Hello Everyone,
I have been using these ESCs with excellent results in regards reliability but id like to improve its performance for multi application.
I have researched for detailed information on reflashing these 40Amp Plushes without much luck. Old ones were ATMel based, new ones are Silabs.
Ive got some of the new ones that id like to upgrade.
Does anyone have successfully done it already?
Help appreciated.
Victor

Pretty sure HK has flashing adapter for these. Try looking at the HK site under the esc accessories.

Originally Posted by PeteDee

Pretty sure HK has flashing adapter for these. Try looking at the HK site under the esc accessories.

Nothing there, thanks though.

Here you go:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1686498

You wont be able to flash it with SimonK firmware, you'll need to get BLHeli firmware for it. Also there is no adapter that is sold by hobby king, you will have to wire your own harness or adapter to flash the ESC's

further starting points
list of flashable ESC with links to docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...BQkZZRlE#gid=0
BLHeli discussion thread: http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=390517
cheap&easy DIY Silabs programmer and BLHeli tools: http://www.olliw.eu/2012/owsilprog-tutorials/

Originally Posted by Tinaphps

Pretty sure HK has flashing adapter for these.

Only for ESCs with Atmega processors. Nothing like that out there for Silabs that I know of.

Too bad because a socket for a Silab would probably work great with OlliW's method for Silab flashing. Soldering wires to the board is a PITA.

Originally Posted by OlliW

further starting points
list of flashable ESC with links to docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...BQkZZRlE#gid=0
BLHeli discussion thread: http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=390517
cheap&easy DIY Silabs programmer and BLHeli tools: http://www.olliw.eu/2012/owsilprog-tutorials/

OlliW,
I have followed that posts, excellent starting point with valuable information, remarkable work.
I do have an Arduino board which i will use for programming, i will follow this route.
What i havent found yet is detailed pin out information specifically for the 40A Plushe boards and the actual procedure to successfully reflash it like i found for other ESCs.
All other Plushes models have been reflashed but the 40A.
Has anyone actually done it?

According to what i found here:
http://oddcopter.com/2012/07/18/flas...heli-firmware/

"So far the following are the only SiLabs ESCs that are BLHeli compatible:

Turnigy Plush 6/10/12/18/25/30A
Turnigy AE 25A (All N-Fet design aka it runs cooler)
DP 3A
XP 3/7/12/18/25A
SuperMicro 3/5A"

40Amps are out of the list

argh...the oddcopter page is a bit outdated, don't use it as reference, the best reference as regards which BESC can be flashed is https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...BQkZZRlE#gid=0 and the link behind the button "BLHeli Supported BESCs" (its directly maintained by sskaug!)

argh... you are right, sorry, haven't noticed that, the 40A is not in the list...
Steffen is reading rcgroups, but maybe it would be better to post directly in the helifreak thread and ask if the 40A can be flashed with any of of the other Trnigy hex files... (I would guess so)

the actual procedure to successfully reflash it like i found for other ESCs.

once you know the locations of the GND, C2CK, and C2D pads on your board, the actual procedure is EXACTLY as for all other ESCs and EXACTLY as described in the tutorial!

as regards the pad locations, if you would post good closeup photos of the front and back we could locate them for you... they are usually easily seen..

Olliw,
Thanks again for your valuable response, i will post in HF in regards of the compatible HEX files for the 40A Plush.

Im attaching a close up of the ESC, i peeled off the covering and photographed the front and the back boards were pins can be seen. There are two boards in this ESC, i didnt want to take them apart until you can check if the pins in the visible boards are the right ones..Attaching pict.

There are two boards in this ESC

oh...
the pics unfortunately don't show the silabs chip... might sit on the back of the blue board
so hard to tell from that what the correct pads are

Do you see the four goldish upright aligned pads on the left bottom corner of the blue board? I would bet that these are the required pads!
(which would make sense since Turnigy also has to flash the chip)
It's not easy to tell which one are which. However, you should be able to determine which of them is connected to GND, and which of them carries VCC (3.3V) (maybe you can follow the traces, or you own a hand multimeter). Once you know which ones are GND and VCC, the other two pads must be C2CK and C2D. So you just could try both possibilities... (mixing up C2CK and C2D won't cause any damage, so just try). I think with a bit checking you have a good chance to figure out the pads whithout having to separate the boards.

With a bit more reasoning we can get further. I checked the pad layouts for the other plushes, and they all have them in row with sequence GND, VCC, C2CK, C2D.
(which makes sense since it's easier for Turnigy to have identical pads layout on all of them)
So, once you know GND you have good change to guess, and identifying GND should be easy by inspection (from the pics I unfrotunately couldn't see)

OlliW,
Looking much better now! Thank you again for the valuable info.
According to the multimeter (+3.3v readout) the lower pad correspond to GND the next one right above is VCC, i updated the picture with the findings for others looking after the same mod with this ESC.
Next step is to set up the Arduino programmer and find the C2CK and C2D.
Still need to know which HEX file is the correct one for this ESC.
Will come back with more news
Going in the right track now.

Victor

it goes GND, VCC, C2CK, C2D

oh and i just updated the post a oddcopter. the 40A plush isnt in github as a supported ESC. you could still try the 25/30A one etc.

Sirbow2,
Thanks! I updated the above picture with the pinout too.
I will try the Plush 25/30A versions as soon as i could make my old Arduino NG board to work.
Im stuck yet in OlliW's AvrBurnTool step #4 "Checking connection", im not getting yet the correct reply from the Arduino.
Working on it

are you sure the program was flashed to the arduino correctly? check your serial port too.