Any chance we will see a 12S Car Esc soon?
 

Looking to go 12S on my 5th scale is there anything in the works at castle?

I sure wish!

me wish too

Do MGM not make them already?

Mgm does indeed make several esc up to 15s lipo. they aren't affordable though (for me anyway)

They aren't affordable and they are absolutely ridiculous in size/weight. Even their small one is 4 times the size of a comparable castle heli 12s esc.

They sure have a lot of features though.

Get an HV 120 and a pistix adapter.

I have had good luck with the HV boat esc(mechanical brakes needed).

I would recommend looking at the specs on the new 2028 800kv motor. Specifically the voltage limitation. I'll let you draw your own conclusions. ;)

Thomas Porfert
Tech Support
Castle Creations

Indeed 12s...

MMp^2 first please:angel:

Sounds promising. Hopefully it will survive. I had 2 xl2 just stop working, no smoke or anything just no power.

An XL3 with smaller footprint... or a XL2 Sidewinder, lol for 1/8 lunatics to use 8s power on 1/8 buggys.

There is a demand for 8s power on 1/8 scale buggys/truggy's... so it will come eventually.
Hope that's sooner then later and please smaller cm's. All the space is precious!

Reading this thread reminds me of a thread from 2009/2010 (http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-24497.html) where a 12s capable car esc was already discussed about (with Pdelcast) ... too bad it wasn't released then, but now with heavier 4wd cars around, especialy the losi 5iveT it really makes sense to step up from 8s. I know that i'm pushing my 8s XL2/2028 setup beyond its limit when powering my Losi 5iveT as i'm able to average up to 100A during a run. This really is hard on every electric component. The xl2 ESC can reach temperatures up to 100°C (212°F) within 5 minutes at this power levels and aside from the batterys beeing pushed hard the ESC becomes the bottleneck (2nd would be the motor).

Having said this i'm really looking forward to a possible 2nd attempt to release a 12s car esc. Seeing the new 800kv 2028 motor beeing able to rev up to 45000rpm seems to indicate this time it could be for real ;-) Using a 10 to 12s setup in a Losi 5iveT should unleash its true potential.

I sure am also eager to see how much more the new 2028 is efficient compared to the old one. Maybe an even bigger motor is the only proper answer to cars as heavy as a Losi 5iveT.

On a sidenote ... even in a lighter (11kg/24.2lbs) onroad 4wd car (FG Porsche 4wd) it's not too hard to reach similar temperatures within the XL2 ESC (car geared for 60mph/95kmh).

I think the time is right for "the" next step. :whistle:

Time will tell i guess.

So when will the Mamba XLe 50 be released? :mdr:

Well... i was on the market for a 8s ESC.
But i will wait then :diablo: No worries.
Glad they are doing something..... this is the time right now for something in the likes... high end ESC's are doing it for years... so a major player in the domestic field should enter in this level son... or China ones will get there fast and then :rules:

Don't get your hopes up on China to make us any decent HV car controllers, they haven't even bothered to copy the Mamba XLs right? The market for this is really too small to justify a lot of R&D effort, if any. Also explains why there isn't any innovation going on in this area. Deep pockets will get an MGM, and at lower price point there is not any real alternative to the Mamba XLs.

As long as the typical RC kid thinks 6S equals "brutal powaaah", HV car options will stay very limited, unfortunately.

Oh, they actually did bother to copy the Mamba XL :)

What makes me wonder is, why did they put the current sensing shunts on it? I think it doesn't have PC connectivity or datalogging.

http://www.agmhobby.com/bmz_cache/f/...ge.334x233.jpg
http://www.offroad-cult.org/Board/at...8_img_1850.jpg
http://www.offroad-cult.org/Board/at...7_img_1858.jpg

Ah, I underestimated them, seems they also copied the frying part! :D

Where's those Current sensors, is that the green things at negative lead?

To be able to control maximun current ....

Not sure if and how max Current can be controlled with that ESC, but technically you don't need Current sensor to do so, as the Current follows from the Voltage drop across the motor anyway. At least that's how it seems Castle implemented their Current/Torque control: http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/show...56&postcount=2.

The XL2 has a current limit setting where you can set a limit in amps. Not sure how that interacts with the torque control though.

Interesting, sounds like two dials for the same function, which is usually done to confuse the users :D.

By using a shunt you measure the drop across a know resistor... You don´t need any test and is motor independent.

Even if the ESC has no user modifiable current limit, The esc may have a maximum current limit to protect itself.

Looks like Castle will make two new ESCs, one for 8s and one for 12s. Seems like it will probably be a new (or atleast heavily changed) hardware design.

My hope is rising that we'll get some nice 8s and 12s ESCs in the future, yay!

How do you know that?

35v caps? can't be right :)

just shoot castle an email, they are always helpful and friendly

ruudxd: I don't know for sure, it just looks like that to me :)

Serum: What do you mean with 35V caps? The XL2 has 35V caps, what's wrong with that?

In the light of 12S

Ahh, now I get it :) I think the 12s version will probably come later.

Ah, I hoped you had some info we didn't have :)

I am trying to setup a 12s setup right now, I was thinking about using an ESC from the heli world that has a RC car mode.. Any reason why this ESC would not work?

Minimal/no brakes on air-based ESCs, and they are also not likely to have a good startup in a land based vehicle. A heli also tends to have high average current, but lower peaks than a car, which can have huge current spikes for very short periods of time(big heli's in 3d flight are quite demanding, though) - not certain how that plays into the design/components. I have had good luck with boat ESCs years ago - the startup wasn't great and mechanical brakes were needed, but it worked quite well.

My standard response to using an aircraft ESC in a car application:

The ESC does have some braking functions, but it immediately engages at zero throttle and would not be proportional; so a mechanical brake would need to be used. There would also be no reverse function.

Also the trigger on a pistol grip radio won't work properly on an aircraft ESC. The neutral position on the throttle trigger will be read as 50% throttle on the aircraft ESC. Full brake/reverse trigger input on the radio will be zero throttle for the aircraft ESC. So you would have to hold full brake to be at neutral to arm the ESC, and if you let go of the trigger and it snaps back to "neutral" the ESC would run the motor to half throttle.

There is a product called a PiStix that hooks between the ESC and throttle channel on the receiver; it will emulate a signal from the receiver so the ESC sees zero throttle at the transmitters neutral position. You would also need to add a Y-harness to the throttle channel on the receiver. On one side of the Y-harness you would attach the brake servo; on the other side you would connect the PiStix and then the ESC. You also need to make sure the brake servo linkage does not engage the brake when throttle is applied.

Using an air ESC in a surface application will instantly put the ESC out of warranty."

Thomas Porfert
Tech Support
Castle Creations

Ok Thomas thanks for your reply.

Jay

I have to say that now that I've actually put the MGM in the 5ive it's stupid fast and powerful. Data logging is showing 19hp and speeds rapidly go past 70mph. Sadly the driveline can't handle it so until I build some tougher stuff, it's sitting.

14,000 watts is VERY hard on batteries. Absolutely ruined a set of new TP packs and nanotechs. The nanos held up better than the TPs, but both sets are hurt now. :(

Talked to my buddy Eric the other day who's an avid racer and he says no one is making good cells these days.

Try Turnigy Graphenes.

Yeah there are a few good options for packs out there. graphenes are one of them..

Maybe also go up in capacity? There should be lots of space on the 5ive T chassis and I guess the extra weight doesnt matter that much considering how heavy the car is anyway.