from 6 volts to 25 volts, so operation on anything from a 2-cell up to a 6-cell Li-Po is possible.


Thanks for all the questions, it helps us determine what ffeatures you would all like to have in your new products!

Lucien

[BlazerB52]

Have my money waiting to try out the HV Scorpion ESC"s in my new BAE Hawk, 50"+ w.s. with a 5" Fan.

Will be waiting.

Thanks Lucien!

[BEC]

I'll echo kgfly, too. I've been messing with ESCs for over 20 years and once the number of options to be set passed the number of jumpers on the unit, finding out what the ESC's current settings are has been a problem.

Right now the only way to do it I am sure of requires a computer (Phoenix-Link for CC, ESC-View for Motortron). I'll have to check to see if the Hyperion Titans can tell an Emeter what the current settings are. Same with the Jeti Spin Box.

With jumper card-type programming it's simplest to just set it to what you want and ignore prior settings. With that IR device, where you apparently have to set things one at a time from your description, it will be really useful to be able to know which settings need changing and which ones don't.

It will be interesting to see where this all goes. Good luck in Chicago!

[kgfly]

One thing I have learned to really like about the Align ESCs is their very logical and simple stick programming (no unplugging, no extra cards/computers/batteries needed) and their string-of-beeps initialisation that makes it easy to tell the current settings. While the PC-link solutions typically offer good visibility and simple programming, they are a pain if you need to make a change in the field. Some programming cards have leds to show you the current settings which is better than those that don't. I really hope Scorpion have a good and usable solution to determining the current settings.

[Doctor Who]

Looks cool.

Thanks for posting the info.

[twitchyR22]

Ok guys don't throw rocks, but can these be used with helis? When will the ir esc's be available? I looked on the website but only saw the ones with the cards, not the remotes.
Thanks a bunch guys,
Rusty

[Innov8tive]

twitchyR22,

Yes, these new ESC's will be able to be used with helicopters. These should be available around the middle to end of November, subject to the production schedules.

We will post a notice here when they are available.

Thanks for the interest.

Lucien

[cferrell]

One thing I have learned to really like about the Align ESCs is their very logical and simple stick programming (no unplugging, no extra cards/computers/batteries needed) and their string-of-beeps initialisation that makes it easy to tell the current settings. While the PC-link solutions typically offer good visibility and simple programming, they are a pain if you need to make a change in the field. Some programming cards have leds to show you the current settings which is better than those that don't. I really hope Scorpion have a good and usable solution to determining the current settings.
My issue with the stick-and-beep programming is that if you don't have your "cheat sheet", you aren't going to be programming anything.

Heaven forbid you accidentally end up in programming mode without the cheat sheet around!

[ARCHER7153]

Wow

[baytel]

Can I assume that the Scorpion 45 ESC is already programmed with the factory defaults right out of the package and that the only time I have to use the programming card is if I want to change something?

Baytel

[gouang]

Can I assume that the Scorpion 45 ESC is already programmed with the factory defaults right out of the package and that the only time I have to use the programming card is if I want to change something?

Baytel

YES, they are!

[baytel]

YES, they are!


Thanks!

Baytel :)

[AIR SALLY]

Lucien, hey so far i really like the 2200mah 20c batt i bought from you at the vegas show....my fan set up is pulling 37-40 amps and making over 500 watts of power ...C/N and I kept the frist few flights short so we could ck temps and the Excalibur Batt is working as you promised. we have done some testing with another 2250 Batt and yours seem to hold the power longer . i'll report back after some more flights. thanks for great products at reasonable prices. have you done any building or flying ?....better do some, all work and no play is not good :D