Smoking ESC?!😮

[SXFoxstar]

So after replacing the front suspension arms yesterday took my FTX Bugsta out in the street for about 20min and it started to smoke.  I left it to cool down now when I switch it on smoke appears to come out of the ESC not the motor WTF does this mean? It’s only 3 months old?

[Stormbringer]

sounds like the esc is knacked mate 

when you push the car does it run freely with no binding in the drive train ?

[SXFoxstar]

The drive chain doesn’t run freely. As soon as the battery is turned on it smokes. What could have caused this?

[Stormbringer]

Take the motor out  and push the car by hand it should roll freelly

Check that you put it together properly after changing the arms as binding in drive chain makes it draw more amps and can stress the esc

Once youve sorted the binding youl need a new esc for it

[locky]

I dont know what escs FTX use but would recommend getting a Hobbywing esc if keeping the car. Just make sure the current limit and lipo cell range is adequate for your motor. You could always try to contact the supplier for replacement esc, but have a search to see if users find  FTX  escs are reliable. Usually lower end rtrs will have budget escs. Running on grass can put more strain on esc and it can get too hot. Always best to check hot the motor and esc are getting.

[SXFoxstar]

I’ve just started to dismantle but after the wheels off and loosening some cables I thought I’d just give it another go. I connected the battery and the acceleration has no effect but the servo works. Does that indicate anything?

[Stormbringer]

It just mean the bit in the esc that drives the motor has died

Have you found and fixed what was binding ?

[SXFoxstar]

Just now, Stormbringer said:

It just mean the bit in the esc that drives the motor has died

Have you found and fixed what was binding ?

No slowly dismantling I’m fairly new to this so taking my time and photographing where it all goes.

[Stormbringer]

sounds a plan 

[Alex97]

Before taking everything to bits if you remove the pinion from the motor you would be able to roll the car along the floor without any resistance. 

[SXFoxstar]

I’ve now fully dismantled and seems the gears weren’t running as smoothly as they should. That is now cleared so will be ordering a new ESC, Dam bank holiday means a weekend of no play 😢

Edited May 6, 2023 by SXFoxstar
Removed text

[Stormbringer]

Are you meaning to stay brushed or go brushless ?

[Lone-wolf]

10 hours ago, Stormbringer said:

Are you meaning to stay brushed or go brushless ?

a cheap brushless is a good way to go, if set up right it will last for ages, give a little more speed and better battery run time if using 2S lipo if sticking with brushed you will end up replacing the motor every few months

[SXFoxstar]

I’m staying brushed for now. Already sunk a fair but in that I don’t have so need to put all my dreams on hold for now.

 

I did go with model sports suggested upgrade for the ESC though.

 

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/hobbywing-quicrun-1060-brushed-waterproof-esc-sbec-404964

[SXFoxstar]

4 minutes ago, Lone-wolf said:

a cheap brushless is a good way to go, if set up right it will last for ages, give a little more speed and better battery run time if using 2S lipo if sticking with brushed you will end up replacing the motor every few months

I didn’t realise that would be the case. This hobby is getting expensive, although the stock motor is only a fiver , I can live with that for now 😆

Edited May 7, 2023 by SXFoxstar
Wrong comment

[Lone-wolf]

its not that bad   https://uk.banggood.com/Surpass-Hobby-F540-Brushless-Motor-60A-ESC-LED-Program-Card-Combo-for-1-or-12-1-or-14-RC-Crawler-Car-Vehicles-Model-Spare-Parts-p-1749052.html?cur_warehouse=CN&ID=6296131&rmmds=search

[Kpowell911]

44 minutes ago, SXFoxstar said:

I’m staying brushed for now. Already sunk a fair but in that I don’t have so need to put all my dreams on hold for now.

 

I did go with model sports suggested upgrade for the ESC though.

 

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/hobbywing-quicrun-1060-brushed-waterproof-esc-sbec-404964

Those ESC’s are brilliant to be fair. Make sure everythings free in the drivetrain and Im sure youll be fine 🙂

[walkbythesea]

43 minutes ago, SXFoxstar said:

I’m staying brushed for now. Already sunk a fair but in that I don’t have so need to put all my dreams on hold for now.

 

I did go with model sports suggested upgrade for the ESC though.

 

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/hobbywing-quicrun-1060-brushed-waterproof-esc-sbec-404964

If you’ve already ordered that 1060 I would be prepared to swap you that when it gets delivered for a good secondhand complete Etronix brushless system from an FTX Carnage I’m dismantling, it’ll bolt straight in for you. 
 

Message me if you’re interested. 

[walkbythesea]

3 minutes ago, walkbythesea said:

If you’ve already ordered that 1060 I would be prepared to swap you that when it gets delivered for a good secondhand complete Etronix brushless system from an FTX Carnage I’m dismantling, it’ll bolt straight in for you. 
 

Message me if you’re interested. 

One of these:

 

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/etronix-photon-21w-system-with-130r-2950kv-motor-45a-esc-383631

 

[Alex97]

Just be aware that you'll need to do some soldering in order to get that ESC to work. 

 

I personally wouldn't fit the same ESC again as 60a in a 4wd 1/10 truck is a little low. 

 

Ignore the above, I thought it was a brushless system. 

 

Edited May 7, 2023 by Alex97

[walkbythesea]

16 minutes ago, Alex97 said:

Just be aware that you'll need to do some soldering in order to get that ESC to work. 

 

I personally wouldn't fit the same ESC again as 60a in a 4wd 1/10 truck is a little low. 

 

I agree 100% with this, I use 1060’s in my M series racers and vintage 1/10’s which is why I’d be prepared to swap it with you for a more suitable system. 
 

But if you’ve not bought the 1060 yet then put the money into something better. 

[Nitroholic]

This is one of those upgrade dilemmas..... and it's VERY common in the RC world.

 

If you start off with a brushed motor, brushed ESC and NiMh batteries, then the car will work perfectly fine, though as you have discovered, issues with the driveline have killed your ESC. Happens. Muck and rubbish gets in, grass gets trapped...then the stress of turning the wheels overloads the EC and out comes the magic smoke. Once that happens, the unit is dead.

Now....your car CAN take a mild brushless setup. Nothing too crazy, as it's a budget end RC, but as they do a brushless variant, you can use that as a guide as to what is appropriate. They put in an Etronix 2950Kv motor, and a 60A brushless ESC. That setup will also need a LiPo battery to run well, which will need a suitable charger. None of which you currently have.

 

Your ESC can be easily replaced with the 1060 Modelsport advised. It's a good brushed ESC, and will work just fine with the battery and motor you have. Gets you up and running again, for £25.

This is a sensible way to go if you are stuck for cash and just want to enjoy your car. It's also perfectly fine if you are happy with the speed of your car as it stands. Upgrading is a choice. You absolutely don;t have to.

 

As mentioned, RTR brushed motors are not the best things in the world. They are not designed to be serviced, and are essentially disposable. The things would last longer if you could get into them to lube bearing/bushings... They are cheap to replace though. Generic unbranded items are plentiful. There are also higher quality motors out there...but the prices go up too.

 

Now....if you want to make your car go faster, you hit the upgrade wall hard here because you are at the beginning of the RC journey. You can swap to LiPo battery, which will give you a bit of a boost in power, better run times, and far less performance drop off as the battery runs down. At this point, you will need to invest in a charger that handles LiPo, and learn the dark arts of proper battery care.  A step up in the hobby, but one which you will need to take at some point if you want to get into the hobby a bit more deeply. You will cook your motor a lot faster though. Every gain brings it's pain! It gets easier when you have been in the hobby a while, as a lot of us here have. You have chargers that will charge anything, plus bits and pieces lying around. Connectors, soldering gear...all stuff that makes tinkering easier.

 

Then you would be in the position to go to brushless motor and ESC. Brushless motors have less friction, run better as a result, and give more power. They will make the most of your LiPo batteries too. But the pain here is the money. You will also need to learn about gearing, thougg, here, if you copy the brushless versions motor specs...you can use the gearing they recommend too. Correct gearing is important...as an overgeared motor will have the same result as you experienced with your existing setup, only now the magic smoke costs a little more!

 

What you end up with here is a faster car, longer run times, and the fun that brings. But if money is tight....try and do it in stages.
 

[SXFoxstar]

Thank you to everyone for your invaluable advice. I do have a decent charger SkyRC T200  as advised when I first joined so I am ready for when I decide to upgrade to Lipos, with appropriate ESC, motor etc but for now I am enjoying the speed I have and I am currently building a ramp (again a learning experience as my carpentry has never been great) by this has pleasantly surprised me as I have done a lot of research and I am learning all the time.

 

I will definitely be back for advice when the time comes to upgrade but for now I’ll stick with my near stock spec. Thanks one and all.

[SXFoxstar]

Ok so what have I done wrong now?

 

so got my new hobby wing ESC 1060 for my brushed NiMh Bugsta. The nodes are set correctly. When I turn it in the receiver light is sold red and when I turn the wheels turn. However throttle either way is having no effect other than to make the ESC lights flash. Before I installed it all I had tested the throttle which worked with no wheels on. And the wheels do still move but have I somehow blown the motor now? 😭😭😭😭  when I switch it in the receiver light goes solid correctly, the servo is operational but I do not get the expected beep of the self test.

Edited May 11, 2023 by SXFoxstar

[walkbythesea]

Do you have the ability to post pictures of all your connections in the car - where the leads are plugged into the receiver, motor wires etc?

 

You’ve not turned the throttle off by accident on the controller with the dial under the flap?

 

As long as it all looks correctly connected - for the sake of experimentation it’s worth swapping the servo and ESC connections in your receiver to see what happens - obviously the throttle trigger should now turn the wheels and the wheel operate the throttle - what happens for you?