Mamba Max and 1518 1800kv?
 

Ok, so I just bought myself a nice REVO 3.3 that I plan to brushlessify. I already have a Feigao 9L that I had used in my E-Maxx a long time ago, but I was hoping to take advantage of Castle's clearance and get a 1518 for $65 or $70. I already have a Mamba Max system in my Rustler and Traxxas has sent me a new Velineon ESC. I plan to swap the Velineon into the Rustler and put the Mamba Max in the REVO. I use A123 cells and plan on running 5s or 6s in the REVO (thinking about some Turnigy lipos, but I'd need a new charger as well).

Can the Mamba Max handle a 1518 1800kv on 6s A123, or should I be looking to get a Mamba Monster? I'd really like to keep it as cheap as possible.

Thanks,
Brijar

Your plan is good but it won´t work. If you run 4s with an external bec it will be ok, but on more then 4s it will let the smoke out.

Edit:

Oops, we were talking 123 cells.. Then maybe 5s is fine..How much voltage is 5s and 6s fresh of the charger A123packs?

A123 cells charge to 3.6v per cell, but drop very quickly to 3.3v per cell after a load is applied, so it should only be about 16.5v for a 5s pack a few seconds into the run. I have heard that people can run 5s and even 6s lipo on a Mama Max, though I don't know what it takes to do that. I should have mentioned before that I do have an external BEC that I will use. To disable the MM's BEC, do I just cut or unplug the red wire going to the RX?

Some MM's are more tolerant to higher voltage than others. Some have been able to use 5s lipo with no problem, while others may not even arm. 5s A123, even "peaked", is pretty darn close to 4s lipo "peaked", but still hard to say if a particular MM will work. Even then, the 1518 can draw some hefty current, so I would definitely use punch or torque control to help limit the amp spikes.

And yes, disabling the BEC is just a matter of pulling the red wire out of the throttle cable (I pull the connector out of the housing, fold that wire back, and heatshrink it to the rest of the cable) and using an external BEC. It's pretty easy, but this may help.

If the mamba esc has a fan on it, it should be fine running on 6s A123 and that 1518 motor. The reason I say should is, because I only went to a 1512 1400kv motor with 6s A123. I did have some additional caps installed.
Just remove the red rx wire and you be good.

Great! I will give that a go once the truck gets here. Too bad Castle seems to be ending their clearance? http://www.castlecreations.com/promo...clearance.html
It says they are having technical difficulties, which, I assume, means they are changing the page. I really hope they still have those motors on sale. I'll probably have to stick with my 9L if I can't get a decent motor for under $80ish.

I have a large 4700uf 35v capacitor that I had plugged into the spare RX channel, but would it be better served on the ESC? And if so, should I solder it right to the board or somewhere on the battery leads? I also have a 40mm 12v fan that I could put on the ESC, so I might do that.

Thanks for the help!

Ok, so I just got the VXL-3s back from Traxxas. It seems to be new. Should I try to sell it for $80 and buy a used MMM with the money (hoping to be able to run 6s lipo in the REVO at some point)? Or am I better off putting it in my Rustler and using the Mamba Max in the REVO? Know of any cheap MMM ESCs lol?

Thanks,
Brijar

i would try to sale the vxl if it were me to find a mmm.

Get me a MMM too please. I also took advantage of the Castle clearance sale and got a 1518 1800kv for $75 shipped. I have my MambaMax on ebay now to help pay for a MMM in the future.

I saw the Castle "difficulties" page you were talking about. Just click on "products" at the top of the page and it will take you to the motors.

Or: http://www.castlecreations.com/produ...le_motors.html