| Red
Light, Green Light.... I've seen them before? Most of the one button set-up ESC's out today
have LED's. The LED's help in set-up of the ESC. When properly calibrated, the
GREEN LED comes on at full throttle, the RED LED is bright at neutral, and is visible in
reverse. I have seen this in ESC's made by both Tekin and Novak.
After you set-up your ESC to run, there is a
precaution to take. I would recommend (regardless of speed control type) that you
not shock your drive line. Avoid rapidly switching from forward to reverse.
Doing so will cause a tremendous amount of current drain and you will reduce your run
time. Operating the speed control in this manner will also cause excess heat
build-up resulting in power loss. You can also run the risk of loosening the
hardware that secures your propeller(s). Remember that a smooth transition from
forward throttle to reverse will reduce the wear and tear on components.
Some ESC's offer a feature to allow you to
add a reverse delay. The reverse delay allows the brakes (remember this is
for cars, but works for boats also) to come on for a while before the reverse kicks in.
Since boats don't have brakes, this helps us by slowing the drive line down, before
you shift in to reverse. Some ESC's allow you to set up to a 4 second delay.
Battery Polarity
It is extremely important to ensure the
battery is connected to the ESC properly. If the polarity is accidentally reversed,
there could be severe damage to the ESC. Some ESC's come with connectors that
protect the polarity of the battery power going to the ESC. Applying reverse voltage
to the ESC may void the warranty of your ESC. |
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Scotty,
I'm Getting Interference! If the steering or throttle is erratic or cuts out when the throttle is
applied, you may be getting receiver interference. Try to keep your receiver
and antenna as far away form the motor(s), battery wires or the ESC as possible. If
the receiver must be mounted close to the motor or battery, you can wrap a small piece of
aluminum foil around the receiver. This provides shielding to the receiver.
You can also place a "twist" in the power wires going to the motor. Simply
wrap the wires around each other. Also make sure you have the required capacitors
installed on your motor(s). The last cause could be you have a low battery.
Mounting Your ESC
Mounting an ESC is so easy. They are
mostly mounted with servo tape. This is double sided sticky tape. Do not glue
them in place! I can not say this too much, ESC's do NOT TOLERATE water.
Mount them so they will be out of harms way, should you take on a bit of water. I
mount mine high in the hull on a removable shelf. It is also mounted under the deck
and protected when the superstructure is removed. It may seem over kill, but you can
easily smoke an ESC if it gets wet.
I'm Getting Off My Soap Box
I have given you quite a bit of information
on speed controls. They come in many price ranges, with the more expensive ones
being the best. I have found several uses for the Dumas speed
controls and the ESC's made by both Tekin and Novak.
Now you should have a better understanding of speed controls used for boats. This
will take the fear of of buying your next control. |
